Beginners guide to selling on eBay

We’ve all bought stuff on eBay, it’s easy, perhaps *too *easy (they really shouldn’t let you bid on a gorilla costume at half four in the morning after you’ve had a heavy night out on the ciders).

Selling, on the other hand, is an altogether more daunting prospect. Listing items, writing descriptions, organising payment, arranging postage. It all sounds like a bit of a faff.

But you’re forgetting one thing - you get money for it! If the contents of your wardrobe changes with the seasons or you’ve got a Kilimanjaro-sized pile of CDs you’ll never use again now they’re all saved on to your mp3 player, why not cash in by clearing out?

Your first job is to visit eBay and create a seller’s account - this requires nothing more than entering in your personal details and credit/debit card details for verification.

Now you’re ready to follow our top five foolproof tips on selling your way to success.

Do your research

So you’ve got a whole load of stuff you want to sell - but what first? Take a look through eBay’s ‘completed items’ search to find out what similar items have sold for - this’ll give you a rough estimate of how much you’ll be able to sell it for.

Another important thing to check is that you’re allowed to list whatever it is you’re flogging on eBay. The site has strict rules about what you can’t sell - notably alcohol or plane/train tickets - so it’s always best to make sure you’re following the rules, no one wants to anger the eBay gods.

Choosing your selling format

As you may have noticed, there are two types of selling format - an auction style sale in which the highest bidder wins, or the ‘buy it now’ option where buyers can purchase an item instantly for a fixed price you’ve set.

If you’re a complete beginner then you’re obligated to use the classic auction style sale - once you have feedback from ten sales you will be able to use the fixed price option. To start an auction at 99p or below is totally free - to have a higher minimum sale price costs more, click here for details.

Creating your listing

It’s important to take your time when writing your item description. An evocative description can make all the difference, it’s also vital to ensure you use all keywords that potential buyers might search for to ensure as many people see you listing as possible.

Although it’s tempting to tell the odd white lie about your product in order to get as much money as you can, honesty is the best policy. If you falsely advertise your item you could get in trouble should the buyer make a complaint.

Almost as important as the description is the image you use. A good photo can really make your listing stand out. If you’re selling clothes, give them an iron, if it’s a guitar, give it a polish - you want to make your items look as desirable as possible.

You can list items for up to ten days - however long you decide to list an item for, it’s important that at least one weekend falls into the listing period as this is when eBay gets the highest amount of visitors.

Getting Paid

There are a number of ways you can choose to get paid for selling an item - by cheque, by credit card, by bank transfer - but by far the most popular and convenient is PayPal. A secure online payment method, PayPal will ensure that you get paid instantly without having to share any of your financial information with the buyer.

Sellers pay up to 3.4% plus 20p per transaction - so the more items you sell in one listing, the more you save.

Besides ease of use, the biggest benefit of using PayPal is that you are covered by the ‘seller protection policy’ which will protect you against unauthorised payments, claims and reversals. Set up your PayPal account today by visiting their site.

However the more types of payment you accept the better as you’ll hopefully offer something for everyone.

Completing your sale

Once your listing ends contact the buyer as soon as possible to arrange payment and to get their delivery details. Only ever post the item *after *you’ve been paid.

In order to become a trusted seller and therefore have more people buy your items it’s good eBay etiquette to leave feedback about your buyers, this should encourage them to leave feedback about you - which will be all good, of course.

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