Research Success Strategies To Drive More Traffic To Your Listings
by Jim 'Griff' Griffith
eBay Staff Member

Q. Hello Griff,
 
Okay, here's the scoop. My wife and I presently are putting (fixed price) items up and have been getting hits but no takers. So we're trying revising and lowering prices and such. Are stores going to be a better situation? We are both noticing that for auctions, most people are bidding on lower priced objects. Although we're not using auctions, we just noticed. What can we do to increase traffic? Or better yet could you look at our fixed price item and give us feedback when time permits? Your help would be greatly appreciated. (By the way, your eBay Bible is a fountain of information and I used quite a bit of useful tools from select pages. Hats off to you for that, and what an enjoyable journey you have encountered throughout your duration with eBay.) Anyway, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and taken into consideration.
 
Gene and Linda

Hello Gene and Linda,

I notice that you offered two handcrafted items and that sadly, there were no bids submitted for either. Although there is a robust market on eBay for handcrafted items, new sellers of handicrafts often find it slow going when they first start to list their wares, often because the starting bid is too high to entice new buyers, or the items are not standing out among the others in the same category.

My advice would be to lower your starting bids for the item that are in the auction format and to consider lowering the purchase price for those that are fixed price. You may also want to research those sellers who offer handcrafted items similar to yours and find out which ones are selling regularly and which ones are not. Copy the business practices of those sellers who are successful. (Mind you, that doesn't mean lift their pictures and item description and layout--just their selling strategies. For example, do they offer a great deal on shipping?)

Don't be discouraged by a lack of initial interest. Just like in the offline world, customers must often be coaxed into a purchase. Your continued presence on eBay can help! You may have to relist the items several times before you get a buyer.

Best wishes!

Regards,
Griff