So are you ready yet? You should be - in fact, if you haven't already been ordering in extra stock and starting to make those extra sales on eBay then you've already missed out on a pretty active October.
But there is no need to worry. There is still plenty of time to go until the big day, and that means you can make plenty of extra money this Christmas by preparing in just the right way.
In order to stay competitive, this is the time of year when it can really pay to make sure you are offering the best possible service. So with that in mind, take a look at the following hints and tips for making extra money eBay this Christmas.
And with any luck, you will be counting the cash come Christmas Eve!
1. Are your prices competitive?
You don't need to be cheaper than your competitors, but if you charge more than they do for exactly the same item you will be bound to have fewer sales. You should always check your competition and the market conditions when you first start selling an item, but it pays to check it periodically as well.
Take the time to go through all your active listings to see whether you can improve on the prices - and then see what happens.
2. Make your buyers aware of the last Christmas posting dates
You don't need to do this, but if you do, buyers normally appreciate it. If you have a shop you may like to list the dates in there, or provide a link to Royal Mail's website.
You can also ask people to check last posting dates on your listings, but if you have already sold items from an active listing you won't be able to amend it. Having the information in your shop is often enough to help people out though.
3. Offer customers a seasonal freebie
We did this last year, and it worked a treat. We actually decided not to broadcast the fact in the end - we simply popped a little extra gift into each package we sent out. This resulted in great feedback and a lot of people came back to shop with us again.
We didn't want to boast that we were giving away a free gift - we just wanted to say a little extra thank you to those people who bought from us in the run-up to Christmas.
The ideal gift is something small which doesn't cost you much to buy or post. We sell toys so we included a small party bag toy with each order. The reaction we got was enough to decide to do the same again this year.
4. Create some seasonal packing slips
We usually have snowflakes or snowmen and Santas along the bottom of our packing slips. It's only a small touch and there really isn't any extra work in it once the template has been set up. But it does get remembered and we've had comments on it too.
We figure that it isn't just the Christmas custom we want; we're hoping that people will remember us when they need toys in the year ahead as well. That's why we try everything we can to make sure we can serve people in the best possible way.
5. Let people know about any January sales you may be planning
We do this on the back of our packing slips, so that people will remember us even when the festive season is over.
You can generate interest in one of two ways. Firstly, you can think about knocking a specific percentage off some (or all) of your items. The other idea is to run a penny auction to attract people's attention.
We have done this in past years to get rid of some old stock, particularly if we receive an item that is saleable but packaging that is slightly below par. And of course the low start tends to garner the kind of interest that leads to lots of visitors - any one of whom could take a look at what else you are selling at a regular price.
6. Liven up your listings
If you are putting on any new listings - particularly if they are for seasonal items - try creating a seasonal listings template to go with them. These add an extra touch of festivity to your listings that is very quick and easy to do once you have got the template ready to use.
You can also develop this further by adding a note underneath every item description, which tells people they can view more seasonal items in your eBay shop.
7. Consider opening up a shop
If you have got a lot more stock to list at this time of year why not open an eBay shop?
You can always close it again after the seasonal period, but if there was ever a time to dip your toe into the water and give it a go, it's now. It's much easier to direct buyers to your shop than it is to ask them to look up the rest of your listings.
There's no doubt that Christmas offers a multitude of opportunities for sellers to make a decent income from eBay. But you will get the best results when you take the time to plan your approach first.
And you will find that the longer you stick with eBay and the more Christmases you sell for, the better you will know how the market works. Of course, you should never assume that what sold well last year will be equally as good a seller this year.
For more great Christmas money making ideas, home based business reviews and blueprints go to www.whatbizopp.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katherine_M_J_Mason
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