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So you want to sell
stuff on eBay, but you have two minor problems: you don't know how and
you don't have stuff. Not a problem. Keep reading for some tips to get
you pointed in the right direction to learn to make money on eBay.
Before you begin you’ll need some basic equipment: Computer, Internet
access, digital camera, and some space to put your
stuff. That’s really all you’ll need to get started. You’ll also need
shipping and packing supplies but that is addressed later.
Next you’ll need to learn how to list auctions. Go to the eBay sellers
overview: http://pages.ebay.com/education/sellingtips/index.html.
Thiswill be your lifeline. There is a plethora of information there on
everything you always wanted to know and more. Don’t be overwhelmed;
just take it one step at a time. You’ll see there is information on
listings, on bidding, on photos, on feedback – it’s all there.
Next you’ll need to figure out what to sell. Before you zero in on a
particular niche you need some experience and some feedback. Buyers are
generally leery of buying from someone who is brand new and has a
feedback rating of less than 10 evaluations. While you are getting your
feet wet, look around your own house first. You’d be amazed at what
people buy. You could list outgrown clothing, magazines, candle holders,
CD,books, flannel sheets, recipes, the ugly old lamp that was Aunt
Mildred’s, all those goofy Christmas gifts sitting in your basement,
that old baby gate with a stain on it. Get the idea? You never know what
someone will want.
Although you need experience, you don’t want to list something that
isn’t likely to sell. Do your research first before you invest the time
in putting together a listing. An easy method to use is do a “search” on
eBay, then look up COMPLETED ITEMS, then sort by HIGHEST price. Then
you’ll see if your Tommy Bahama shirt is really worth anything. Or
you’ll see that your old baseball cards had 23 listings and not one of
them sold.
Pricing is another challenge. Again, you’ll need to do your research.
See what they’re going for. Don’t have overly high expectations. You
know how you feel when you go to a garage sale and you see a pair of
jeans for $15 or books for $4 each. Many people come to eBay to look for
a bargain. Consider how much you have into the item. If you have an item
from around the house, you may consider that something is better than
nothing, so you may be inclined to start the bidding quite low. If you
bought it with the specific intention to resell, you will, at the very
minimum, want to break even, so take the price you paid for it and
consider other costs, i.e. listing fees, final value fees
(all explained in your lifeline – eBay seller overview above). People
are much more apt to bid if the bidding starts LOW. Sometimes though,
you will have collectibles that are worth a chunk of money. Don’t give
away that vintage postcard that is worth $56! Do your homework.
The next big question is how do you get paid? You determine what you
would accept. Online payments such as PayPal (paypal.com)
are very convenient. You can also decide that you’ll accept money orders
or personal checks. The more options you leave your
buyers, the more likelihood you’ll get more bids.
You also need to decide how you want to ship your items to the winners.
Many sellers use USPS, others prefer UPS. If you use USPS and ship via
Priority Mail, you can get your envelopes and boxes free from USPS. If
you ship First Class or Parcel Post or UPS, you’ll have to shop around
for deals on boxes or envelopes and bubble wrap or packing peanuts.
Overwhelmed yet? Yes there is a lot to learn, but it’s not nuclear
science. Just take it one step at a time. It’s a learning process. Some
yahoo groups (or MSN or AOL, or whatever your preference) are great
sources for support and camaraderie with others who are doing the same.
So in summary, if you want to just “start pushing buttons” and learn to
make money on eBay on your own, YOU CAN DO IT. If you
do better chatting with others, those resources are available too. Use
what is available.
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