eBay: make your first sale
Do you have unwanted items lying around your house? Have you run out of storage space? Instead of accumulating more and more in your closet, simply sell these items on eBay. eBay is an online auction site where more than 145 million active users buy, sell and trade in 39 markets around the world. Follow these steps listed below and you too can become an eBay guru.
1. Select the items to sell.
Take a walk through your home or storage unit and remove anything you don’t want. Keep in mind that brand name items are much easier to market and therefore sell than generic items. Also, most eBay transactions involve the shipment of a product. As a result, small, lightweight items are the easiest to move. Can you send a weight bench? Sure, but do you really want to?
2. Gather the item details.
To gather item details, look up the manufacturer’s serial numbers and then look them up online. You can often find the item for sale elsewhere. A “copy and paste” function is all you need to get your item listed. For clothing, pay special attention to size, material, and general condition, as this is all required information on the listing page. Often times, taking notes on items and then making a massive list is faster than looking up details as you go through each list.
3. Take pictures.
This is where you will be a winner or a loser! Images are by far the most important part of a list. When taking photos, make sure the item looks its best, that its location has adequate lighting, and that the camera is capable of taking high-quality photos. Remember, if you are going to spend more time during the quoting process, this is the time to do it.
4. List your item.
If you’re a new eBay seller, you may have selling limits on your account. Do not worry! Each individual seller has some kind of limit, even if it doesn’t exceed 250,000 sales per month. Do your best to list each item accurately and do your best to include all the information you would want to see if you were the buyer.
5. Watch him sell.
Start with just a few items listed at a time to ensure you give your customers the best experience possible. Try to answer any questions that may arise in a timely manner and give honest answers. There is nothing worse than losing a sale because of an unanswered question. Remember saying “I don’t know” is better than saying nothing.
6. Earn money and get rid of it.
Fortunately, once your item sells, eBay handles most of the payment collection process. The winning bidder will transfer funds to their PayPal account. Once this happens, you will have a few days to ship your item. You can print a shipping label directly from eBay and then drop off the package at any USPS location.
7. After sale: Follow up
Feedback is like gold on eBay and it really is what separates the pros from the scammers. A few days after the package is delivered, take a second and send a follow-up message asking if the buyer is happy with it. If they were, it’s 100% okay to ask for positive feedback. When doing this, just make sure you have left the buyer feedback.
-Christopher Carter