If you're looking to bring in some extra cash or maybe start a new
career, selling on eBay could be the answer you're looking for. There's
money to be made by becoming part of the eBay seller community. Put in a
little time reading the steps below, and that investment could pay off
for you in a big way.
-
1
Create an eBay account. If you don't already have
one, you'll need to go online and create an account on eBay. The account
is free and allows you to operate as a seller or a buyer.
- Once you have an account, you can log in to My eBay and track your auctions, view bids and send and receive emails.
- Put some thought into the name you choose for your eBay user ID.
This is how you'll be known in the eBay community. Pick something that's
memorable but not weird, inoffensive and positive.
-
2
Look into fees. When you sell on eBay, you can
operate under the standard fee arrangement or choose to become a
subscriber. Among the differences are the number of free listing you get
per month and the add-on fees you'll pay.
- As someone who's new to selling on eBay, you'll probably want to
operate under the standard fee agreement. You'll pay no insertion fees
on up to 50 listings per month and be charged a flat 10% final value fee
when your item sells.
- There are three paid subscription accounts available on eBay. Each
comes at a slightly different cost per month (from $15.95 to $179.95), a
different number of no-insertion-fee listings per month (from 150 to
2,500) and final value fees that range from 4 percent to 9 percent.
-
3
Open a PayPal Account. PayPal allows your buyers to
use a credit card or a checking account to pay for the items they buy
from you. It also allows you to sell internationally. Buyers initiate
the payment transaction with PayPal, and PayPal, in turn, transfers the
money to your account.
- It's not required that you have a PayPal account in order to sell on
eBay, but it can be difficult to succeed without one. Almost 90% of
eBay users have a PayPal account.[1]
- There's a feature on eBay that allows users to search for auctions
by checking a box that says “only show sellers who take PayPal.” It's a
popular choice for people who don't want to be bothered with writing and
mailing a check or using some other form of payment.
-
4
Decide what to sell. It's best to start by selling
things that you already have around your home. Go room by room and look
for things you no longer need or wear or perhaps have never even used.
- Ebay offers an online tool called "Selling Inspiration House." Use
it to navigate through a sample home and click on items you could sell
and see how much you might earn for everything from shoes to computers.
- It's also a good idea to look around on eBay to see what other
people are selling and at what price. Check to see how many "bids" an
item has to try to gauge its popularity.
- Sell what you know. Not only will you need to write a detailed
description of your item, but potential buyers may contact you with
questions. It can be difficult to thoroughly explain the benefits of a
product and answer detailed inquiries if you're not all that familiar
with the item yourself.
- Determine what sells well and look for more of it. Local garage or
estate sales can be a good way to buy things inexpensively that might
sell for more on eBay.
-
5
Start small. While your ultimate goal may be to
become an eBay Power Seller, you want to take things one step at a time.
Starting with just a few items to sell gives you the chance to learn
the ropes and establish yourself as a reputable seller.
- Like any new enterprise, selling on eBay may present you with some
unexpected challenges, and you're bound to make a few
mistakes--everybody does. Begin by selling just a few items so you can
familiarize yourself with the responsibilities that come with being a
seller.
- To become a truly successful seller, you need to have lots of
positive feedback. When you're first starting out, you won't have any.
Build your business slowly and give great customer service so that you
can earn positive feedback. That way, you'll earn the trust of buyers,
who will be more likely to do business with you once they see you're an
established and honest seller.
EditMethod 2 of 4: Creating Your Listing
-
1
Choose how you want to sell. eBay originally
functioned as an auction site only, but now you have other options when
it comes to putting your items up for sale. Consider how quickly you
want to sell your item, whether or not you'd be willing to let it go at
lower price than you'd hoped for and how much effort you want to put
into the whole selling process.
-
Traditional auction. If you list your item auction-style, you
establish an opening bid and then allow a set number of days for buyers
to submit their own bids for your item. Whatever the highest bid is at
the end of the auction period, that is the final selling price of your
item. The hope, of course, is that interest will be high and the price
will rise over the auction period so that you come out a winner.
- You can set an auction to last 3, 5, 7 or 10 days. Sellers with a
feedback rating of 10, will also be given the option of a 1-day auction.
Many buyers watch items for a while and think about them before placing
a bid, so a longer auction could be to your advantage.[2]
- This choice may not be a good one if you're faint of heart as you
have to contend with the stress of watching and waiting to see if the
selling price will go up and if you'll break even or ideally make a
profit on your item.
- While it may bring a bit of unwanted drama to your life, using the
traditional auction method could pay off. eBay says buyers are twice as
likely to buy an item when it's listed auction-style.[3]
-
Reserve. If you want to ensure that an item you list for auction
doesn't go for a price you can't live with, you can set a Reserve on the
item. A Reserve is the minimum bid you must receive in order to sell
your item. If you set a Reserve, be aware that interested buyers may be
in touch to find out your Reserve amount, so you may be spending some
additional time answering questions. eBay also charges a fee for adding a
Reserve.
-
Buy It Now (BIN). The BIN feature lets you set the price you want
for an item right from the get-go. Buyers who look at your listing will
immediately know the price, and they can purchase straight out. BIN
gives you the opportunity to perhaps sell your item quickly for the
price you want and be done with it or move on to your next listing.
- You can list for 3, 5, 7, 10 or 30 days or choose the "Good 'Til Cancelled" option for your Buy It Now listing.
- You can add a BIN option to an item you have listed for auction.
-
Best Offer. You can add a Best Offer feature to a BIN listing.
That way, interested buyers can submit to you a price they'd be willing
to pay for your item. You do not have to accept any Best Offer bids that
come in unless you want to. You can hold out to see if anyone will
purchase your item at the BIN price.
-
2
Decide on your price. The best way to price an item
is to see what similar items have sold for on eBay. Log in to your eBay
account and choose "Advanced Search" and check the box marked "Completed
Listings" to see what items have sold for across multiple categories.
Look at how the items were sold (auction, BIN, Best Offer or Reserve)and
pay particular attention to those that used the selling method you've
decided to use for your own item.
- It's important to look for items that are similar to yours in as
many ways as possible. That means condition, age, color and a variety of
variables should be taken into account when comparing your item to
those that have recently sold.
- You can see information about items that have sold within the last
90 days and for items that didn't sell within the last 30 days.
-
3
Take photos. It won't be enough to simply talk about
your item, you have to show buyers what you're offering. In fact, as of
July 31, 2013 eBay requires at least one photo for each listing. Photos
must be border-less, without seller-added text or artwork and be at
least 500 pixels on the longest side.
[4]
- When taking photos of your items, keep your background as simple and
clean as possible. Set them up against a white or neutral background.
Try clipping a piece of white poster board to a stand and bending it
onto a table to serve as a backdrop. If your item sparkles (it's a piece
of jewelry, for example) place it on a black background instead.
- Don't use lighting that creates shadows, hot spots, reflections or
gray areas. Avoid using the flash on your camera. Opt instead for soft,
natural light or diffused light created by a lightbox or by putting a
sheet, gauze or frosted glass in front of your light source.
- Put your camera on a tripod. No matter how steady you think you can
hold your camera, you're better off setting it up on a tripod for taking
photos; that's especially true for close-up shots. Blurred images won't
show buyers what they want to see, and they'll quickly move on from
your listing.
- Take multiple shots. Take not only a straight-on shot of your item,
but photos from multiple angles as well. Be sure to include close-up
photos of important details on your item. With the exception of cars,
you can post 12 photos per listing for free.
-
4
Determine how you'll ship. Once you've photographed
your item, pack and weigh it so that you can arrive at an accurate
shipping price. You can have shipping costs automatically calculated for
you, double check the costs yourself or offer free shipping.
- You can choose "calculated shipping" when you list your item. When
you do so, shipping costs will be automatically calculated for your
buyer based on the buyer's ZIP code, the weight and the dimensions that
you enter for the package.[5]
- You can preview what shipping costs will be using eBay's Shipping
Calculator. You'll enter detailed information about your package
(weight, dimensions) your zip code and what shipping services (USPS,
FedEx, UPS) you want to use.
- Offer free shipping. Free shipping allows you to attract more buyers
and get higher placement in search results. Also, once a free-shipping
transaction is confirmed, it'll earn you a 5-star rating on your
"Shipping and Handling Charges Detailed Seller Rating."
-
5
Write a description of your item. Writing a great
description is really key to making money on eBay. You have to tell
potential buyers as much as you can about your item and do it in a way
that's clear and appealing.
- Create a clear title. Say what you're selling using appropriate
keywords and adding any useful information that might catch a reader's
attention (brand name, designer, color). Don't try to be cute or clever;
instead, be clear as to exactly what the item is that's up for sale.
- Write all the pertinent information. Include the item's color, size,
model names or numbers, if it comes with accessories, whether it’s new
or used and if used, how old it is and what kind of condition it's in.
Refer to the photos you've taken to write an accurate and complete
description.
- Talk about benefits. It's not enough for potential buyers to know
all the features of your item, they need to understand how those
features can benefit them. For example, if the the boots you're selling
are waterproof, be sure and say "your feet will stay warm and dry."
EditMethod 3 of 4: Completing the Transaction
-
1
Contact your buyer. Once you've received a winning
bid or a buyer has purchased your item, you need to be in touch. If
you've chosen to use the online "Checkout" feature, some information
will be sent to your buyer, or you can send an invoice via My eBay.
- Be sure to confirm the following information with the buyer: total
price, tax (if applicable), accepted forms of payment, shipping cost,
shipping method, expected delivery date and a tracking or Delivery
Confirmation number.
-
2
Receive payment. Before you ship an item to a buyer,
you have to receive payment. Buyers are typically good about paying on
time--they know their reputation via feedback depends on it. In some
cases, you may have to send a gentle reminder to a buyer who is slow to
pay.
- If you fail to receive payment from a buyer, do your best to work it
out between the two of you. If your efforts fail, you can go to eBay's
Resolution Center and submit an "unpaid item case."
-
3
Ship the item. As soon as you receive payment, plan
to ship out the item. Be sure it's securely wrapped and cushioned with
enough packing material so that it'll arrive in good shape. Buyers are
often eager to receive their items, so ship on time to ensure that your
customer is satisfied and leaves positive feedback.
- eBay gives you the option of creating a shipping label and packing slip on its site.
- Get a provide your seller with a tracking or Delivery Confirmation
number, doing so can protect you if a buyer claims they never received
the item. If you created a shipping label on eBay, the tracking or
Delivery Confirmation number is available to you and the buyer in My
eBay.
-
4
Leave feedback. It's not just buyers who leave
feedback about their sellers, sellers, too, should leave feedback. This
lets others know what it was like to do business with your buyer, helps
your buyer improve his reputation (provided it was a good experience)
and earns you a reputation as a thoughtful and appreciative seller.
-
5
Pay your eBay fees. The sale price of your item along
with any add-ons (gallery photos, Reserve, etc.) will determine what
fees you must pass on to eBay. Be sure to make your payments in a timely
fashion to establish yourself as a trustworthy seller.
EditMethod 4 of 4: Growing Your Business
-
1
Be a great communicator. Being responsive to
interested buyers and your customers is important in any sales
situation, but perhaps even more so on eBay where auctions can move
quickly and people must rely only on email as a way of being in touch.
- Check your email frequently so that you can give prompt responses to
questions about your items or inquiries regarding payment or shipping.
- Considering downloading the eBay app to your smartphone so that you can manage your communications more easily.
- Be friendly in your emails. It's always a good policy to treat
people with courtesy. On eBay that can earn you repeat customers and
great feedback.
-
2
Give timely feedback. You have the opportunity after
every transaction to give feedback about your buyer. Do it. And do it in
a timely way. eBay success is built on reputations. Be generous and
quick in giving feedback in the hopes that your buyers will do the same
for you. Don't withhold feedback--waiting for comments from buyers first
before you post feedback about them; you'll seem petty.
- Unless a transaction was particularly horrific, come up with
something positive to say to your buyer. Even a simple "Thank you for
your business" is better than not leaving any feedback at all.
-
3
Go wholesale. You can purchase small wholesale lots
of products that most people use on a daily basis and make those the
focus of your eBay business. There are a lot of products that fit this
description. Do you want to sell clothing or home décor, beauty supplies
or kitchen items? Make a decision, do some research on your market and
learn how to target buyers and meet their needs.
-
4
Find a niche. One of the most common reasons buyers
turn to eBay is to find unusual items that they can't find anywhere
else. Browse through eBay's community groups to see all the folks who
share common interests (stamp collectors,knitters, stay-at-home moms,
vegans, etc.) and sell items that appeal to their specific needs and
desires.
-
5
Become a Power Seller. Power Sellers represent an
elite 4 percent of eBay sellers. A Power Seller designation tells buyers
that you are trustworthy, honest and offer a fair deal, which in turn
brings more buyers your way. Not only that, Power Sellers enjoy a number
of advantages and benefits and special access from eBay. Depending on
their level, these can include priority customer and technical support,
discounts from UPS and even health insurance. Power Seller must meet a
list of eligibility requirements.
[6]
- Be an active member for 90 days.
- Average a minimum of $1000 in sales per month for three consecutive months.
- Maintain a minimum of four average monthly listings for three consecutive months.
- Have an overall feedback rating of 100, of which 98% or more is positive.
- Have an account in good financial standing.
- Uphold the eBay community values, including honesty, timeliness and mutual respect
- Comply with all eBay listing and marketplace policies.
No comments:
Post a Comment