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Don't be decieved. Selling certificates is not as easy as it
seems. Internet auction sites make selling seem deceptively
easy. However, I have noticed that many, many rare certificates
sell for tiny percentages of what they would fetch in professionally-run
auctions.
There are probably many reasons for the descrepancy. However, I
think abnormally low Internet auction prices can probably traced
to two major reasons:
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lack of customers |
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lack of professionalism |
Availability of customers. Auction sites theoretically offer
you millions of potential customers. But only if you properly promote
your product.
If you do not promote your own product sufficiently, only ten
or twenty people on the whole planet might see your certificate.
The fewer people who see your product, the fewer - and lower -
bids you will receive.
You can directly influence the number of potential shoppers by
how you describe your certificate. Many people believe they are
poor writers. But even if you are a poor writer, here are a couple
of hints.
1) Search for people who are already selling successfully.
Mimic their descriptions. They have already done the hard work.
They know what words sell. Before you ever try to sell a single
item, research how other dealers are doing it. Copy their style.
Say the same things about your certificates that they say. For ideas,
visit the web sites of the people I list on my DEALERS
page..
2) Follow the old advertising axiom: "The more you tell,
the more you sell." It is a little tricky to figure
out how much to write. Admittedly, many people do not read well.
Nor do they read critically.
However, there is a substantial evidence to suggest that more
is better.
But let me warn you of one thing. No matter what you write, and
no matter how clearly you write, there are always going to be some
people who will ask for more information. Some who will ask really
obtuse questions. That is unavoidable. Just answer their questions
kindly, and move on.
Actually the larger problem is from the other kind of potential
customers.
The ones who don't write.
Sadly, most people will not write. And they will never bid. Instead
of writing and asking you to clarify your description, they will
simply move on to other opportunities. For that reason, I beg you
-- make your descriptions clear and accurate.
3) Sell where the customers are. There are many online auction
sites. But let's face facts. The lasrgest auction site in the world
is eBay. So why not sell there? United States = http://www.ebay.com.
Canada = http://www.ebay.ca. Germany
= http://www.ebay.de.
All these sites are HUGE. So make sure you list your certificates
where people will find them. Recommended divisions are Coins>Scripophily>Railroad
or possibly Collectibles>Railroadiana>Papers.
Make sure you use the title your offering correctly. Include the
railroad name and a short description of the certificate. In your
description, make sure your tell everything that you possibly can.
Remember, "the more you tell, the more you sell." (It
also allows buyers to finds you through the eBay search engine.)
Do NOT be over-emphatic and claim something is scarce, rare, or
one-of-a-kind if it isn't. Most certificates, however, can
be "nice," "decorative," "early,"
or "attractive."
Most service providers will allow you to put your scanned images
on your own private server space. This allows you to control size
and image quality. Talk to your ISP.
Professionalism. If you appear professional, you will generally
attract better bids. Everything, from the words you use, to your
payment policies will affect how people interpret your professionalism.
(Accept all forms of payment including Paypal and/or Billpoint,
personal checks, cashiers checks, money orders -- try to lock people
out and, believe me, they will stay away!)
Everything you say and do affects how people will view your professionalism.
But, the single most important element is visual. You cannot
pretend to be professional if your illustrations look amateurish.
Compare your items carefully with other sellers. Are your items
bright and attractive? Or dull, dark, crooked, or out of focus?
Bad images scream "amateur" so loudly, your bidders will
never hear your words. No one will bid as much for amateurish offerings
as for professional presentations.
Look at your presentation from your bidder's viewpoint. Maybe even
ask someone to critique your offering. Pretend you were bidding
on a certificate. Ask yourself, who is likely to settle for less?
A professional? Or an amateur?
Offerings from amateurs attract lower bids.
Let me show you a real-life example. The image on the top came
directly from an auction listing. I made the image on the bottom
by removing the black border, brightening the original, and straightening
the image.
I reduced the images for quick-loading on this page, so details
are not like you would use on an Internet auction. But, looking
at these two images from the viewpoint of a potential bidder, which
of these images looks more professional?
I have now looked at well over 10,000 such images. Enough to offer
a few suggestions.
Always, always, always think about your potential bidder. And never
underestimate them.
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They have money, but want GOOD deals. |
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They are impatient. |
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They are moderately to very experienced. |
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They already know what is rare. |
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They already know what is desireable. |
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They already know what they want |
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They are not swayed by deceptive sales chatter. |
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