New Seller a little overwhelmed by all these rules, strategies, and seller tools. Any tips?

[clljones]

Hi there! I am very new to selling but love finding little treasures so wanted to try out ebay. I have sold with facebook in the past. I am just so overwhelmed though by Ebay. It is rather confusing at times! I have decided I need to slow down and start with some most important things and slowly expand outwards. What is, in your opinion, most important to know/do as a new seller? I am sorry if I sound clueless I have the item knowledge actually, like the worth and rareness from years of shopping with my Grandmother. However, all the things Ebay has made to make it easier are just so overwhelming. I keep getting scammed too haha! Any tips would be lovely, thank you! Have a blessed day!

[femmefan1946]

Your best advertising is your TITLE which gives you 80 keystrokes absolutely free to catch the attention of customers (or at least their Search criteria).

The first four words of your Title are believed to be the most important- because those show on phones and over half your customers are shopping on phones.

This is painful to admit but:

• Punctuation is not necessary in Titles.
• Grammar is not necessary in Titles
•  If a word has a common spelling error (Tolkein/Tolkien, bowl/bowel) included the error if you have room.

Your Title may duplicate information in Item Specifics because the Title is used by customers and the Item Specifics is aimed at SEOs like Google. Use both.

[solumn_eagle]

The first I do before listing anything is to do a little research. 

I enter the name of the item I want to list in ebay search.  I use filters like condition (new or used), brand, format (auction or buy now), and location (I use US only).  I then select "sold items" and sort lowest price to highest price.

This will give you an idea of what your item has sold for recently so you know how much to sell it for and an estimate of shipping costs.

The next important thing is the description. I have seen some sellers who don't add anything else to the title as their description.

I prefer to provide more details like the size, measurements, colors, material, uses, and especially describe any and all imperfections (this will help reduce returns and or negative feedback).

More information in the description not only increases the item showing in Buyers searches but raises the chances of selling the item quicker.

Pictures. Buyers love to see pictures.  If you have difficulty with capturing the true color of the item make sure you state that in your description and perhaps give a reference of a something with the similar color (candy apple red, sky blue, army green, etc).

It is also recommended you disclose your policies in your description (payment method, shipping costs and returns).

Also the category you choose is important.  For example, a glass vase can be listed in Home Decor, Collectibles or Pottery and Glass. When you do the search I mentioned earlier it would be a good idea to click on a few sold listings to see the categories and determine which is best for your item.

Item Specifics.  This area can be confusing but it is best to answer as many specific options as possible.

Promote the item if at all possible.  This extra fee to ebay will help generate more traffic and potentially more sales.

Last suggestion I have is to be flexible. 

If you have a "watcher" send them an offer.

I like to review my listings each month.  If something doesn't have a lot of views I may lower the price, change the category, take different pictures or change my description a little.  You would be surprised how something simple like reducing the price by one dollar can produce a sale.

There is a lot to learn about selling on eBay.   Fortunately ebay has many ways to help you grow your business (Seller Center, Seller Resources, Ebay Community as well as contacting ebay directly).

I hope this helps a little.

Best wishes on your new adventure!

[titipeo]

While looking at your feedback, I see that you've been hit with several negatives regarding non-shipping. Not sure on the details, but try not to do that. As for eBay, here are some rules to think about:

1) Buyer is always right

2) Seller is always wrong

3) Never sell anything you can't afford to loose

4) When in doubt, re-read from 1)

[collectmorestuff]

Well good day. Everything Ive read is good advice. To keep from being scammed. Ask EBay first. Its simple. List and ship. Anything else comes up, ASK. Until you learn the scams.  Selling keys. No.1  Good pictures. Both with a white background and set up in a scene works  Depending on the item. Edit and make it look professional No.2 I like to be very accurate in my description as they will be scrutinize by buyers. Also search for your item you want to sell with your description and see how many results you get. Adjust your description until you see as many results as possible.  Thats the winning title. No.3 Ship fast but very, very well. Pad everything and I like to mark with invisable ink somewhere. Been scammed. Ebays tools can be helpful if you sell in volume. But I dont use them. Really thats all. My rating is 100% It sells the item. Consider letting a spose take over if your less than 100. Not sure  Ask EBay for advice. I do. Good luck!

[collectmorestuff]

PS after looking at your customers feedback. Check messages once or twice daily . Remeber your experiences as a buyer and you'll do fine. 

[soh.maryl]

A "spoose"? And "less than 100" what? 

[reallynicestamps]

Spoose/ spose-  Spouse or significant other.

... if your less than 100- If you have a problem with a low feedback account.

Basically, since negative feedback falls off after 12 months, if you have too many negs or even Defects, stop using the poisoned account and start a new one.

I'm not totally sure this is sanctioned by eBay. If the FB rating is poor but the account has not actually been closed, you should be alright.

  Use the poisoned account as a buying account to build back feedback, since buyers can only get positives.

When the FB rating on the (formerly) poisoned account is back to 100%, start using it again, since it will have a higher rating accumulated by buying, which looks good to the punters.