Top 5 seller mistakes to avoid so you can earn potential buyers' trust and make more sales!

What if I told you that a few simple listing mistakes could have you losing potential sales without even knowing it? And that correcting these mistakes could instantly increase your chances of selling your items — and getting positive feedback? As with any large marketplace, not all eBay sellers are above-board. Just search online for "eBay fraud" and you'll find countless eBayers claiming they've lost money on fraudulent auctions. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) puts Internet auctions at number two on its fraud list. (I'll talk about number one in the next article.) With all that scamming going on, eBayers are becoming more diligent about examining auctions carefully and checking up on sellers before buying, so make sure your listings are squeaky clean and you'll convert potential buyers into paying customers! Avoid these five common mistakes — and signs of a suspicious auction — that could be costing you sales: 1. "Email me before placing your bid." Unless a potential buyer has a question about an item you're selling, there's no reason they should have to contact you before placing a bid. Savvy eBay buyers have come to see requests like this as the trademark of unscrupulous sellers trying to take the transaction outside eBay. eBay frowns on this since they lose their cut of the transaction, but also because buyers lose eBay's Standard Purchase Protection once the transaction leaves eBay. Smart shoppers know this means they'll be out of pocket if the transaction goes sour. By asking a buyer to contact you before placing a bid, you run the risk that they'll skip over your auction completely and go on to your competitors'. Even worse, they could report you to eBay! 2. Deals that are just too good to be true You know the saying: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is"? A lot of shoppers flock to eBay looking for great discounts on particular products, and great deals are definitely out there! But super-cheap deals can sometimes have the reverse effect. Experienced eBayers will compare prices and shipping costs in the search results for items they're interested in buying. Those same experienced buyers also know that one of the most common eBay fraud complaints from buyers is "Item Not Received." If your prices are TOO low, you may scare off potential customers who wonder if you really have the item at all. To choose the right price point, check what starting price your competitors are listing and consider that some buyers may be suspicious of unusually cheap bargains. 3. Rude responses to negative feedback It's impossible to please everybody all the time, which is why you'll rarely find a high-volume eBay seller with 100% positive feedback. Most eBay buyers realize that a small amount of negative feedback doesn't necessarily mean a seller is untrustworthy — it's just a natural part of doing business. But how you treat an unhappy customer speaks VOLUMES to potential customers! By clicking on your feedback number in your "Meet the Seller" box, they'll be able to see how you've handled these sticky situations. Always respond to negative feedback by asking to be contacted so that you can fix the issue. Even if the buyer doesn't respond, potential customers will see you've made an effort to make things right! 4. Unusual payment requests A surefire way to turn potential buyers off is to make requests in the body of your listing like: Winning bidder please send PayPal payment to "myemail@hotmail.com" at the close of auction. Sending money directly to a PayPal account bypasses eBay's invoicing system. This separates the payment from the item that's being paid for, and makes buying from you more of a risk, since the transaction won't be eligible for PayPal's Buyer Protection. Other payment options that will likely raise a red flag for seasoned eBayers are: * Requests for instant cash transfer through services like Western Union and MoneyGram — these transactions are untraceable and cannot be canceled * Using a non-recommended escrow service — there are countless eBay buyers on the 'Net claiming to have been ripped off by fraudulent escrow services. Stick with eBay-approved Escrow.com. Keep your payment options on the up and up. Not only will your potential customers be more confident in buying from you, you'll BOTH be protected if something goes awry. For more on PayPal's Buyer Protection, go to: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/protections-outside 5. A suspicious buying or selling history Buying a slew of one-cent items has long been a popular method for sellers wanting to build up positive feedback to gain the confidence of potential customers. But having positive feedback isn't enough anymore. Cybercrooks have recently started using automated "bots" to buy up one-cent items on eBay in order to build up a positive feedback rating. Smart buyers now know they need to do a little more homework on sellers — especially before buying big-ticket items. A couple of clicks into your feedback rating and a few minutes of research will quickly reveal your selling history — including items you've sold in the last few months and at what price. (And if you've left feedback for items you've bought, potential buyers can see that too.) Be aware that if you've bought a ton of one-cent items to establish a positive feedback rating, you run the risk of buyers assuming you've used a "bot," which could potentially destroy your credibility. To help build your feedback rating quickly — and legitimately — simply handle all of your transactions responsibly. Leave positive feedback for the people you buy from and sell to — and request that they return the favor. Soon you'll have a positive feedback rating that PROVES your credibility, rather than calling it into question. More and more eBay buyers are probing deeper into seller auction listings and transaction history before forking over their money. It's crucial that you take the time to make sure your listings build buyer confidence... instead of eroding it with poor listing strategies. For more tips on how to build buyer confidence in your listings, go to: http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/selling.html