I have really learned ALOT in my short time selling on Ebay. I don't claim to be an expert, but after less than one year, I am now a Power Seller, and I have over 100 items selling in my store, Dragonflies and Ladybugs. These are some of my tips and tricks that I have learned along the way. I hope that I can help you like so many of you have helped me!!!!
1. Research, research, research!!!! It is really important that you research the items that you are interested in selling. This tells you a lot! What is hot and what is not. What items are going for, what people are buying, and whether or not the market you are interested in is already saturated with sellers. Ebay has new features that allow you to look into the past at what items have ended at. You can also learn how to be competitive with your fellow sellers.
2. Join Paypal. If you have not already, it is a "MUST" to sign up with a paypal account in order to sell on Ebay. It is a really safe way to do business. I was leery at first, but now I am very comfortable with doing business this way. BE CAREFUL: do not answer any e-mail that appear to come from Paypal. I did this and it was a "spoof" e-mail. If you are unsure whether or not an e-mail is legitimately from Paypal or Ebay, sign into the site through your server, not through the email, or contact support and ask.
3. Invest in a Decent Digital Camera: Most of you may already have a digital camera, but if you do not, there are a lot out there for a reasonable price. I have a Kodak Easyshare CX7300. This is not an expensive camera, but you should have at least 3.1 Megapixels in order to produce halfway decent photos. A picture is worth a thousand words. I know that I will not even look at an auction if the picture is of poor quality.
4. Take Good Photos: This brings me to my next important tip, take the time to take good photo's. First, you should purchase a white and black poster board. This provides you with a good background for your items. You really should not take your photo's on your bed, carpet, or table. It looks more professional to have a clean and non-distracting background for your items. Posterboard looks the best, a white sheet would work too, just make sure it is pressed. I have made that mistake, and some of my pictures do not look as good as they should. Finally, make sure you take the pictures in the right kind of lighting, they will look better to your potential buyers.
5. Honesty is the BEST Policy: Set up a clear, concise, and honest description. If your item has even a tiny flaw, make sure to notate it in your auction. This will save you the hassle of an unsatisfied customer on the receiving end. Also, I learned that what may seem like "Excellent Condition" to you, may not be the case for others. Be careful when listing something used as LIKE NEW or in Excellent Condition. I consider an item to be in Excellent condition when it has never been washed or washed and worn maybe one time. Other than that, I would describe used items as Good Used Condition or Lovingly worn. I try not to sell anything that would be considered fair or less than good.
6. Use Professional Auction Tools: You should invest time researching some of the auction listing tools that are on the internet. I have provided you with a lot of resources on my Sell on Ebay page that will give you the tools to produce a professional looking auction. I highly recommend The Sellers Sourcebook and Auction Insights.
7. Join Ebay Selling Forums: Ebay gives you a lot of selling tools and allows you to join in on a variety of community forums and classes. Take advantage of these resources, other, more experienced sellers can be of help. Some forums that I recommend using to advertise your auctions and search for other auction sellers are:
1. Coupon Chix
2. Once Upon a Life
3. Here Comes The Stork
4. WAHMS United
5. Just Between Moms
8. Selling Times and Dates: When you list your auctions is equally as important as everything else. I learned early on that on what day and time I listed my auctions had an impact on my sales volume. I found that starting my listings on Monday and Thursday evenings had the best results. This may not work for your items, so you will need to experiment a little with this. In addition to your listing days and times, the seasons for selling is also important. This is especially true when you are selling clothing and gifts. Here are some GENERAL seasonal Guidelines for you to follow when putting up your listings: