Sarah Willingham from This Morning's "Save with Sarah" segment had some common-sense advice for selling on eBay.
Selling on eBay
1. REGISTER. To sell on eBay you need to register first. It is easy to set-up an account once you’ve read through this page (it will only take 5-10minutes to go through): http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/seller_account.html
2. WHAT SELLS? We are all sitting on £450 worth of unwanted but highly sellable items. See what's selling right now on http://ebay pulse.ebay.co.uk and get rummaging through draws, lofts, hidden cupboards and garages!
3. RESEARCH. A good website for researching your item is pricingresearchonline.com. It's quite a young site and the value is still given in $$ but the overview is real and still worth looking at.
4. WAYS TO SELL. Click the Sell button at the top of any eBay page, and this will take you to the sell page. ENTER KEYWORDS. A keyword is a word used by search engines to find relevant web pages. Good keywords will help a browser on eBay land on your listing. Select whether you want a quick sell or an advanced sell. I always use the Advanced sell because it gives me more options. Sarah says: Enter KEYWORDS which will add value to your item. Example: Blackberry curve, excellent condition, Smartphone, Mobile, BB messenger.
5. TITLE. Give as much information as you can whilst stating the Brand name, type of product and its condition.
6. CONDITION. It's very important to list the condition of your item honestly. Specify whether the item is either Used or New. Additional condition terms are: BNWT = Brand New with Tags, BNWOT = Brand New without Tags, BN = Brand New, BNIB = Brand New in Box.
7. ITEM SPECIFICS. If you're selling clothing; this is the bit where you enter the size, colour, style and length of the garment.
8. DESCRIBE WHAT YOU ARE SELLING. Sarah says: Treat your description as an advert for your item. Really sell it! And remember to preview your text before submitting it as a listing to check for any typos!
9. VISITOR COUNTER. This counts how many times your listing has been viewed. You can keep this visible or invisible – it is entirely your choice.
Analytics for eBay
Get many more details than page views with HandClicked eBay Analytics.10. PRICING. If your item is brand new sell it at 20% less than retail price. If your item is used slash it to 50%.
11. CHOOSE HOW YOU’D LIKE TO SELL YOUR ITEM. Generally sellers select the online auction tab which automatically appears. Keep your starting price modest, don't be too greedy and don't undersell either.
60% of items sold on eBay are sold at a fixed / buy-it-Now price. Set your starting price. Then click "Change reserve price" and here you enter the amount you want for your item. If you don't set a reserve price on a pricey item you will lose money. Please note that there are fees associated with setting a reserve. To find out more visit: pages.ebay.co.uk/help/buy/reserve-price.html
12. HOW MUCH WILL EBAY CHARGE ME FOR SELLING? The cheapest way to sell is by auction, with a 0.99p reserve price or lower and using the free selling features. This means you only end up paying the final value fee which is a flat 10% across anything. The good news is that eBay offer free listing weekends every few weeks. So when you register for an eBay account look out for free listing days: www2.ebay.com/aw/marketing-uk.shtml
13. DURATION. If you want to end a BID on a Sunday night and capture buyers browsing over the weekend & evenings then it's recommended you start your 7-DAY BID on the SUNDAY before at 20:00. I always prefer a 7-day listing period.
14. POSTAGE. If you price too high buyers will not bite and if too low you'll be out of pocket. I recommend a 5-day dispatch. Under promise and over deliver. Weigh your item on your scales at home, enter the weight on the Royal Mail website, select your packet weight and select next, a list of price finder results will load. Sarah says: If your item is of value make sure you send it special delivery / recorded delivery. Always, always use trackable mail.
15. PAYMENT. PayPal is eBay's preferred method of payment and it is also recognised as Buyers preferred method because it is free for buyers to use and the most secure way to pay. eBay and PayPal provide both buyer and seller protection details so you are covered if something goes wrong providing you follow certain easy steps. It is free to set up a PayPal account, and you pay a small fee each time you receive funds. Learn more: www.paypal.co.uk/uk
16. FEEDBACK. This is SUCH an important part of eBay! Keep an honest, open dialogue with your buyers and be prepared to offer a refund. Manage expectations: "Hi there, Thanks so much for buying the blackberry mobile. I'll send it out tomorrow afternoon."
17. RULES FOR SELLERS. Once a BID closes it is a legally Binding contract. To find out more about your responsibilities as a seller click here: pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/seller-rules-overview.html
18. WHERE DO I GO FOR MORE HELP? The Help Centre is a good one-stop shop for all your general questions.
The Safety Centre is a great source of information if you want advice on selling safely, and if you want advice straight from the horse's mouth, try the Answer Centre where eBay sellers answer your questions.
