5 Selling Tools Every eBayer Should Own

Is selling on eBay your hobby? Is it a weekend side income? Do you want it to be a serious business? When I first started selling on eBay, I didn’t want to invest anything in it. After years of no investment, I finally bought these 5 inexpensive tools. Then I viewed it as a true business and my sales dramatically increased. Jump into your new eBay business. What you put it in is how much you will get out of it. Start by making sure you have these must-have eBay selling tools.

Shipping Scale

A shipping scale might be the most important tool for selling on eBay. For years I used a cheap manual scale because I didn’t want to invest any money in eBay. Then USPS changed the way they accept pre-paid packages. Now if your pre-paid package ounce is off even by an ounce, they charge your account connected to your eBay. So I decided to finally buy a scale, and turns out they were cheaper than what I thought. I love the one I bought- it works off battery or plugged in. I have the rose gold edition of this scale.

Camera

I used an iPad 4 to list hundreds of items. My pictures were always dull and slightly blurry. Then I upgraded to the iPad Pro with flash. I went from a 5MP to a 12MP with flash. This was a much needed upgrade that tremendously changed my eBay business. I recommend buying a tablet with a flash (Flash is VERY important). Then you can do all of your listing straight from the eBay app. The iPad Pro’s with flash have gone down in price recently, so now is a great time to buy one. If you aren’t sure about spending that much yet, just use your phone.

Background

The pictures are what sells your items. If you have a clean, professional, or even cute picture, it stands out from other eBay pictures. A background is an important part of your picture. They are pretty cheap, too! If you don’t want to buy a background, use your wood floors and a fur rug. Or use a sheet or blanket. You can pretty much use anything that is plain and cute in your house. You just want to make sure that your item is what stands out in the picture. I bought a white cloth background and pinned it to my wall in my eBay room. I like the cloth backgrounds because it doesn’t have a flashback when I take pictures with flash. If you buy a vinyl background, you may not be able to use flash (flash makes every picture look better).

Mannequin

Using a mannequin in your pictures automatically upgrades your listing to professional. (When I say mannequin, I mean dress forms- realistic mannequins are sometimes creepy.) I have had colorful mannequins and printed mannequins, but my favorite dress form is plain white and black. It’s looks best with pretty much every piece of clothing, even white. You can list clothes without a mannequin- you can use a hanger on your background or design a simple flat lay.

Shipping Envelopes

Polymailers are definitely a must-have. Clothes are my favorite thing to list because I can ship them out First Class ($2.66-$5.45) in a shipping envelope. There are many designs and shapes you can choose from. The best size to go with is 10” x 13”. With this size, you can ship out pretty much everything that’s under 16 ounces. With smaller items you can fold the polymailer to fit whatever size you need it to be.

Final Encouragement

eBay might be a little intimidating at first, but don’t worry. It is so much fun and it works. List items just a little more than what they have been selling for. Keep your inventory organized as you list. Ship items that sell every night. Keep your shipping cost low, this is how you make more. Retake your pictures if your items are not selling. One thing to remember: if you don’t list, you don’t last. The more you list on eBay = the more you sell = the more you make. So don’t give up! Keep listing because eBay works.

What is your favorite eBay selling essential?

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What is your favorite part about selling on eBay?

I was not sponsored or gifted any of these products. Some of the links are affiliated, which means that by purchasing I make a small amount, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting me!