eBay questions

[dhud64]

eBay questions:
I’ve never bought or sold anything off of eBay, therefore I know very little about it. I’ve been toying with the idea of setting up an account and selling some stuff online to earn some extra cash.
For anyone that has sold merchandise on eBay, I’m looking for your top 3 tips for being a successful seller. Also looking for any other eBay experiences that you’re willing to share!
Thanks

 

[rolmops]

Re: eBay questions

The number one top tip would be:establish a history.
Buy some here and there and pay instantly.Always leave positive feedback or none at all.
The first thing I do when I consider buying something is checking the sellers history.More than 5% negative or neutral feedback stops the game right there.Less than that will make me check his history and judge whether the feed back is justified.
History is the only thing that has a semblance of a quality guarantee in a market that is rife with scammers.
#2 would be: do not over charge on shipping and handling.There are too many artists out there that sell a product for cheap and then steal from you with an exorbitant handling price.
#3
Contact your customers and make sure that you are on the same page.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: eBay questions

1. Always have good, clear mulitple pictures that show detail. I avoid blurry pictures, shows a lack of professionalism and also show a possibly deceptive attempt to sell an item that is not in the condition described.

2. Always have good, clear properly spelled item descriptions that leave little doubt as to the condition of the item. They are more likely to bid if they know the condition. Honesty is key.

3. Always research similar items to see what prices they are going for. You don't want to be the only high starting bid in a field of cheap prices on the same exact item.

 

[dhud64]

Re: eBay questions

Sounds reasonable, Thanks guys!

 

[roscoe]

Re: eBay questions

1- build a history of buying with positive feedback before selling anything
2- good photos and accurate detailed description
3- set up a paypal account, get verified, etc. Many people won't buy unless you have paypal, they want to pay now, and expect you to ship within 24-48 hours.

Read, study, know all the rules and procedures of ebay and paypal.
You will look stupid if you are breaking the rules.
Image is everything. Photos, description, history, reasonable starting bids and shipping costs are all part of that.

Try to use a flat rate shipping fee or the shipping calculator so the buyer will know what he is expected to pay.

Read others' listings to see what their conditions are.
Like where you will ship to, type of payments accepted, etc.

The safest, most convenient, and quickest payments to accept are US Postal Money Orders, Paypal, and cash in person.

NO cashiers checks, ubid, Western Union, personal checks, travelers checks, or money orders that don't come from the USPostal Service.

It doesn't matter what you buy to build up your history. $5-$40 items.
You will also learn a bit about ebay buying and selling, as you buy things.
Want to get started quickly? Buy a few buy it now items. Anything. Clothes, tools, coffee maker, lures.
You can always resell the items later if you decide they weren't what you wanted.

If you will be shipping across the US-Canada border, be aware that a 3.9# package will ship for about $15, and take 3-5 days to get there.

But a 4.5# package can cost $75 shipping and take 2 weeks to deliver.

Also, avoid buying or selling anything flammable or Hazardous. (unless it is for pick up only)
Shipping on HAZMAT items will cost you a fortune.

More Shipping guidelines:
Packages under 2# always go USPS Priority Mail, $4.05.
If it is 2# -4#, it depends on how far you are mailing it.

If it will fit in a Priority Mail Flat-Rate envelope, try it.
I received 5# of lead fishing sinkers in one of these envelopes, $4.05.

FedEx is almost always cheaper, and faster, than UPS. UPS has become a pain in the butt.

 

[dhud64]

Re: eBay questions

Thanks Roscoe, I like your av too!

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: eBay questions

I can add another idea too. Don't use a reserve price. I never bid on reserve auctions. Make your minimum bid close to what your reserve would be, and it functions the same without turning away potential bidders.

 

[mscher]

Re: eBay questions

1. Do your homework on basic security and avoiding scams. Make your ebay user name completely different, than your email name. Separate unique passwords for both.

2. Since no one looks at anything on ebay without searching, make sure your auction title description has enough descriptive and SEARCHABLE, words. This is where people find your auctions.

3. Use ebay's Turbo lister, if you have more than a few items to sell. You create and edit your auctions on your computer and then upload them to ebay all at once. Much easier and prettier than using the ebay online method.

Good luck

 

[bjcsc]

Re: eBay questions

Establishing good feedback buying will do you some good, but smart buyers check to see whether your feedback is from buying or selling. One of the biggest scams going on eBay is people who buy 500 $1 items and then sell a $10,000 or more item and rip off the buyer.

My list, if I can only have 3, would be:
1) Start selling with lower dollar items
2) Great pictures, from all angles, that can be supersized
3) Deatiled, accurate, proofread description

Also, it is very important to check your eBay messages several times per day while you have an auction running. This lets the potential buyers know you are paying attention / responsible.

I also agree with the comments made regarding shipping and reserve prices, accepting Paypal, and timely shipping.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: eBay questions

I can add another idea too. Don't use a reserve price. I never bid on reserve auctions. Make your minimum bid close to what your reserve would be, and it functions the same without turning away potential bidders.

If you're selling something popular, it's usually a good idea to start it at $10 or less, no matter what the final value should be. Somebody will bid early and for some reason bids attract more bidders. It will almost always end at whatever your item is worth compared to the same thing in other auctions. Of course, if you're selling something not alot of people want, this won't work.

Also, make sure you add a buy it now for the highest price you think your item could possibly be worth. My auctions end with buy it now around 50-75% of the time, almost always for way more than I think the item is worth and more than the bidding would have gone too.

 

[roscoe]

Re: eBay questions

Don't list more than one, of the same item, unless they are all "buy it now".
Otherwise, you will end up selling them all for close to the opening bid.
Buyers won't bid the item up, because they know there are several more of the same item already listed.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: eBay questions

Be suspicious of all e-mails from "eBay", especially the ones in your bulk folder. Never respond to them from the e-mail. Always go to your messages in My eBay and respond from there. Any e-mails that aren't in your messages are scams.

Video professor offers an eBay CD-Rom. You can go to their site and watch some of it. Pick a category you are least familiar with.

 

[dhud64]

Re: eBay questions

Video professor offers an eBay CD-Rom. You can go to their site and watch some of it. Pick a category you are least familiar with.

Kuhl, I'll take a look see.

 

[i386]

Re: eBay questions

I use USPS priority for most of the items I ship. You can go to the USPS web site and they'll send you all the shipping materials you need for free: boxes, tape, labels, etc... You can even do your shipping online and print out the labels on your printer. UPS for the heavier items. Buy yourself a good scale too.