EBay is the biggest online auction site which brings us bargains and some extra income. For many, eBay has been used to get rid of some unwanted gifts, old baby clothes or just something you do not need anymore.

I have been using eBay for 3 years now and have generated a nice income from doing very little and I am going to spill some of my tricks and tips that have given me the edge over my eBay competitors.

The first thing that I would say is EBay is brilliant and I would recommend everyone getting involved and grabbing some bargains because there is some real steals on there. I advise all buyers to look at feedback and if you see anything that discourages you, avoid the seller because you will normally find another seller with the same product and a better reputation.

EBay has now made listing smaller items easier and cheaper with their newly refurbished shops. You can list a less popular item for 30 days for less than a £1 which means one sale can bring in a profit.

Listing times are of high importance for maximum listing exposure. Many listings are most visible in the last few hours of their life. If the listing is ending at 11am then it is likely that many people at work who would be interested in that item will not be able to place their bids. I like to end my listings at 8pm and I avoid ending listings on Saturday nights just because I feel that many people like to go out. If you end your listings at non peak times you are bound to receive very little interest or not as much interest that your listing deserves so make sure you plan you listings appropriately.

Branding your listings has been a major builder in sales for myself. I sell a lot of the same product and I like people to remember where they bought that product because I have faith in my service and products. I brand my listings and listing titles so that ebayers can identify my selling name even before they have opened the listing and I remind them in my dispatch emails of the branded listings. Previous buyers will then look out for your listings because they are looking for the same service.

Dispatch your sales as quickly as possible! Some people can not believe how quick some items can get to them. I normally wait till 3pm to pack up all items and most of them get to their destination the next day. I have dealt with ebayers 3-4 times in a year which means they see me as reliable and I would like to think that is because my service and products are at a high standard.

One major factor on eBay is feedback if you receive negative feedback then you are going to lose sales. So do whatever you can to prevent getting negative feedback. The customer is always right and even if you make nothing on that particular sale you just need to accept that in the long run you will make a lot more money by not having a negative reputation. I would advise that listings are made absolutely clear so that buyers can not have any dispute to the description of an item. I myself have received 2 neutral feedbacks in my three years and no negative. One of those was due to a misunderstood ebayer who never asked for help and the other because I never made a listing clear enough. So believe me when I tell you that listings have to be as informative as possible.

When it comes to buying there are also some tips to grabbing a bargain. Many people are aware of the miss spelt listings and items that are in the wrong categories and hunting for items in such cases will lead you to lower prices especially with auction items. I would also advise people to search for auctions ending at times that most people will be at work or not on the computer (very late, very early, basically times where you would not expect people to be on online) this will again lead you to less bidders and cheaper prices I have won items at lower prices many times.

I have used these tips religiously for 3 years and have grabbed many bargains and buyers just by adding some small things like a slogan to my listings and browsing the ending listings at 3am. Sometimes it is the smaller things that make you stand out.

Source of article is www.satchat.co.uk