Part 2 : The tricks of the trade

And are there any problems sellers should watch out for?
Not really. I never get bad checks. Occasionally there are non-paying bidders, but if they don't pay, you still have the item. Most buyers on eBay are great people.

Are there any particular tricks for using auction sales to drive traffic to your website?
I use a banner in my listings to get clickthroughs. I think it works better than a text link. Some of my competitors using text links seem to be doing less well than I am. I keep it clear and simple using no html templates or music etc.

Finally, David, any general advice on how to get the most success from your auction listings?
Study the listings and plot trends to find the right items to sell. Use keywords in the title which relate to these trends. Avoid being redundant in the title. I see titles in the category of "Stereoviews" in which the seller tells you *in the title* that they are selling a stereoview. What are they thinking? Also, I don't think fancy templates, music or overly splashy advertising are good in listings. If I have to wait a long time for a listing to load just to get animations or music etc., I click away.

Thanks, David.