Top Ten Tips - Successful eBay Selling
By Tip Diva | Nov 29, 2007
Categories: Books, CDs, DVDs, Half.com, Money, Online Auctions, Selling, Shopping, Tips, Video Games, Websites, eBay
eBay is an interesting marketplace - you can practically buy or sell anything nowadays. Tip Diva once sold a broken camera flash for $10, a 50-lb. container of Legos for almost $100, a Def Leppard Union Jack tank top for $50 and a plastic Barbie chair for $55. That said, it’s a great place to unload the contents of the dusty box that has been sitting in your basement for a decade or your overflowing junk drawer.
Selling on eBay does take time and some money - the company charges an insertion fee and takes a small commission if your item sells - so you want to make sure your listing is attractive to get the highest price from bidders. And here’s how:
- Sign Up For PayPal - Most buyers and sellers nowadays prefer to use PayPal to pay for eBay transactions, as it’s one of the safest payment methods. Tip Diva furthers her payment pool by allowing money orders, but PayPal is the quickest and easiest way to both receive and send money. Additionally, PayPal allows you to combine shipping, send invoices and print shipping labels straight from its website, which expidites getting your item out to the highest bidder.
- Research Your Prices - First, see how sellers are pricing similar items in current auctions by using the search function. You can also see what similar items have sold (or didn’t sell) for by using the “Completed Listings” feature on the search results page. You may find that your item may sell better using eBay’s Buy It Now feature. You also may find that your item is not worth selling - Tip Diva, for one, finds that it isn’t worth her time to sell items under $3.
- Consider Selling Media On eBay’s Half.com - Unlike eBay, you can list your media (books, DVDs, CDs, video games, etc.) on Half.com indefinitely and don’t have to pay a fee until you sell an item. Unless it’s a very popular item, Tip Diva tends to stick her media items there.
- Be Detailed In Your Listing - Bidders like details, details, details. Does the designer shirt you’re selling have a small stain on the sleeve. Does your book have a few dog-eared pages? Does the item come from a home with smokers or pets? Bidders want what they pay for, and if you don’t accurately describe the item, you may get negative feedback.
- Read (And Re-Read) Your Listing - Check for spelling, grammar and listing mistakes. Don’t make use of excessive capitalization, exclamation marks or slang. And make sure your listing follows eBay’s Seller Policies.
- Have Clear Shipping & Return Policies - Bidders want to know how much they’re going to pay in shipping, where you ship and if they could return an item. The more detailed you are, the better. Unclear policies can lead to disputes and negative feedback.
- Take Lots Of Pictures - Bidders like to see what they’re bidding on. Make sure you take enough pictures to accurately depict an item. Preferably do this with a digital camera, and use a tripod if you have a shaky hand. You can save money on posting photos by using a free photo hosting site like Flickr or Photobucket and entering the photos into your listing using the HTML img tag. Also make use of eBay’s Gallery feature, because bidders are more likely to click on your auction if a picture is included next to the listing.
- Be A Good Communicator - If someone e-mails you a question about your listing, reply promptly. If you sell an item, keep in contact with the buyer about payments and shipping. The more accessible you are to bidders, the better your sales will be.
- Pack Your Items Well - No one likes getting a package with an item smashed to smithereens. Make sure your pack the item appropriately using crumpled newspaper, packing peanuts, bubble wrap or other materials, and that the box is secured and taped tightly. Double check the buyer’s address, and ship promptly.
- Leave Feedback - If anything is the hallmark of a good (or bad) eBay transaction, it’s eBay’s Feedback feature. When you complete a transaction, eBay allows you to rate a buyer or seller with positive, neutral or negative feedback. If the transaction went well, make sure to leave postive feedback for your buyer, who will likely return the favor. The more positive feedback a seller has, the better his sales will be.
What are your best eBay selling tips?
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