Even the hottest-selling auction items can bring more money per sale if you use these insider-only auction selling tips:

1. Take advantage of shipping discounts

Your shipping and handling charges can be an additional profit center if you charge industry-standard rates but pay less than the going price.  Here are some cash-savings tips:

Use "Media Mail" rates when possible.  If you are selling books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music or recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes), the U.S. Post Office's Media Mail rates are a good deal.  Visit the USPS at: http://www.usps.com/send/waystosendmail/senditwithintheus/mediamail.htm for details.
 
Speaking of the Post Office, did you know that you can buy stamps at a discount?  There are many stamp brokers who sell 100% legal U.S. postage stamps at a discount off of their face value.  One of the most reputable is located at: http://www.hgitner.com/postage.html
 
Save money on packing material.  Instead of buying styrofoam "peanuts", or other packing materials, buy a shredder.  Then simply shred all of your junk mail and any other paper that you would normally throw away and use it instead.  Total cost (after buying the shredder) is $0!
 
2. Use rip-snortin', butt-kickin' templates instead of boring "me too" listings.

Oftentimes the difference between a hot auction and a mediocre one is the quality of your auction ad layout.  Even if you are an HTML guru, you can benefit from using a service that either provides pre-made auction templates or lets you design your own using auction-proven techniques.  One such site is http://www.BidBoosters.com.

3. Use Picture power to draw eyeballs

Digital cameras are cheap.  Get a good quality one and take some pictures of your product.  Not only does it make your ad appear more professional, but it can really drive emotional response when bidders imagine themselves owning your product.

4. Give your buyers some Louisiana Lagniappe

Pronounced "lan-yap", it means a little something extra.  Non-Cajuns call it a "baker's dozen".  You'll call it a winner when you start building good will with your buyers by offering a little something extra with their winning bid.  For example:

If you are selling watches, a rosewood gift box can be bought for as little as .25 cents in quantity.
 
Selling a battery operated product?  Be a big spender and include fresh brand-name batteries.  Dollar Stores are a great source for good batteries cheap.
 
5. Think "inside" the box.

Include a hand-written thank-you note (if volume permits), or order customized thank-you cards if you're a big shipper.  Also include sell sheets, special offers or copies of your catalog with every order.  Be careful if you're using the Media Mail rates that I told you about in Tip #1 though.  There are some restrictions on in-box advertising with that rate.  Full details are on the USPS web site link that I gave you.

6. Forget how to spell when writing auction keywords.

Many people aren't very good spellers.  You can troll for bad spellers and bring them to your auctions by taking advantage of commonly misspelled words.  For example: Jewelry is often spelled Jewellery.  The word "Business" is frequently spelled "Busness". Are you selling "baseball bats" or "base ball bats"?

7. Sell the steak and not the sizzle in your auction titles.

Contrary to the ever-popular "sell the sizzle, not the steak" advice from pro copywriters, there is no room for sizzle in your auction titles where you are usually limited to 45 characters or so.  People aren't going to type "Must see to appreciate" or "Totally cool", or any other hype words when looking for auctions to bid on.  Use your available characters to your best advantage by using carefully selected keywords and product names.

8. Don't yell "Surprise" after the sale.

List your terms and conditions clearly and up front.  If you don't accept personal checks, say so.  List your other payment methods, shipping policies, return policies and anything else that a buyer should know before making a bid.  Nothing will bring you a bad rating quicker than surprising the buyer with bad news after the auction is won.

9. Learn from your mistakes.

Track your winning and losing auctions.  Make a spreadsheet that lists item sold, winning bid, auction open and closing dates, and any other details that you think are important.  Refer to the spreadsheet often so you can pick out winning and losing patterns.  For example, if your actions that close on Sunday afternoon usually do well, but start falling off around football season, you can pick up on that and adjust your closing dates accordingly.

10. Don't panic

Most customers are sane and rational even if just for brief periods of time.  If something goes wrong with your auction, such as finding out that your drop shipper is out of stock, or your credit card merchant account has been suspended, or some other business or personal calamity has struck -- contact your buyer right away.  If you have a phone number, call.  Explain exactly what went wrong, in an open and honest manner, and exactly what you are going to do to make it better.  Then hang up and do it!  You'll earn more trust and loyalty points then you would ever imagine you could.