It’s unavoidable everyone has a few in their inventory those
items purchased weeks or months ago that are just not moving and collecting
dust the inventory dogs. There are various reasons for a particular article
being a dog maybe a lesser known brand an odd color or size maybe not the right
season but don’t despair there are ways to turn that dog into a seller.
Is the price right?- Had an item up for two months or more
at the same price? Or even lowered in the hopes of getting some bargain hunters
interested? This strategy is effective at times but why not consider raising
the price? Sounds crazy but hear me out, if you are selling on sites like eBay
many consumers will filter their search results by price point since you have
knocked your listing down to the rock bottom your result might be showing at
the end of their search results they may not be buying it simply because they
can’t find it. Also there may be a perception issue with your potential
customer at a low price point ever see a deal that sounds too good to be true?
Your customer may be thinking just this when they see your listing price well
below the average market value.
Buy it now or auction?- for you eBay sellers the default
choice for most will be a buy it now format most of the time but there is a lot
to be said for auction format particularly for those slow movers. Try it out
with a few listings maybe start at a low or reasonable start price and see what
happens you will be surprised by the results items that you may have been
sitting on forever as a buy it now will actually get a bid or two in auction
format keep in mind too that eBay’s search algorithms provide better visibility
to auction items.
Do you have all the right details?- lots of the time a buyer
is out there for the item but due to the millions of other items they have to
sort thru they cannot find your listing. This issue can be avoided by making
sure any and all product identifiers that you have for the item are accurate
and entered into your listing. That model number or UPC that was left out could
be the difference between a sale and a dog.
Those pictures killing your sale?- Did you have a nice big
thumbprint on your camera lens when you took that picture? Light was off and
you could not capture the true color of that dress Or did you get photobombed
by your cat and not realize it? Look over your items images it could be
something as simple as a lousy photo keeping that item from selling. Remember
if the lighting is off the items color may look unappealing a wrinkled garment
might give the perception of it being used your photos need to be clear and
visually appealing.
Sweeten the deal!- instead of lowering the price why not
offer reduced or free shipping do you have multiples of that item? Maybe do a
buy one get one free offer be creative make your buyer an offer they can’t
refuse.
Do a bulk lot- Want to move them out quick or in one shot?
Why not try doing a bulk lot maybe group by size or type or do a nice big mixed
lot. Starting a reasonable starting price might entice some other seller to
take a shot on your slow movers.
Donate them- Last resort here but it is also a win-win
situation you get rid of your old merchandise a charity gets goods they can use
or resell and you get a nice tax deductible donation receipt always good to
have lots of deductions in tax season.