From now until December 24th is far and away the busiest shopping time of the year, and the most lucrative for online business owners and eBay denizens.  If you want to capitalize on the holiday e-commerce rush, you’ve got to get ready quick.  The following are a few tips to help you achieve Christmas sales success:

photo credit: jack berry

First: Shipping Is King. In all your eBay posts, be sure to indicate clearly when the product must be purchased by in order to arrive in time for Christmas.  And whatever you have to do, make sure the package really does arrive in time.  There’s no quicker way to tank your customer satisfaction rating than to have a bunch of gifts show up January 3rd.

Second: Speak Fluent Gift-ease. Whenever you’re posting an item that could conceivably be given as a gift, mention that in your listing and add a gift icon to your post.  Even if it’s as obscure as “best Christmas present ever for your favorite pooch”, point out the obvious: that this product can be given as a gift.

Third: Use The “Buy It Now” Option. Christmas is a great time to add “Buy It Now” to listings since people are anxious to purchase their products and get them shipped out as quickly as possible.  While you may want to stick to auction-style for super high-demand items, “Buy It Now” is sure to be utilized more often during the holidays than at any other time.

Fourth: Make Sure Your Supply Is Steady. If you’re operating via dropship, you might consider buying some popular items by wholesale so you know you’ll have them in stock.  The last thing you want is for your dropshipper to run out an item when you’ve got a rush of 20 or 30 orders on the docket.

photo credit: sebilden

Fifth: If A Particular Item Is Running Out, Snatch Up What’s Left. If you notice certain items are disappearing off shelves in November, you want to grab whatever is left, because those are the products that will be in high demand on eBay.  For instance, I am obsessed with Pumpkin Flavored Hershey’s Kisses.  This year, they were sold exclusively at Target, and by three weeks before Halloween, there wasn’t a Target in a 50 mile radius of my house that had any in stock (nor would they order any more in since they’re a seasonal item).  In desperation I checked on eBay, and sure enough, some savvy entrepreneurs had bought cases of Pumpkin Hershey’s Kisses and were selling individual bags for twice the retail price.

photo credit: RiRi Trautmann

Sixth: It’s Never Too Early To Start Planning For Next Year. The earlier you start planning for the holiday rush, the better.  While there are other holidays you can push promotions for (Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, etc.), Christmas is far and away the most lucrative for most retailers.  If you want to get a jump on next Christmas, you can start buying up Christmas items for clearance items in January.  If you have the space to store them, they can be marked up for a hefty profit the following year.  Just don’t put your money into something too trendy: remember Tickle Me Elmo.

eBay, selling products online