Things You'll Need:
- A computer connected to the internet.
- Printer.
- Shipping supplies (some are free).
- Things to sell.
- Patience
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Step 1
Go to eBay.com, and register. This is fast and free. You simply choose a username and password. If you will mainly be selling a certain type of items it may help to have your username reflect this. For example, Bobs-DVDs or Marys-antique-books. This will help people remember you. After all, you want to stand out from the crowd.
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Step 2
Do research on eBay about what you will be selling. eBay makes this simple for you. Next to the search box where you search for items it has a link for advanced search. Click this, type in what you intend to sell, and click the check-box for completed listings. This will show you all of the recent completed listings for this item. You can then see what the items sold for from low-high, and see if there where any titles for the item that seemed to have better results. This is a great feature that I use before I list anything. You may find that the item you want to sell is not selling very well. It is always better to know this before you list an item, than to list it and be disappointed. You may also find that you have a "hot" item in your closet that you no longer use. It pays to do the research! It may seem like a lot to do this every time before you list something, but taking 5 minutes to do this before you list an item is time well spent.
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Step 3
Find items to sell. Most people start, as I did, with things that they have around the house. eBay estimates that the average person has over $1,000 of "stuff" around their house that they could sell. I have sold things from tools I no longer need, to clothing that never fit when I received it. Look around. There are things you can sell all over the house. It's a great way to get rid of things you no longer need or use, and why not make a little money in the process. Another good resource for products to sell is eBay! They have a section that is nothing but wholesale lots. Granted it will cost you more to buy the quantity of items in these lots, but you can then turn around and sell them individually for profit. Just make sure that you don't overpay for the lot. Again, research is paramount. I have had great luck buying AAA batteries off eBay in lots of 200 or 400, receiving them, breaking them up into lots of 50 batteries and making good profits. I generally double my money doing this. Plus I get 4 sales out of my 1 purchase. On rare occasions I will go to a store and they will have one of the HTF (Hard To Find) items in stock. You have to get to know the stores, and the employees. Ask about when they receive their shipments, and if they expect to get any of these items in. I have gotten lucky a couple of times with a Wii, and a Wii Fit (both very hot sellers right now). I basically doubled my money on the Wii Fit, and did pretty well with the Wii. (It helps if you "bundle" items with these). For example, people want to buy a Wii that is ready for 2 players when they receive it. So if you are lucky enough to find a Wii, also buy another set of controllers, maybe a game that everyone wants, etc.
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Step 4
List the item(s). To list your item, click on sell at the top right of the page, then click sell an item. This is a fairly straight-forward process, and is pretty self explanatory. It is best not to take the advice of eBay here on the title. I feel that more than 3-5 words are necessary to describe an item. After all, when someone searches for something, the title is what leads them to your item. eBay gives you 55 characters for a title, use them all if you can. Make sure that your title describes the item. For example, you don't want a title that says Mens Wrangler Pants. People will skip over this listing to find one with a more descriptive title. Instead try: Wrangler Mens Flat Front Khaki Pants size 36X32. This title tells buyers exactly what you are selling. It is also best to use the item specifics provided by eBay. These include the item condition (new, used, new with tags, new without tags, size, color, etc.). This also helps when people search for your item. A lot of people narrow their searches by doing an advanced search and checking new, or khaki, that way the search that they do will only return results with new, khaki pants, not used jeans. The more information you provide for potential buyers the better. Most sellers list items with a starting price of $.99. However, you may choose to use a different starting price. Say you want your item to sell for at least $15.00, then you have 2 options. List the item with a starting price of $15.00, or list it with a starting price of $.99, and have a reserve of $15.00. (It is worth it to mention that a lot of buyers will lose interest in items with a higher starting price or a reserve amount. Most people prefer to bid on items starting at $.99. eBay has done some research in this area and found that an item listed with a starting price of $.99 often outsells the same item with a higher starting price or a reserve. So it is not always best to list with a higher starting price or reserve. There is also the option to do a fixed price listing, or BIN (Buy It Now). Using this option, you set a price, lets say $13.99 for the pants mentioned earlier. When listing with this method, this is the price of these pants. Just like if you went into a store to buy them. If someone wants to buy these pants, and finds the price acceptable, they can click Buy It Now, and the sale is made. Make sure you charge reasonable shipping prices, nothing turns off buyers more than overpriced shipping.
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Step 5
Complete the sale. Don't be worried if your item has been listed for 5 days and doesn't have a bid yet. Most people on eBay wait until the last couple of days, or hours before an item ends to bid on it. A lot of times your item will be bid up a few more dollars within the last minute of the auction. After someone wins your auction, or chooses Buy It Now, you will be able to send them an invoice. This invoice will include the item(s) won, purchase price, shipping price, and total price. After you send the invoice the buyer will usually have 7 days to pay for the item(s). This is the eBay standard, you may specify a different length of time if you wish. eBay uses the feedback system. This system is set up to let buyers and sellers know about everyone's history on eBay. You should leave feedback for buyers after they pay, and after you receive items that you have won, or purchased. You can review everyone's feedback by clicking the number next to their name. This is their feedback score. The higher the number, the more transactions the person has had on eBay. You will also see their percentage. The higher the percentage, the better their reputation. If the percentage is too low, eBay will ban them from using the site. Buyers and sellers give and receive feedback for each other. If you are interested in buying an item from a seller, check their feedback. Review it to see how many positive and negative feedbacks that they have received. If they have negative feedback, check to see what it says. Negative feedback is not always a reason not to buy from a seller. Some sellers do thousands of transactions per year. With this many transactions someone, somewhere is bound not to be happy and leave negative feedback. Just think of a store you buy from often. Are you absolutely satisfied every time you visit? Probably not, there may be occasions that you have a negative experience, but are they a bad seller, no. This visit just wasn't your best. Feedback is eBay' s way of letting you know who you are buying from. After all, you don't know the guy that you want to buy that comic book from at all. This way you can at least know his history on eBay.
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Step 6
Receive payment. You will be notified through your email, and My Messages on eBay when a buyer has paid you. You may also log on to paypal.com and check your account, and you will see the payment. You should then have the item ready for shipment.
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Step 7
Ship the item(s). After the buyer pays, you will need to package the item and ship it. It is best to include an invoice with the shipment. eBay provides this for you, all you have to do is click print. Make sure to package the item(s) carefully to avoid damage during shipment. Use bubble wrap, padded mailers, and/or tissue paper to protect their purchase. No one wants to receive an item that they have been waiting to arrive, only to find it damaged. If you choose to ship using USPS priority mail, you can get free boxes and envelopes from them. Simply go to the website and go to the link for "shop". They will ship your supplies right to your door. This is a great way to save on shipping supplies.
Comments
AnneZ said
on 3/4/2009 Good tips from a 10 year seller on eBay: annez!
Mindee94 said
on 10/14/2008 Great detail. Very informative and easy to understand. Kudos and the stars of five to you.