New Seller Needs Selling and Listing Help!!

[mindybellalucy]

Hi. Everyone. I just became a newbie seller and don't have much clue what I am doing. I am trying to get answers.

I have bought on Ebay for a couple of years but now I have enough nerve to sell on Ebay. I have always wanted to sell but always got discouraged because it looks overwhelming. Well.........it is overwhelming to me! I currently want to sell stuff around my house that our family has outgrown and trying to declutter. Eventually...if I made it on ebay, I would like to sell on a permanent basis . I do work now so Ebay will be part time for me.

Does anywhere know an Ebay group that is in Levittown , PA or even areas close by...like Langhorne PA, Philadelphia, PA , Yardley or Newtown PA, Please let me know.

ALso..............when listing.....if I choose to pay for listing in 2 categories,,,,it is worth it or it doesn't make any difference??

How about paying for BOLD title or the Gallery Plus. Do these things really work and does it help my listing.?

How do I price competitively? I have done free shipping and .99 cents listing and therefore I am not currently making any money at all.

For example.............I see an item that  I want to sell on Ebay...............but there are lots of them already being listed and for low price too. So what makes a buyer want to buy mine if there are tons of it out there?

I have been watching..........books.....shoes.....clothing................there are tons of them listed. THese are the items I have to sell and want to get rid off. But knowing that there are tons of them listed ....I wonder if I should even attempt to sell them.

What is the key to selling on ebay with a fair price. I would like to make a little money........off my items . I can't be losing money with shipping and also actually losing money practically giving my items for free.

Please.............can someone advise!! I would appreciate it. Any tips, advice or suggestions on selling and listing are so welcome!

THanks,

Anne

[retired*and*crafting]

Hi Anne.  I'm a seller like you ... trying to declutter and make a bit of money doing it. 

I don't post in multiple categories or pay for bold or the gallery plus photo fees.  I use the free listings eBay gives me each month, and if an item doesn't sell, I just keep relisting it.  I have listed things multiple times (always for free) before someone buys them, so don't give up just because they don't sell immediately.

Take good photos and give as much info in the description as you can.  Sometimes that's what makes a buyer buy your item versus someone else's.  Bottom line is .... get your item posted so people can find it, make it clear and informative, and hope for buyers.  That's my motto. 

As for pricing, I have sold items via auction and via Buy it Now.  The key is to make your auction price the minimum you would be happy with ... don't just give it away.  And always weigh your item and pre-calculate the shipping price before posting the shipping fee.  Buys know they have to pay shipping and they respect an accurate rate.  You can add a bit for envelopes, tapes, paper to print shipping labels, etc.  Again, don't give it away.  You have to be fair to yourself too.

Good luck!  The best thing I can tell you is ... just jump in there and start selling and don't give up!

Kathy

[mindybellalucy]

Kathy,
Thanks so much for the encouragement. I really need it. You are awesome. I have learned do much from you.
It is so nice to read your reply. Very valuable info. Thank you so much for your time and just showing me the ropes of Ebay.
Anne

[quasimodo2989]

Hello i am also a new seller, i dont have to much to advice as of yet as an ebay sell but i have done online marketing for various other companys and i haved learned its not always about that one sell its some times about the many sellls..

As for how to price competitively i try as hard i as i can to get the best deals there not always on ebay some times i buy locally and sell online so just alot of hunting,and be as cheap as you can as a buyer dont be afraid yo ask the seller if they will go any lower or have any deals...

So for the marketing again i go for the many i try and build as many links to my ebay world as possible. building backlinks with affiliated sites, Friends sites, your other sites, Will gain your store reputation in search engines dont for get not all buyers come from ebay search many come from google yahoo and alot of other sites on the net..

Ebay has alot of apps that are vary helpfully in many aspects of your selling so check them out read the reviews use them dont be scared to try new campaigns..

Also try and keep try of your campaigns so you know where and how your sells are coming from i my sell am still working on that lol..


Any way im just trying to be helpfull hope you helped you some how have a good one 😉

[reallynicestamps]

ALso..............when listing.....if I choose to pay for listing in 2 categories,,,,it is worth it or it doesn't make any difference??

No. 

The one thing that will sell your item, or at least get it looked at, is your title.

You get 80 keystrokes free. Use them.

Grammar and punctuation are unimportant.

Words like L@@K and RARE do not sell.

Put the size in the title and the colour and the brand. And what the item actually is. You’d be amazed at the number of people , especially techies, who have a brand description but don’t mention that the item is , say, headphones ora motherboard.

Size in the title, but measurements in the description BTW. The measurements of a garment vary with the price. The higher the price the smaller the designated size, generally. My daughter, who normally buys Size 8ish, recently bought Lululemon pants that fit perfectly but were designated a Size 2.

How about paying for BOLD title or the Gallery Plus. Do these things really work and does it help my listing.?

No.

But do check to see what your listing looks like on a smartphone or other mobile device. It can be a shock. There is an app somewhere on eBay that will show you this.

How do I price competitively? I have done free shipping and .99 cents listing and therefore I am not currently making any money at all.

Another poster has covered this. Keep in mind that

a) the nastiest customers are the ones who are bottom feeding for bargains.

b) many people believe that the more you pay for an item the better it is. (Dr Dre headphones are an example of a mediocre product with a high price.) 

For example.............I see an item that  I want to sell on Ebay...............but there are lots of them already being listed and for low price too. So what makes a buyer want to buy mine if there are tons of it out there?

Your title. Your photos. Your friendly terms of sale. Your clear description.

Consider making lots with several similar items instead of selling one by one. I recently bid on a lot of three namebrand purses, all with small faults that would make them unsaleable. I was outbid by several bidders.

And always remember that some things are not worth selling. I have given many books to the Friends of the Library because although the writer is popular, there is no secondary market for them.

I understand that Americans can get a tax writeoff for donations to charities. Ask about this.

[cellsational]

If it's any help, I'll let you know what I do.  If I find something interesting, I look up any listings that might be on Ebay.  Then I look at the completed listings to see if that item has sold and for how much.  If none have sold out of several, I pass on it.  If the item has sold I make sure that I can sell it for a lot more than I paid for it keeping in mind the fees and postage.  I usually just go to thrift stores.

An example of something I've sold recently was a Balans chair that I found at a thrift store in the original box new.  I think I paid 12 bucks for it and sold it for over $150.  I offered free shipping as well and I still made a decent profit on it.

As far as having things around the house, look everything up. If you can't find it on Ebay, check other sites and google it.  You'll get an idea of what value it has.

Get a decent postage scale and print your postage online.  I use BIN as often as I can with IPR.  Sometimes I do an auction if I'm not really sure what the item will get in the long run.  I start any auction with the absolute least I will accept for it so even if I get just one bid, I've still come out somewhat ahead.

For me, it isn't worth selling something for a few dollars because after the fees you're not making much unless you are selling quantity.

If you are going to charge for shipping, get the weight of the item with whatever packing material you are going to use.  I calculate the cost of shipping based on the furthest zip code.  At least I have an idea as to the most the buyer will pay.  I never charge extra for anything else.

[femmefan1946]

I posted earlier that in titles grammar and punctuation are not important.

However, spelling is important, including purposely misspelled words.

For example, the Balans chair mentioned below should also have the word balance in the title.

But only if you know the misspelling is common and you also have the correct spelling.  I was shopping for a Boler trailer a couple of years ago and found many listings for boler hats, without the correct spelling of bowler. Opportunities missed by that milliner.