newbie

[bldgre-80]

retired and bored so im going to start selling on ebay...... any suggestions, ive got lots of time on my hands, would do this just for fun. hobby...dont really need the money

[coolections]

Best advice in don't do go in it expecting large amounts for your stuff. Since you are doing it for fun and had your use out of the items you sell just let them go. Too many are hung up on letting items sit for months to years just to get that extra 10-20%. They are the ones who are disappointed in Ebay and come here complaining and blaming Ebay. Also the items you list that are in oversaturated categories don't be surprised if you have to wait a very long time for a buyer. Just too many items available for buyers to choose from.

[1786davycrockett]

As of January 1, 2022 all sellers with annual sales over $600.00 will be receiving IRS Form 1099, which will be reported to the IRS for tax purposes.

So you may not consider it to be much fun.

But you say as well that you". . .dont really need the money."

But the IRS does!

[blue.bird-official]

Hello you are warmly welcomed!!!!!!😊

Avoid Selling Problematic Items.

There are plenty of unscrupulous and dishonest people waiting to pounce on new eBay sellers. Protect yourself and don't fall victim to their scams. The best way to avoid getting scammed is to stay away from high-risk items.

These include:

• iPhones and smartphones
• Designer handbags
• High-end designer clothing and shoes
• Electronics
• Anything with multiple parts or components that could be removed, and the item returned
• Autographed items without COA
• Event tickets
• Commonly counterfeited items including designer handbags, designer sunglasses, expensive designer jeans, Nike shoes, Ugg boots, Otter Boxes, high-end cosmetics.

It is best to establish yourself as a seller first before trying to sell any of these items. Also, if you sell a designer item on eBay and it is a fake (such as a handbag or other designer clothing item) you can be suspended on the first instance.

Hope this will be useful. 

[redmodelt]

Selling on eBay is a business, even if selling a few items. It all counts as income, the $600 does not matter, never did, it's just at what level you get sent the 1099. Keep records.

[katzrul15]

---

@bldgre-80 wrote:

retired and bored so im going to start selling on ebay...... any suggestions, ive got lots of time on my hands, would do this just for fun. hobby...dont really need the money

---

What types of items would you sell?

[dirk12955]

Tagging on:

Study,   Study,    Study.     Learn as much as possible about what you want to sell on ebay.  Let's say you have collected Morgan silver dollars for 50 years.

Learn about Morgan dollars in relation to eBay.    Learn what sells.    What does not sell.    Study the fakes and altered dollars that are listed on eBay.  Learn to identify Chinese sellers.    Study how the listings are worded.   What do the pictures look like?

  How do the successful sellers list their coins?    How do the unsuccessful sellers list their coins?

Read up on scams.     New sellers are targets.    Read these message boards.    What are the sellers that post here talking and complaining about.   Don't get too discouraged.    eBAyers don't come to these boards 

because they had a good experience.    The eBAyers that come here with an issue are a tiny % of the Millions

of people buying and selling on eBay.

Buy a few things on eBay.    Understand what it's like to be a buyer.   It'll make you a better seller.

Read and understand the complaints on these boards.   You've already found them and can learn much.

Pay attention to what's listed in your area.    Pay closer attention to what is actually selling.    A listing for $100.00 is meaningless if the last 15 sales average $15.00 each.

Remember that in the long run,    Millions of transactions per day are done on eBAy without issues.    Some seller and buyers can do many transactions without getting scammed.

Depending on your area of interest,    It's possible to make money on eBay.    Some areas'  not so much.

Good luck. 

[fashunu4eeuh]

-Get a postal scale.

-Gather packing materials.

-Weigh and measure each package prior to listing to get the exact costs of shipping, and so you are not scrambling after a sale to get your item into the mail-stream.

-Remember, it’s not personal. It’s business (even if a hobby) and as such, requires professionalism in handling oneself.

-Sellers cannot leave negative or neutral feedback on their buyers, nor a poor review under a positive rating.

-Start slow with lower priced items to get a feel for the platform first.  

[femmefan1946]

You have stuff.

You want money.

Keep that in mind.

Start with the stuff you don't need or use. Its current value is zero. Turn it into money.

Allow returns. You won't have many (possibly you won't have any) and allowing returns encourages sales.

You can have a No Returns policy, but you cannot have a No Refunds policy.

However, even sellers with a No Returns policy are allowed to demand the return before refunding. You may have to pay for the return shipping.

That $600 thing has some in a tizzy. You will get a form from eBay/IRS if you sell over $600.

BUT

You only pay taxes on the profits from that $600. Shipping, fees, packaging materials, and insurance are all deductions.

Keep careful records of all your expenses.

Especially if you are enjoying this so much you start buying for resale.

If the cost of shipping will be higher than the value, sell it locally, not on eBay.

[forward-motion]

@1786davycrockett It's ok. You know that box when you are doing your taxes that asks, do you have any other income? If you, do you are supposed to check yes. What I have found is when I was very small it was easy to find write offs and not pay any taxes. So, telling someone it won't be any fun unless you lie really isn't good advice. 

@bldgre-80  At first keep it simple. I started selling CDs and DVDs to get my account established. I sold them basically to cover shipping cost. Get a bunch of small sales under your belt before you try anything big (high priced). Make sure you are shipping on time and the description is accurate. Answer questions right away and keep it simple. This does not have to be complicated. After 20 years of doing this, I still get a rush every time the phone goes CHA-CHING!! 

To me it is a lot of fun sourcing, selling and reaching goals that I set for myself. This year has been a record year for me on eBay. 

[domin-tomas]

All I can say is good luck!

[soh.maryl]

OP implies in his message that he doesn't want money, just wants fun. 

[hawkwind5454]

As previously mentioned, approach it as a whimsy... The less you expect, the less you will be disappointed.  Tell yourself that you're doing this for fun and any money that you get is positive money you would not have received otherwise. Do not sell anything pricey, that you cannot afford to lose. Figure out what a realistic market value is for your item, and then list it for less. Buyers on eBay hate to pay anywhere close to ACV (and flat out will not do it) for items, and the only other buyers you will attract are those wanting to scam you. You being a green seller is shark bait for this. Sell nothing designer, sell nothing technologically inclined, or anything with moving parts, as far as that goes. Whether substantiated by buyer, or not, you will [possibly/likely] receive buyer remorse and item not as described claims.  Always remember the buyer generally prevails 99% of the time. If you run the eBay gauntlet, and are proactive about preventing problems and issues before they occur, you will likely stand a good chance of keeping your nostrils above the water level. Of course it's impossible for a seller to second guess everything, so just use your common sense. Regardless of all the sharks and 'gators swimming in the waters, people are generally *good*.

[dhbookds]

Maybe Santa will bring you a "Ebay for Dummies book" for Christmas..........that's what I read when I first started and it helped alot.  It will be out of date on specifics perhaps, but the relative in depth discussions on shipping and other "pieces" of selling here as overviews were really helpful to me.

2 things.......I'd say to a new seller:

Try to choose small light weight (under 3#) stuff and learn to research.....how much does x wrench sell for, you need that information to figure out how much to pay for it......

Go ahead and sign up to sell......going to need your bank account # (to send you the $$) and  soc sec # to set it up......

[dubiousgain]

---

@soh.maryl wrote:

OP implies in his message that he doesn't want money, just wants fun. 

---

That "fun" aspect can still head south, real fast .😉