Research is the Key to Profitable eBay Auctions

Every eBay seller should do some research on the items they plan on selling to help maximize their profit potential. This is even more prevalent for Trading Assistants since they never know what kind of items their client may have to sell. There are a several methods and tools to help you on your knowledge quest.

The easiest and cheapest (free) research is done by searching eBay's current & completed auctions. The completed listing results only reports the last two weeks worth of data. This method may be sufficient with items that are readily available and are selling well on eBay. Items that are unique or few available may require a longer duration of completed sales data to get a more accurate estimate of value. Several third party vendors supply this kind of helpful information.

Two well known programs are HammerTap & Terapeak.

Both programs feature extended historical data and advanced reporting. Sellers now have an abundent amount of information at their fingertips. Utilizing these tools will help you decide auction formats, pricing strategies and supply and demand info. Knowledge is power so start selling smarter!