How to Sell on eBay

Learn how to sell on eBay. Getting started as an eBay seller is a simple process.

Opening a Seller's Account with eBay is quick and easy. The steps to starting an eBay business are outlined at Simple Steps to Starting on eBay

The real challenge is to find the right items to sell and to create a successful listing on eBay. eBay experts suggest that sellers first start out selling some test items that they find around the house to practice how to sell on eBay and get a feel for the selling process. Your items should meet with these three criteria:

1. Something you are knowledgeable about so that you can list it properly and answer questions from potential buyers about the item
2. Something that is not too expensive
3. Something that is easy to package and ship

Guidelines to finding out which items are in demand on eBay are provided at What to sell on eBay

Find out how to properly price your items at Pricing your products for eBay

Once you have found some test items to sell the next step is to create a listing for your items on eBay. Here are some great tips for creating an excellent listing that grabs the buyers' attention.

• Research your competitors. Look at how your competitors wrote their listings to give you some guidelines. Search for a similar item and see how they are being described. From your search results see which items have the most bids. This will help you when writing your item title and description. Don't copy their listings but learn from them to build your own listing. Your listing should be better and different to your competitors in order to stand out. Ask yourself "From a buyer's perspective what would make their listings better?"
• Accurately describe the item. Your description should thoroughly inform the buyer. Detail the physical aspects of the item - what is it made of, when it was made, who made it, its condition and any special features it may have. Personalize your description, adding a human aspect engages buyers. Include any interesting history or story about the item, highlight what appeals to you about the item and why you like the item.
• Use a good picture. Pictures are very important to eBay buyers so use the best quality picture you can take with the equipment you have. Without a good photo you may lose the sale before there is even a click through. People need to know they are buying something tangible. Use a digital camera so that you can easily save the pictures to your computer. If you don't have a digital camera try and borrow one. Find a good, uncluttered background and use 4 to 5 bright lamps to get good lighting. Take a number of shots of the item - some full shots and some up-close detailed shots.
• Detail payment and shipping. Clearly state the payment methods you accept and where you will ship to. Also tell the buyer how much shipping will cost. You can offer free shipping which is a good way of attracting buyers. Just make sure you consider the expense in your pricing.
• Pay attention to detail. When writing your listing pay close attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation. Mistakes in your listing make a bad impression and create the perception of a sloppy seller. Buyers will be reluctant to purchase an item from someone who they think is unprofessional and inefficient.
• Include keywords in your item title. This is key to learning how to sell on eBay. A keyword is a popular word or phrase used to search for a particular item. Including popular keywords in your item title ensures that your item listing is found by buyers. You are allowed up to 55 characters in your title, make good use of them. It is advisable to use descriptive words that buyers would be searching for - these are the keywords. For example include the company brand name (Prada, Apple, Sony etc) if applicable as that will be a likely keyword. Other popular keywords include color, size, origin (French,Italian) and condition. Be very specific as to what your item is in the title. It is a good idea to avoid superlatives like "Fantastic" as buyers rarely use these words when searching for an item. It is unlikely a buyer will type in a keyword like "Fantastic shoes" to search for an item! eBay lists popular keywords broken down into categories and sub-categories which provide a good starting point to how to sell on eBay.

What will my listing cost?

When you list an item you are charged an insertion fee. The fee depends on the type of listing you use and your starting or reserve price. Your first five auction listings in a 30 day period are free. Once the item sells you are also charged a final value fee which is calculated according to the final sale or closing price. If you use the fixed price listing your insertion fee is a set amount of about 15 cents for media category items or 35 cents for other categories. Your final value fee for a fixed price listing is also calculated according to the sale price. eBay charges picture hosting fees. Your first picture is free but you pay a nominal amount for each additional picture. You can also buy picture packs that allow you to load up to 6 pictures for 75 cents and up to 12 pictures for $1.00.

Once you have practiced with your test items and have a good understanding of how to sell on eBay you can move on to deciding what type of products you want to sell for your eBay business and finding out how to source them. Advice and ideas on finding the right merchandise to sell on eBay can be found at What to sell on eBay

About an eBay home business

How to start as a seller on eBay

Pricing your products for eBay

Making money on eBay - what you need to know

eBay business ideas

Learn how to sell on eBay and become a successful eBay entrepreneur

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