Nothing is more scary and de-motivating for eBay sellers than slow sales.
After learning how to sell on eBay, I discovered a few tricks to fix this problem that’ll help you sell your eBay items fast.
Let’s dive into how to sell fast on eBay using battle tested strategies.
1. Set More Aggressive Pricing
If you want quick sales, strategically setting your pricing is first place to start. Many buyers will make their decision to purchase based solely on price.
If you’re priced below the market average you greatly improve your chances of getting the sale.
Every type of item on eBay, essentially has a pricing spectrum.
One end represents the lowest current selling price and the other end represents the highest selling price of that item.
For an item that sells frequently you could make the sale within hours of listing if you price towards the lowest end of the spectrum.
Alternatively, if you price on the highest end, it could take months or even a years to make the sale, but you’ll have a bigger payout.
If you want to take eBay from a fun second job to potentially your full time gig, understanding the relationship between pricing and selling speed is critical.
Tactics for Success
To determine the current market price for your item, simply type it into eBay and turn on the “Sold Listings” filter. This will only show listings that sold and their selling price. This is invaluable data, because it quickly reveals the upper and lower bounds of the market for that particular good. The lower you price your item relative to the pricing spread you see in the sold listings, the faster you sell stuff on eBay.
2. Send Offers to Watchers
For years, shoppers had the ability to add items to their watchlist, which showed they were interested in the item but not ready to buy yet.
But now, sellers have the opportunity to send offers to those watchers to entice them into purchasing. I’ve utilized this feature both on eBay and selling on Mercari to increase my sales quickly.
I’ve found sending offers about 15% below my current price is enough to motivate a watcher to purchase.
Sending interested buyers offers is like creating a flash sale, which helps speed up sales.
3. Use Plenty of Keywords in Listings
Keywords are like hooks in the water. If you want to increase your chances of catching a fish, more hooks in the water boosts your chances of getting a bite.
A keyword simply refers to a search phrase someone types into eBay to find what they’re looking for (examples: denim jeans, fly fishing rod, noise cancelling headphones).
The more variations and modifiers you use in your listings, increases your discoverability for shoppers… or puts more hooks in the water.
If you’re already selling highly profitable items on eBay then utilizing lots of keywords will energize your store’s sales even further.
4. Create Eye-Catching Photos
Great photos not only show shoppers what they’re buying, but they also have the potential to eliminate questions and shopper hesitation.
We have all seen those eBay listings with 2 pictures and the backdrop is a messy closet.
If you’re looking for a way to bring your sales to a screeching halt, there’s your answer.
If you have clear and well-lit photos that show your product in full, shoppers will be far more eager and confident to purchase, which is a secret of how to sell fast on eBay.
5. Add Helpful Information in the Description
Many sellers make the mistake of leaving their listing description blank, which is a missed opportunity and is likely slowing down sales.
Descriptions are your chance to include pertinent/helpful information to ensure there’s no ambiguity or obvious questions shoppers will need to ask you.
You might already know how profitable buying and selling clothes online can be. But if you want to learn how to sell clothes fast on eBay, adding clothing sizing in the description helps significantly.
Many sellers don’t include that information in their description because it slows them down, but I would argue it does more harm than good.
Here’s a few more examples of details to include in descriptions:
- List of everything included in bundle listings
- How quickly you ship items
- Additional details on item condition
- Item dimensions and/or weight (especially if larger item)
Adding extra information to your listing descriptions will undoubtedly help buyers feel more confident about purchasing, which means quicker sales.
6. Answer Sellers Questions Quickly
Usually if a shopper reaches out with a question, they are in the consideration phase of purchasing. Answering their question could be all that stands between them and clicking the “Buy” button.
For that reason, answering customer questions in a timely manner is vital to selling items fast on eBay. Seller responses should always be prompt and professional for the best outcome with shoppers.
7. Use “Buy Now” Purchase Method
eBay provides sellers two primary ways to sell items – “Buy Now” and auctions. Unlike auctions which are time based, the Buy Now format allows shoppers to secure the item immediately.
Yes, auctions can simultaneously have a Buy Now option, but many shoppers don’t want to be bothered with listings that involve auctions and will skip over your listing.
While auctions are a unique feature for eBay, when comparing marketplaces like eBay vs Mercari vs Poshmark, that bidding style of purchase is falling out of popularity.
8. Build Seller Feedback ASAP
On eBay, feedback is the equivalent of reviews, and the more positive reviews someone has the more reliable and trustworthy they appear.
When it comes to how to make sales fast on eBay, then building up a glowing number of positive feedback on your seller profile will make shoppers more inclined and confident to purchase from you.
Tactics for Success
One of my favorite ways to rapidly grow positive feedback is by including a brief handwritten note with orders, asking customers to consider leaving you positive feedback. Thanking customers this way comes across professional and improves the buying experience, which greatly increases the likelihood of buyers leaving feedback.
9. Turn on Accept Offers
During the listing process, you’ll have the option to receive offers from shoppers interested in purchasing your item at a lower price. Many shoppers are hunting for a deal and look for sellers open to entertaining offers for a lower sales price.
Although this can open the door to low ballers, many shoppers don’t try price gouging, and instead it’s a great strategy how to sell faster on eBay.
Seasoned sellers usually turn on offers and bump up their prices slightly, expecting to accept an offer for a “lower” price that lands them where they wanted to sell anyway.
Wrapping Up
Without the right strategies, knowing how to sell fast on eBay can be frustrating. Having sold hundreds of items on eBay, these tips will make a big difference with your selling velocity.
John-Paul Cody has been an avid online seller for years, across platforms including eBay, Mercari, Craigslist, and more. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from UNC Chapel Hill, and works in data analytics and marketing.
