Making a Last-Minute Holiday Push

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If you’re like me, you probably have a number of items that you waited to sell specifically for the holidays, but they went unsold in the previous weeks. Now you’re wondering if it’s too late to relist them and get them into a buyer’s hands before Christmas.

I can tell you, it’s not too late. There’s still more than two weeks before the big day—plenty of time to list your remaining goods on eBay for those last-minute shoppers to buy!

While it certainly can be stressful listing or relisting items during the second week of December—and wondering if they’ll sell—here are a few things I do during this selling “crunch time.”

Choose short durations. Try a one- or three-day duration instead of the common five- or seven-day durations. The sooner the item ends, the sooner it will ship.

Use Fixed Price or Buy It Now. Buyers are in a crunch, too, and want to make their purchases ASAP. They may not have the patience to wait for an auction to end, especially as the big day nears.

Require Immediate Payment. If you are using Fixed Price or Buy It now, click the box that says “Require Immediate Payment” in the Checkout Options section of the Auctiva lister so you won’t have to worry about waiting for payments. (Yes, you can use this option when you list with Auctiva—it just isn’t compatible with our Auctiva Secure Checkout. Buyers will be directed to eBay’s checkout instead).

Pictures, pictures, pictures. Since you don’t have to pay extra image fees on eBay when you list with Auctiva, why not add extra photos? This way you can show off your items in all their glory. Buyers can never have too many photos when they’re bidding on an item.

Don’t use slow shipping methods. Buyers don’t want to wait two or more weeks for that DVD or video game to arrive. Sure USPS Media mail is cheaper than First Class Mail, but it could cost you much more in the long run if the buyer isn’t thrilled about getting their package in January.

And finally: Use holiday or seasonal Listing Templates. I know we say this a lot, but having a professional-looking listing complete with an eye-catching template really does help. It attracts buyers and shows them you’re a serious seller.

Go ahead, start listing. You still have plenty of time.