I am an eBay success story.  I started selling beads on eBay and slowly built up my bead inventory.  Eventually, I became a power seller. Eventually, also I had enough inventory for a website  In the beginning, The Bead Peddler® website accounted for only a small percentage of my bead sales.  My winning bidders would add a few items from my website to their auction wins.  Over time, I wooed  buyers away from eBay and onto my website.  I also attracted website customers from search engines, word of mouth and other means.   I plugged away until  my website sales outstripped my eBay sales.   It's been a long time since I've sold beads at any online auction, but I remember it fondly.

I also remember it as being incredibly competitive and incredibly time consuming.  The only thing that made eBay manageable was an auction manager that started my repetitive auctions and tracked my wins.

Selling on eBay or any other auction site requires a great many skills.  A seller must be able to take clear, fast loading pictures and upload those pictures to a website.  Beads and jewelry require close up photography - some people use digital cameras and some use scanners.  eBay does not allow you to store  pictures on their servers.  However, most internet service providers provide a limited amount of storage space on their server to hold the pictures.  Pictures are uploaded to the internet via an FTP program.  Coffee Cup software provides free ftp software for those in need.  

Once the pictures are on the internet, the seller has to write clear, detailed item descriptions.  Because the color of an item can vary so much on different computer monitors, color and size should be stated as should the materials used in all  jewelry components.  The buyer can't tell if that clasp is made of sterling silver, pewter or silver plate.  Item descriptions must spell it out.  Item descriptions should also include payment options, shipping and return policies and  sales tax liability.   Speaking of payment options, paypal is THE most widely used payment format for online auctions.  Anyone who intends to auction off items online should probably open up a paypal account (http://www.paypal.com) 

Once the auction has started,   sellers must field  emails - some of them asking questions that are already answered in the auction description.   Diplomacy comes into play here - it is not a good idea to tell people  the information is in the auction description.  Finally the auction ends - hopefully with a winning bidder.  That bidder must be contacted, payment accepted and acknowledged, and the item packed and shipped.  All after auction tasks should take place quickly - auction winners expect next day shipping.  Getting the item out the door does not mean the transaction is complete.  You still have to leave 'feedback'. 

If you sell enough goods at auction there will be 'deadbeat bidders' who don't pay for their wins, lost packages, and a very very few unhappy and vocal buyers.   A good friend of mine thinks of these mishaps as 'little bumps in the road' and just skates through them confident that she can handle whatever comes her way.  But this patience and confidence typically come with time.  New sellers often panic the first time something goes wrong with an auction.  It helps to remember that one of the advantages of email communication is that you have time to 'get a grip', sleep on it and write a reasoned,  professional response to the email in the morning.  

My goodness, I have written a great deal already and have only touched on the mechanics of how to run an auction.  What about the dynamics of becoming a successful auctioneer - standing out from the crowd of online sellers and making online auctions work for you.

I've interviewed three active auctioneers - two eBay power sellers and one long term  www.justbeads.com seller - about their auction experiences.  They all bring different things to the auction world and want different things from it.  But they all share the same basic philosophy about auctioneering - they stress the importance of customer service.  All of their stories are interesting and all of them have found creative ways to increase sales and build customer loyalty.  Most of all, they were all  extremely generous with their time and advice - why not take a few minutes to browse their auctions?

Susan Weiss  (eBay user id susanweiss_10002) often bought vintage beads on eBay.  She noted how competitive the bidding was for these lots.  She was also frustrated by the small number of beads in many lots - she had some  beautiful beads, but not enough of one bead for a bracelet or necklace.  She has been looking for a career change due to the downturn in the economy.  Last winter, she sold off a Barbie Collection on eBay.  It was lucrative and she enjoyed it.  Since she had sensed a need for larger lots of vintage beads on eBay,  she put out feelers for vintage beads to sell.  In May, she formed a relationship with  a dealer who had hoards of vintage beads from designers like Miriam Haskell.  She buys the beads in lots.  Then she has to wash  and sort through them to find the ones she deems marketable.  Since she has only been selling for a few months, Susan still feels like she is learning the ropes and she is constantly improvising.  When individual beads failed to sell, Susan grouped beads together as they could appear in a necklace or a bracelet - all customers really have to do is add a clasp.  The beads sold.

Click here to see Susan's auctions

Susan values her relationships with her customers.  She adds a 'goodie' to each package that she gift wraps and mails.  She answers each email personally - no form mail for her.  And she has learned the most important business lesson of all.  To directly quote Susan, "It is better to be nice than to be right".

Did you know there is an auction site just for beads - www.justbeads.com?  It's been around for several years now and has developed a loyal following.  Our next guest seller, Jill Newman (justbeads seller id tatercat) makes Just Beads her home base.  Jill makes beads out of polymer clay. 

I can personally attest to the beauty and universal appeal of Jill' s beads.  Last Christmas I presented my 5 nephews (ages 8 to 18) with one of Jill's beads.  They were much loved and admired by all.  Better than that, they are worn by all! Jill's artistry shows in every aspect of her auctions.  In her auction descriptions, she weaves stories around her beads.  The stories themselves are reason enough to visit her auctions. Click here to visit Jill's auctions.

Jill is retired from the traditional working world.  She loves to make her beads in her own time.  The auction format allows her to create and list at her leisure.  She also loves the 'homey' feel of Just Beads.  She's on a first name basis with the site administrators and knows just where to go to get any questions answered.

Jill is  pragmatic about how to price her goods.   She has found that her beads have to start at a certain price point or they don't generate bids.  So she starts all her auctions at that price point.  With a single bead taking up to 10 hours to make,  she doesn't make her time back.   That is not the point for Jill however.   Jill designs and sell for the love of the craft.  Her attitude  shines through in all of her dealings.

And last, but far from least, the most financially successful of all, DiDi Carter (eBay id rdcasteel).  DiDi and her husband support their family of 8 children by selling semi precious beads on eBay.   With over  2000 auctions running at any given time, it would be hard to imagine a stone they don't carry.  They have worked out email templates, auction templates and  math formulas for pricing.  Their opening bid covers the profit they need to make on each item.

Click here to see Didi's auctions

 They have hired two people to help them pack over 100 packages a day.  They still ship the day after they receive payment.  They still haven't lost the personal touch or the quest for good customer service.  Didi tries to have duplicates of auction items so she can make second chance offers to back up bidders.  Not only does it increase sales, it also delights the runner up bidder.  I know there have been lots of auctions where I would have liked to have had a second chance. 

In closing I asked Didi to advise people thinking of starting to sell in the online auction world.  Her advice was short and to the point.  Start by selling something you've already got.  This can be a bracelet you made, a stash of beads you no longer want, or even  clothing your child has outgrown.  Make sure you like being an auctioneer before you invest.

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