Nine eBay selling tips for beginners
Hi Kristen-
I saw you mentioned selling schoolbooks on eBay in your miscellany post. I have been meaning to do a big clean-up, and I am terrified of listing things on eBay. I was wondering if that might make a good future post for you? Like how did you get started listing items, what steps did you take, any advice, pit-falls, etc?
Thanks and take care!
Millicent
I think there are probably a million other people out there who are way more qualified to answer this question, especially since I'm kind of a reluctant eBay seller.
But I'm happy to share what's worked for me.
What follows is not at all a comprehensive list of steps to sell on ebay. If that's what you're looking for, here's a wiki on that topic.
But in case you want some of my personal tips, here you go:
1. Take clear photos in flat, even light.
You can shoot with a camera or your phone or whatever, but you need to find good light.
Don't take your listing photos at night, with artificial light, and don't do bright sunlight either. Find a spot in front of a window that doesn't have direct sunlight, and photograph your items there.
2. Take more than one photo.
Show all sides of your item.
For a book, snap a photo of the cover and spine, and maybe the copyright page.
For other items, make sure you show the front, back, sides, and any important identifying information (model numbers, etc.).
It's SO easy to take photos, what with smartphones and digital cameras, so it's a little silly to only take and upload one.
3. Look at completed listings before you make a listing.
This helps me decide if my item is likely to sell for a reasonable price (if not, I just freecycle it!) and also helps me accurately price the items I decide to sell.
4. Use important words in your listing title.
You want to make it easy for your listing to appear in searches.
For instance, if you have a workbook and a textbook and a solutions manual, try to include those words in the title, along with the edition number.
(i.e. Saxon Math 54 Textbook, Workbook, & Solutions Manual Lot, 3rd edition)
Or if you were selling a piece of musical gear, you'd want to include the make, model, color, and style of your item.
Think about what you'd search for if you were shopping for that item, and use those keywords.
5. Include plenty of info in your listing text.
I know I'm way more likely to buy an item from a seller who has thoroughly described the item and has shared all the important model numbers/SKUs/ISBNs and so on.
6. Decide if you want to offer international shipping.
I hate the headache of shipping anyway, and I REALLY don't want to mess with international stuff. Too complicated.
So, I always check the No International Shipping box.
UPDATE: eBay has simplified the international shipping process now, and I'm happy to participate with the new system!
7. Decide if you want to accept returns.
Usually I opt not to accept returns.
Doing returns opens a whole complicated bag of worms that I would just rather not deal with.
If someone wants a returnable item, I figure they can find another seller to buy from! I'm not the person they're looking for.
8. Think about when you want your auction to close.
I almost always do Buy It Now listings vs. auctions. But if you want to do an auction, think about the timing of it.
If you schedule your auction to end on a Friday or Saturday night, you won't get as many bidders because people aren't usually at their computers at those times.
I've had good luck with starting and ending auctions on Sunday afternoons/evenings, and I've also read that Tuesday and Thursday evenings are good ending times.
9. Choose a Buy It Now price and a starting price.
I usually base the Buy It Now price on what other completed listings have sold for, and I usually start my auctions at $0.99.
Occasionally I end up selling an item for $0.99 (annoying!), but more often than not, a tiny starting price encourages people to start bidding, and things go up from there.
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I'm pretty sure there are some experienced eBay sellers among us. If that's you, could you share any of your helpful tips in the comments section?
P.S. If you are specifically wanting to sell books, here's a post about how I sell books on eBay.
I've been selling on eBay quite a bit these past few years, regularly bringing in extra money for our family. One additional recommendation I have (Kristen's are great!) is to think about listing the item at a fixed price for 30 days and accepting offers. When it's listed for those 30 days, it has a chance to pop up in search engines. I always set the price a little higher than I'm wanting, and have a price in mind that I would accept for an offer. I've had much more success that way rather than with the auction format! Just my two cents! 🙂
I agree with everything you said except the starting listings at .99. I have sold too many items at that price doing that. Just this week, an item I started at .99 got no bids at all, but then when I relisted it, I upped the price to 2.99 and it sold for that. People will pay more for things but they need a little nudge. A .99 auction actually costs you money after PayPal and eBay fees!
I think something starting at $0.99 works better when you know for sure that it's an item that'll sell for far more. For instance, Mr. FG and my brother used to sell old laptops on eBay, and they routinely started those auctions at $0.99, and the auctions all went far higher than that.
For small things, yes, I think it makes sense to start higher.
I hope they don't still sell old electronics on eBay. Even the big-name security experts (for example, Bruce Schneier) can't do so without being scammed.
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/06/fraud_on_ebay.html (with details and other examples)
https://consumerist.com/2008/05/08/its-now-completely-impossible-to-sell-a-laptop-on-ebay/
Nope, they haven't for quite some time. We did sell a broken laptop on eBay relatively recently (like in the last year) and that transaction went fine. But it was hardly a high-end electronic like what's mentioned in the article.
Have you ever had issues with shipping things on eBay? I always find that I have trouble--ugh! When I want to sell things, I usually go to Craigslist to avoid the headache of having to ship things. But this post reminded me that I need to start purging since we'll be moving into a house in a few months!
I actually think eBay has made shipping very easy recently! I have access to a scale at work, and leftover boxes and padded envelopes so maybe that's why it's easy for me 🙂
These are great tips! I've sold a lot of unwanted household stuff simply by following these steps. Sunday listings with lots of photos are basically magic 🙂
My only challenge would be to the international shipping: ebay has recently made this really easy. I haven't sold to many international buyers, but when I have, it's been equally painless as shipping to a buyer in the USA. Ebay has also improved their shipping cost estimation, which helps me decide whether it's worth it to list or whether I should just donate. Thanks for this informative but not overwhelming post! I'm excited to see readers' tips too!
Great post! I've made a good chunk of change on EBay and highly recommend it! A couple of tips:
-I always get postal insurance on items over $50. I had a package of antique items returned once because they arrived to the buyer broken. I refunded the buyer and got a $110 check from the post office to cover the cost because I bought the insurance for $2! Worth it.
-I did international shipping through the EBay distributor for a while, but now I've stopped. While it may have gotten me higher prices, I've had trouble with international buyers who may not understand Ebay that well. I've gotten negative feedback over high shipping prices (which are set by Ebay's distributor and not me), and I had one buyer dispute a charge NINE months after her purchase! Good thing I had the receipt that shows I sent it ... After that, I'm not doing international anymore. I know it's so individual, but I wanted less hassle.
-Heavy stuff goes on Craigslist. It's usually not worth the shipping cost, when stores or Amazon Prime will ship for free.
Yes! Heavy, bulky stuff is so much better suited to Craigslist.
I once sold the cover to a convertible top (all that was left of a car that had been totaled, sad to say) on Ebay. I chose Freight Shipping, and the buyer was willing to pay. I just took it to a local UPS, got a quote, and messaged the buyer.
I think with something that specific, its worth it to go ebay, because it reaches a larger audience.
I've never sold on eBay because I'm confused about the shipping. Do I set the shipping price? How do I know what to set it at? What's the best way to ship things out have you found? Post office in the flat rate boxes? Total newbie but I'm trying to purge and I think eBay could be helpful with that...
They have some shipping calculators on the listing page...basically you weigh and measure your package and then you can figure out shipping from there. You can choose how many shipping options you want to give your customers.
There's also an option to do actual shipping cost, where the buyer can input their zip code and calculate the shipping (you just have to provide the package weight and size).
If you're selling books, then Media Mail is the way to go...so cheap!
Super helpful - thank you so much!!
Hi, I've sold about 75 items on ebay with a 100% rating & then I got overwhelmed for awhile but am thinking about starting up again. This post may help me get started again. Anyway, to answer your questions about shipping I've always had good luck with using the priority mail Post Office boxes. Ebay discounts the shipping by a dollar or two so you can ship a medium box for around $11.00 or $12.00. If the item is worth over $30.00 or so its worth charging the buyers for shipping. I normally charge $10.00 for shipping & just eat the extra couple of dollars. The PO priority boxes are really worth it I think. If you mail 1st class it usually costs more, plus with priority mail items arrive within 3-4 days which most buyers really appreciate. I live in Anchorage, Ak & most items I send Priority Mail arrive within 4 days. Buyers frequently mention that in their review postings so I know they notice and appreciate fast shipping. There are basically 3 different sizes of Priority Mail boxes, the very small ones that ship for around $5.00 for small things, the medium for around $12.00 and the large boxes for around $17.00 - $18.00. And again, ebay discounts those shipping charges by a couple of dollars or so. Ebay does take a quite small cut of what you make but it's still worth it to sell the items you want to get rid of. You can even look on ebay for things that are "trending" or look up things like what you have to sell to get ideas for pricing but you'll find prices are all over the place! It's interesting to see what people price things at. I know when I look at items I am impressed by several good photos & a good quality description of the item. I had a friend who was really good at writing whimsical additions to her descriptions and those are always nice too. I'm not good at that kind of thing, but a complete description and total details if anything is less than perfect about the item are absolutely necessary. You can also find web sites dedicated to ebay selling & amazon has lots of books on the subject also if you really get into it. Sorry this is so long, got carried away! Hope it helps a bit.
I occasionally sell clothes on ebay, but it just seems like so much hard work! The last time I put five dresses on, at a 1 euro starting price. First of all, despite my detailed listing, people wanted all kinds of measurements (armpit to armpit etc.!) then they wanted me to reduce my postage (I calculate the cost of sending, plus packaging). I'm not Amazon, I can't afford to send things for free! Despite my efforts to send everything straight away, wrapped in a pretty ribbon, someone still found time to complain that the dresses they bought were too tight! (they were fitted dresses...hardly worn!) All in all, I don't think I have the patience to deal with buyers who are used to getting new clothes for virtually nothing from China and I have to compete!
That's why the only clothes I sell are shoes. 🙂
My daughter sells high end women’s clothing on eBay. This is her full-time job and she makes more money than I do. It’s an actual job, not just a sideline, requiring her to pay taxes, keep spreadsheets, etc and shopping, shopping shopping! She is always busy, shopping and shipping; she had wanted to do this for awhile and dabbled in for a bit before quitting her other job, and doing this full-time. Her husband is a teacher, so she felt more free doing this as they have their health insurance and other benefits through him. She had a challenge convincing him it would work, and they agreed on a six-month trial. I do believe he was amazed at the money she made and how serious she is about it.
Is Half that much better than selling books on Amazon? I walked away with about $4 after selling a book for $11 plus shipping there the other day so I won't be going back to them
I have sold on Amazon for 4 years this month. I sell a variety of things but mostly books and sewing patterns. Amazon tells you what your fees will be when you list so it should be no surprise what your profit will be. For media (books, cds, dvds) you get a $3.99 shipping allowance for Standard shipping, which means I will normally even make a small amount on the shipping. That said there are many books that are not worth selling because they have no value or there are hundreds listed for sale which cause a race to the bottom when it comes to price. .
I have developed several "niche markets" of book subjects that I look for when I am buying for resale. I bought a box of books at a church sale for a $1 and sold several of the books for $80-100 and one even sold for $225. Another time at a yard sale I bought a box for $3 and made over $800 in profit from the sale of the books. These were not old books which are normally worth little but were books on very specific technical subjects and there were limited number available for sale on Amazon. When I first started I bought an out of production board game for $1 and sold it quickly for $75. I have shipped items to Australia, Canada, NZ, Korea, most of Europe, to APO service members and all 50 states.
I get most of my packing supplies for free from fellow Freecyclers or if it is Expedited shipping. I use Priority Mail which USPS provides for free. I use me Staples Rewards to by packing tape and envelopes. I find Amazon shipping to be very easy to use. I also use my phone to check what an item sells for and its rank before I buy for resale and therefor limit my risk.
Buy not by!
Shipping was the biggest hurdle for me, but now its easy. I spent 20 dollars on a good scale. I asked coworkers to save bubble wrap for me. I "buy" usps boxes online at usps.com for free. I keep everything in a bin in my home office.
I also set my preferences to not include anyone who has two bad ratings or nonpayments. I block any buyers who have been ugly to me.
I have had a great experience unloading things in my home, my parents' home, and even flipped a few yard sale finds.
Good Morning!
Quick question- Do you still sell books on EBay? I was just looking to see how you do it. I love your articles
Sure! Here's a post I wrote specifically about selling books on ebay. https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/how-to-sell-books-on-ebay/