Newbies' FAQ

[createvalueshare]

Hello everyone, I am very new to this group, but I am willing to help and share my learning experiences, so I wonder if newbies want to post questions and problems when start selling on ebay and the experts can come and help, any thoughts?

[createvalueshare]

I am just back from vacation and it looks like nobody has posted anything since last time I was here. I would like to post some of the questions I had when I was a newbie.

1. What should I sell to make money?

2. I found a product, but many people have been selling the same thing, how can I stand out from the crowd?

3. How can I increase my profit margin?

4. where do I find good suppliers?

5. Is there any course I can take to learn how to sell on ebay?

[archaeologic]

Hello. I have been with Ebay off and on for years. I have a lot of stuff so this year I am going to really get into selling.

I am not savvy and only use the fundamental  features when it comes to listing my auctions. To highlight my inexperience I have recently made a photo bucket account to tie into listing creations. I have also found this link that give free tools:

http://members.ebay.com/ws2/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=shipscript

What advice do you have to an amateur seller that wants to make professional auctions. I have a 10 megapixel camera and I bought a mini photography studio to spruce up my photos.

Any advice is appreciated by anyone. Thanks!

[nnnlingerie]

Hello Estate Sale,

I haven't been in groups in some time, but I am glad I popped in today!

Your on your way to starting a good listing with your your camera "studio" equipment.  Buying on the internet is a very visual experience, so good pictures are always a good start. 

Next, research.  Even if you have no idea what you had in your list of things to sell, do enough research to appear like the expert on the piece!  Write your listing in the same way, but not too long. 

Be sure you follow the rules, be honest, and have fun.  If you dont have fun, it will show in your listings and turn your buyer off.  I have seen it myself and it turned me off to some listings. 

Anyway, if you have other questions, feel free to ask.  You may want to send me a message through ebay messages if you need the answer quickly.  Good luck!

[meatball_dallas]

Hey there!  Yes, I am considered a "Newbie"!  But I have taken lots of time to read the rules and regulations, as well as do a TON of research online for just about everything.  I recently became unemployed but have a (seemingly useless) Bachelor's in Art and a bunch of STUFF!  So honestly I'm doing ok, albeit the HORRID category limits and PayPal holds, but I still run into one wall and it SUCKS!  My topic here is shipping.  I want to offer Free Shipping, but so many times it comes to bite me in the behind and I end up paying to sell someone my stuff!  How can so many sellers offer so much stuff with free shipping and still make a profit?  Is it just volume and averages or is there a rhyme or reason to it?  I pretty much don't offer it unless it weighs less than 13 oz or will sell for a good but and I can fit it into a flat-rate box.  Any tricks?