Selling on eBay - How to Increase Your Online Auction Sale on eBay

A secret that once you 'get' it, will take your eBay selling skills far beyond every other eBayer.

Even if you're already a pro. Even if you're a million miles away from being a pro. EVEN if you can't write a listing for toffee.

It won't take you long, just a few minutes. But when you've finished reading this article, a light in your brain will suddenly come on.

It's not difficult. It won't baffle you. It's something obvious. But something I have not seen any eBayers do, in fact, most are doing the exact opposite.

Before we learn the secret, we must get the dictionary out and look up...

"Presumption"

The dictionary defines the word 'Presumption' as 'To take for granted' or 'To take liberties'. for this exercise we are going to use the first definition

To take something for granted means that we always expect the same certain behaviour from a certain person.

There are two types of presumption. Rational presumption and irrational presumption. Irrational presumption is when you treat someone poorly and still expect them to behave as they normally do towards you. (This is one of the biggest killers of relationships).

Rational presumption is when you don't treat someone poorly and expect them to behave as they normally do towards you.

We have to make that distinction before we can continue.

With rational presumption, you are not being manipulative in any way. You are not even encouraging the person to behave normally. You are NOT giving them the excuse to NOT behave normally.

Here's a great example for you.

I am not sure this is a universal thing, but consider this. if you're driving down the street and, let's say, you are in a bit of a hurry. Would you say that you drive a tad closer to cars in front of you? Or would you say you drive further away when in a hurry?

I'll answer that for you. You drive closer.

Now, a question for you. What happens when you drive closer to the car in front of you? Answer? They become awkward. They slow down. They suddenly become the most careful driver in the world. They adhere to the speed limits. They become 10 million times more courteous. They stop at pelican crossings if they see someone 20 feet away walking towards it.

Normally, that same driver goes at 10mph over the limit (Until they see a speed camera) they don't let anyone out. I mean, they nearly run people over on the pelican crossings usually. But for some strange reason, they are not acting normally today.

All you have to do to 'make' that driver drive normally is to ease up and not drive too close right? Just hang back a bit, act as you normally would, and they will act the way they normally would.

Driving lesson over. Park up and lets continue with the article.

Two key phrases to take from all that are "Take for granted" and "Act as you normally would". Those two things are critical to 'getting' this secret. Let me explain each phrase a little bit more.

When you write an eBay listing, the first thing to do is to take it for granted that whoever reads it is going to buy your product.

This means not writing things like "If you like the look of this etc.." or "If that sounds good then go here to order right now.." It means writing "I'm sure you like the look of this..." or "This sounds great I know, so go here and order when you get time.."

Okay?

You should be presumptuous. You should take it for granted.

BUT.

It has to be RATIONAL presumption. So you must act as you normally would, which leads me to my biggest copywriting secret.

INDIFFERENCE.

Remember the 'car' analogy I told you about? If you drive too close to people, they will become awkward and not act as they normally would?

But on the other hand, if you drive too far away they might start slowing down. They might start 'checking out the scenery'. They might stop at pedestrian crossings to wait for someone who hasn't quite decided they want to cross the road yet, because there's no one behind them.

People are weird. But life would be boring if people were not weird right?

Anyhow, basically, to 'get' people to act as they normally would, you have to be indifferent to the outcome. You should not care either way. And if you always write an eBay listing with that 'attitude', the reader will act normal.

If he/she wants the product (they have clicked on your listing so they should do) and you have written the listing as if you're indifferent to the outcome. they will act normal and buy it.

Push too much like most eBayers do and they get awkward.

So, your income has just gone up.

Can you say "Lar Udes A Manny!"

This secret underpins everything you'll learn from me so if you're in any doubt about it, please contact me me and I will clarify.

You might be wondering how you can be indifferent to the outcome AND take for granted they'll buy it?

Let's get back in our car again for a minute.

If you drive a 'nice' distance from the car in front, not too close that they get awkward and not too far away so they can't see you, then they get the feeling that you don't care what they do and you can then expect them to act normally, to drive normally.

If you write your eBay listing with indifference to the outcome, the reader gets the feeling that you don't care what they do but you can then expect them to act normally, to go through the buying process normally, they want it, but push too hard and they will get awkward.

So the secret is to write your eBay listings with indifference and also as if you presume the reader is going to buy. That's the biggest eBay sales secret. And the starting point for everything else.

Does it work?

You bet yer!