Did you know that, historically, the first quarter is the busiest time of the year on eBay? When the temperature drops, eBay sales heat up! What's more, as a seller, how you take advantage of this increased traffic over next few months can help you throughout the rest of next year! This month, as we start a new year, I want to share some suggestions on sourcing and marketing that can help you continue to see increases in sales.

Sourcing
People start the new year armed with gifts they received over the holidays or filled with the spirit of New Year's resolutions. With a careful eye, you can spot the new sales opportunities out there.

Complement popular holiday gifts – Most people who received gifts will need accessories or complementary items to go with them. For instance, here's your big chance to offer video games for those who received XBOX, PlayStation 2, or GameCube video game systems over the holidays. People who received computers will likely purchase peripherals, software, media and accessories. And many people will look to eBay to get themselves the gifts they really wanted, meaning items that were in demand for the holidays should see continued demand.

Take advantage of seasonal trends – Many people begin fitness programs in January to work off those extra holiday pounds or make good on New Year's resolutions, so fitness apparel and home gym equipment may see a boost at this time of year. The cold weather that clamps down on many parts of the country also gives people more time to spend on indoor hobbies and entertainment. Isn't this the perfect time to list supplies for craft hobbies such as scrap-booking, quilting, beading and model building? Electric blankets, space heaters, warm winter apparel, snow-blowers, snowmobiles, ski equipment, snowshoes, and tire chains are always popular at this time of year, as well.

Attracting More Buyers
There's no better time to acquire new buyers than when buyer traffic is high, as is the case in the first three months of the year. Here are a few recommendations to help you stand out to buyers.

Write effective item titles – Writing an effective item title is probably the single most important thing a seller can do to attract buyers shopping on eBay. Remember, buyers typically search by keywords, so if your item descriptions contain words that buyers are searching for, the better likelihood you have of a sale. Here's what I call the 1-2-3 of creating a great listing title:

1. Use all 55 characters for your “headline”– Extract the maximum mileage from all 55 characters available in the item title field.
2. List likely key search words – Since most buyers find items via the Search box on the homepage, make a list of potential key (search) words you think they'd use to find your item. Include a combination of general product-type words, and specific key words such as the brand of your item.
3. Include specific attributes – Mentioning your item's attributes can also attract the buyers who are looking for exactly what you're selling. For example, when listing a laptop, you can include model, size, condition, accessories, and color.

Use the Gallery feature to showcase your item
It's true that a picture says a thousand words, so when you have only 55 characters in your title, it makes sense to use a picture to tell the story of your item. This is where the Gallery feature comes in. Our research shows us that using the Gallery feature increases conversion rates by up to 30%*. Be sure your pictures are in-focus, free of background clutter and well lit. Another best practice is to photograph your item at close range, at an angle, and using at least two light sources to show more detail.

Building customer loyalty
Finally, with all the increased buyer traffic, this is a great time of year to focus on loyalty-building programs.

Send promotional messages when you ship items
Remember, every package you mail is an opportunity to send out a promotional message at no extra cost, and build customer loyalty at the same time.

• Create flyers to advertise the other items you sell on eBay and slip them into every package you ship.
• Include a friendly note or thank you card in your package to let buyers know that you value their business. Adding a free gift will often wow your buyers and keep them coming back for more.

Take advantage of permission-based email marketing
If you have an eBay Store, be sure to take advantage of the Stores Email Marketing tools to create email campaigns and manage up to five email lists of your buyers. Encourage your buyers to subscribe to your email newsletters by asking them to add you as one of their favorite sellers. They can do this from a number of places, including every page in your eBay Store, your About Me page, and from the end-of-auction and end-of-transaction emails that eBay sends out.

Here are some more things you can do to create a base of your loyal customers:

• Add a “subscribe” link to the email footer of all your buyer correspondence.
• Create a custom promotional box in your eBay Store that includes a newsletter subscription link or use the eBay Stores Custom Listing Header to promote your email in item pages.

After the rush of the holidays, it can be tempting to take a break, but smart sellers who step up listings will be in an ideal position to make the most of this lucrative selling season. I hope these ideas help you jump start your business for the new year.

*This performance represents an average based on recent transactions. No representation is made that the final price of a specific item will increase by the average percentage noted here.