How to sell on ebay

I will walk you through the steps of selling an item on Ebay.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• something you are interested in selling.
• an Ebay account
• a photo of the item you are selling
• A paypal account (optional)

1. Set up a paypal account. This is an optional step but really worth it. With a paypal account you can receive your payment right away and will not have to wait for a check or cash through the mail. Most people would rather buy an item from someone using paypal as they can get the item much faster.

2. First if you are an existing member of EBay you will need to sign in. If you currently are not a member of EBay you need to create an account.
   Now from the EBay home page, after you have signed in, there is a task bar on the upper right hand corner, please click on sell.

3. Clicking on sell from step one will then transfer you to the selling page. On this page it will ask you to list your item for sale. You may want to be specific about this item, If it is an authentic denim jumper from 1977, then that's how you may want to list it, not just denim jumper. Try to add as much description as possible in this heading to attract as many people as you can to look at this item.

4. after you have selected the heading for the item that you are selling there will be 2 options for you to select from.....
   option 1- Keep it simple with auction format and essentials like photos
   option 2- customize your listing with multiple selling formats, designs, and more
   After you have chosen the options you want click on "start selling".

5. After completion of step number 4 you will than be transferred to a page titled Create your listing. The first step from this page will say..
   Create a descriptive title for your item
   This is something that you have already done in step 3. If you would like to make any changes to your item title now would be the time to do it.
   Now press the button to the right of your items title that says find a category.

6. Step 2 from this page will have a few suggestions for the category your item should be placed in from your title description. You can go with one of these suggestions or browse for other options. The suggested options are usually pretty good though.

7. The next step will be to add photos of your item. The first photo that you add to your listing is free, there is a fee for each additional photo you add. Usually the more photos of an item the better, but this is a decision that you will have to make on your own. after you have uploaded your items photos you have the option to add Gallery Plus, this will display large pictures in search results-capture special details or different views for buyers. this option is .35 and is something that is also a decision that is personal.

8. Step #4 from this page asks you to describe the item you are selling. You can choose many options from here as to how your description will look. You can choose your font, color, and size. Make sure that you describe your item very fully. The better the description the more people will be interested. For example... Does your authentic 1977 jumper have any tears, rips, or stains? Does it have a story behind it like your great aunt wore it to your uncle tom's wedding and danced the hustle in it. These are things that just might help it sell, and if not well all you have lost is a little bit of time. Also you are going to want to let people know how your are shipping this item, if they are responsible for paying the shipping costs, and what type of payment you will accept.
   
   
   After you have selected your item category it says EBay can automatically fill your auction-style in with information about your item. I have not found this to be useful, and do not recommend that you use it.

9. Step #5 from this page is set a price and shipping details. This is a very important step in the process. In this step you will set your starting price, the length of time you want your auction to run for, and a buy it now option. The starting price is pretty self explanatory, here you set the starting bid price, I recommend starting out low and let people bid, this generates more interest in your item. The length of time you want your auction to run is pretty much a decision you will have to make for yourself, I feel that a seven day auction is a good option because you let people have the time to find your item and you will also get some weekend traffic. The buy it now option is a great tool. You can set a price that you are willing to sell your item for. This option does cost an extra .05 but worth the money if you can sell your item right away and for the price you want. Ok, now on to shipping. You may want to think about where you are willing to send your item, EBay has many people from many countries shopping there. If you are not willing to ship out of the USA, then you need to let people know. You can use the shipping calculator to help you select a service and to calculate cost. Which is a good idea so that you are not surprised by any costs.

10. Ok now you have come to a very important step in this process. How would you like to get paid? You have a few options here, you can accept cash, or a money order or if you and your winning bidder are willing you can even take a personal check. Ok I am going to go ahead and put my two cents in here, Cash is a very risky way to go about this, for both the buyer and seller. If the cash gets delivered to a wrong address or lost this could be bad for everyone involved. Cashiers checks and money orders are a safer way to go, but then you have to consider the wait you will both have to make. Personal check is also another one of those risky options. My advice to you if you this option to please wait ten days for the check to clear your bank before you ship your item. Of course as I said before Papal is my favorite method for collecting payment. This is a great option for both parties involved.
    Ok, now we are almost there. On the bottom right hand corner of this page you will have two options, save as draft; this is a great option if you would like to make changes or add additional things later. Your other option is save and preview, this option is for when you are ready to sell.

11. If you clicked the save and preview option you will be taken to a page called review your listing. If you used the save as draft option you can start on this step when you are ready.
    From the review your listing page you will be able to see the amount that listing this item is going to cost you. Also if you scroll down the page you will be able to see a preview of your listing and also how your listing will appear in search results. You will still be able to edit anything you do not like or want to change at this point.

12. Ok, we have made it. Now you are ready to list your item. Congrats you are now selling on EBay.
    Do not forget to leave appropriate feedback.

Tips & Warnings

• I used the keep it simple option from the sell your item menu. The customizable option will be different, but still easy to navigate through with the help of this article.