Intro to eBay Selling

*Click to read the affiliate disclaimer*

(Last Updated On: )

Why Sell on eBay?

Never sold a thing online before? I recommend that you use eBay to kick your new life off. The site is one of the simplest ways to showcase what you have lying around and get the right people to see it. It's popular both with online sellers and online shoppers for a reason; the ideal way to learn the ropes as an online retailer.

eBay is the second biggest online retail site in the UK. The website has millions of monthly visitors actively browsing for goods, so it's in your interest to have your listings on such a popular online destination. It's a privilege.

You're able to sell on eBay casually for personal use or as a business. Unlike some of the casual marketplaces out there, pretty much all of the transaction will go through PayPal. This makes things safer for both the buyer and seller, as all parties are protected if a transaction doesn't go to plan.

The chances are that if you're reading this, you're here to get your feet off the ground with your first sales, and business plans haven't even come into consideration yet.

What Can You Sell?

Pretty much any physical product is allowed on eBay. These things can be in any condition. You can sell things new and used. Products can be in prestige condition or be bound for the tip. It can be something that you can post to a customer, it it can be something too big, and requires them to collect. If you need to get rid, eBay is how you get it gone.

When I say the site is diverse, I mean you have the ability to use it to flog your old clothes, kid's toys, games, kitchen appliances, book cases, tools, weight sets, or even cars. Have any doubts about what you're able to list, just search for it on the site.

It's probably easier to list off the things you can't sell on there, which are:

Adult items (unless approved)
Drug paraphernalia
Weapons
Hazardous goods
Lock-picking devices
Medicines

There’s also a list of things which have restrictions (such as alcohol, digital products, food, event tickets). See everything in detail here.

How Do You List a Product?

There are two main methods to create a new listing. Once you get into selling, you'll work out which suits you best, buy you may do things both ways at first.

One is where you type in the thing you would like to sell, select a category and fill in all of the details about that product, before you include your description about it.

The other way is to search for what you want to sell, enter the listing and then ‘Sell similar', which speeds things up if you're selling pretty much the same item in the same condition. You may still have to fill in a bit of info for it and then add your description at the end.

The most important things are:

Title (as it's how people find your listings)
Photos (as it determines whether people look at your listing)
Price (which is the difference maker for conversions

Nail all of these and sales will start to roll in. If any of them are off, expect it to be a bit quiet.

An individual listing is usually for a single unit of a product, but it can also be a bulk load of them, a bundle of similar items, or an array of what you have around. As long as you make it clear to potential customers what's included, you're free to include all sorts under a single listing.

Buying Formats

eBay has two listing types. A seller may stick with one, or play around with the other option – and its additional feature.

Auction

Auctions are what made the website famous. When a listing is made, it has an exact ending time. Potential buyers can place ever increasing bids to win the auction, right up to the last second.

Selling things this way means you could get more than you anticipate for the item or less than you would want. These are especially helpful when you don't know what an item is worth.

Buy It Now

This is the most familiar format. Sellers list their products for a set price. There are no bids and the listing can stay online for as long as the seller desires. Once it's gone, it's gone.

Although these listings won't give you chance to make more money than you expect on a listing, it's a simple and more desirable way for many to buy things from the site.

Buy It Now also gives you the option to sell something as Best Offer. Here, you also give buyers the chance to make alternative offers. For example, you may be willing to reduce the unit price if someone buys multiple units in one go.

Having a Best Offer option means buyers will typically ask for at least a 5% discount on their product. Oftentimes it will be even greater than that. Whatever price reduction they get, it will feel like a deal. That being the case, you can use Best Offer listings to slightly inflate your prices, as the customer will be happy in the end.

Postage & Packaging

Keen on online shopping? Next time you get a delivery, keep the packaging it came in because you're going to need it. eBay buyers expect their items to come in reused packaging, so you shouldn't feel bad for doing it. The packaging you need depends entirely on what you're sending. Clothes are fine in a polymailer, while electronics are probably best in a box, surrounded by bubble wrap.

I don't buy packaging for any of my eBay activity. I buy enough things online that I can survive using that. If I need boxes, Freecycle and the top shelf of the nappies aisle at Tesco can provide all the extras I would ever require. Tape is the only thing I buy for my shipments, so the costs are kept right down.

So what's the best way to send these packages from here. I've covered the various delivery options previously, so I won't go into too much depth now. In short, the cheap and light ones can be sent with Royal Mail. The slightly larger and more expensive ones are best with myHermes. It may be more convenient to use Collect+ for your shipments, but those are the only three you will probably ever need to use.

You don't have to ship all of your products. For large items – furniture, cars, weights and so on – it may be preferred that buyers come and collect it from you in person. Those kinds of sales require you and the buyer to work together to find the best time to meet up to carry out the transaction.

Selling Abroad

eBay operates globally and recognises that customers may not always just shop domestically for particular items (especially collectables). When listing, you can select to have your products listed through the Global Shipping Programme, a revolution system that keeps international order fulfilment costs right down.

While it's your responsibility to ensure a product gets from you to the customer with UK parcels, eBay takes on that accountability with international ones. They ask you to send the parcels to their Derbyshire fulfilment centre and then send it tracked from there at no extra expense to you. It gives you an incentive to open up your listings to a wider pool of potential customers.

Payment Methods

Like most ecommerce sites, eBay allows customers to pay by card or through PayPal. As a buyer, you need to have a PayPal account to receive funds from any sales you make. If you haven't already, it's time to set up a PayPal account, so you can start earning money on eBay from the minute your first listing goes up.

Item Value

There's a price that you would like a product to sell for and a value it's worth to the customer. It's fundamental supply and demand. If the product you're selling can be found in abundance on eBay, expect customers to pay the current market rate for it. If it's rare that the item turns up on marketplaces, people may be willing to stretch their budgets to secure it.

How do you know what something is worth on eBay? They keep a log of the last 90 days worth of listings across the site. By using the filters, you can see what the item has been listed for in the past, whether it sold and the price it sold for.

Search – Filter by condition (category/location) – Sold

It's then up to you to determine how to price your products up. Bear in mind the condition is a factor. Also, expect prices to be different if it was sold as collection only, as there's a far smaller pool of potential buyers. The sold listings feature is one of the most powerful tools in knowing whether or not to list something on eBay.

Common Newbie Mistakes

It's daunting being the new one around. So much to learn. Everyone else seems to know what they're doing. No one wants to help you out. Well here's a quick overview of the things many newcomers struggle with in their early days.

Titles

There is space for 80 characters in your eBay title. Use at least 76 of them. Fill it out with keywords people are likely to use if they wanted to buy it from you. For some items – like a video game – they would use the exact title. For others – like a dress – they may describe it and not even use a brand name. Make it as easy as possible for them to find you by using relevant keywords.

Conditions

Anything you're selling as New must be exactly that. Not “worn once”. Not “played once”. Not “only taken out of the box”. If it's been used, it is used. Of course new things have more value, but if you want to keep your customers happy, don't let them be the ones to discover you've been cutting corners to secure a sale.

If a buyer requests a return based on your incorrect condition, eBay will always shed with the buyer.

Descriptions

Be as thorough as possible, so the buyer knows exactly what they're going to get from you. Over time, your descriptions will become more concise, but it's good practice to begin with 3-4 sentence descriptions when you first start out.

Postage

Royal Mail isn't the only way, and it's not the cheapest either. It's essential that you check how much postage is going to be before you list an item, as you may discover you're going to make a lot less money than you anticipate, once the postage is taken into account.

Dispatching

Prepare your sold items to be shipped as soon as possible. Based on your feedback and the number of items you have in your store, buyers can figure out how casual your eBay activity is. Regardless of this, everyone wants their item delivered to them ASAP. If you can't guarantee you'll be able to post an item within a couple of days of it selling, eBay isn't for you.

Remember that you're the retailer in the transaction. Do as you would expect other retailers to do when you buy online, such as offering tracked shipping.

Fees

Fees add up as you make sales on eBay. Although it will automatically take a payment at the end of the month, it's worth getting into the habit of paying your outstanding balance daily, so you don't end up having a shock later down the line.

Messages

eBay buyers are notorious for asking irritating questions. However, you need to suck it up and respond to all messages in a professional manner. You are the vendor and you're expected to provide suitable customer service to any potential buyers. Note, if a buyer complains about the way in which you respond to messages, eBay can read everything, and may take action if they see fit.

Ready to Get Started?

You will see a world of opportunity once you start selling on eBay. It gives you motivation to declutter, because you can get a return on all of your unwanted things so quickly. Expect your first few listings to take a while and don't be put off if your items linger before they eventually sell; it's always harder at the beginning.

The chances are that someone you know has sold through eBay before. If you can, ask them to assist with your first couple of listings. It shouldn't take you too long to get a feel for the listing process, then the selling process and then you'll want to do it over and over again.

My online money making was weak until I incorporated eBay into it. It was my introduction to ecommerce, and everything changed after that point. Even if you don't intend to take your eBaying beyond your own unwanted stuff, it's definitely worth learning your way around the site. Make sure you check out my list of eBay essentials before you go any further.