How to Market with Niche Auction Sites

Home
>
Online Auction
>
How to Market with Niche Auction Sites

How to Market with Niche Auction Sites

Online auctions are big business. But they can be big headaches.

During the past year, trading in online commerce was valued at $60 billion, according to *Business Standard." Online trade among small businesses makes up 1 per cent of USA*s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and is expected to reach 10 per cent or $400 billion of USA*s GDP by 2010.

"But setting up and maintaining operations on huge auction sites like Ebay is not always easy," said Rich Moc, owner of Performance Cars at Pcars.com, a niche automotive auction site. "People can spend a lot of time sifting through cluttered pages of auctions, bidding, setting up accounts and managing multiple, confusing and expensive fees that can take an accountant to figure out. And trying to figure out how to submit a simple email or place a quick call for help can be a pain in the neck."

The solution or pain relief for big auction headaches? Smaller, niche sites with personalized service. For example, Performance Cars offers easier management, one-on-one help and plenty of options to help with automotive solutions and aftermarket selling. Some of their auction tips are:

Customer Service - When you have an item listed and a potential buyer contacts you with a question, respond quickly. It is important and actually critical to your success to check your email account several times a day. Answering a question could be the difference between you getting the sale or the buyer going someplace else.
Description - When you list your item(s), write an accurate description. No need to write long paragraphs of rambling information. But do provide exact measurements, colors, condition, etc. Be precise.
Exceed Expectations - You want every customer to be happy. So do a little more research on shipping, or negotiate on price. But remember that the customer is the reason you will have success. Be prepared to go the extra mile and provide superior service every time.
Digital Images - While auctions without photographs can and do sell, auctions with photographs sell much better. People like visualizations and want to see what they will get with their money. Make sure your photograph is clear, focused and offers more than just a straight view.

With Pcars.com, sellers can instantly create their own account and setup their own homepage. Next they add their product information and links. Then upload images, up to eight photos included with the no-cost membership. That*s it.

"It is THE BEST site to host photos and one of the best to sell and buy things for your car!" shared Lefteris from Greece who sells Jewels for Porsches regularly on Ebay and now on Pcars.com, too. "And the site is very easy to use."

The site is developing to meet needs of the buyers and sellers. In the works are Photo Gallery for hosting pictures, AV Center for racing videos, and a Forum for comments and sharing automotive tips.

"As a seller I find the PCARS site very easy to list and I like that I can have large photos for my items," Lefteris explained. "I use Ebay also, but I find the PCARS site much, much better. I*m here to stay."

Progressing Discount Price Plan

Also under way is a new Progressing Discount Price (PDP) plan. Sellers will have the option to list their prices so that they decrease over time, while waiting for someone to buy. This option benefits the sellers by allowing them to discount their inventories as time progresses. Additionally, this ensures that inventories may get sold at the end of the listing period (usually 30-day). The benefit for the buyers is that they get to buy the items cheaper the next day if the items have not been sold. Here is an example with this option: http://www.pcars.com/autos/partview.php?view=65.

For more tips and to sign up for a new account, visit http://www.pcars.com or contact Rich at mailto:staff@pcars.com or Diana at mailto:db@ohiohelp.net ; call: (626) 688-1919.

About The Author

By Diana Barnum, CEO of http://OhioHelp.net, inviting automotive sellers and buyers to setup Dealer Accounts and Private Party Accounts at http://www.pcars.com and see how simple the site works. They can sell and buy new and used performance vehicles, parts, accessories and auto care products of all types, quickly & easily online.

In The News:

Sci-Tech Today
Disputed dinosaur fossil auctioned for $1M in NYC
BusinessWeek
By JENNIFER PELTZ A dinosaur dispute is brewing between the Mongolian government and an American auction house, which sold a fossil of a fearsome T. Rex relative despite a court order not to. The 8-foot-tall, 24-foot-long skeleton of a Tyannosaurus ...
Dinosaur Auction: Tyrannosaur Skeleton Fetches $1 Million Despite ObjectionsHuffington Post
Dinosaur Dustup: Auctioneer, Mongolia Battle Over $1M BonesABC News
Disputed Dinosaur Fossil AuctionedSci-Tech Today

all 281 news articles »

Telegraph.co.uk
Foundation objects to auction of purported vial of Reagan's blood
Reuters
By Alex Dobuzinskis | LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ronald Reagan's foundation expressed outrage on Monday at a British company's auction of what it says is a vial of the late US president's blood taken at the hospital where he was treated after a 1981 ...
On-line auction site is selling a vial of President Reagan's blood taken after ...Washington Post (blog)
Outrage at auction of Ronald Reagan's bloodTelegraph.co.uk
Ronald Reagan Blood: Auction Anger From Presidential Foundation - PFC AuctionsSky News
ABC News (blog)
all 53 news articles »

New York Daily News
Babe Ruth jersey fetches a 'Ruthian' $4.4 million at auction
Chicago Sun-Times
By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Sports Writer May 21, 2012 9:58AM This undated photo provided by SCP Auctions shows a circa 1920 New York Yankees baseball jersey worn by Babe Ruth that sold for more than $4.4 million at auction, Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Babe Ruth jersey sells for record $4.4 millionBusinessWeek
Outsize Figure, Even by Ruth's StandardsNew York Times
Babe Ruth jersey sells for record $4.4 million at auctionCNN (blog)
New York Daily News
all 418 news articles »

VINTAGE: Auction-Star Ferrari 625 TRC
SPEEDtv.com
(Photo: Wouter Melissen) The star of the various auctions during last week's Monaco Historic Grand Prix was this 1957 Ferrari 625 TRC sold for just over 5 million euro ($6.5 million) by RM Auctions. It is one of just two 500 TRCs built in period with ...

Diego Rivera poised to top NY Latam art auctions
Chicago Tribune
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Diego Rivera portrait of a 10-year old girl, her head cocked and gaze wary, is expected to top this week's Latin American art auctions, where surrealist-tinged works by other artists are also primed to do well.

and more »

NHR: Old Hamden PD Stuff to be Auctioned Tuesday
Patch.com
The New Haven Register reports today that no one showed up for an auction of everything left behind in the old Police Department buildings. The two-day auction began Monday and continues Tuesday from 9 am to 3 pm Tuesday's auction is set for the annex ...

and more »

German Bonds Decline as Stocks Rise Before Dutch Notes Auction
BusinessWeek
The Netherlands will sell notes maturing in April 2015 today and Spain auctions bills. The 10-year bund yield increased three basis points, or 0.03 percentage point, to 1.46 percent at 7:52 am London time, after falling to a record 1.396 percent on May ...

and more »

KGMI
Exclusive: US lets China bypass Wall Street for Treasury orders
Reuters
Those dealers then bid on their behalf at Treasury auctions. China, which holds $1.17 trillion in US Treasuries, still buys some Treasuries through primary dealers, but since June 2011, that route hasn't been necessary. The documents viewed by Reuters ...
Records Show China's Private Link to Treasury MarketsNew York Times
China gets VVIP treatment from USFinancial Times (blog)
US lets China bypass Wall Street for Treasury ordersTODAYonline

all 50 news articles »

Successful John Dixon Auction Blitz: 11 Commercial Buildings, 10 Events, Three ...
MarketWatch (press release)
"We really felt that it was important to sell most of these buildings at the location itself, and that meant we had to form three teams, with multiple auctions two of the three days. But our folks were up to it, and we had 10 auctions, each of which ...

and more »

State surplus auction draws hopeful bidders, sales of boats, ATVs, file ...
Nashua Telegraph
By JONATHAN VAN FLEET Staff photo by JONATHAN VAN FLEET Crowds await the start of the state auction Saturday morning in Concord. Thousands of items were up for sale from boats and ATVS, to file cabinets and chainsaws. Staff photo by JONATHAN VAN FLEET ...

Google News