We see it every year about this time, on forums and on group posts: “My eBay sales are so slow this summer. I’m really discouraged. What can I do?” Here are a few suggestions.
Remodel. Look at your listings and your store, if you have one, with a fresh eye. Think back to all of the advice you’ve heard but not taken and consider applying it. Try something different for a change. It couldn’t hurt and might just help. I’m talking about advice such as taking better pictures with better backgrounds or using more pictures; using excellent keywords and all 55 characters of every title; not centering the text in your descriptions; using a properly-sized font, not too big and not too little; using a font color that is easy to read; including well-written, non-threatening, professional-sounding shipping, payment, and return policies in your listings; or working on building your brand by standardizing colors and templates so people will recognize your listings in a crowd.
Reassess. If your products aren’t selling right now, why might that be? Are they just one item in a gazillion with nothing that makes them stand out or rise above the crowded marketplace? Find a high-volume seller who sells similar items. Examine those listings and try to identify what makes their items sell when yours don’t. Search for items similar to yours on completed listings and take a look at the ones that sold. What’s so special about them? Could listing/closing time have anything to do with it? Did they have a Buy It Now option whereas your items do not? What does that seller do that you don’t do? Does he or she offer a newsletter? Do you? Don’t ever copy another seller’s listings, but take notes about what appeals to you as a buyer and incorporate some of those ideas into your own listing and marketing practices. Determine what you can do to make your store and your items irresistible to your shoppers.
Restock. Sell something else. If your listings are perfect and need no improvement at all but the items are still not selling, consider the fact that not everything listed on eBay sells. If it hasn’t sold within a reasonable period of time, consider donating it or having a yard sale. Perhaps your products are out of season right now and should be put on the shelf for awhile and re-listed later. Think a month or two ahead to the next holiday or, during the summer, to back-to-school time and find items that should sell well then and get those listings ready. Or, think in a totally opposite season; have a Christmas in July sale or list items with a gift-giving theme.
If you’re not busy this summer shipping out sold items, you probably have some time on your hands. Use the time wisely by studying both the market and marketing principles. Start with our remodel, reassess, and restock tips, apply them, and perhaps you’ll see your summer sales begin to take off again.
Do you have some great advice for avoiding the summer sales slump? Leave us a comment!
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