Ebay Selling Tips

People will buy anything on ebay. This bold statement means of course that you can sell anything (as long as it within the Ebay selling policy that is). It doesn't seem to matter what it was that you've been given (lumbered with!), follow these simple guidelines and and you'll soon be exchanging it for cash.

For for many of the Ebay Sellers around the world it is much more than the novelty it started out as. It has become an steady income, sometimes even a livelihood. They have learnt how to manipulate the marketplace and its occupants to get the best price for the items they are selling.

For the buyers its often a hobby or a way to pass some time. To some its even an addiction. Buying things they wouldn't have looked twice at in a store for an amount that they would have laughed at had you told they in advance. Its all down to the auction. If you've ever been involved in one you'll know how easy it is to get caught up in the winning, and loose sight of how much you should pay.

So if you just want to get the best price for some tickets you don't need or your serious about making some real money selling on Ebay, take some time to read through the selling tips below and you'll be able to sit back and watch the item turn into cash before your eyes.

Check out the competition.

Before you try and sell anything have a look at other items already listed similar to yours. Ebay allows you to search effectively so take advantage of it! Try searching using the 'Title only' option as this will cut down on unwanted results.

From your results you can now see what items have been sold and for how much. Select 'Completed Items' and sort them by price. You can ignore the items that didn't sell. You can learn nothing from them. Select the highest selling items and look at how the seller talked about them. Did they have any extra features, details or photos that flattered the item?

Look at a few listings, maybe even compare them with listings that didn't reach such a good price and you'll soon get an idea of what buyers in the area are looking for and what they are willing to pay the best price for.Setting your price.

The price is right!

The first thing you need to do set your "Buy it now" price. This enables anyone who is particularly keen or just sure they want what your selling to do just as it suggests. If you've done your homework and are confident you've got the right price in mind for your item the "Buy it now" option is an excellent way to speed up the process. Be aware that if your item is in demand you should not be afraid to add a few dollars on to this price. The process above will help you determine this. Like wise, if there are many items like yours listed on Ebay already then knock a few dollars off.

Next you need to set what the opening bid should be. This should be far lower than your "Buy it now" price. In fact, the lower you set this, the encouraging it is to potential bidder. Getting bidders hooked into the "chase" for the item earlier will raise the "value" of the item in bidders minds. "If all these people are bidding for it it must be good!"

The use of the "Reserve Price"

Many people are of the opinion that setting a reserve is a bad idea. That it scares bidders off be making the item seem more expensive from the outset and it does smack a bit of not being confident of your item fetching a decent price.

Also, Ebay bidders start out with the intention of getting a bargain. If you've set a minimum price from the start this may put them off completely. However, there is one situation where setting the reserve price on your Ebay listing can be a very good idea. When the item your selling will appeal to a select few only (such as an unusual collectable).

In this situation the number of target bidders may be very small. Setting a reserve prevents a cheeky bidder putting in a low offer knowing for-well that the chances of them being "out bided" are small. A warning though, you need to be very confident that the item you are listing is worth what your asking and if your item is that rare maybe Ebay isn't the best place to sell.

Literature is just as important as Math

Your ultimate success as an Ebay seller could be ruined from the outset by bad spelling or grammar. If buyers can't find your items how are they going to buy them! Ebay searches are primarily carried out using a word search of the titles of auctions. Not many people use the category selection process to find what they are looking for.

The bottom line is make sure your listings are concise. Use only "keywords" that are descriptive and you believe bidders would be using to find your product. You only have 45 characters to play with so don't fill the title with unnecessary "word clutter". Trying to catch peoples eye using words such "LOOK!!" or "FANTASTIC OFFER!!!" is shooting yourself in the foot. To start with potential bidders are 'looking' for a 'fantastic offer' already so putting such words in your description is irritating as it actually makes it harder for the searcher to scan through listings. This method also stands your listing in a very unprofessional light often puts off potential bidders.

With this in mind, if your item is over the $30 dollar mark it may be worth paying the extra 50 cents Ebay charges for a "Subtitle". The words within subtitles are not counted in the most common "title only" search but they are displayed in both search results and category listings. If do feel your item has some extra qualities that you can't fit in the 'title' this is a far more effective way of drawing extra attention to your item in a much more professional nature. Spelling the words in your listing correctly is also obviously essential.

Plane Jane over Glitzy Gal.

A common trap many Ebay sellers fall into is the overwhelming temptation to try and "jazz up" your listing. Bright colors and bigger fonts are typical mistakes to make. Worse still are some sellers how employ HTML editors to rearrange the order of information of their listings. This is a mistake.

Imagine your are a buyer, even one new to Ebay. You have searched and have a list of similar items you wish to look at. Now imagine that each one has a different font size, color, wall paper behind the text and even has the vital information in diferent areas of the page. Some put postage at the top, some in the middle and some at the bottom. By doing so these listings are actually "cluttering" the page and confusing / frustrating potential bidders. The information becomes de-valued. It can also add to the amount of "hassle" you receive in the form of questions regarding information that bidders couldn't find in your listing.

Now imagine if all the listings you found had the information in the same place. You would not only find it quicker but it would be easier to compare listings. Keeping you Ebay listing page free from too mush "modification" is to your and your potential customers benifit. The easier you make it for details to be found the less hassle you will receive. This in turn will convert into more bids, better feed back and a more professional Ebay seller appearance.

Getting your Dollars!

Make it easy. Just look at all the big internet shopping sites. They make it as simple as possible to purchase their goods. While Ebay has its limits and you will not be able to make a one click purchase system for your listing, the easier you make payment the more likely your are to get it.
Ebay has a close relationship with payment merchant PayPal. This should be taken advantage of. Although they do take around 3% of the sellers transaction the ease of purchase which PayPal allows to in valuable. Some bidders even feel more confident when the seller has the PayPal logo on their listing as they feel it makes them a more serious seller. PayPal allows its members to send money to any other PayPal member simply using their email address and you will find most Ebay bidders and sellers have accounts.

Picture Perfect.

Not having a picture of the item your selling on Ebay is a real no no. It generates suspicion of item immediately. Is it damaged, what it says it is or worse still - does the item exist at. Several good photos of your item can answer each of these worries in an instant. In fact, if done correctly, several good shots of your item from different angles will have the bids rolling in. Take the extra couple of minutes to take some good photos and you will reap the rewards. Blurry or badly lit shots are almost as bad as having no photo at all for the same reasons mentioned above. Take your photos during the day if you can. The natural daylight is much more flattering than the lamp from your office and if you can, make the background as plain as possible. Hanging a white sheet up behind to make the item the sole focus of attention, not the curtains you've had since 1984. Taking the shots during the day in this fashion will also make the whole process easier by reducing glare and prevent odd coloring. If you can, use a digital camera. Grainy shots from a web-cam do not present your Ebay item in its best light.

Talk Ebay.

Most of the negative feedback you will find on Ebay sellers feedback pages is due to lack of communication. Ebay has a very reliable "contact member form" which you should take advantage of. Any messages or questions about items made through this system you will have a record of within your Ebay account. Emails to personal accounts do not share this guarantee. The bidder your emailing may not have received the email you sent because his service provider is having problems or caught your email in its anti-spam filter but you won't know. Using the Ebay message system will avoid this cross communication and any negative feedback it might lead to. Of course, in your item description is clear, comprehensive and concise if the first place, the amount of enquiries you receive about it will be greatly reduced.