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Do
you live in a small town that doesn't have many consumers?
Want to grow your business? Want to collect that hot new
collectable but cannot seem to find it in town? Need to add to
your collection? Want to start a business selling certain
items but not sure how to get started? Use eBay to purchase
your way to success.
Selling on eBay:
1) Create a store - you can easily
rack up fees so be careful how you setup your auctions. If you
have a lot of items to sell, you can create a basic store.
This will cut cost on fees, and will allow your auctions to reach
more eBayers. A store will allow you to have a store inventory
- which will expire after 30 days. You will have to pay for
the store each month but it is only a minimal fee of $14.95.
Creating a store will give you the option of using the "buy it
now" auction format, and you can also take "best
offers" on your item. The auctions created will fall
under the "store inventory" category and will charge a
higher fee once the item is sold. This will save you a lot of
money in the long run - fees can easily rack up on auctions that do
not sell and require you to repost the auction after it is over.
The store inventory will expire but it will automatically re-lists
the auctions for you so you do not have to spend any more time on
it.
2) Creating a store will allow you to
manage your sales auctions too - it will give you a
customizable interface to keep track of your sales, you can assign
items category names, and even keep track of items you shipped out.
You also can put sales on to attract even more buyers.
2) Setting up the auction - eBay
offers a lot of tools when you create an auction that will also
drive up the cost of eBay fees. Some of the tools I use others
I do not because of cost. If you have a five dollar item you
should not host the item on eBay's home page. If you have a
one of a kind item such as a 1963 Corvette - it might make sense to
make that item stand out.
3) Look up your item on eBay before
you create the auction. This will give you a good idea on the
price. You can also search completed items to get an idea what
past items sold for - this search will be displayed after you search
for the item, it is located on the left hand side where you
can check the box "completed listings".
4) Creating your listing - give the
auction a simple title so it will come up in searches. The
easier you make your item to find, the faster you will sell it.
5) Add a picture of your item.
You can easily take a picture of your item or find one on the web.
Manufacture web sites will have pictures of the item and can easily
be added making it easier for buyers to see what they are
purchasing. I always add a Gallery picture which will
show the picture on searches.
6) eBay allows you to use two
categories when selling your item. Although two categories
will give your item more exposure - it will also cost you more to
add the second category. For beginners and small priced items
I would recommend using one category.
7) Choose a category that best suits
the item you are selling. If you have an ink cartridge, list
it under printer supplies instead of truck engine parts. If
you are not sure what category to use, search for the item on eBay
and look at what other sellers are using for their category.
8) Item description - create an
item description that best describes your item. List all the
specs you can, if the item is used or unopened, special payment
instructions, and contact information if you choose. Spice it
up! Use different colors, and put your return policy if you
have one.
9) Now you are ready to add a price.
Put a price on the "buy it now price". This price
should not include shipping and handling cost, this is just the
price you want to sell your item at.
10) Since you have already created
your PayPal account. You can now mark the method of
Payment taken as PayPal. Be aware that PayPal also charges a
small fee when your item sells so you will be charged by eBay and
PayPal. I always mark "Requires Immediate Payment"
so that way I do not have to wait days to receive funds. This
also allows the buyer to purchase the item in a couple of clicks.
11) Shipping - eBay lets you
choose the best method of shipping the item. You can add USPS
priority mail or UPS ground. I always add a couple of methods
so that way the buyer has a couple of options in case they need the
item right away. Make sure to add the shipping weight and
dimensions. This will make sure you are charging the correct
price for shipping. USPS is the cheapest and fastest way to
ship small items. UPS ground is the best way to ship larger
items. You even get discounts if you use PayPal shipping.
That's right print out a label and schedule a pickup using PayPal.
What's nice about that is that the buyer also gets tracking
information, and lets them know when their item has shipped.
12) If you charge sales tax you can
also put in the information for that also. Once this is
completed you should be taking to the next page. This will
give you some options on have Bold text, Border, Highlighted
Item, and Featured Plus. These are all great extras but
you have to pay for them. Keep it simple unless your item is
unique or very expensive. You can easily rack up fees that cut
into the price of the item.
13) Make sure you save your item
and select the time you want to list it. I try to have all my
items listed all at once. You can now wait for it to be
posted. If you have similar items to sell you can use
that same format. When you log into eBay - you can keep track
of all your active listings, what sold and how many people have
viewed your item.
14) If your item doesn't sell right
away - change things up like the title and description (use the
lingo others are using). Search the same item up and see how
competitive price wise you are.
15) Once your item sells, and you ship
it out - you can leave feedback for the buyer. Feedback is
very important; it counts as your seller or buyer reputation.
Feedback also counts for others. You can leave feedback as a
seller and you can leave feedback as a buyer. If the auction
went smooth leave positive feedback. If you had some problems,
try to work it out before you leave negative feedback. I
always wait a couple of days if a dispute comes up. This way I
have time to cool off, and think about things.
16) Create a spreadsheet to track your
sales, shipping cost, and fees. This will help you manage your
inventory, reduce errors such as listing items you have already
sold, and let you know if it is feasible to keep selling on eBay.
Mark items off once they are sold, and add any new items to the
spread sheet that you want to list in the future.
17) Cross promote your store items.
If you have items that relate to each other - create cross
promotions that buyers will see when viewing the auction before and
after its sold.
18) You can use eBay to move
discontinued merchandise that has been sitting around.
19) You can also sell stuff around the
house you do not want anymore. Make sure everyone in the
household is clear you are selling it.
20) You can create your own business
and use eBay to move your inventory.
21) You can even sell stuff for people
and charge them a fee for selling it.
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