1. Start reading eBay Marketing Makeover for free right here!
  2. Do you really need an eBay store to be a successful seller?
  3. Know your limits
  4. Writing as a marketing tool: Proofread & punch-up ALL your copy from listing text to form emails
  5. Work on encouraging repeat business and word of mouth before you do any other marketing
  6. Analytics & buyer tracking are the key to focusing your selling efforts
  7. There’s someone out there who just loves what you’ve got for sale. Zero in on them!
  8. Know your limits: Sometimes it’s better to hire someone
  9. Work to keep & grow the customers you have now before you look for more
  10. Focus your marketing & selling efforts by setting up visitor tracking & traffic analytics
  11. Identify your ideal customers and tailor your selling to them
  12. Rethink your social & selling persona to increase sales by speaking directly to your ideal customer
  13. Collect your keywords: Exactly what is SEO & how do you take advantage of it?
  14. Optimize the keywords in your eBay listings themselves for more sales & traffic
  15. Guide buyers to your items by using your top eBay keywords on all your sites and social profiles
  16. Prepare a description of your eBay store in varying lengths to give your buyers the best first impression
  17. Give your eBay selling or store a memorable logo and avatar for visual consistency
  18. Use the power of writing voice to speak directly to your ideal customer
  19. Nothing says unprofessional like spelling & grammar mistakes in your eBay store
  20. A quality product is easier to market and sell
  21. Good customer service means more word of mouth, sales and repeat buyers
  22. It’s true! A good return policy is a marketing strategy that courts word of mouth
  23. Shorten & simplify your item listing text for the TL; DR generation of buyers

Don't let pride blind you to getting help where you need it. There's no shame in knowing your limitations.It probably wouldn’t occur to you to open up your skull and take out your own brain tumor. You wouldn’t want to risk messing up something that important. That’s a skilled job and one you’re not necessarily confident enough to tackle without some professional help.

But what about something we encounter every day? Things like writing, proofreading, design and other things we see and maybe even do every day seem simpler because of their familiarity. When you’re running your own business, you’re so used to wearing every single hat that one of the hardest things can be stepping back and realizing that you may not actually be very good at x or y and that maybe you need to bring in some outside help to give your business that edge.

Possibly you already know a friend or family member with the skills you need. They may even be willing to help you out for free but, if not, they may be willing to do it in exchange for a barter, such as you selling a few items for them in exchange for their help. Working with family and friends can be a little prickly, however, so sometimes hiring a professional is a better option.

Help is cheaper than you might think and can be a worthwhile investment. You could toil for hours in Photoshop and make a halfway decent logo for your company or you could get a really slick one from a place like Fiverr for $5. Elance and oDesk are other great options where freelancers can bid on your project, letting you choose the price and vendor you want.

Sites like these are also a great resource for inexpensive freelance editors and writers. Writing in particular is one of those things where everyone’s got the basic skills but you don’t realize the difference a professional can make until you let them at your words. There’s a big difference between the writing anyone can do and really good copy and you’d be amazed how many e-commerce problems can be fixed with a little word wizardry.

The point here is: take a step back and be objective about what you can and can’t do. Maybe your skills are fine for a good enough job but if higher quality would mean more sales and traffic, isn’t it worth bringing someone else in? Don’t let pride blind you to getting help where you need it. There’s no shame in knowing your limitations.