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The
Very Basics of Ebay - Getting Started
So you want to sell stuff
on eBay, but you have two minor problems: you don't
know how and you don't have stuff. Not a problem. Keep
reading for some tips to get you pointed in the right
direction.
Before you begin you’ll need some
basic equipment: Computer, Internet access, digital
camera, and some space to put your stuff. That’s
really all you’ll need to get started. You’ll
also need shipping and packing supplies but that is
addressed later.
Next you’ll need to learn how to
list auctions. Go to the eBay sellers overview: http://pages.ebay.com/education/sellingtips/index.html.
This will be your lifeline. There is a plethora of information
there on everything you always wanted to know and more.
Don’t be overwhelmed; just take it one step at
a time. You’ll see there is information on listings,
on bidding, on photos, on feedback – it’s
all there.
Next you’ll need to figure out
what to sell. Before you zero in on a particular niche
you need some experience and some feedback. Buyers are
generally leery of buying from someone who is brand
new and has a feedback rating of less than 10 evaluations.
While you are getting your feet wet, look around your
own house first. You’d be amazed at what people
buy. You could list outgrown clothing, magazines, candle
holders, CD, books, flannel sheets, recipes, the ugly
old lamp that was Aunt Mildred’s, all those goofy
Christmas gifts sitting in your basement, that old baby
gate with a stain on it. Get the idea? You never know
what someone will want.
Although you need experience, you don’t
want to list something that isn’t likely to sell.
Do your research first before you invest the time in
putting together a listing. An easy method to use is
do a “search” on eBay, then look up COMPLETED
ITEMS, then sort by HIGHEST price. Then you’ll
see if your Tommy Bahama shirt is really worth anything.
Or you’ll see that your old baseball cards had
23 listings and not one of them sold.
Pricing is another challenge. Again,
you’ll need to do your research. See what they’re
going for. Don’t have overly high expectations.
You know how you feel when you go to a garage sale and
you see a pair of jeans for $15 or books for $4 each.
Many people come to eBay to look for a bargain. Consider
how much you have into the item. If you have an item
from around the house, you may consider that something
is better than nothing, so you may be inclined to start
the bidding quite low. If you bought it with the specific
intention to resell, you will, at the very minimum,
want to break even, so take the price you paid for it
and consider other costs, i.e. listing fees, final value
fees (all explained in your lifeline – eBay seller
overview above). People are much more apt to bid if
the bidding starts LOW. Sometimes though, you will have
collectibles that are worth a chunk of money. Don’t
give away that vintage postcard that is worth $56! Do
your homework.
The next big question is how do you
get paid? You determine what you would accept. Online
payments such as PayPal (paypal.com) are very convenient.
You can also decide that you’ll accept money orders
or personal checks. The more options you leave your
buyers, the more likelihood you’ll get more bids.
You also need to decide how you want
to ship your items to the winners. Many sellers use
USPS, others prefer UPS. If you use USPS and ship via
Priority Mail, you can get your envelopes and boxes
free from USPS. If you ship First Class or Parcel Post
or UPS, you’ll have to shop around for deals on
boxes or envelopes and bubble wrap or packing peanuts.
Overwhelmed yet? Yes there is a lot
to learn, but it’s not nuclear science. Just take
it one step at a time. It’s a learning process.
Some yahoo groups (or MSN or AOL, or whatever your preference)
are great sources for support and camaraderie with others
who are doing the same.
So in summary, if you want to just “start
pushing buttons” and learn on your own, YOU CAN
DO IT. If you do better chatting with others, those
resources are available too. Use what is available.
1howto.com
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