How to Start a Business on eBay

According to experts, eBay is the garage sale of the new millennium. In 2006 alone, eBay grew 57 percent and it has now over 34 million users. With numbers like that, your chances of selling your products are monumental.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Credit card
• Digital camera

Decide What to Sell

1. Find out what sells. Kids' clothes and baby items are always hot sellers, and so are certain brand-name items. Antiques and discontinued items also sell well. A quick search on eBay will give you an idea of what's popular.
2. Think about selling items you enjoy collecting, such as baseball cards or figurines. Sell what you know. If you have a knack for antiques, you'll be able to find better deals, answer specific questions, and even tout the item with more enthusiasm.
3. Start out selling items around the house. There's a section on eBay to help you start your business this way (see Resources below).

Prepare to List Your Item

4. Take a photo of the item you're selling. Items with photos sell much better because the customer can see exactly what she's getting. Writing a great description is also key.
5. Choose a listing option, either standard or pre-filled. You can enter the UPC or ISBN number for certain products to pre fill item specifics.
6. Write the item description and history. Give specifics such as origin, rarity, materials, condition, shipping and payment information and your return policy.

Sell Your Item

7. Set a price (lower prices encourage bidding). You can also use Buy-It-Now to sell your item at a set price and close your business listing early.
8. Use eBay's Picture Services to include a photo in your listing (see Resources below).
9. Consider charging a flat rate for shipping or providing a shipping calculator so bidders can quickly and easily figure shipping costs. The Shipping calculator in the eBay Shipping Center can help (see Resources).

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't want to spend the time listing items every few days, an eBay store may be the right choice for you. When you sign up, you get a professional-looking business page that can be customized with your own logo plus exclusive promotional features. You also get a discount on eBay fees.
• The key to being successful on eBay is to start slow. Don't rush through the process. Instead, build up a reputation and gather good feedback before investing in high-priced items.