Why Its a BAD Idea To Promote Hot Selling Products on eBay

Do a quick search on Google, Yahoo, or your favorite auction resource site, and you'll quickly discover there are several software programs targeted to vendors who want to promote hot selling products on eBay.

The infatuation with hot selling products exists because sellers believe if you target items that have a robust sales pattern, you'll have a better chance at profiting on eBay. This is both true and false.

Yes... hot selling products can improve your bottom line. But unfortunately by the time the average eBay seller (a) realizes what the hot selling products are, (b) purchases stock to sell on eBay, and (c) actually puts the items up for sale, the demand is already being met by other eBay sellers who probably started the hot selling product trend some time ago.

Not only that, with thousands of people also having access to the same hot selling product lists, you'll have to contend with other eBay vendors who have the exact same ideas that you do. So you'll be up against the original sellers who are currently feeding the demand, AND doing the tango with newer sellers who have jumped on the same hot selling product bandwagon that you did.

Okay maybe this won't happen to you.

But suppose it does.

What if competition becomes so great that prices start dipping below the wholesale cost that you paid for the item? (It happens all the time on eBay.) And what if you lose $100, $200, or even $1,000 on inventory that you thought would be flying off the shelf? Suddenly that hot selling item is looking rather cold sitting in your garage collecting dust.

So if not hot selling products on eBay, then what?

Do what the majority of PowerSellers do. Sell what you want, instead of what's hot. Repeat after me, "Every day ordinary items sell extremely well on eBay... Every day ordinary items sell extremely well on eBay... Every day ordinary items sell extremely well on eBay." Allow this to become your mantra, because it is very much true.

I know this from first-hand experience as I analyze top sellers instead of hot products. And my research has continuously shown me that mediocre products don't necessarily translate into mediocre sales.

For instance, there's a seller right now who clears about $1,000-$2,000 a week selling magnets. And that's AFTER eBay and PayPal fee's. Another seller promotes homemade CD's to a specific audience and clears $900-$2,000 a week. A few sellers make $500-$700+ a week - after expenses - promoting public domain information. And the cool thing about public domain information is that anybody can sell it because it's free. So that's pure profit by selling something they never paid for. Talk about the ultimate arbitrage opportunity!

The ultimate key in succeeding no matter what product you end up selling, is to build a successful strategy. To figure out 'how' to profitably market what you have, instead of chasing after the next great thing. Because once you have the strategy part down, you can sell anything on eBay and make it a hot seller to your bank account.

Alexis Dawes is a student of eBay sales strategies, instead of hot selling products. She's the developer behind Auction Seller Analyzer, a Windows-based application that inspects eBay sellers auctions to determine the winning strategies they're using. You can get more information about Auction Seller Analyzer at (http://www.AuctionSellerAnalyzer.com).

More Resources

Attract eBay Buyers Like Crazy!
As an ebay(TM) seller it happens very often (too often) that listings close without any bids. Did this happen to you? Many sellers are frustrated and quit their eBay(TM) business.
Using Paypal for eBay Purchases
Paypal is the preferred payment choice for many buyers because Paypal allows buyers to pay instantly for eBay purchases. In this article, we will review using Paypal on eBay from the buyer's point of view.
Royal Memorabilia -Smart Trading and Fake Dodging
This is my second article about trading royal memorabilia on eBay and other online auctions. We're going to explore just what items are really tradable, how and where to find your stock and mention some definite pitfalls to avoid.
The Top Sellers On eBay & What We Can Learn From Them
A fascinating eBay case study is the number one seller on eBay, a little outfit called Marie's CDs, but is better known under its old name "1 Cent CD." Jay and Marie, current ID "jayandmarie", are an institution on eBay and are a big part of what makes eBay such an amazingly popular phenomenon.
Tips on How to Profit from eBay Buy It Now Auction Listings
eBay is an online auction site so it stands to reason that most users will tend to auction off their items aiming to get a high price.The problem with auctioning items is that eBay can be a very fickle place, one week an item may sell for hundreds of pounds but the next week the same item may sell for pennies.
Professional eBay Auctions Reap the Profits for Sellers
eBay offer an unbelievable amount of traffic for ANYONE wanting to sell on their auction site, so much so that millions of items are listed on it everyday. So with all this competition how do you make sure that your listing doesn't get lost amongst the rest and that customers keep coming back to you.
Real Estate Auction Action - Buying A Home At Auction
Due in part to the popularity of the U. S.
Is Selling On eBay Just A Hobby Or A Real Business?
Q: I made extra money selling things on eBay last year. These were items I picked up at yardsales mostly.
Joint Venture For eBay Success Too!
Whether you're succeeding in your online auction attempts, just getting by, or failing to make money; Joint Ventures Can, and almost certainly will, Multiply Your Income Without Spending A Single Penny!Joint Venture, or JV, is a big general term for setting up creative ways to cross promote or cross market with other people Just Like You.How do I know.
How To Find Tons of Hot Items Selling On EBay ...In Less Than 10 Minutes
There are many ways to start a home business online, and few are easier than eBay - the world's largest online auction site. However, there is one critical condition - you have to know what to sell and how to sell it.
Dont Be A Victim Of Online Auction Fraud
The Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) reported that last year 7.7 million dollars was lost through online auction scams.
So What Are YOU Going To Do About eBays Fee Increases?
Unless you have been hiding under a rock, I am sure that by now you have heard that eBay is raising its fees. So what's a small merchant to do? Here are some suggestions.
How To Use A WYSIWYG HTML Editor To Make Stunning Ebay Auction Listings
What kind of browser are you using for online surfing? Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, Opera?? Sure, all are good programs but I want to talk about an excellent program called Netscape. If you use Netscape, do you know that you also get an amazing WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) web design program called Netscape Composer for free? Basically you don't need expensive HTML editors anymore.
The Benefits of Buying and Selling Locally
Shop at a flea market in Oaxaca, Mexico. Trade with a vendor in London, England.
From Ebay Zero to Power-Selling Hero: Using Feedback Effectively
When I talk about feedback to new Ebay sellers, I usuallycompare it to having one note posted on the door of a brick-and-mortar business for every transaction. At almost any business--no matter how bad the service--you would have a lot of positive transactions; and thus a lot of positive notes.
Get Yourself A Piece of The eBay Pie
Ebay is without a doubt the greatest internet marketing phenomenon of all time. Millions of people log on every minute and every second there are hundreds of items listed, sold and bought, and of course money is made.
How to Survive the Jungles of Ebay Selling
Come with me, we are going to take a safari into the jungles of eBay selling, sometimes wrought with danger but most often rewarded with treasure.Beware of non-paying bidders, beware of auction snipers waiting to try and steal your eBay auction at a very low bid, but welcome the loot you will receive selling outdated relics in your house for a small kings ransom.
How To Write a Traffic Pulling eBay Auction Title
Selling an item on eBay should be simple but it is surprising how many people make some very silly mistakes.As a buyer this is fantastic, you can pick up some absolute bargains by finding poorly listed items.
USP on eBay
If you have dabbled at all in the world of Internet marketing, you may have heard the term "unique selling proposition" or USP. USP is a technique that Internet marketers use to set themselves apart from the competition.
An Introduction To eBay Consignment
After I started selling on eBay, I was approached by friends without computers who wanted me to sell their items for them. They had heard stories about the outrageous prices items some ebay auctions brought.

More Auction Information:

Related Articles

The Number 1 Biggest Secret to Selling on Ebay
Ebay.com is a Tool.
How To Cut Your eBay Fees By More Than 90%
Now, are you ready for the REAL TRUTH about selling on eBay?It's simple; don't list too many items for sale using their auction format. Instead, set up one of their stores.
5 Reasons Why Playing Music On Your Auctions Is A Bummer Of An Idea
There are 147 million registered users on eBay, and tens of millions of those are desperately fighting to make sales on eBay. When trying to make their auction listings as powerful as possible, many sellers use ill-advised tactics.
Mr. Rich vs. Mr. Job: How to Start a Dropship Business on eBay
Mr. Asset vs.
Be Realistic When Selling on eBay
As some of you know, I spent many years buying and selling both on and offline and several of my products are based upon my own experience in this area. I know that the vast majority of my customers and subscribers have an interest in trading whether it be on eBay or at the local market but more and more I am seeing people with completely unrealistic expectations of what they will be able to do.
Attract eBay Buyers Like Crazy!
As an ebay(TM) seller it happens very often (too often) that listings close without any bids. Did this happen to you? Many sellers are frustrated and quit their eBay(TM) business.
How Do You Find A Reliable Dropshipping Source?
A Dropshipper is someone who will anonymously send the goods you order to your customer! There are no markings on the box and no invoices enclosed! Finding a reliable dropshipper can prove to be a strenuous task. When selecting a Dropshipper you want to be sure to find someone that has a large inventory and quickly replenishes items that become sold out!You also want to find someone that is helpful and knowledgeable about the products they are selling! Make sure to contact them before you consider reselling their items, see how quickly you get a response and how helpful the response is! Remember this is the same service you can expect once you are in business with them! If it is less than your standards consider using someone else!How do you find a Dropshipper? There are several ways to find a Dropshipper perhaps the easiest is to purchase a list from an online auction! Thoroughly read the context of the ad and ask questions if need be.
From Ebay Zero to Power-Selling Hero: Don't Be That Random Ebay Guy
If I could convey only one concept to someone who wasabout to start selling on Ebay, it would be this: no one has ever purchased anything on Ebay with this in mind--"I think I'll buy something on Ebay from some random guy and pay more than I would at the storedown the street."No one has ever said that.
Do You Sell Tires By Mail? Maybe You Should eBay
I just received an interesting email from eBay and it got me thinking..
12 Tips To Make Your eBay Business More Profitable
Sometimes it's the simple things that can make your eBay business more profitable and run smoother. Here are twelve things you can do that will lead to more sales and increased profits on eBay.
Maria's New Lifestyle: Short Story About The Benefits Shopping On The Net Has Given
I've got this strange friend; her name is Maria. Maria's always been a little weird but now things have gotten unworldly altogether.
Your Auction Headline Or Title - The Most Important Part Of Your Auction
The words you select to describe your item will have a tremendous impact on the final price it receives or if it receives any bids at all. This is because no matter how great the item is you have up at auction, if you use words that don't lead prospective buyers to it, no one will ever see it.
What Ebay Can Teach Us About Success
I flew back to New York from Atlanta a few weeks ago and picked up 'Business 2.0' magazine for the flight.
Nine Simple eBay Selling Hints
Some of these eBay hints will save you money, others will result in higher prices. Either way, these will help you run more profitable eBay auctions.
Start Selling On eBay - Getting Started On The Right Foot
You've started your own eBay business and, even though it's part time right now, you know it's going to become a huge success. You are able to see the day when you can set your own hours, set your own dress code and call your own shots.
To eBay or NOT to eBay
FACT: eBay's Gross Merchandise Sales (GMS) 2003 - GMS, the total value of items sold, was a record $24 billion, representing a 60% year-over-year increase from the $15 billion reported in the full year 2002FACT:Over 79 million times a day, eBay users find products and brands of their choice.FACT:In the final quarter of 2003, reported and increase of 41.
eBay: Dont Believe All the Hype
Three billion dollars (that's billion with a "B") in revenues, 135 million users, millionaires all over the place at eBay! Yeah, eBaby!!!, to steal a line form another great author. (See "EBay: No Way?Yes Way (Ten Seller Themes) by Barbara Snyder M.
How To Find REAL Wholesale Dropshippers For Almost Any Product
With more and more people getting online, many of them are searching for information on specific products that they are interested in purchasing.Thus one of the best possible ways to turn a profit online is to find wholesale sources that will drop-ship thes products directlyto your customers who come to your website for more informatation.
eBay - Tapping Into The Japanese Collector Market
If you owned a skateboard shop in your local mall would you put a big sign in the window saying "No Baggy Pants Allowed"? Of course not. If you did you would be eliminating 50% or more of your most avid potential customers.
7 Great Reasons Why You Should Start an EBay Business Today
EBay is a great part or full time business. An Ebay Business can be used as a way to promote your Online Home Based Business.