{Guest Blogger}: 7 Strategies to Help You Successfully Sell Your Items On eBay

I have been selling on eBay for about 5 years. In that time I have learned many lessons on what it takes to successfully sell on eBay. One of the biggest myths that I have come across is that selling on eBay is easy money. Anyone can do it. Well, I can tell you anyone can list an item on eBay.  Sure, it is not rocket science. However, listing an item and successfully listing an item that sells for a high dollar amount are two totally different things.

There is the potential to make some nice extra cash when selling on eBay… if done correctly. But, if not done correctly, there is the potential to sell your things for a lot less than you want or worse yet lose money.  I tell people to think of selling on eBay like starting a new job. You will be much more successful if you start out knowing what you are doing.

Here are some basic strategies that you can use if you decide to sell some of your items on eBay:

Research the item you want to sell. I cannot stress this enough! Before you do any other strategy you must research what the item has sold for within the last couple weeks. By finding out this information you will have an idea of what your item is worth in the eBay market. Then you can price your item accordingly. Also, by doing your research you will find out how many other items like yours are listed. If you see that there are 30 of your same item listed you may want to wait a little bit before you list yours. Or you can list it at a lower price.

You can research all of this information by going here- http://shop.ebay.com/ebayadvsearch/

Make the time to take amazing pictures. Having a clear nice picture will do wonders for your items. First, you need to make sure your items look good. For example, if you are selling clothing then take the time to get all the wrinkles out. If you are selling toys then clean them up. Second, use a solid background if possible. I have a black and a white trifold that I use when I am taking pictures of my kids clothes. Lastly, use a photo editing program to spruce it up. Crop out any unnecessary background images, add a watermark, and you can even add a nice border. Make it look professional. There are many free programs you can use. One that I use is www.photobucket.com. You can host and edit your pictures there.

Give an accurate description. Next to the picture your description is the only thing a buyer has to go on when deciding to purchase from you. It needs to be concise and clear. You want to give enough information so people are not emailing with a ton of questions but not so long that they don’t even bother reading it. And most importantly describe your item as it is not what you want it to be. If it has flaws list it. It may help to have someone else look it over if you are not sure. Nothing is worse than selling an item thinking all is great then having the buyer contact you saying there was a stain or it was broken. So triple check everything before you list

Finding the Best Time/Day/Format to List Items. One of the most popular questions I get and read on forums is when and how should I list my items. And everyone has different opinions. I can only tell you what has worked for me. I hardly ever list auctions. I personally don’t think they are worth it because I never get the amount I want and I am always filled with anxiety hoping and praying the bids will go up. So for me I list everything in my store or the fixed price 30 day listing. Then I don’t have to worry about times and days. Also I can always add a best offer onto it. The only time I use the auction format is when I don’t care how much I sell it for and I just want to get rid of it. Now some people swear by auctions. And I know some sellers that only use the .99 no reserve auction. But I think that is risky. If you are unsure of what format to use I just say try a little of everything and see what works for you.

Get a postage scale. Save yourself a lot of money and headaches by investing $20 in a postage scale. Even if you only sell once in awhile. That way you can accurately calculate shipping costs. If you try to calculate shipping in your head more than likely you are going to undercharge or overcharge your buyer. Which in the end will hurt you because if you undercharge them then you will be paying out of pocket for it and if you over charge you will most likely have an unhappy buyer on your hands which can lead to negative feedback.

Properly package your items and ship it out in a timely manner. Selling does not end after the bidding stops or the buyer purchases an item from you. Now you need to pack it up and ship it out. Use the appropriate shipping supplies for the items you are selling. And if you say in your listing that you ship within 48hrs then actually do that. In my experience, buyers are very sensitive to shipping times. They want their items and they want them fast. I have seen many sellers get negative feedback because of slow shipping times.

Provide excellent customer service. If you don’t sell on eBay on a regular basis you may not take this part seriously. But that can really hurt your sales in the long run. If your buyers feel they are getting poor customer service more than likely they will leave you a negative feedback. And the more negative feedbacks you get the more likely buyers will not purchase from you. Ebayers take the feedback system very seriously.

I hope these basic strategies help as you begin to list your items on eBay. eBay is a great tool to unload stuff throughout your house that you no longer want and make some extra cash while you are at it. But as I said if you don’t implement some basic strategies you could potentially waste a lot of time and money. Good luck with your selling endevours. Happy Ebaying!

{here’s a “secret” from Carrie… in the fall I purchased a pair of pink Robeez leather boots on eBay for Noodle for about about $5 plus shipping.  They retail for seven times that amount.  I have never gotten as many compliments about an item of clothing in my life!  We racked up at least a compliment a day from total strangers when she wore these boots.  For $5.  Ebay is a GREAT way to get name brand clothing for a song!  Be sure to stop by Tammy’s blog, This Mama Works It, for more great ideas and eBay tips.}