I've never sold anything on eBay and was looking for advice. I have heard that you can lose money very easily.

 

I have heard about people who supplement their income selling on eBay and was curious about that to.

 

Thank you.

Paging @mcpapa

I thought he was the resident expert but I wasn't sure

I have a love/hate relationship with eBay. I make a lot of money on there but one has to be careful.

I'm a small fish in a big pond, but pretty much never lose money selling on eBay.

 

A. Be prepared to spend a little time organizing, taking pictures, etc. Be specific in your item descriptions and especially with your titles. You get enough characters in your titles to give a detailed description that will attract potential buyers. Don't say "Beautiful gold ring"; say "Ladies Ring Size 8 14K Gold Wedding Band".

 

2. Understand that eBay will keep in the neighborhood of 10% of your selling price and another 10% of your shipping price. Which is a fairly small price to pay to get your items in front of a worldwide audience. Local auction houses generally charge about 20%. Lesson - make sure that if you're selling in auction (as opposed to fixed price) format, your opening price is what you can live with.

 

D. Also understand that in eBay's eyes, the buyer is always right. Package your stuff carefully, use tracking numbers and get insurance for valuable/fragile items. Don't worry too much if somebody dings you with a bad feedback. I still have one (they stay "on your record for a year) that won't go off until August from somebody that didn't like it because I shipped her item three days after her payment - and I even advertise that I ship by three days after payment.

 

 

I like to think that I have a keen eye for "picking", but nobody hits a home run every time. I have one or two local auction houses that I take stuff to when I can't sell it on eBay. I'm prepared to take a small loss in those instances. NOBODY sells everything that they list, and it may take folks a little while to warm up to a first-time (zero feedback) seller.

 

Go the extra mile and research your items, on the web in general and on eBay in particular. Find out as much as you can about your items - what they are, when they were made, what they're made of. Don't just look at eBay's current listings for a particular item - go to "sold listings" and find out what stuff actually sells for - not just the pie-in-the-sky asking prices.

 

I find that if you establish yourself - particularly as a niche seller specializing in a certain category, people will come back for more. I sell a lot of books and glassware, but my stuff is all over the place. Feel welcome to look at my listings to get a feel for how I list items.

 

kyal | eBay

 

You may want to limit international shipping. I have heard stories about sellers who get stiffed after sending high-ticket items to places like Russia.

 

Best sale ever for me - an oil painting purchased at a local auction for $15 and sold for $2,000. There are still roses among the thorns out there. Bottom line - know what you've got and know what it's worth.

 

If you want to talk more, shoot me a PM and I will give you my cell number.

Make sure you know and understand shipping prices and sizes. You can get burned on shipping if you aren't careful.

 

I also stopped offering international shipping.

Another consideration is time...

 

Try to list your items at a time that will allow you to get shoppers from both coasts. I've always preferred the 7-10 pm ET window.

So any of you traders want to sell my stuff for me?

eBay is rarely a value anymore, you can save a few bucks but also make most of your money back on items. So many people have a smart phone and the app now, creating a lot of bidders on good items.

eBay is rarely a value anymore, you can save a few bucks but also make most of your money back on items. So many people have a smart phone and the app now, creating a lot of bidders on good items.

 

The trick is to buy low enough so folks can still get a bargain. I'm not one of those sellers that asks ridiculous prices - just enough to keep a little cash flowing.

Thank you