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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
.
Automotive sellers and
buyers are invited to setup Dealer
Accounts and Private Party
Accounts at 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.
For more tips and to sign up
for a new account, visit
http://www.pcars.com or contact Rich at staff@pcars.com
or Diana at db@presssuccess.com ; call: (626)
688-1919.
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