Please help an eBay idiot.

[OldSowBreath]

Even though I think I'm relatively smart, I don't have a clue about how to sell on eBay. And I mean I need a real good nuts and bolts treatise, from beginning to end. eBay's Seller instructions are a joke. I have an account, and have bought items but never sold. Does anyone know of any good websites with tutorials on selling? Is there a yellow "eBay for Dummies" book out there? Also, what is the best free picture host for eBay? I have a whole roomful of very unusual garage and estate sale items I'm ready to sell, and I know they'll sell; I just need to jump into the fire. Any help from you pros would really be appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

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[diggummup]

There are several yellow Ebay for dummies books out there, here's one for sale on ebay (cheapest) Ebay for Dummies by Marsha Collier (2006, Paperback) 9780470045299 | eBay Starting in July, all sellers get FREE pictures—12 per listing—including free zoom and enlarge. Until then you can use Use - Free image hosting and photo sharing from Use.com for free phots and templates to sell. I looked at a few online step by step tutorials for you and this one seems to be the easiest- How to Sell on eBay: A Step-by-Step Guide Myself, I just learned through trial and error by just doing it. If you have any problems with anything specific while your trying to list something, let us know, we'll help you out.

 

[cyberdan]

I do not like this way but do a few simple and light weight auctions using feeBay's auction lister. (I use auctiva to store photos and list my auctions $10 month) If you mess up you will have only listed a $2 item or have to pay extra postage. So when you jump into the fire just test it first with your pinkie to see how hot it is.

I really do not like fleaBay but it is the only game in town. They do not like sellers and are always coming up with new rules for us to live by. I use them because things sell. I did over $500 last month.

 

[Minrelica]

I do not like this way (I use auctiva to store photos and list my auctions $10 month) do a few simple and light weight auctions using feeBay's auction lister. If you mess up you will have only listed a $2 item or have to pay extra postage. So when you jump into the fire just test it first with your pinkie to see how hot it is.

I really do not like fleaBay but it is the only game in town. They do not like sellers and are always coming up with new rules for us to live by. I use them because things sell. I did over $500 last month.

With all the ebay and PayPal fees I'm surprised that people pay even more money to use Auctiva. I've been selling for 13 years and I've never paid to host a photo. I cheated all of mine into the body of the auction with HTML which I taught myself. There are other ways, just to let you know.

Now I'm an ebay specialist for a company and have over 5,000 listings and counting.. I don't even feel like selling my stuff when I get home.

 

[diggummup]

Why pay for photos/ templates when you can get it for free? Personally, it's not worth $10 a month to me, even with $1500 in sales last month, call me cheap. I agree with starting off small and getting your feet wet before diving head first. Even though the first item I ever listed sold for $200+ with multiple bids, I had a 0 feedback because i'd never even bought anything on ebay much less sold anything. That item would have sold for $300+ if i'd of built up some feedback as a seller first. Plus I lost a few bucks on shipping too (it weighed 30+ lbs.). If your gonna sell, you need to get a good digital scale and keep in mind your costs for packing materials, ie- envelopes, boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, tape, time involved etc..

 

[diggummup]

Wit- What the heck is an ebay specialist? I want that job!

 

[Minrelica]

Wit- What the heck is an ebay specialist? I want that job!

diggummup, ebay jobs are out there but sometimes few and far between. The best place to search for them is on craigslist. I currently sell recycled auto parts for a company and make an hourly wage + commission + benefits. I was told that "the sky is the limit" when it comes to commission but unfortunately when I took over the account it had been neglected for so long that they had 32 negative feedback in the past 12 months. Actually, it wasn't neglected.. they just didn't know how to provide good, honest customer service over the Internet. That along with the fact that the auctions looked terrible, handling charges, high shipping charges, slow on refunds, etc. That all came to an end the day I started. It's still an uphill battle but I will win in the end. I also love the challenge! I use a program called eBay Blackthorne which pulls the information from our inventory and helps me list in bulk. It's really quite an amazing to me since I've listed everything from scratch for so many years.

I would expect to see more and more of these jobs as time goes on since people can move their inventory without having a storefront. They generally don't pay very much hourly though. I would rather be happy doing something that I enjoy for a living rather than thinking "work sucks but I need the bucks" every weekday morning.

Anyway, yea.. "eBay specialist" was the job I applied for and now that's my title.

 

[Keppy]

OK it seems like no one will answer your question,... just tell you how great they are at it....... I have been selling on ebay for a lot of years now and did not know how to start.... so here is what i did ... I was set up at a flea mkt...... and the one seller there i knew pretty good sold on ebay .... so i asked her if she would come to my home and show me how and set me up .. and she did and i have been selling on ebay ever since ... It is like every thing else once you know how it's easy............. I have a pal that if i would have known i would have shown him ...what he did was have a computer repair man show him at his home how to sell and set him up.... and he paid him $50.00......But you have to find a repair man that does it part time.... the big companys will cost you a lot of$$$ to come out....

 

[Minrelica]

Yea, 'ask someone to show you how'. That's some solid advice right there.

diggummup answered the question in the first post

 

[diggummup]

OldSowBreath-
First step in selling on Ebay is read, not only read but comprehend what you do read, unlike our friend Keppy here who chooses to use big red flamboyant letters and type untruths to try and get his point across.

When I started selling on Ebay I owned a computer literally for less than month and had never been on the internet in my life before that. I knew absolutely nothing, never even used a keyboard before. It took me several hours before I finished my first listing but I managed and I have faith that you can too. Trial and error, learn by doing.

If your lucky (like Keppy), you too can find someone to come to your house and walk you through it step by step. I don't think you will need to do that though, it's really not that difficult. It may seem a little overwhelming the first few times you do it but practice makes perfect.

As I stated in my first reply. If you has any specific questions we (meaning I) will be glad to help and personally walk you through it. Feel free to pm me anytime.

If need be we can use a chat line on another site (Google etc.) since your not a charter member here. Contrary to some peoples opinions, we (meaning myself and others) are here to help, not to boast.

 

[Charmin]

1) take lots of pictures!
2) set up an account with use.com
3) upload your pictures to that website(they have a bulk image up-loader which really helps!), make sure your pictures are resized(like you would do for this website).
4) Select the photos to use with one of their(Use.com) templates
5) Type out a very detailed description of the item, making sure to list any and all flaws! Give exact measurements(you might even want to include a ruler in the pictures you take). When you finish, make sure you "save" your template! So you can

Copy and paste the code from the text box into the your item's description box to place this template in your eBay listings.​

6) temporarily package the item and weigh it, then go to Postage Price Calculator to estimate shipping costs----I highly recommend putting insurance on every package you mail out. You must figure this into the shipping costs because ebay doesn't allow you to charge "separate" insurance fees. Also, make sure you have a tracking number on all packages---if you print out your label thru PayPal shipping, they automatically add a tracking number for 19 cents(I think that's the cost). Be sure to add the cost of the tracking number into your shipping costs! (weight+insurance+tracking number=shipping cost). If you choose to add a handling fee for your packing materials, be sure to add that in too. I promise you that insurance and a tracking number is well worth the effort! It has saved me a couple of times when the USPS "lost" some of my packages.
7)Now sign into your ebay account.....from here you will see at the top of the page "sell an item". Click on this, it will take you to a page where you will decide what category your item will be in. Be sure and use good keywords in your item title!
8) Decide if you want to run your item as an auction or Buy-it-now, and for how many days (3, 5, 7, 10 day auctions).....I usually do the 7 day auctions making sure to include at least one weekend. Also something to plan out: make sure your item doesn't end on a holiday!
9)Decide if you will ship Internationally or just Domestic.
10)

I know there is more, so if anyone wants to add to this, then go right ahead! This is just stuff off the top of my head.
Oh, and here's a link to one of my templates in case you want to see for yourself how the Use.com website/templates look. KU Kansas Jayhawk Paperweight
Hope this helped a little OldSowBreath and didn't confuse you!

 

[Keppy]

Myself i think that it is really to hard to try to explain about ebay in the forum....It would do more to confuse you than help you. I still say that if you know someone to come to your place to show you............ that is the best way........... And it will only take about 10 min's....If that long. .... I knew i could get them going with that first post of mine...... And i did....

 

[cwbous]

when you receive a good answer, please pass it on as I, too, want to learn how to use eBay for selling various items. Thanks "Slayman"

 

[Minrelica]

The first thing you guys need is a PayPal account. That will take at least 3-5 days to set up and verify the deposits. No PayPal account = no eBaying.

Also, it's going to take you more than "10 minutes" to learn.

Furthermore, don't expect instant access to your funds after the sale. PayPal may still be putting a 21 day hold on funds from sales on new accounts.

 

[bazinga]

Everybody does their selling on ebay differently. It takes years to perfect the way you do it in a method that is fast and convenient for you. For me personally, I use Turbo Lister (free from ebay) and a template building / image hosting software program so I can quickly generate listings and upload images and then copy and paste that into Turbo Lister. I don't mind paying the yearly fee since for me, time is money. The more time it frees up, the more time I have to spend out buying or doing things that I find more enjoyable.

I would recommend checking out the ebay seller message boards and just READ READ READ. Learn from others mistakes, and like Dig said, learn by doing. I don't even attempt to teach people how to do it anymore. If people want my help, I tell them to go and try and do it themselves and THEN come ask me for questions. Because, as you can see, everybody has basically given you a different answer on their idea for the best way to do it. My way doesn't work for all just like others way don't work for me.

 

[Keppy]

Yea, 'ask someone to show you how'. That's some solid advice right there.

diggummup answered the question in the first post

It seems like that a few of you think that to have some one teach you something is wrong....... To learn something some one teaches you .. like in school OH they are school teachers... Like when you learn a trade some one teaches you.... And for most when you learn to drive ..... So if you are have a hard time learning how to sell on ebay.... Find some one to teach you .... You have to have one person you know that sells on ebay.........

 

[jerseyben]

when you receive a good answer, please pass it on as I, too, want to learn how to use eBay for selling various items. Thanks "Slayman"

At least 3 people above your post gave you a "good answer". Try READING, as several people have already suggested. What you are looking for is right in front of you.

 

[Keppy]

At least 3 people above your post gave you a "good answer". Try READING, as several people have already suggested. What you are looking for is right in front of you.

But it is not right in front of us at times for some see it and some don't ...That why it is a good thing to have some one show us what we don't see or understand... Because someone understands right away they think every one should under stand right away.......... There are things that i understood how to do right away but others would have to be taught how to do....... and then things you understood right away that i would have to be taught..........

 

[diggummup]

Nobody taught me anything. I learned on my own. It's really not that difficultif you "just do it."
As I stated above, I was as computer illiterate as they come when I started selling. I managed.
If you know someone that sells on Ebay and they are willing to walk you through it then by all means go for it.
If not then try one or more of the suggestions offered on here already. I find it odd that the only one giving any flack is Keppy. I wonder why OldSowBreath hasn't replied back. Probably scared him off with all the nonsense BS on here by someone who likes to start trouble.

 

[bazinga]

I find it odd that the only one giving any flack is Keppy.

Yeah, that's usually MY job, haha.