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Auction Strategists Newsletter

Brought to you by Jenni Hunt
www.jennihunt.com

In this newsletter:
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1. What To Know About Retail
2. Heads Up:
– used video games, books, Cd’s, Oh My!
– Hidden Auction

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Hi ~

I’m 3 1/2 weeks past my shoulder surgery… FINALLY off the lovely pain meds… and doing what I can to jump back in the saddle here. There has been lots going on that I want to share with you… but, I’ll have to pace myself because I’m still with only my right arm for another 5-6 weeks. Thank you all for the well wishes and prayers… they are greatly appreciated!

Enjoy!
Jenni

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1. What To Know About Retail
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I’ve mentioned before that I have mostly spent my attention selling to the children’s market on eBay. Whether it is children’s clothing, toys, games, books, videos… if it is related to children, I do what I can to make it my business to know about it.

As eBay sellers – we all know that there are many factors that go into a successful auction… The title is key, starting price matters, even shipping rates make a difference on how the item ends. But, above all, I have to say it is imperative to RESEARCH.

Because of the research I have done…
I know when to start listing Back To School Items.
I know when Halloween Costumes start selling well.
I know that used toys sell well all year on eBay.
I know when spring and summer items start selling.
I know when the best time is to list kids videos.

I could go on and on…
More often than not, I am asked when to list a particular item.

Well – I’m here to give away a little secret.
And, I’m pretty sure that this can apply to any market you are in on eBay (not just children’s items… so, whether or not you are in the same market… as an eBay seller – you’ll want to pay attention 😉

One of the keys to knowing when to list an item for the best results on eBay is to pay attention to the trends in the retail world.

See, you can use the retail world as a gauge for when and how you should be listing your own items… and I found a great resource that provides detailed information about what retailers are specifically doing ONLINE.

Retailers spend a lot of money researching trends so they can make the highest return from their advertising bucks… you might as well take advantage of this. This site, The Retail Email Blog, shows you where retailers are putting this money and how the different markets are responding. It is filled with great information – and you can bet I’m going to be referencing it (and using it) for future analysis on the children’s item market.

Check it out for yourself here:
http://www.retailemailblog.com

I’m on their mailing list… so, I’ll be sure to share information of interest on my blog and in this newsletter; however, you might want to see how they are covering your market and follow it yourself as well.

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2. Heads Up
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***HEADS**UP***
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Sometimes I let inventory sit for a bit simply because I don’t feel like taking the time to photograph it and get the listing ready… Do you have a bunch of books, CD’s, or video games laying around that you could be listing?

Half.com (eBay’s sister site) is another option for listing these kinds of items – and I just got my hands on a tool that makes the whole process EASY!

No taking pictures!

It is as simple as scanning the bar code on the item and just checking off a few items… and the listing is READY!

http://jennihunt.com/recommends/scanlister.html

Talk about a time saver… I can’t wait to get through the books we have been looking to get rid of. They have just been sitting in our office waiting to get listed… now the kids can do it for me! 😉

It’s called ScanLister… and I’ve worked out a nice discount for you.
http://jennihunt.com/recommends/scanlister.html
Save ten bucks with this discount code: TEN

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***HEADS**UP***
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I’ve often asked if your auction is ‘hiding’… it is a very common problem that eBay sellers have! I have done my best to help sellers make their listings more visible to their customers; however, not everyone has been paying attention 😉

www.HiddenAuction.com is a site that allows you to search eBay for items that are not listed properly (and not getting the bidding traffic they hoped for). You can get some great deals with these hidden auctions… and often times even turn them around and list them properly for an instant positive return!

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Copyright 2009 Jenni Hunt, www.jennihunt.com

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