We recommend starting with stuff in your own house before ‘investing’ in (buying) things to sell.
See our other posts for where to find stuff to sell on eBay.
Step 2: Register with eBay.
Go to www.ebay.com.au and click on “Register” either in a red rectangle in the middle of the screen or at the very bottom of the page.
Fill out your name, address, phone number and email address in the form.
You do not need to give ebay your Credit Card details to register.
Then pick a User ID. This is the name bidders will see when they look at your auctions or when you bid on items. Best not to include personal details in your user ID – there is no need to tell people your surname or birthday. Your first choice may already be taken so keep trying till you find one you like.
Agree to the conditions at the bottom of the page and you’re in!
Step 3: Register with PayPal.
This is not essential but eBay are making it increasingly difficult to list items without including PayPal as a payment option. See our ‘PayPal’ post for more info on PayPal and eBay.
Simply: the negative is that they charge fees. The positives are that it allows bidders to use their credit card, gives buyers and sellers increased security, and it is the only safe way to receive payment from international bidders. These positives increase the number of people who will consider buying your item - and that’s what it’s all about!
Step 4: Research the marketability of your item.
Use search words and browse categories to look for other items that are similar to yours. Use the ‘narrow your search’ and ‘search options’ on the left hand side of the screen.
The main aim of this step is to answer these questions:
- What category should it go in?
- What keywords should be in the item title?
- How much is my item going to sell for and is it worth selling?
Step 5: Take a photo of your item.
A good photo is essential for a successful listing. See our 'Great eBay Photos’ post for tips on creating a great photo.
Step 6: Start Listing.
Click on ‘Sell’ in the top right corner of http://www.ebay.com.au/ then click ‘Start Selling now’.
eBay starts by getting you to describe the item and helps you find a category. If you completed Step 4, you will already know what category your item goes in (as well as good words to include in your title and how much you might expect to get for it).
Type in a word or 2 to get started and click ‘Start Selling’ in the blue box.
If you skipped Step 4, select a category from the list eBay gives you.
If you successfully completed Step 4, click the ‘select a suitable category’ tab to the left. Select a category, then sub categories until you are at the end.
Click ‘Continue’.
Step 7: Give your item a title.
Put in the words you think buyers will think of when they are looking for your item, Use the keywords you found when researching your item. Use up all the characters and do it efficiently (character count to the right). No need wasting characters on good grammer and punctuation when they could be used for a search word.
Don’t worry too much about the subtitle thing. This allows you to include more words in your title but costs more.
Step 8: Describe your item.
Upload your pictures by clicking ‘add pictures’ and ‘upload’ then going to the ‘basic’ tab because you already have beautifully edited pictures ready to go (don’t you!). No need to ‘select’ any ‘optional picture upgrades’ at this stage – they will cost more money.
We do recommend selecting ‘gallery’ however. This costs an extra 59c. It puts a small version of your picture on the list of search results. People don’t have to click onto your item to see your picture.
In the description:
- Say how good it is!
- Describe the colour and texture, any markings or labels and features.
- Write in the size (measured).
- Describe any damage or wear.
- Include the age of the item (where relevant).
The more information you give, the less reason the buyer has to doubt your item and the more confident they will be to bid.
Be honest – the buyer is relying on your description in place of seeing and touching the item themselves. If the winning bidder disagrees with your description – they will give you bad feedback. If you think you can cope with bad feedback - then why are you taking the time to read this post? We will write a post on feedback soon.
Change the font size etc to make it look eye catching!
Don’t worry about ‘listing designer’.
Click on a ‘visitor counter’ if you want – this will tell you how many people have looked at your listing and its free.
Step 9: Put in a starting price.
We recommend the ‘auction’ listing as opposed to the ‘buy it now’ price. Generally eBay works on the auction process. The idea is to generate bidding on your item and get the highest price someone is willing to pay.
The lower the starting price, the more interest you will get in the item. So start as low as you are willing to accept.
Once you get the hang of what is a sure seller, you can even start items at .99c! But getting a good price on an item started at .99c is by no means guaranteed!
We recommend listing for 7 days, it’s pretty much the standard and is a good length of time to allow for people to come across your item.
Start the listing immediately as scheduling costs more money.
‘Buy it now’ can be used where you will accept a price and are hoping the item will sell quickly.
Step 10: Select payment methods.
Select PayPal if you are listing the item internationally or if you are willing to accept payment by paypal. See our ‘PayPal’ post for more detail on the PayPal process.
We also recommend selecting:
- ‘bank deposit’ - you email your bank account details to the winning bidder at the end of the auction,
- 'money order / bank cheque' - these are the safest forms of money transfer,
- 'personnal cheque' - it is quite acceptable to wait for the cheque to clear before posting the item,
- select ‘other/see description’ if you are offering pick up and payment can be made in person.
The more payment methods you allow – the easier it is for buyers to pay and therefore the more likely they are to bid.
Step 11: Put in a postage rate.
See our post on ‘postage and packing’ for details on how to calculate postage.
Put in the regular domestic postage rate if it is standard.
If postage varies, select ‘Calculated: Cost varies by buyer location’ from the dropdown menu.
If you can put in a postage cost, all the better. This makes it much easier for buyers to be confident in bidding.
If you would like to list your item internationally, select ‘worldwide’ from the dropdown menu in ‘international postage’.
Step 12: Other things you’d like buyers to know.
Don’t worry about ‘buyer requirements’ or ‘returns policy’ at this stage.
In the ‘Additional Checkout Instructions’ section it is good to add details such as:
- International bidders must pay with PayPal.
- Postal insurance is available if requested.
- Other fine print that you think is necessary.
Click Continue and you are nearly there!
Click ‘preview your listing’ part way down the page to see what you have created.
Don’t worry about the ‘make your listing stand out’ stuff – just more cost.
Step 13: List your item!
Double check your fees. They should be about $1.50 to $2.
Click ‘List your Item’ and you are away!
Step 14: Monitor your auction.
Check ‘My eBay’ (top right corner) and your emails regularly throughout the listing period (at least every 2 days). Reply to questions promptly and honestly. Ignore emails from people offering you a price to finish your auction early – this is not in the spirit of eBay and you have no security at all if you close the transaction out of eBay. If your item is so good, why haven’t they put a bid on it? You can also report dodgy emails to eBay.
Step 15: Close the sale!
Email the winning bidder within 48 hours of the auction closing. Let them know your preferred method of payment, your bank account details or you phone number if the item is pick up only. The winning bidder should then get back to you in 3 days. If they don’t, send them a friendly reminder.
Wait to receive payment from the winning bidder. Then pack and post the item as soon as you can.
Step 16: List another item (or 5)!
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