How to Sell on eBay

Selling on eBay is just the same as selling on any other place in the world, only that here you don't have to worry about entry capital to build a shop. The only thing you need to learn is to learn how to go about selling - these are skills that are needed if you want to succeed, but generally they're not hard at all to acquire. Keep in mind though that eBay won't make you much money if you don't have them. You will still have to sell things, even if you don't have to interact directly with your customers.

There is no secret teaching that will make you millions on eBay, as with every other retail business, it is just the basic buy and sell scheme, so the most important aspects are where to get your products and how to sell them accordingly. Whether you want to get rid of some junk you've still got at home or you try to build a whole ebay home business, you can do it by having a look at the following simple steps to get you started.

The first thing to do is sign up for an account, both with eBay and paypal, since both are closely linked and paypal is the most secure and most often used payment method on eBay. Once you have your account ready, it is time to become familiar with the site. Just buy some (cheap) items and pay immediately so you will get some good feedback ratings. In case you didn't know, nobody would buy on eBay from a seller with less than 99% positive ratings, so keep an eye on your rating and do what it takes to keep it over 99%.

Once you have a decent rating, do some research to find out what sells well on eBay. You could use eBay Pulse for that. Note what information and what style of photos you like best in the available offers, so you can later on imitate these positive elements.

Get your stuff together so you're ready with the exact specifications of what you're selling, including it's size, weight and condition, and be sure to make some good detailed photos, because that shows the people that you own the item and that you don't have anything to hide. In general, a cheap camera is completely sufficient for this. Make sure your photos are well done: Place the item on a white surface with nothing else in the background, declutter everything and be sure to have appropriate lighting; you could go outside or put your item next to a window for instance. Decide whether you will need many photos of every angle of the item (be sure to have detail photos of any defects or scratches!) or if one single photos is enough. Don't copy photos from other listings, this is copyright infringement and can lead to legal prosecution.

Now that everything is ready, log in to eBay and click on SELL at the top. Enter a good title for your item. A good title is precise and includes all relevant words, so that it can be found by searching for it. If you use only a small, unspecific title, nobody is going to find your item and it will be sold for a very low price (if at all). Avoid subjective descriptions such as "hot" or "really cool", this only makes you look like a stupid teenager. Depending on the value of your product you might think it worthwile to add a subtitle with additional information, but this costs a little bit so think if you really need it. Be sure to use a spellchecker while writing your title, missspellings keep your item from being found in the search!

Now choose a category and enter a description with all the necessary information such as the size, weight, exterior (color), the condition of the item, what devices it works with if it is an electronic device, etc. Again, don't copy text from other listings! Be sure to be precise in everything, and don't use too many fancy colors and fonts because this makes you look unprofessional and it makes your listing more difficult to read. Be honest and inform the buyer about any defects so that he can decide whether something is a big defect or not, not mentioning a fact is considered fraud and punishable (not to mention that you will get bad feedbacks).

Be friendly to every potential buyer, answer question which might arise rapidly and be sure to not scare them away with aggressive writing in your description. Also, choose which format you prefer (auction or buy-it-now) based on your personal preference. But keep in mind that most people look for auctions on eBay so that might be the better way to go if you want to sell much. With auctions it is better to start at 1$, with buy-it-now listings you should look up how much your item is generally worth on eBay, overpricing it won't do you any good so be realistic. Indicate clearly what shipping will cost. Reread everything to make sure everything is correct and then save.

Answer questions from your buyer rapidly and be clear, professional and nice to everybody. Absolutely never think about selling something outside of eBay, you won't be protected from any kind of fraud there!

Once it is sold and paid for, leave feedback for your buyer.

Some additional tips:

• Sell and buy inexpensive stuff at first to build up your account and a good feedback score

• Indicate clearly what shipping will cost

• Try to have your auctions end on a sunday when most people have time to visit eBay

• Be honest in your feedback giving

• Choose good packaging in order to have your item safely arrive

• Try offering free shipment if your item's price is worth it, this attracts many buyers

• Choose popular products to sell

• Never sell illegal items

• Negative feedback is deadly, so offer a refund if somebody is unhappy with your item

• Be honest about shipping cost, never charge more than it costs you

• Keep in mind that to sell on eBay is binding, you cannot change your mind later

• Be sure to be informed about what is illegal in the country you're shipping to

  
  

Resources you might want to take a look at:

• How to Sell on eBay

• How to Sell Stuff on eBay

• Make Money as an eBay affiliate