Community Shopping Network: Free Classified Ads & Auctions

by: Lori Martinez09
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How to Put Items Up for Auction, Online

When you have items you need to sell, there are plenty of online websites that offer auction listings and services. While this may seem a tedious process, it is actually quite
Easy, and is also a great way of selling items. You can sell products or items for a profit, and can boost your online presence dramatically. Whether you want to sell clothes, toys, jewelry, or furniture, online auctions offer you a huge advertising medium. Be aware, however, that most auction sites charge front end and back end fees. To further explain, a front end fee is simply the “listing fee”, and the back end fee is normally a pre-set percentage of the item sales price, if the item actually sells. There are other auction sites such as www.luckybuckads.com that offer totally free auction listings, there are no fees what-so ever for placing auction listings (or classified ads either).

With the phenomenon of online shopping take the world by storm, the internet has become the ultimate selling platform. There are millions of shoppers browsing through tons of auction sites as well as free classified sites daily, looking for that perfect item or piece of furniture. Imagine how easy it is to sit at your computer and shop, instead of facing the crowds at malls and stores. When listing your items on auction, stop and think about what you would want to see in a listing.

Out of all the auction listings that your average shopper comes across, you need to make yours stand out with a good description, clear, color photos and extra benefits like free shipping or “buy one get one free” type offer. This type of advertising is what will sell your products to the consumer. Just as a newspaper or magazine advertisement would entice someone to buy a certain product, your auction listing must be a descriptive ad unto itself.

If you are looking to use auction listings as a business venture, you need to narrow down the auction sites you plan to use. You will need a computer with a decent internet connection, which will allow you the ability to list your auctions and view them in final format. Most auction sites are free to join, but as mentioned before, be aware that many charge front end and back end fees. Pricing your item correctly is important, it has to be a deal for the consumer, yet the seller needs to make a profit, as well as pay any auction fees. Here are some general tips in creating an auction listing:

1. Use a descriptive title and include keywords (will help your item be easily found in searches.

2. Search other auction sites to get an idea of what items are selling for. This will give you an idea of what to price your item at. You can sell your item at a fixed price, known as a “buy it now”. Or, you can allow people to bid against each-other for your item. However, you may want to add a “reserve”. A reserve is the minimum amount you are willing to accept on an item if the auction ends successfully. Therefore, if bidding amounts do not reach your “reserve”, your item simply does not sell.

3. The more details you give in your description helps a potential buyer. Also, include any details such as brand, model, age, condition, features of an item.

4. Be upfront about shipping methods and costs. A buyer usually prefers to know what an item will cost to be shipped to them. There are many tools through UPS and USPS to help you with this. With postal rates always increasing, be aware that the cost to ship an item varies, dependent on where it is being shipped. An item shipped to the mid-west from the mid-west may be cheaper than shipping it from the mid-west to the east-coast.

5. Accepting a variety of payment methods can be helpful to a buyer. You always want to offer buyers payment choices, some include the ability to pay by credit card thru Paypal, or accepting mailed in money orders.

About the Author

Lori Martinez is the author of the article on Community Shopping: Free Classifieds & Auctions. She is the administrator of Lucky Buck Ads – a free online community for classified ads and auctions. Find more information about free ads and auctions here.

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