 |
| | |
| | |
|
 | Targeting Your Collector Segment
| All kinds of people buy collectibles: serious collectors, new collectors, gift givers, and dealers, just to name a few. Increase your sales by crafting the right listing for each.
Use the following tips to successfully market your items to individual collector groups:
Serious Collectors: Increase your profit per piece, selling to advanced collectors.
- Professionally grade and certify your items.
- Provide a detailed history of ownership for the item.
- Precisely describe all product components: color, weight, material, defects, etc.
- Include reference texts in descriptions.
- Post your resume to your About Me page.
New Collectors: Attract beginners that can mature with your business.
- Professionally grade and certify your items.
- Carry high-end pieces and economical starter items, listed with Buy It Now.
- Brand your starter pieces. Stress price point and collectible merit.
- Provide educational content in listings. Highlight matching pieces that build a series or set.
Gift Purchasers: Quickly and economically satisfy the needs of busy shoppers.
- Leverage eBay's Gift Services program. Use Buy It Now.
- Create a "Gift" listing template.
- Create a Gifts category in your eBay Store.
- Carry recognizable manufacturers and brands.
Dealers: Reduce
There are several types of Collectibles buyers. Try to target them all!
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
|
Select the Right Collectibles Category
Serious collectors are particular. They expect items to be catalogued correctly. Don't jeopardize your success by carelessly categorizing your collectibles.
Take note of these important category-selection tips:
- Use "Other" Collectibles categories sparingly. eBay research indicates that items listed in "Other" Collectibles categories obtain lower conversion rates than in targeted Collectibles categories.
- Leverage eBay's "List in 2 Categories" feature to simplify category selection. eBay research indicates that it can increase bidding and price by 15% and 18%*, respectively. Learn more.
Consider the drawbacks of improperly selecting your collectibles categories. Miscataloging...
- Diminishes credibility with serious collectors.
- Limits your qualified audience.
- Encourages unsatisfactory transactions and poor feedback.
Reach the right collectors the first time. Be precise with your category selection and realize results.
* This represents an average based on data from February 2002 transactions. No representation is made that a seller's final price or conversion rate of a specific item will increase by the average percentages noted above.
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
|
 | uptownbutte (1454), Jeff Francis
Building a Collectibles Business on eBay
| What's so collectible about a sheet of metal with a few stenciled letters and numbers? Jeff Francis, eBay seller uptownbutte and curator of The Piccadilly Museum of Transportation Memorabilia in Butte, Montana, should know. He's sold more than 700 of them on eBay in the last year.
"License plates are fascinating, they not only carry the date but also their place of origin. Most are very colorful, too. Not too many collectibles can boast that," says Francis, who has a feedback rating of more than 1400 and lists some 200 auctions per day.
There's a "huge market" for vintage license plates in the states and abroad, according to Francis. "Baby boomers are looking back and want a piece of American history to bring back the memories of their first car and roadside Americana," he says. As with other hobbyists, the real enthusiasts collect in series, which is great for Francis' bottom line.
eBay has had a dramatic impact on the hobby, as well, says Francis. "The National License Plate Collecting Club has nearly doubled in size over the past ten years. Much of it from the exposure the hobby has received on eBay," he says. "Many collectors in the National Club only conduct their business on eBay now."
Outside of Francis' museum, you won't find many license plates in glass cases. Even rare examples from the early 20th century don't fetch more than a few hundred dollars. These are non-precious, decorative collectibles, which might be tacked to the wall of a garage, activity room, or kitsch restaurant. For dealers like Francis, this means setting up their collectible business for volume and speed.
"The profit potential on selling license plates on eBay can be high so long as one can purchase the inventory in large quantities, like any business," he explains. "We start all of our items at $9.99 for simplicity and have a 85% to 90% sale rate the first time around. Whatever does not get any bids is halved to $4.99 and relisted."
Volume decorative collectibles have their unique benefits, too. Product acquisition costs are lower than precious collectibles. Also your audience is potentially larger, from serious collectors to interior designers and do-it-yourself decorators.
Uptownbutte's advice for successful sales:
- Save time by acquiring merchandise in bulk.
- Use accurate descriptions and photos.
- Send quick and courteous emails after the auction closes.
- Ship within 3 days of payment.
- Always guarantee buyer satisfaction or refund payment.
- Be willing to relist unsold items at lower starting prices.
To be considered for an In the Field profile, email eBay a description of your business.
| | |
| | |
| | |
Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.
