OP 05 February, 2020 - 06:29 PM
Intro
eBay is one of the biggest and baddest online marketplaces out there with over 150 million users bidding, selling and buying each day. It’s like a cave of wonders where you can set anything on sale: from clothes and books to vintage baseball gloves and film cameras.
But you are probably wondering, is selling on eBay worth the hassle? Yes. Successful eBay entrepreneurs started small and generated a steady income flow to replace their full-time jobs. If you don’t plan to quit your job, selling items at eBay can generate additional income steam and help you de-clutter your home.
Want to know the best part? You don’t need to have upfront inventory or invest money before you start earning! Just your laptop and Internet connection!
Ready to give a try for selling on eBay?
1: Choose your marketplace
Choose whether you’d like to go global and use international ebay.com with payments made in USD, or a localized version e.g. ebay.co.uk with payments made in UK pounds. Don’t forget that you’ll have to cover shipping fees as well, so it might be easier to start selling locally at first.
2: Set up your business account
Another step to start selling on eBay is to brainstorm a catchy, easy-toremember business name. Then include your address details, email and contact phone number. Afterward, add your Paypal account to receive payments.
Get verified
Complete eBay ID verification process (less than 5 min) to pass through numerous restrictions imposed on new sellers.
Set up your store page
The competition is tough and you will need to stand out of the crowd if you want your goods to be found and purchased. eBay allows you to sell something as an individual seller or create a personalized store front. Opt for the latter if you have numerous goods to dispatch and plan to get a lot of business done at once.
Optimize product titles
In 80 words you’ll have to explain what exactly are you selling.
Include 1-3 relevant keywords to each product title to make it rank higher in search results. Try to think like a person who is searching for your item would think– says, Mitzi Swisher of Vintage Goodness. For example: You are trying to sell an old Minolta film camera.
Bad title: Working Minolta camera for sale Winning title: Minolta XG-1 35MM SLR Film Camera with 45MM Lens.
Name and model of the camera + keyword 1 (film camera) + keyword 2 (45mm lens).
Writing in capitalized letters also helps to attract users attention. You can play with keywords and change them later on in the title for better performance. For instance, if you are selling jewelry you can add season keywords e.g. Valentine Day Charms or Diamond Christmas Love Lock etc.
Does your item have an unusual feature e.g. rare color? Make sure you mention that in the title too! It will help successfully sell on eBay.
Optimize product descriptions
The best practice is to include at least 200 words description for each item on sale with the most important keywords listed at the beginning and in the end.
Fill out every field of your listing, and make sure your text description gives a LOT of information about the item. Again, imagine you are the buyer planning to spend $200 for a vintage plate set. You would like to know each and every tiny detail about the product before giving away the money.
Style the text with headlines and bold fonts to attract more attention and make sure you list all product specifications e.g. size, material, colors etc.
Choose the right category listing
For an extra fee you can choose to list your product in more than one category.
Add crisp photos
Image can make or break a sale. A blurry, dark photo won’ t help you win any sales. eBay allows to upload up to 12 pictures for free. Include at least 2-4 where your product’s visible from different angles. Edit your photos with free editors like Canva or PicMonkey to make them irresistibly attractive. Lifehacker offers more tips how you can shoot better photos for things you sell online.
Run a quick price research
Type your product keyword to eBay’s search and choose Completed Listings only. Sort the results by “Price + Shipping: Highest First.” And analyze the prices for sold items (marked green) and unsold (red ones). Selling a branded product? Check out the prices on top 5 ecommerce sites selling the same product. You can also grab more information about the item from there to put it into your description and make it look more professional.
Calculate the total price
Don’t forget to include eBay seller’s fees and shipping costs to the total price. Alternatively, you can offer free shipping to selected regions only and add extra shipping fees for sellers based outside your area.
Choose your price model
Here are the two main ways how you can sell something on eBay:
• Fixed Price Model: set your price and wait till the buyer makes the purchase. First to come – first to get.
• Product Auction: determine the minimal starting price for your product, set the action time, and invite buyers to bid. The last bidder offering the highest price gets the product.
Auctions, if tackled correctly, can potentially bring you more income than selling an item for a flat rate. In a moment you will get to know the exact hacks about selling items via auction.
Fixed price model works best when you are selling the same multiple items or would like to dispatch the product the soonest possible.
Clearly outline your terms and conditions, shipping policy, warranty and guaranty
EBay success is based on user reviews. To avoid misunderstandings and negative feedbacks at the first place, clearly list all your policies. You can use existing templates and make sure you break Terms and Conditions into sections and include bulletin points to highlight the most essential information for readers.
Here’s a handy cheat-sheet to help your formatting your texts in HTML.
Develop a listing schedule
If you are running an auction, consider the best time for starting and ending it for each particular product. For instance, jewelry and handmade items sell best before Valentines Day and holidays. In time, you’ll notice the days and times when your products do best and start keeping a listing schedule. Your regular buyers will learn when you post them, and you will start getting better results selling items on eBay.
Double-check everything and press publish button.
Re-read your descriptions once again to avoid any typos or spelling mistakes (editing when the auction already started would be more difficult). Make sure everything looks good and there’s no odd formatting. Share your product on your social media once it’s published as you never know if one of your friends is looking to buy the exact thing you sell.
eBay is one of the biggest and baddest online marketplaces out there with over 150 million users bidding, selling and buying each day. It’s like a cave of wonders where you can set anything on sale: from clothes and books to vintage baseball gloves and film cameras.
But you are probably wondering, is selling on eBay worth the hassle? Yes. Successful eBay entrepreneurs started small and generated a steady income flow to replace their full-time jobs. If you don’t plan to quit your job, selling items at eBay can generate additional income steam and help you de-clutter your home.
Want to know the best part? You don’t need to have upfront inventory or invest money before you start earning! Just your laptop and Internet connection!
Ready to give a try for selling on eBay?
1: Choose your marketplace
Choose whether you’d like to go global and use international ebay.com with payments made in USD, or a localized version e.g. ebay.co.uk with payments made in UK pounds. Don’t forget that you’ll have to cover shipping fees as well, so it might be easier to start selling locally at first.
2: Set up your business account
Another step to start selling on eBay is to brainstorm a catchy, easy-toremember business name. Then include your address details, email and contact phone number. Afterward, add your Paypal account to receive payments.
Get verified
Complete eBay ID verification process (less than 5 min) to pass through numerous restrictions imposed on new sellers.
Set up your store page
The competition is tough and you will need to stand out of the crowd if you want your goods to be found and purchased. eBay allows you to sell something as an individual seller or create a personalized store front. Opt for the latter if you have numerous goods to dispatch and plan to get a lot of business done at once.
Optimize product titles
In 80 words you’ll have to explain what exactly are you selling.
Include 1-3 relevant keywords to each product title to make it rank higher in search results. Try to think like a person who is searching for your item would think– says, Mitzi Swisher of Vintage Goodness. For example: You are trying to sell an old Minolta film camera.
Bad title: Working Minolta camera for sale Winning title: Minolta XG-1 35MM SLR Film Camera with 45MM Lens.
Name and model of the camera + keyword 1 (film camera) + keyword 2 (45mm lens).
Writing in capitalized letters also helps to attract users attention. You can play with keywords and change them later on in the title for better performance. For instance, if you are selling jewelry you can add season keywords e.g. Valentine Day Charms or Diamond Christmas Love Lock etc.
Does your item have an unusual feature e.g. rare color? Make sure you mention that in the title too! It will help successfully sell on eBay.
Optimize product descriptions
The best practice is to include at least 200 words description for each item on sale with the most important keywords listed at the beginning and in the end.
Fill out every field of your listing, and make sure your text description gives a LOT of information about the item. Again, imagine you are the buyer planning to spend $200 for a vintage plate set. You would like to know each and every tiny detail about the product before giving away the money.
Style the text with headlines and bold fonts to attract more attention and make sure you list all product specifications e.g. size, material, colors etc.
Choose the right category listing
For an extra fee you can choose to list your product in more than one category.
Add crisp photos
Image can make or break a sale. A blurry, dark photo won’ t help you win any sales. eBay allows to upload up to 12 pictures for free. Include at least 2-4 where your product’s visible from different angles. Edit your photos with free editors like Canva or PicMonkey to make them irresistibly attractive. Lifehacker offers more tips how you can shoot better photos for things you sell online.
Run a quick price research
Type your product keyword to eBay’s search and choose Completed Listings only. Sort the results by “Price + Shipping: Highest First.” And analyze the prices for sold items (marked green) and unsold (red ones). Selling a branded product? Check out the prices on top 5 ecommerce sites selling the same product. You can also grab more information about the item from there to put it into your description and make it look more professional.
Calculate the total price
Don’t forget to include eBay seller’s fees and shipping costs to the total price. Alternatively, you can offer free shipping to selected regions only and add extra shipping fees for sellers based outside your area.
Choose your price model
Here are the two main ways how you can sell something on eBay:
• Fixed Price Model: set your price and wait till the buyer makes the purchase. First to come – first to get.
• Product Auction: determine the minimal starting price for your product, set the action time, and invite buyers to bid. The last bidder offering the highest price gets the product.
Auctions, if tackled correctly, can potentially bring you more income than selling an item for a flat rate. In a moment you will get to know the exact hacks about selling items via auction.
Fixed price model works best when you are selling the same multiple items or would like to dispatch the product the soonest possible.
Clearly outline your terms and conditions, shipping policy, warranty and guaranty
EBay success is based on user reviews. To avoid misunderstandings and negative feedbacks at the first place, clearly list all your policies. You can use existing templates and make sure you break Terms and Conditions into sections and include bulletin points to highlight the most essential information for readers.
Here’s a handy cheat-sheet to help your formatting your texts in HTML.
Develop a listing schedule
If you are running an auction, consider the best time for starting and ending it for each particular product. For instance, jewelry and handmade items sell best before Valentines Day and holidays. In time, you’ll notice the days and times when your products do best and start keeping a listing schedule. Your regular buyers will learn when you post them, and you will start getting better results selling items on eBay.
Double-check everything and press publish button.
Re-read your descriptions once again to avoid any typos or spelling mistakes (editing when the auction already started would be more difficult). Make sure everything looks good and there’s no odd formatting. Share your product on your social media once it’s published as you never know if one of your friends is looking to buy the exact thing you sell.