Best eBay Selling Tips?

[orange_sweetheart]

Hi, there. I've been lurking here for a while and love everyone's posts. In fact, I feel like I've come home!

Over the past 15-20 years, I've mostly treasure-hunted at thrift stores, resale shops, and garage sales. I've found a fair bit of gold and diamonds and seem to be pretty good at that, believe it or not -- though in recent years (thanks to all the treasure-hunting) shows, the pickings have been slimmer. I also metal-detect, but have found only artifact-type items -- still very interesting and worthwhile to me, as I love history, being outside, and just the 'thrill of the hunt.'

Okay -- to get to the MAIN reason I'm posting --

I have tried off-and-on to sell on eBay (usually not my jewelry but other different items) and have never really made a go of it.

What are some tips you eBay pro's might suggest for better success, please?

Should I offer returns? Free shipping? Any special generic notes to put in the 'fine print' at the bottom? Decorate the listing? Longer or shorter title? Magic words to use in the title? Best offer, etc??

I'm really at a loss as to why I can't seem to get it going, and would appreciate any and all advice.

Cheers , Pat

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Photographs! The real secret is outstanding photos!

 

[dirtdigginfool]

Exactly, like TS says, excellent pictures will make or break your auctions, ALSO...make sure to describe 100% every little detail...scratches, imperfections, etc...that way you won't be inundated with buyers sending stuff back or demanding returns because the "item not as described"...the bane of sellers...I buy more than I sell, but when I do sell an item, I get it shipped out ASAP so it usually arrives before the ebay "ETA"....And packaging..I actually delivered rural mail for 5 years and have seen some carriers treat packages like they're playing rugby...so pack it in a manner that if it gets rough-housed, it will survive. Hope this helps! Good luck..Ddf

 

[trdhrdr007]

The standard (& oldest) advice is to sell what you like. The reasoning behind that is you can enjoy it if it doesn't sell. Seems logical but is actually the worst advice ever. You need to sell what your customers like. I've found that unusual, ugly, practical, and/or high quality items sell. If I see something that fits in any of those categories I do a search for sold items on ebay before I make a purchasing decision. If I can meet my profit margin & the ratio of sold items to completed items is good I buy. I like to see at least 1 sold item out of every 3 completed. That varies depending on my projected profit. I've also developed a mental data base of things I've had success with in the past.

I go with BIN listings most of the time. If I run an auction it's because I don't have any free BIN listings left OR I'm not sure how high to price the item. I always start auctions at the lowest amount I'm willing to accept(no reserve price). I put best offer on things that have not sold in a reasonable time. Having said that, I have items that might take a year or more to sell. I don't have any problem with letting an item sit until I get my price.

I offer returns on everything. I offer free shipping on everything that I can predict my actual cost on & build it into my price. Nothing worse than offering free shipping on a heavy item & having to ship clear across the country. Decorating your listing is a waste of time. Putting in "fine print" doesn't do anything. For example, lot's of people write "no returns" in their listing. If the buyer claims the Item is Not As Described eBay will make you accept the return. Truth is eBay has recently stated that the more crap you have in the description part of your listing the farther down it will be in buyer's search results. In other words, if we are both selling the same thing & my description is a repeat of the title & a couple bullet points while yours is a multi paragraph description with fine print the buyer will see my listing first.

 

[WhiteTornado]

I'm no expert, but have sold (and bought) many things on eBay. Here are a few of my tips:

* As pointed out previously, take good photos. I use my smartphone and I upload the "native" picture size, often 2-3 MB. This allows the buyers to zoom in on your pics.

* Put the most important words of your auction title within the first 4 words. This has something to do with the Cassini search engine that eBay uses.

* Avoid special characters in your title, such as @ # $ % ^, etc. I have heard they can mess with search results.

* Be specific and accurate in your descriptions. If your item has flaws or other issues, picture them clearly and mention it in the description. Not saying you have to downplay your own items, just be truthful. For example, I sold a used watch that had a small scratch on the crystal. I made sure my pics showed this, and I even put in the description, "minor scratch on crystal". Trying to hide flaws will tick off your buyers and result in returns and negative feedback.

* Look for "sold" auctions to determine pricing. The more "sold" examples you can find, the more accurate the pricing history will be. By contrast, if there is little available in terms of historic sales, you'll have to make a judgement call. I would caution against over-valuing your items in this type of scenario (I speak from experience).

* Pack your item well and ship within your advertised handling and shipping time.

* Ship using the method advertised. It is usually okay to ship via a more expedited method versus what was advertised, but not the other way around. For example, I sold some cufflinks and meant to ship using regular USPS shipping. However, I reused an old template and that old sale happened to ship using Priority Mail flat-rate small box. So, I ate the extra cost and shipped as advertised. If you downgrade shipping, buyers may feel a bit ripped off.


Hope this helps, and happy selling

 

[orange_sweetheart]

Wow, wow, wow! -- Excellent tips -- thanks so much, guys. I will utilize them all. Thanks again

 

[insontis]

Sell for more than you purchased the item for.

Seriously though, do account for fees you will be sacrificing to the almighty eBay.

Use your free listings wisely and abuse the heck out of the free listing promotions. Even if you open a store. I never pay listing fees.

I personally slightly favor a "slow dime" to "fast nickel" approach. With "Buy it now" listings, I always start off higher and will gradually lower it down to my bottom dollar. If it isn't a fast moving item to begin with (and we're only talking a few dollars), quicker is better. When I get down to my bottom dollar, I put it up as an auction when I can.

Describe everything in your listings. Size is a big one. Any damage or detail that may be significant to the buyer - even if it doesn't seem so much to you. Photographs are key here. Make sure you get every angel in clear, close up photographs.

Bow to thy buyer. If they have a question or concern, make sure it is answered. Always be respectful as a general rule and make sure your replies and shipping times are speedy. Remember, eBay favors the buyer over the seller. After all, whenever they buy your item, eBay gets a cut.

Along with shipping time is shipping quality. I can't tell you how many times I've had an item show up either damaged or missing entirely from the packaging due to poor packaging. Major head ache, major bad taste in the mouth. Kiss your buyer goodbye at that point.

Do your homework to be sure your item is authentic. Like the before mentioned 'rule', you will lose your chance of any repeat business if you sell something counterfeit. I speak as both a buyer and a seller here.

Leave appropriate [positive] feedback, and do so before the buyer even receives their item. This will provide more of an incentive for the buyer to leave you positive feedback - which is essential to the seller. All the feedback a seller will be able to really talk about is how quickly the buyer paid, maybe their manners or how excellent they are.

To answer your other questions:

ALWAYS offer returns. Honestly, a buyer can return an item to you even if you refuse them. It's just how eBay is set up. Buyer 1st. At least this way more buyers would feel more comfortable making a purchase from you.

Don't do any fine print. No one reads that BS. It doesn't matter how many rules and regulations you put out, all it does is discourage buyers at most and at the least it goes ignored. Not to mention, as I said, it doesn't matter what you say in your "rules". eBay puts buyer satisfaction first, and so should you.

I've used free shipping, probably should more. It makes your listing more attractive. Just make sure to have the cost covered in your sales.

I always use best offer in my BIN listings. Unless I'm at my bottom dollar. In that case, like I said, I try to use auction if I can for free. If not, no offers.

Decorating your listing makes it more pleasing to the eye. Anything that makes it appear more professional is a good thing. Makes the buyer feel safer about purchasing for you. You want to build their trust and not let them down. Just don't over do it. No one likes clutter and too much wording.

As far as titles go... less looks better, but more brings more search results. Remember, most buyers will search default by title only. If you don't have the right keywords to bring them straight to your door then you might as well not even exist.

Running out of steam at the moment and a lot of what I said was probably covered, but hopefully this will help you & any other readers lurking about. Best of luck!

 

[AlienLifeForm]

All good advice given. And damn those 'treasure hunting' shows...

 

[trdhrdr007]

I'm going to say something that will be controversial. Feedback no longer matters because eBay no longer considers it when evaluating seller performance. Having said that, there are some buyers that consider the percentage of positive feedback and number of feedback.

 

[GibH]

I'm going to say something that will be controversial. Feedback no longer matters because eBay no longer considers it when evaluating seller performance. Having said that, there are some buyers that consider the percentage of positive feedback and number of feedback.

Two contradicting statements. I think you can safely ignore the first. I know what you are trying to say, but I have to go with the second. How many times have you seen it posted here that someone will only buy from a seller with 100% feedback. I personally think that is ridiculous, because as sellers you know there is always going to be that one customer. Any large corporation will shout a 92% satisfaction rate from the highest rooftop. I am comfortable buying from anyone with 95% or better, but a lot of people aren't.

If you are really going to get into selling, build your feedback with cheap items first.

 

[Honest Samuel]

Best of luck to those who sell and or sell on eBay, something that I would not do.

 

[Beans]

I have actually found items that can not be found on ebay or amazon. Since I do not know how to price them, I start at a high Auction and let the customers decide the price. Does not work all the time but never disappointed.

 

[mugsisme]

Lots of good advice, but I am going to disagree with some.
First, yes, if there are any faults, mention them straight up, show a picture. I have a silk corded necklace up that I didn't realize had blush on it until I got ready to list it. I lowered the price, and put the picture last with a note, see last picture.
Ebay themselves told me, do not put a lot in the description. I used to write a full description .. noting every detail. I got hit one time for INAD, for the stupidest little thing. When I called Ebay, they told me, do not put anything that can be used against you. Fair enough. I now just take a lot of pictures, say, Up for auction is a vintage brooch, please see pictures for size and condition. This way, I am not saying it's in excellent used condition, and they think it's only in very good. I actually had that .. a woman was mad that a rhinestone was missing from the brooch, said INAD. Well, I called Ebay. They looked at the auction and saw a close up of the missing stone. Truth is, I didn't see it, or i would have pointed it out. However, since I said to look at the pictures, and there was a picture of the missing stone, I won; they said it was buyers remorse, she didn't check the auction carefully.
Next, free shipping. I've done free shipping, and gotten burned. I find that when I have free shipping, I get more returns. When people know that I am not going to eat the shipping if they send it back, then they are more likely to keep it, IMHO. I will lower the actual price by the shipping amount if I want to give free shipping, so that I never eat the cost of shipping plus fees.
Also .. be prepared to meet all kinds of people ... idiots who will send you an PM 3 times in 15 mins because you didn't answer fast enough ... or who want to know how big the earrings are because they can't look in the pictures themselves (who buys w/o looking at the pics). Then, you will get the super nice ones. The ones who will write to you after they get it to say how nice it was, or how they love it, or whatever. I've made several cyber-friends from Ebay sales. (Yes, we share emails and phone numbers and call and text each other. Ebay would have a cow if they knew, cuz yes, I make sales to them as well.)
If you are going to list a lot of stuff then you need a good system to organize where things are. I know people who have had to cancel a sale because they couldn't find the item ... until a week later or whatever. Do what works for you so that you know where everything is and can pack it up and get it out.
I do 14 day returns. I am not renting my jewelry out, doing 30 or 60 day returns. No way, no how.
Anyhoo ... good luck! Personally, I hate listing, but I love the kachings!

 

[Paleo_joe]

I always look to buy high end one of a kind items that have no past sales on ebay. Conversely, I avoid items where there are several for sale already, unless I can be the cheapest and move the item fast.

Ebay is the bottom rung of the market due to the competition, chances of being ripped off, and not being able to see the item in person. An item will sell for more at an antique mall booth, on craigslist, at an auction house, wherever. Estate sale companies will even price at ebay sold prices, and sell those items, because it is at the lowest end of retail.

 

[trdhrdr007]

Two contradicting statements. I think you can safely ignore the first. I know what you are trying to say, but I have to go with the second. How many times have you seen it posted here that someone will only buy from a seller with 100% feedback. I personally think that is ridiculous, because as sellers you know there is always going to be that one customer. Any large corporation will shout a 92% satisfaction rate from the highest rooftop. I am comfortable buying from anyone with 95% or better, but a lot of people aren't.

If you are really going to get into selling, build your feedback with cheap items first.

Guess we'll have to disagree. When I'm dealing with eBay I pay attention to the metrics that affect my TRS rating which allows me to get lower fees. Those metrics have to do with actual customer satisfaction instead of the opinion of someone who may be a complete idiot. Provide good customer service & good feedback follows. I've got over 1000 feedback with a 100% positive rating. It's still irrelevant & chasing feedback is a waste of time. The majority of buyers don't even look at feedback when making a purchase decision. They know that eBay will back them up if something goes wrong.

 

[Bud Aurum]

Ebay is the bottom rung of the market due to the competition, chances of being ripped off, and not being able to see the item in person. An item will sell for more at an antique mall booth, on craigslist, at an auction house, wherever. Estate sale companies will even price at ebay sold prices, and sell those items, because it is at the lowest end of retail.

Hello Joe, from my experience, I will have to strongly disagree. My wife and I sell on Ebay as well as a couple antique stores. (12' X 12' co-op) We get our items exclusively from online and live auctions and estate sales as well as an occasional storage locker. We don't consider the "Buy" successful unless we make 3 to 4 times more for lower priced items and at least double for more pricey items.

I am able to make much more on most collectible type items on E-bay than our town antique shops and it is usually 3 to 10 times more than I paid. I live in central PA and maybe auction items go less here?

As for shipping, I only use free shipping for easily packed items under a pound first class only. Anything over a pound, I use priority mail and Ebay calculates, based on weight, destination and package size. Ebay will leave you a discount which is great way to help pay shipping and fees. Remember, Ebay gets 10% of your sales, including shipping cost.

Another shipping suggestion is to use Ebay's global shipping program. It is somewhat expensive for the buyer but saves you trips to the post office as well as headaches. I have used it with success with maybe 10 to 20% of my sales. Many collectibles are sought out for outside the USA.

I agree that pictures are the most important and my first studio was home-made from a large cardboard box with 3 sides cut out to about 2" from the edge and 2 sides covered with a translucent white paper and a light source on each side. I placed my camera on a short tripod and zoomed in.

Your Bud Aurum

 

[trdhrdr007]

Hello Joe, from my experience, I will have to strongly disagree. My wife and I sell on Ebay as well as a couple antique stores. (12' X 12' co-op) We get our items exclusively from online and live auctions and estate sales as well as an occasional storage locker. We don't consider the "Buy" successful unless we make 3 to 4 times more for lower priced items and at least double for more pricey items.

I had a booth at the local antique mall for several years. If an item was small enough to ship & had any kind of value I'd sell on eBay. In most cases I could get at least double what the item would sell for at the antique mall.

 

[OtakuDude]

Well, I've been selling on ebay since 1998 and, while ebay can be a money grubbing bas**rd, it's the best venue to sell things due to their enormous user base.

Selling on ebay is rather easy though it can be time consuming. When listing items for sale, I have my system down pat and it seems to work.

1) Pictures are king. If you have a flat item like a book, take pics of the front, back and copyright page. If you have a larger 3-D item like a piggy bank, take front, back, bottom and 45º off the left and right of the front. If you have a boxed item, take pics from slightly oblique angles rather than front on. The item will look more dynamic that way and will stand out from other identical items in the thumbnails on the search page.

When taking pictures, make sure your item is well lit, preferably from multiple angles. Shadows are your enemy. Use a tabletop photo studio to remove any background distractions. Get a tripod for your camera. No matter how zen you think you are, your pictures will come out blurry otherwise.

2) If your item has egregious damage such as missing pieces, broken parts or rips/tears, mention that but don't overplay it. If it's minor, describe it in general terms such as having slight shelf wear or being well loved. Always, ALWAYS tell the buyer to refer to the pics for further details.

3) Be polite to all customers, even the idiots. And trust me, you will have your share of those (Why isn't my item here yet?? I paid for it yesterday!!!)

4) Don't offer returns. If you do, some buyers will take advantage of that due to buyers remorse, found it cheaper from another seller or any other reason they can think of to sucker you out of your money.

5) Make all your items BIN rather than the auction format. People today don't have the patience to wait 3-5-7 days for an auction to end. They want it NOW! Honestly, this works out to your favor as the prices you'll realize are higher than for the same item offered under the auction format.

6) Offer free shipping and incorporate that cost into your BIN price. Most buyers are lazy and don't want to do the math in their head to add the two costs together. They'd rather just see a flat cost and pay that.

7) Pack your items very very well. I wrap every item I sell either in plastic or bubble wrap for the more delicate items. For plastic, use the bags your daily newspaper is delivered in and cut them down to size when needed. If you need a source for these bags, post a wanted notice on Craigslist or in your local FB garage sale group. People tend to save these bags up rather than toss them and are happy to give them away if you can make use of them.

If you ship your item in a box, use crumpled newspaper ads, styrofoam peanuts or whatnot to cushion it further. Don't use regular newspaper as the ink will transfer to your hands as well as to the item you're packing. Use bubble envelopes when possible and appropriate. if you have identical items, it's cheaper to ship things that way rather than in a box.

8) Always make your shipping cost slightly high. It takes your time, energy and money for supplies to pack up each item. If you don't account for that, you're basically giving money away and that will rapidly eat into your bottom line.

9) Always have a good supply of boxes on hand as you don't know what will sell or what size you'll need. You can constantly get these at grocery stores and Walmarts when they're stocking their shelves in the evening. Smaller boxes and odd shaped boxes are harder to find than the larger ones so grab those when you can.

10) If your item hasn't sold in six months or so, check your price against the current average price for that item. Prices constantly fluctuate and you don't want to be left behind.

11) Get plastic bins to hold your stock, the larger the better. It protects your items and keeps them clean. Place a fabric softener sheet or two into each bin to keep the items from acquiring a funky smell over time.

12) If you need a source for stock, I've had great luck with Goodwill and at Walmart, including their discount aisle. Departments such as toys, shoes, electronics and sporting goods in Walmart have areas set aside for blowout items at giveaway prices so be sure to look there. Always look to make 5x-10x your money at a minimum. You can double and triple your money on items all day long but you'll rapidly fill up your house/apt./ man cave in the process.

13) Get an ebay store. As a regular seller, You get 50 free listings a month but you have to keep relisting them yourself once they go unsold which can be very tedious and time consuming. With a store, you get many more listings, items are automatically relisted if they go unsold after a month and basically you just look more professional to the buyers out there. It costs a little bit ($15-$20/month?) but it's worth it.

14) I think a well written description is much better than a brief one. My descriptions may be a bit wordy but I believe that helps them stand out from what seems to have become the norm on ebay (ie. Book for sale. Good condition). When writing an item up, I tend to get descriptive phrases from the manufacturer website or the website of a retailer such as Walmart or Target.

15) Your title is important. Use key words to help buyers find it in their searches. Also, always use caps to make it stand out from all the other identical items offered for sale.

That's all I can think of offhand. If you want a firsthand example of how I do things, my ebay ID is 205wr

Good luck!!

 

[Beans]

This is one thing that really turns me off as a buyer. If you sell military rank, learn the proper way that it should be displayed. When I see military rank upside down I just go right past it. I am sure this goes along with all the Picture advice. Along with clear pictures, item should be displayed properly. Just looked at a listing with a pack of military rank and the there was tape on top could not really see what they were. Although I know what they were I just went to the next listing

 

[huntsman53]

Save yourself any future grief and troubles and find another venue instead of eBay. I have had my fill of them and as soon as my' account with them is straightened out, I am closing my' eBay account. I have already cancelled my' PayPal account.


Frank