Auction Information

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words and Creates Auction Euphoria on eBay


Ever since I sold my first item on ebay I have been addicted to the site and I have steadily developed it as a supplementary source of income over the last two years. As I gained experience from listing items, I rapidly became aware that the inclusion of pictures in the listings was a major selling point as buyers could literally see what they were buying and as such create a greater interest and desire within them which in turn led to greater selling prices.

To sum it up in one sentence:

Pictures attract attention, help explain details and more importantly stimulates desire which leads to Auction Euphoria.

Auction Euphoria is that process whereby the desire to own an item is that great that all logic goes out the window and the buyer rebids to ensure that they win it, thus increasing the selling price.

This simple bit of knowledge has allowed me to push my final selling prices up on average between 10-30% and as such it amazes me that so many listings do not include one picture and just type out the details in one long line of text (usually all in capitals!). I am not complaining however because this fact alone has allowed my auctions to stand out and make the money.

I started off using eBays add additional photo service to include extra images in my listings which people could use as a reference point and I found out the following :

1. Always make sure that the image is clear and of the actual item for sale, otherwise what is the point of including it? You will find that poorly presented pictures suggest that the seller doesn't care and hence will devalue the potential selling price of the item which is of no use to anyone.

2. Never use a stock photograph of the item for sale, with the increase in fraudulant transactions (especially on the higher value items) this will serve to put the buyer off, again serving to devalue your final selling price. Taking a little extra time to get an actual photograpah shows yours buyers that you care and will endear them to you.

3. Where possible use a digital camera, these are very easily accessable nowadays and relatively cheap and they produce excellent images. A webcam can also be used but does give a grainier picture. Remember the cost of the digital camera can be offset by the gain in final selling prices.

4. Have good lighting on your images, a poorly lit image may as well not be there. Where possible I take mine outside into the garden, put it onto a chair with white paper behind it and take advantage of the natural light. Its a few minutes work that pays dividends in the end in cold hard cash!

5. Never just use one image, always use at least two. I tend to use one image for every one of the details (or faults) that I mention in the listing. This illustrates what you are actually trying to describe and helps to prevent the dreaded negative feedback of 'the item wasn't as described'.

Using the above meant my auctions stood out and I was considered to be true to my word by my buyers so much so that I have multiple return buyers and the Auction Euphoria effect is evident on my auctions as there regularly go for higher prices than similar items listed on eBay.

As I developed my auctions I realised that using eBays additional picture service was COSTING ME a large proportion of my profit so I looked into other ways of getting my pictures on my listings. I also realised that the format of the listings was another major factor. I wanted to use the additional pictures to illustrate a detail or fault but it was no use having the picture at the bottom of the listing away from the description as per eBays standard approach.

So I did some research and learned that the answer to my problems was HTML to generate a template for my listings and allow me to pull my images into them without having to use eBays image service, sure it was still gonna cost me to host my own images but no where near what eBay was charging me. Using this has meant that my eBay Listing Fees have dropped by nearly 90%.

My buyers then started to ask me if they could use my templates and how they could include images on thier listings, advice which I always gave to them. I then decided to put this advice together on a few webpages so that they could use it as a reference and to upload some of the templates that I have used in the past so that anyone can use them for FREE.

I hope that these simple bits of advice help you to take advantage of Auction Euphoria, and really develop your profits from the amazing, and addictive, animal that is eBay auctions.

Mike - Webmaster and eBay Power Seller.

Online Auction Trader

FREE eBay Selling Templates, can be used by anyone you dont need to ask my permission to use them anywhere you want.


MORE RESOURCES:

Business Recorder

Treasuries Decline on Greek Debt Talks, Three-Year Note Auction
BusinessWeek
“Better sentiment around Greece and soft performance from the three-year note auction has caused the market to dip,” said Guy LeBas, chief fixed-income strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC in Philadelphia, which oversees $12 billion in Fixed ...
Treasury yields ease ahead of U.S. debt auctionMarketWatch
U.S. 10-Year Yields Reach 1-Week High on Greek Debt ProgressSan Francisco Chronicle
Treasury Auctions $32 Billion Worth Of Three-Year NotesNASDAQ
Bloomberg -Washington Post
all 190 news articles »


Ritchie Bros. to conduct first Tipton auction of 2012 the day after World Ag Expo
MarketWatch (press release)
Tipton auction site on Friday, February 17 Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (nyse and tsx:RBA), the world's largest auctioneer of farm, construction and other equipment, will conduct an unreserved public auction at its Tipton, CA auction site on February 17, ...

and more »


Agriculture.com

Land rent auctions 'stunning'
Agriculture.com
The farm land broker and manager said it all started when he saw a copy of the sale bill from a series of farm land rent auctions held around Iowa between Thursday, February 2, and Saturday, February 4. It was the first time he'd seen such an auction, ...

and more »


Telegraph.co.uk

Green auction expected to raise millions for environment
Reuters
By Chris Michaud | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bidders will be able to buy fine art, a vacation in the Maldives, or an internship with designer Donna Karan and help the planet at the same time in Christie's annual Green Auction, which is expected reap ...
Christie's Elizabeth Taylor auction boosts digital biddingTelegraph.co.uk

all 20 news articles »


MarketInvoice Completes Five Million Pounds of Auctions Within 12 Months of Launch
Sacramento Bee
By MarketInvoice Ltd Online auction platform MarketInvoice has completed over five million pounds worth of auctions to UK SMEs within a year of launch. With over 150 auctions to over 60 UK SMEs, MarketInvoice has helped many small businesses within the ...

and more »


Hindustan Times

Sahara open to negotiations as far as Pune Warriors is concerned
Times of India
Sahara India ended its 11-year-old financial ties with the BCCI and also pulled out of the IPL auction last weekend after it accused the Cricket Board of not giving due consideration to its genuine grievances. "If really needed I will not give a second ...
Open for talks on IPL but no sponsorship deal: Subroto RoyEconomic Times
I Hate You (Like I Love You). Subrata Roy and the BCCIForbes India (blog)
Shock before IPL auctions, Sahara dumps Pune, Team IndiaHindustan Times
TruthDive -Cricket Country
all 644 news articles »


Zee News

IPL-2 auctions rigged claims Lalit Modi
sportal.co.in
Former IPL chief Lalit Modi accused the Indian cricket board of rigging the 2009 auction in favour of N.Srinivasan-owned Chennai Super Kings. In an interview to CNN-INB, Modi said all rules were rested to get England cricket Andrew Flintoff to play for ...
The Flintoff deal explainedESPNcricinfo.com
I am an honest man and I don't seek publicity: SrinivasanTimes of India
Lalit Modi claims IPL 2 auctions were rigged to favour CSKCricket Country

all 47 news articles »


Former Hungry Peddler restaurant set for auction
NewsOK.com
The auction starts Thursday at 10 am Everything in the building, including wall décor, a phone booth and an antique bar, will be sold and the structure will be razed. BY JENNIFER PALMER jpalmer@opubco.com Leave a comment The former Hungry Peddler, ...

and more »


Tattoo Auction Benefits Puppies in Montrose
The Daily Cortlandt
by Jessica Glenza (email) 14 hours ago MONTROSE, NY – Charity auctions can mean prohibitive admission fees or stuffy dress codes, but in a taboo-testing eBay auction, bidders will compete for eight hours of ink-on-skin artistry to benefit Recycled Paws ...

and more »


Jose Reyes, New Marlins Shortstop, Auctions His Hair On eBay
Huffington Post
Reyes is now auctioning off the dreads on eBay. Proceeds from the eBay auction will benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation of Southern Florida, a nonprofit that fulfills the dreams of sick children. As of this morning, there were 42 bids to buy the ball ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006