How to clean your items for listing

If you remember 1 thing – let it be to
start simple and test an inconspicuous area first!!

Start with a dry soft, lint free, cloth to remove dust. Try to get rid of grime and dust from all the hard to reach corners. Put a little elbow grease into it and see it you can get it shining.

If it is still dirty, add a little water and see if that helps.

After that, a mild soap solution (like sugar soap) might help. This can be especially effective on timber furniture and for grime in general.

If you still need something stronger, vinegar can be good for helping shine glossy or glass surfaces. Baking soda can also be good on hard surfaces that need a mild abrasive. Use a paste of baking soda to polish up aluminium (make sure you wash all the baking soda off afterwards then polish dry with a cloth).

Have some brasso and a polishing cloth on hand for metal surfaces. Even a corroding metal surface looks much better shiny!

Metho and Eucalyptus oil can be handy for removing texta marks or sticker residue on hard surfaces – but check on an inconspicuous area first as these are very harsh chemicals.

Many plastics and plain glass can come up brilliantly in the dishwasher – though not all types of plastic are designed to cope with this harsh cleaning environment. Things to be especially wary of when using the dishwasher are decals and graphics painted onto the plastic (like on old patterned Tupperware) or painted glass (like a gold decal or stripe on a drinking glass). These are likely to wash off in the dishwasher.

Research your item outside of eBay

The internet and those things called books may help you work out just what it is you are trying to sell and what words describe it to those who want it. Google keywords that describe your item. Or go to the library.

Should you sell your item worldwide?

You may have an item that can be posted and may appeal to people outside Australia.
Check to see if it is worth listing the item internationally by searching worldwide listings (tick the box next to worldwide at the top of the left hand “search options” area.

Generally, most post-able and collectable items should be listed worldwide. Furniture and large items should only be listed locally as it will be very expensive and difficult to deliver overseas. However, your old Mid Century sofa may be so rare and sought after that someone in America will be happy to pay to have it couriered internationally. So if you are unsure, have a quick check of worldwide completed listings.

What should you title your item?

eBay is not like walking into a shop. When you walk into a shop, you can look around at the items for sale and you are reminded of what you want and tempted by things you never thought you wanted.
When it comes to eBay, buyers need to transpose their wants into distinct words and searchable words.
The title and category are the most important parts of your listing as they get people to click on your item and have a closer look.

Search for your item using keywords that describe it. Look over your item for marks, makers, stickers, dates or other details that may help identify it. Try a few different words (eg couch, sofa, lounge) and see which ones seem most popular. Browse the completed listings. Look for things to include in the description too. Read through successful listings for items like yours and note down any aspects that would be suitable to include in your listing.

What category should I list my item in?

While you are researching to see if your item will sell, you should try to work out what category it should go in. This can take a lot of time but we recommend doing it.

When searching for a category, don’t search items available worldwide. Each country’s eBay can have slightly different categories and you might not find the right category.

First use a broad search word to get a list of completed listings similar to yours. Using the ‘narrow your results’ box to the left of the search results page, start to drill down into the categories that people have listed similar items in. If you are lucky, there will only be one category – but there are usually a few.
Start with the category that has the highest number in brackets beside it and see if the items in there are like yours. But check the other categories too. Sometimes it is worth listing the item in two categories.

Another way is to click on “Buy” and “browse Categories” at the very top of almost all eBay pages.
Then drill down to find the category you are after and browse through the whole lot of completed listings. You might just come across a valuable piece of information about your item that will make it very desirable.

Searching Through Completed Listings

When trying to work out if your item will sell (and how much you might get for it), the most useful information can be found by looking at completed listings. You need to be registered with eBay to search for ‘completed listings’. To search completed listings tick the box to the left of ‘completed listings’ in the ‘search options’ box (to the right of your search results page and below ‘narrow your search’). Then click ‘search’ at the bottom of the ‘search options’ box. The prices of completed listings are in red and green.

Green prices indicate the item sold and give you the final price. This will give you an idea of what your item may go for. If there are items exactly like or very similar to yours, have a closer look at the number of bidders. This will give you an idea of how popular your item is. The more bidders, the lower you can make the starting price and the more people this will attract. Please be aware there are no guarantees! There is always the risk of loosing out when starting the bidding at a low price.

Red prices indicate the item didn’t sell. Usually, if the item is similar or the same as yours, and it consistently doesn’t sell then there probably isn’t much point in trying to sell your item.
However, there are many other reasons why the item might not have sold and it is worth checking these out to be sure:

• The starting price was too high.
• The postage was too high. Sometimes sellers charge very high postage – it cuts down on the fees they pay to eBay.
• The item was pick up only and was in a remote location.
• The item was pulled off eBay early.

Will it sell?

Before selling something on eBay, you should research the marketability, saleability and potential value of your item. The main aim is to answer these questions:

1. What category should I list my item in?
2. What keywords should be in the item title?
3. How much might my item sell for and is it worth selling?
4. Is my item really popular (many bidders bidding on similar items)?
5. Should it be listed worldwide or just in Australia?

Great eBay Photos

How to take a great photo:

1. Clean the item. Give it a polish with a dry cloth if it’s shiny.
2. Set the item up on it’s own and on a plain, contrasting and clean background. If you can’t move the item at least clean up around it – don’t photograph your couch with dirty laundry next to it.
3. Take the photo in bright daylight, but out of direct sun. Daylight gives the best colour and clarity but direct sunlight leaves strong shadow lines which the item hard to see.
4. Do not use the flash (also leaves shadow lines).
5. Make sure the photo is in focus. If you are taking photos of small details like labels or blemishes set the camera to a close range setting (usually shown with a flower symbol on your camera).
6. If you are using a digital camera, take a few shots just in case.
7. No need to have the camera on a high resolution. Standard eBay photos are not more than 500 by 500 pixels and less than 50KB.
8. Download to your computer and choose the best photo.
9. Crop the photo the edges of the item, plus a small border.
10. Up the brightness to just a smidge above what looks normal.
11. Up the contrast to just a smidge above what looks normal.
12. Resize the picture to around 500pixels by 500pixels (this will save on uploading time later on).

How many to take? Usually 1 photo is enough. Additional photos should be taken if there is some detail that is much easier shown than explained – such as a makers mark on the base of a ceramic or a scratch on a piece of furniture. It really is a waste of time (and money) to put on multiple photos from slightly different angles.

Original photo.

Photo after editing.