4 Tips for Getting More Money for Your Tank Stuff…Online
Of all the positive things the invention of the internet has brought about, one of the best things it has done is made the selling of items really easy.
As a reef keeper, you can especially benefit from the ease of online selling, but most reef keepers miss the boat when it comes to selling their stuff online. Everyday, I see lots of posts for people selling reef equipment, corals and livestock online and nearly all these posts turn away more buyers than they ever attract.
Luckily, there are 4 basic rules for selling online that you can follow and make your item sell quicker, and for more money.
Rule #1: Take pictures
These days people are getting less trusting of everything including things sold on the internet. Buyers want to see what they are buying. Keyword: SEE = pictures. You don’t need a high dollar digital camera and mad photography skills to take a decent picture. Yes, both of the above will help your sale, but even if you pop a decent picture with the camera on your cell phone, USE IT!
Oh, and if have pictures, put the pictures in your for-sale post so everyone can see them. I’ve seen posts where the seller directs interested parties to “PM (private message) me for pictures”. People are busy enough as it is – don’t make them jump through another hoop to see what you are selling. Make the sale easy for your buyers, post the pictures in your post.
Rule #2: Establish your credibility
Imagine this, you are at a local reef club meeting or social event and a guy who you have never seen before walks up to you and says,
“HI! I’ve got this great colony of acro for sale, $150…wanna buy it?”
I’d run and you probably would (or should) too.
People buy from people they trust so buyers who walk into a forum and start hawking their wares before adding any value to the community are similar to the guy in the above example..there is no trust established so no sale made. These sellers are easy to pick out…just notice the post count that is usually below their username. If it is under 10, I start getting skeptical.
Before you start selling things in a forum where you aren’t known, give yourself a couple of days, better yet, a couple of weeks to be a contribution to the community by responding to posts with good, credible information. Hint. “What he said” or “Yes” don’t count.
Rule #3 Be clear on how you like to communicate
Don’t expect people to know how to get in touch with you. If you are posting on line and want people to respond to the for sale thread directly, say that. If you want people to email you, post your email addy. If you want people to call you, post your phone number. If you want people to private message (PM) you, say it. Get the picture?
If you are worried about either your email or phone being ripped of since you are posting it online, direct people to respond to your post with their interest and you will private message (PM) them. The key is to be clear about how you want to communicate with people when they have interest in what you have.
Rule #4 Be consistent and timely in your communication
People want instant gratification. If you post something for sale, then check it less than once a day, people will lose interest…quickly.
I once saw a seller take 3 days to respond to the people who were interested in his item. 99% of the interested people left and never came back = no sale.
I’m not saying you have to respond to every post as soon as it comes in, but get in a habit of checking your for sale post and responding to buyers at least twice a day. And be consistent about it. Check in the morning before you go to work and once you come home from work or after dinner. The key is establish a pattern so people can see you actually care about the sale.
If you work weird hours and can’t respond in a timely manner to interested buyers, say it so people aren’t left hanging. Then do what you have to get back to the buyers quickly.
Finally, once people respond to your post, let everyone know you’ve responded to them by posting back to your thread, even if it is to say, “PM sent” or “PM replied to”. Again, people want to know there is a live body behind the posts and that you are tending to your sale.
You don’t have to be a fast talking salesman to get decent dollar for your reef items on line, you just have to establish your credibility and stay in communication with your buyers.
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