Welcome to GiftedHands Blog: 12 vital selling tips for eBay success

Everyone and their dog seems to be making money on eBay these days; so what exactly does it take to join the club? ebay

Selling on eBay can be a great way for students to make a bit of extra dosh, whether you just want to shift some unwanted clothes and nick-nicks or are looking to set up your own mini-business.

Whatever you want to use eBay for though,
it’s always best to swot up on a couple of tops to make sure you get the most out of your bits and bobs.

We’ve tried to cram as much info as we can in here, so hopefully you’ll soon be making pounds instead of pennies!

Top 10 eBay selling tips

Decide what to sell
The first thing you need to work out is what you’re going to be selling. If you’re looking to use eBay as a way of getting some cash from your unwanted stuff then that’s self explanatory, but if you want to use it as a business venture it might require a bit more thought.
If you are going for the business approach then try to stick to selling stuff you know the most about for a start, whether that’s comic books, fashion or silver teaspoons.
It will make it much easier for you to spot stuff that has the potential to be sold on and really sell the item with your expertise. That said, make sure you have a bit of variety in your range!
On the other hand if you’re just selling your old bit and bobs from home then it’s more of a case of a clear-out that’s needed.
Give yourself a couple of hours in your room/house/castle to pull sort through everything and put it into piles of stuff you want or need to keep, stuff that needs to be chucked and stuff that could sell well online.
It might seem like a daunting task, but you will feel better afterwards and can look forward to some lovely money!
Set up your account
It might sound like the easiest part of the deal, but there are a few considerations to be made when you’re setting up your eBay account, namely that pesky username business.
Remember that whatever you choose for your username will effectively be the name of your selling business, so sweetiepiewithsugarxx021 probably won’t cut it.
Either go simple and professional by just using a variant of your name, or make a username that is relevant to the kind of things you plan to be selling, which might help people find you in a search too.
Buy in some supplies and make some space
Before you can make your millions or even make your listings you’ll have to make sure you’ve got some basic supplies to run your eBay enterprise.
Most importantly you’ll need postage and packing equipment such as boxes, jiffy bags or parcel tape, depending on what exactly you’re selling.
You’ll also need a decent camera and a light to take some pictures of your items and it’s worth investing in a notebook so you can keep track of everything.
If you’re planning on having a bit of an eBay splurge then it might also be worth setting aside a box or drawer in your room for all of your eBay stuff so things don’t go amiss.
Work out your pricing and costings
Before you sell and make any money you need to work out exactly how much an item is worth and how much it’s going to cost you to sell it. After all, you need to make a decent profit.
A great tool to work out how much similar things have been selling for recently is eBay Advanced Search. Just search for whatever it is you want to sell and tick the completed listings box.
Of course this won’t work for niché items, but should give you a pretty good idea on most stuff.
Similarly ecal is a nifty little tool which works out how much you’ll pay for each sale, based on what you list it for and how much it sells for eventually. You could just look at the fees on the eBay page, but that seems like effort now we discovered this!
To give you a basic idea of what you’re signing up for, you’ll be charged to make your listing and eBay will then take a cut of the profits. There are also charges for added extras like listing in two categories or having more than one photo.
Go low on prices and look out for free days
It might be tempting to list your items at top whack, but always starting your listing at 99p will increase interest and encourage bidding. You can always add a reserve price if you’re worried.
If you’re a private seller then eBay will give you 20 listings free per month with any more costing 35p.
You should keep your eyes peeled for extra free listings days and discounts too, as eBay put them on quite often. We’ll often post about them in our deal’s section, so sign up y’all!
Clean up and take some photos
No one wants to buy something that looks like it’s been dragged through a bush backwards, especially on eBay.
You need to make sure you item looks in tip top condition, so it’s time to get handy with the duster or damp cloth. It’s not about misleading people, more making sure you give the best product you can.
Once you’ve got everything looking spic and span it’s time to get snapping. You can add one picture for free, so do it. A photograph of the item you’re selling adds maximum credibility and a user is much more likely to buy having seen it, and knowing it actually exists!
You want to get everything you’re selling in the photo, including boxes, receipts and whatever else and on a plain white background.
Just put some A3 paper behind whatever it is, or if it’s clothing, hang it up against a door.
Don’t try and get arty farty with it all, people just want to see what they’re buying and nothing else.
You don’t have to have an amazing camera but do make use of the macro mode if you have one and use autofocus, both of which will work wonders for up close shots.
A little extra lighting (ie your desk lamp) can also make a hell of a difference, but make sure to avoid any shadows. Put the lamp upside down if you have too!
Think about your timing
Before you barge straight on in and post your listing, take some time to think about when you should post your listings.
In general the best time to end any auction is Sunday evening. This has been proven to be the day most casual buyers go for a browse, therefore if you’re going for the maximum 10 day auction, list it on a Thursday evening for maximum exposure to potential buyers.
Similarly, if you’re selling a themed product think about when people might want it for. For example, people will often start their Christmas shopping in November.
If you can’t be bothered to be around at the time your listing goes live, eBay goes let you schedule up to 20 listings a month for free, so you don’t actually have to be at the screen.
Write your listing
Now, for the big bit, writing the text that will actually sell your product. Take your time over this, as a good description can really make or break a deal.
eBay allows you up to 55 characters in your title, so do make the most of it. Make it clear and understandable and pack that thing with keywordsto help people find your item.
Avoid using caps lock or crazy symbols though; you’ll make eBay angry and it will self combust.
Make the description itself concise, informative and accurate. Highlight the key features and top selling points whilst being 100% honest about any problems or defects.
You might also want to mention how often it’s been used before or why your selling it.
Remember, if a buyer is unhappy with their purchase you’ll be dealing with a refund and risk attracting negative feedback. Invite potential buyers to contact you if they have any questions.
Make sure to list all of your terms and conditions including the deal with payment (see below), postage and packing and refunds. Saves any quibbles later.
eBay pros recommend using the HTML function to make your description look all snazzy. If you can’t quite manage that you can still use simple eye catching fonts and colours. Just keep it looking profesh.
It’s also really important to make sure you list your item in the right category, if you don’t the chance of a good sale goes down a lot.
If it’s not immediately obvious then do a search for what you’re selling and see where it has been most listed before.
Finally, if you’re selling a lot of similar items at once then feel free to use your description to link to your other sales. You never know, you might get another sale!
Payment
We’d strongly recommend just taking payments via PayPal, as an added means of security.
While they will take a small cut of your sale price, Paypal is instantaneous and the funds will appear in your bank immediately. There’s also an added layer of security so people can’t scam you for your product.
It’s also the most popular form of payment on eBay and is likely to attract more bids.
During the sale
Once your listing goes live, don’t just sit back and hope for the best. Promote your sale on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or any other new fandangled thing you’re into.
You may also find that people want to ask questions about your product. Try and respond as quickly and honestly as possible. The more detail you’re able to give them the more willing they’ll be to buy off you. And that’s the aim of the game after all.
After the sale
No relaxing just yet! Once your sale has gone through (wahey!), make sure to send a confirmation email to your buyer as soon as possible and invoice them for the full amount, including the postage charge.
You should then make sure to send them another email once you’ve received their payment and when you’ve dispatched the item.
Make sure to dispatch the item as promptly as possible and package it appropriately.
After you’re all done, do give them some lovely feedback. It’s how the eBay world works after all, and they say what goes around comes around y’know.
A couple of extra tips…
A good reputation can command higher prices for what you sell. To build up some positive feedback quickly and cheaply, have a scout for the 1p items.
These are usually a way of a seller and buyer both obtaining mutual positive feedback. Just be careful you don’t overdo it!
You’ll also find your items will command a much higher price if you’ve got all the packaging, tags and instruction books so do try and fish them out and make sure to mention them in the listing.
Paypal also offer a postage service if you want to use it; you tell them what it is you’re posting and they’ll print off a label of just the right amount. It’s mighty convenient, but if you prefer sorting it out yourself you won’t be any worse off.
If you’ve got a load of items to list then it might be worth making use of eBay’s Turbo Lister. It’s free and lets you create auctions at your leisure and work offline.
You might also want to get up to speed on theeBay acronym world: VGC (very good condition), BN (brand new), BNIB (brand new in box) and BNWT (brand new with tags).