Country Towns Editorial

There truly is an art to buying and selling on the internet. Once you understand a few simple rules you will find it easy and maybe even profitable.

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The Golden Rule of advertising is simple.
AIDA
Attention - You need to get the attention of the right buyers
Interest - You need to get them interested in what you are offering
Desire - You need to make them want to buy it
Action - Then you need to motivate them to take action.

The Basics of Selling Online

Price

Always price your items for sale. Always! Most readers will bypass an ad with no price, particularly if they have a set budget in mind. They might come back to the ad if nothing else meets their criteria, but unless something about your item really peaks their interest, it will get bumped to the bottom of the list. A vast majority of readers will assume that you haven't included the price because you want top dollar for it. If you don't put up a price and receive inquiries asking what you want for your item, don't reply with "make me an offer". Any offers you're going to get are more likely to be far lower than what the item is worth.

Think about it, why wouldn't you include the price? Maybe you don't because you aren't sure what the market will bear and you are wanting to see what kind of offers you will get. Well, that is just being lazy and greedy. If you think readers don't think that way, think again.

Maybe you aren't sure what the item is worth. Do your homework. Search classified ad services like Kijiji and Craig's List for similar items. It will take a lot less time than you'd spend replying to inquiries that turn away when they find the price isn't in their budget. Determine what you would like to get for the item but also what your bottom line is. If you figure out the lowest you are willing to sell for ahead of time its going to make it a lot easier to deal when the time comes. "I'll have to think about it" means "go browse other ads while I leave you hanging for a day or two".

Barter and trades - If you are willing to barter or trade for something different, say so! The number of people looking to trade is growing as our economy tightens. Be sure to put a price in still, people still need the value of your item when bartering. If there are certain things you want, list them. Try to stay away from "W.H.Y." (What Have You), give the readers an idea of things you'd consider.

Pictures

A picture really does say a thousand words. Many buyers skip ads with no pictures if the rest have them. Again, like price, they may come back to them if they don't find what they want in the other ads. Even if they do inquire, chances are their first question will be "do you have any pictures?"
The quality and quantity of pics matters too. Take care to take good pictures. Every Windows based computer has a built in photo editor. Its simple but you can crop, re-size and make slight adjustments, like brightness and contrast, to make the item look its best. If the site you are advertising on allows 4 pics, get 4 good pics on there.

Description

A lot of us are still in the newspaper train of thought when it comes to classified ads. Online sites usually allow many more words than the old print ads used, yet you still see confusing abbreviations everywhere. If there's no limit to the words, don't use abbreviations. It will make your ads more readable but it will also make it appears in more search results. If I'm looking for a DVD player and your ads says DVD plyr, it may not even come up in a search.
Your price and photo get the attention and interest of qualified buyers, now it up to your description to motivate them. Be as descriptive as you can. Make sure to list all the features, make, model, year, absolutely anything you would want to know about an item if you were buying. The words in your description will be used by the site's search feature but on many sites your ad can get indexed on Google and other search engines. Don't be afraid to repeat whats in the headline in the content of the ad. (but don't spam the search feature by unnecessarily repeating words).
When writing your description be honest and don't tell a reader what to think. Skip hype words like "won't last long" and "call now before its gone". The only people its going to motivate are ones that believe your item is one of a kind and they must have. That's maybe one in a million readers unless you have something fantastic.

Location

Make sure you clearly state where the item is located. State your town and province and if you live in a rural area, let readers know how far you are from the nearest city to you. If you can deliver an item, state in your ad if delivery is available, to what areas and how much extra you will charge.

Classified Site Selection

Use classified sites that allow readers to search by location. With the exception of high traffic sites like Craig's List, text only ad sites are rarely useful. Photo ads are the best tool for selling online. Don't pay for online classified ads. It is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. There are far too many high traffic free classified and photo ad sites to be wasting your money on paid ads. Don't waste your money on sites that charge by subscription to view their content unless they have a print local or specialized version that you know will reach the targeted buyers for your item.
Look for good content on the site. Browse as if you were a buyer, are there lots of good ads or its the site loaded with mostly spam like stuffing envelopes and little blue pills for sale. Also check locations, if its a local site are the ads actually from that area? A few from outside the region are OK, but too many and readers lose interest. Good ads already in there keep buyers coming back to check whats new.

Category

ALWAYS put your item in the appropriate category!!! Take the time to read the list of available categories. And for god sake, don't spam the site by placing the same item in a bunch of different categories!! These sites are free because they rely mostly on the users to let them know when there is abuse happening. Spam the site by placing your ad in 5 different categories will often result in regular users reporting you. This can in turn get not only your ad removed, but you can even get banned from further use of the free classified ad site. Readers can see who abuses the privileges at a site and many will not even respond to such ads. Many potential buyers use these sites regularly, always watching for good deals or interesting items. Many only check the categories that interest them. Mis-categorizing your ad is just a waste of your time and serves no purpose except to offend those who appreciate the free service.

Your Privacy

Does the site protect your email address? Do not use sites that require you email address in the ad or in any way they can be read by users or email hunting bots (software that scans the internet for email addresses to add to spam lists). Doing so will almost guarantee your email address will be filled with spam in no time.
Put your phone number in there. It shows the buyer you are ligit and really doesn't create any kind of privacy issue. Sites that allow users to contact you through an email form protect your email address. An inquirer will not know your email address until you reply to their questions. If an inquiry seems suspicious, you can simply chose not to reply.

Responding to Ads

A lot of inquiries will start with short blunt questions. Rarely will people include even a first name. Often you will get inquiries from people who are not great spellers. Never make quick judgments about people based on a rough, even childish looking email. Not everyone is comfortable with electronic communications, and not everyone is a great speller. If you are unsure, email the buyer your phone number and suggest they call you or ask for their number so you can call them.

Be prepared for people who do not actually read the ad. You will get questions that are answered clearly in the ad. I once placed an ad that described the location of the item based on two different cities, included a map of the province in the pics showing the town's location and there was also a link on the ad showing a online map. I still got numerous inquiries asking nothing more than, "where is this town?"
I frequently get buyer inquiries asking questions answered in the ad. Just remember this, even people who don't read everything fully nor follow instructions, have money.
Don't put "no emails please" in your ads. If this is how you want to do it you need to skip online ads and just advertising in a newspaper. If you are advertising something for a friend who doesn't have internet access be prepared to act as a go between. You can still sell an item by insisting on phone only contact, but you are going to lose potential buyers.

Your are trying to sell something. If you don't really care if it sells or not, then you can be picky. But if you want to sell it then look at all of it this way.
You have an item to sell. Just say there are 20 potential buyers, all of which want and can afford your item.

2 bypass it because you have no price
2 are lost because you replied to their inquiry of "how much?" with "make me an offer" (there are way too many ads out there to play the price game)
2 bypass it because you have no picture
2 bypass it because your description didn't let them know it was what they are looking for or it didn't show up in a search so they missed it
2 are lost because it looked like a little kid's inquiry so you ignored the email
2 never found it because it was in the wrong category or region
2 are lost because you insisted on phone inquiries only and they found something else before they could get you on the phone
2 are lost because you didn't place your ad at any of the high traffic sites
2 are lost because the site you advertised on required user registration to reply to an ad.

So of 20 ready, willing and able buyers, you are down to 2. For no good reason.

Making a Deal

OK, so now you have a ready willing and able buyer. What next? How will you get paid and when?
Clearly the best way is for the buyer to come to your home hand you the cash and you hand then the item. But things can't always work that way. NEVER EVER send an item without payment. Even the most honest people can be tempted by the ease with which they can get out of paying you.
Do not take personal cheques, they aren't worth the paper they are written on. If a buyer shows up with a cheque, hop in the car and drive them to a bank so they can get the cash for you. Make it clear before them come to pickup an item that you will not accept cheques. A money order is the same as a cheque. Even though you can go to a bank and cash it, the money order can be reported stolen or lost and it could end up a nightmare.
Never take certified cheques unless you verify them as legit, they are easy to forge and it happens all the time.
Avoid using Paypal if you are in Canada. Paypal is an American based company that will take a Canadian payment made to you convert it to US funds using their own (high) rate then make you convert it back to Canadian funds or have your bank convert it. In the end you will have paid out about double the current rate of exchange. Another problem with Paypal is their buyer and seller protection services are highly unbalanced and extremely unreliable, at best. A buyer who uses Paypal all the time can file a false complaint and Paypal can freeze not just their payment to you but all payments. If you've taken them out, Paypal can access your bank account or credit card to retrieve the funds. Paypal also uses a very impersonal standard to screen for fraud. If the detect "suspicious activity" on your account, the can freeze it and it can take months to get your money released. Say you just sold a litter of pups and all paid by Paypal, a bunch of sudden transactions on an account that's not usually active is considered by Paypal to be "suspicious activity".
The closest thing to cash is Interac Online or Hyperwallet. Both protect your personal banking information by using your bank's online bill payment feature. Both are seller and buyer beware, meaning it takes far more than just accusations to retract any payment, fraud must basically be proven.
Your job as seller is to protect yourself without killing a deal. If a buyer cannot come pick the item up, its up to them to take the risk, not you.

Delivery

Delivery can be a very useful tool when selling an item. My rule of thumb for big ticket items is that I will deliver it as long as the fee for delivery is paid and the buyer has cash on arrival. If they decline on my arrival I have charged enough to cover the cost and my time for the trip. I make it clear the agreed upon price before agreeing to deliver. If, when I arrive, they attempt to negotiate a lower price... the deal is off. Some crooks think if they get you all the way out there you will cave and take the lower price just so you don't have to haul it back home.
Delivery fees are non refundable. If a buyer has paid for delivery and backs out once I get there, there is no refund. It's a risk for the buyer, but I am not bringing them the item to be viewed. If they don't want to buy sight unseen, they need to come out and view it. Delivery is a major convenience and they'll have to pay for it. It still beats risking the whole purchase amount.

Deposits

For some strange reason people will happily put a deposit on an item but later change their mind and ask for it back. The purpose of a deposit is for the buyer to make a commitment based on their serious intent to purchase. DEPOSITS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE NON REFUNDABLE. The only time I will refund a deposit is if something comes up that changes the situation such as the item being sold gets broken or damaged while in my possession or I can find a new buyer and can sell it for the same price quickly.

Selling online can be a great way to turn your dusty items into cash, make the most of it!