Ebay Tips

[deeman11747]

I'm going to be selling for the first time on Ebay soon and I have no clue what to do and what to look out for (other than the Nigerians wanting my electronic items).

Does anyone have any tips for a first time Ebay user?

[aukevin]

Re: Ebay Tips

Here's a post I made to Steve when he had the same question: http://forums.operationsports.com/vB...05&postcount=6

[deeman11747]

Re: Ebay Tips

Here's a post I made to Steve when he had the same question: http://forums.operationsports.com/vB...05&postcount=6

Thanks

[RubenDouglas]

Re: Ebay Tips

look at your paypal and ebay seller options.

go to ebay.. then MY EBAY.. go down to MY ACCOUNT and click on Preferences:

Go to:
Selling Preferences
Buyer requirements
Block buyers who:

• Are registered in countries to which I don't ship
• Have a feedback score of -1 or lower
• Have received 2 Unpaid Item strikes in the last 30 days

thats key... go into paypal too and accept only payments with confirmed addresses.. read the user agreement by heart. know what you have to do to be protected

[dkgojackets]

Re: Ebay Tips

I would advise to not mess with adding any special stuff to your listing (such as bold/highlight). I always add a Buy it Now option (just costs 5 cents or so) since most buyers are willing to pay a couple extra bucks to win right away. If you're dealing with electronic equipment, I would require the buyer to purchase insurance ($1.30 for them). Be very clear with your shipping terms (Only US, registered Paypal only, etc.) Know beforehand how much it will cost to ship so you can list that. Make sure you leave an email address for buyer's to contact you with about the item, and reply as soon as you can to questions. I am always more likely to buy from someone that answers any questions quickly and professionally.

Be sure you do research on your item and see what other similar items are going for. Give as much information as you can in the description. For the title, think of what you would search for if you were in the market for whatever you were selling (include general terms as well so the search catches it).

Don't forget, 99% of ebay deals go through without any problem at all. You should be find.

[Angel_Fan]

Re: Ebay Tips

Dont ship outside US and if it looks to good to be true, you will probably end up getting screwed (read the fine print when buying).

[pk500]

Re: Ebay Tips

I would advise to not mess with adding any special stuff to your listing (such as bold/highlight). I always add a Buy it Now option (just costs 5 cents or so) since most buyers are willing to pay a couple extra bucks to win right away. If you're dealing with electronic equipment, I would require the buyer to purchase insurance ($1.30 for them). Be very clear with your shipping terms (Only US, registered Paypal only, etc.) Know beforehand how much it will cost to ship so you can list that. Make sure you leave an email address for buyer's to contact you with about the item, and reply as soon as you can to questions. I am always more likely to buy from someone that answers any questions quickly and professionally.

Be sure you do research on your item and see what other similar items are going for. Give as much information as you can in the description. For the title, think of what you would search for if you were in the market for whatever you were selling (include general terms as well so the search catches it).

Don't forget, 99% of ebay deals go through without any problem at all. You should be find.

This is excellent advice.

And remember the most important piece of eBay advice EVER if you're the seller: NEVER SHIP UNTIL YOU RECEIVE PAYMENT.

Don't accept personal checks or bank money orders, either. Checks can bounce, and anyone with a good computer can print fake money orders. Postal money orders are cool, but I stopped accepting anything but PayPal about two years ago and have been fine.

Good luck!

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

Re: Ebay Tips

Dont ship outside US

Couldn't disagree more on this. If you're selling something that is scarce overseas, such as games that didn't have PAL releases to European modders, then you'll make a lot more money if you open your auction to international bidders.

Just make sure you include in your listing that buyers must pay in U.S. funds, and PayPal is the safest way to go with international bidders. Also let the international bidders know that shipping could be damn expensive, depending on the weight and size of the item.

I've sold stuff to Canada and Europe with no problems. Just be smart.

Take care,
PK

[chippered]

Re: Ebay Tips

Sell on Sundays, more traffic.

[pk500]

Re: Ebay Tips

Sell on Sundays, more traffic.

Very good point. I also try to have my auctions end around 10 p.m. Eastern. That way you have the entire 9-to-5 world in the U.S. at home in front of their computers. The East Coasters are still up, the West Coast is home from work.

It all adds up to more bidding wars right near the end of your auction. Yeah, some people do eBay from work, but a lot of businesses are cracking down on that.

If you're selling something that is popular in Europe, factor in the time change. I sell a lot of Formula One motorsports memorabilia, so I make sure those end around 3 p.m. (ET), which is 8 to 10 p.m. throughout Europe. Prime time, baby!

Take care,
PK

[bkfount]

Re: Ebay Tips

Rule #1..

always require tracking confirmation. I add it to the cost of my shipping everytime. I'm not going to get ripped off by some idiot claiming he never received it.