Anybody sell on Ebay

**wife2lt** · 11-06-2009, 12:32 PM

I'm needing to make some money and I have alot of stuff that is cluttering up the place. Could any of you help me out? I need to know the basics on trying to sell something on ebay. I just want to try and sell one thing at first until I get the hang of it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

**tervsforme** · 11-06-2009, 12:43 PM

There are quite a few people on here who sell on E-Bay, me included!

The first thing you need to do is research. Look on e-bay to see if the item you want to sell is selling and for how much and that should help you decide if it is worth it. You will need a digital camera to take pictures, a PayPal account and a scale or some way to weigh the item for shipping purposes. That's a start, I'm sure someone else will chime in!

E-bay now allows you to list 5 items for free every 30 days, so it is a good time to try it out!

Good Luck!

**savvy_sniper** · 11-06-2009, 01:51 PM

I don't know what you have to sell, but as previously stated DO YOUR RESEARCH! A typical eBay buyer is looking for a bargain so you can't expect to get full price for most things.

Have you considered having a garage sale? If you items are large, heavy, fragile, you might consider listing them for sale on craigslist.com. ONLY take cash when they pick up the item. Do NOT take PayPal, money orders, or personal checks. Listing and selling on craigslist is FREE!

You MUST accept electronic payments on eBay now. The most common option is PayPal. You can NOT state in your listings that you take checks, money orders, cash. You can (and should) only take cash if it is for local pickup. IF a buyer asks if you will take personal check/money order, you can IF you want to. Orders paid with personal checks should be held for shipment until the check clears your bank.

eBay fees really add up. Plus you have to have a business or premier account to accept payments on PayPal and their fees are 2.9% plus 30 cents for the total payment (shipping included).

Here is a link to eBay Help pages with information on listing fees and Final Value Fees (selling fees).

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/ques...what-fees.html

Do you have a digital camera? You need to take good pictures. There are free photo hosting sites. You only get ONE free picture with eBay and then they start charging you.

Write your listing like you have no pictures and take your pictures like you have no written description.

Good Luck!

**eofelis** · 11-06-2009, 06:20 PM

^^^^*savvy has lots of good information*

I do a bit of buying and selling on ebay. I usually try to sell things in other free venues (craigslist, forum listings, etc) before trying ebay.

When I first started out selling I listed a few things that I didn't care if I made a profit on to sell, just to get the hang of things.

It's good skill to know how to sell things on there; you might come across some potentially valuable things at yard sales, etc, that you can flip. I've also bought a few things on ebay that I would not have found elsewhere.

I just like to sell things that are easy for me to ship, mostly small stuff.

**i.m.cheap** · 11-08-2009, 02:13 AM

I listed my first five items on ebay today. I had a bid on one within the hour. I did seven-day auctions on all of them. I am selling books, because (a) I have a lot of them, and (b) they are easy to pack and ship.

**mauimagic** · 11-08-2009, 02:19 AM

congratulations deb. How would we find what youo are offering? Good luck and be sure to let us know.

**frugalfranny** · 11-08-2009, 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by savvy_sniper

You MUST accept electronic payments on eBay now. The most common option is PayPal.
Plus you have to have a business or premier account to accept payments on PayPal and their fees are 2.9% plus 30 cents for the total payment (shipping included).

Hey savvy.....Can you define the difference between premier and business versus 'regular' acct? Are they the same? What makes them different?

TIA

**savvy_sniper** · 11-08-2009, 08:11 AM

A personal account is for sending and receiving money from others such as friends and family. It is not for receiving money for goods and services. I believe that you can start out with a personal account and when you receive payments for goods and services you will be notified that you will be charged the fees if you accept the payments. The rules have changed and I started using PayPal years ago.

To receive payments for goods and services you are supposed to have a premier or business account. They charged the same fees. A business account just gives you some extra options on the back end and use your business name.

Here is a link to more information about the different types of accounts.

https://www.paypal.com/helpcenter/ma...rInstance=9006

Originally Posted by frugalfranny

Hey savvy.....Can you define the difference between premier and business versus 'regular' acct? Are they the same? What makes them different?

TIA

**Mckeekitty** · 11-08-2009, 09:05 AM

I've been selling on ebay for ten years...the site has come a long way. It has a complete "tutorial" for the new seller, and will walk you through each step. When I first started, it was really a complicated process because I had to get a host for my pictures. Now it is a streamline process.

To be really get the best out of ebay, explore the site. See what sells and what doesn't. "Experiment" with listing a few items to get the feel for the site.

**savvy_sniper** · 11-08-2009, 09:09 AM

I learned the majority of what I know about selling on eBay by reading the eBay Discussion Boards. You can go to the library and check out various books about selling on eBay but they are quickly outdated because eBay changes things constantly.

eBay Discussion Boards

http://forums.ebay.com/category/Ebay...on-Boards/2001

**spyzvixxen** · 11-08-2009, 10:26 AM

All great advice above. Also make sure you use a calculator (I just googled one) to make sure you are making a profit after all the fees & shipping. Learned that the hard way. Good luck!!

**suebeehoney** · 11-18-2009, 01:22 PM

Just a few more words of advice. I've sold on Ebay off and on since it first started many years ago. Took a break for a few years, but now I'm back at it.

It's a great way to make extra money from the excess "stuff" in the house (don't we all have it?). However, as stated by others above, do your research first and foremost.

Go to "advanced search" on the top of the homepage, and enter a few keywords for the item you want to sell, and then click on "search completed listings". This will bring up all items matching your keywords ending in the past 30 days, whether they sold or not. This will give you a good idea of what your items are going for.

Clothing is always a decent seller, provided you know what to sell. Good used clothing, in excellent condition (no tears, stains, holes, etc), and of a good name brand always sell well. Plus size clothing (men and women) sells well, because it's expensive to buy larger sizes in retail stores.

Two words about selling clothing: Pictures and Measurements!!

Don't take pictures of the clothing folded up. You don't go into a store and buy something without unfolding it and looking it over, right? Your Ebay bidders don't have that luxury, so provide them with pictures of the item - front, back (if there's something special about the back you want them to see), and make sure the picture shows the whole item, not just part of it.

Also, if there are details to the item that are not visible in the pictures, make sure you note them in the description. I recently bought a black sweater that I really liked - only to receive it and find out it had a hideously huge ruffle down the front, which wasn't visible in the photos and wasn't mentioned in the description. Needless to say, it's being relisted - maybe someone else will like it!

Measure your clothing item completely and provide those measurements so your bidders can make sure it will fit. Nothing is more disappointing than getting an item you adore, and finding out it won't fit. For shirts, measure the sleeves, the bust, and the overall length. For pants, measure the waistline, the hip/butt area, the inseam, and the overall length.

Hope this helps!

**NikoSan999** · 11-18-2009, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by savvy_sniper

You can go to the library and check out various books about selling on eBay but they are quickly outdated because eBay changes things constantly.

eBay Discussion Boards

http://forums.ebay.com/category/Ebay...on-Boards/2001

More like daily...Been doing it for about 7 years and sometimes it seems like hourly. Ahh...back to the good old days when search was actually search and not seek and destroy.