How to Start Selling on eBay in 12 Easy Steps

Are you looking for a way to make some extra cash? Maybe you want to start an online business and you are searching for ideas? If you are trying to make a few bucks or make it a business, this is where you start. Here is a step by step simple and easy guide to start selling on eBay. 

• 12 steps to start selling on eBay
• How to take pictures that make the sale
• Find out if Buy It Now or Auction Style sells better
• What you should start selling

ONE | Start from the Beginning

Selling on eBay is the lowest cost business you can start. It doesn’t cost anything until you start selling. ($0.35 to list each item (but you get 50 FREE listings each month!) + 10% eBay fees) The very first step to sell online is to open an eBay and PayPal account. Both eBay and PayPal accounts are both free to open. Open an eBay and PayPal personal account. (You don’t need the business accounts.) PayPal charges 2.9% + $0.30 per sale. You no longer need PayPal to sell on eBay, you can use you bank account. I like using PayPal because it’s so easy and safe. Then as you get paid or at the end of the month, just transfer the funds to your bank account. 

TWO | What will you sell?

Start gathering things around your house to sell. Clean out your closet, drawers, kitchen, living room, anywhere you can. About 10 items is a good start. Don’t buy anything you resell just yet. The key when you are starting is to keep your investments low. You can literally sell anything and everything on eBay- from parts for old vacuum cleaners to used clothes from the 80’s. Walk around your house and put everything you want to sell in a laundry basket. 

THREE | Research

Now get a pad of paper and pen. Make a list of every item you found. Then research everything you have. How to do research: Type in your item in the search bar on eBay. Then go to “Filter” and then to “Completed Listings”. That is where you find out how much your item is selling for. Write down the average selling price for your item that have sold recently.

FOUR | Picture Time

Take GOOD pictures. Pictures are key. Buy a white poster board or use a white fluffy rug with a plant. Professional pictures are preferred by eBay (a plain white background), but flatlays are really popular right now. If you decide to go with cute flatlays instead just a white background, look up ideas. What pictures are trending right now? I edit my first picture using the vivid filter on my iPad. I only edit the first picture so I stay true to the color of the item I’m selling. You get 12 free pictures on eBay, so use them! Take multiple pictures of every detail. Pictures are what makes the sale, so take good pictures! 

FIVE | List to Last

It’s time to list an item. (I definitely recommend downloading the eBay app on your phone or tablet and listing that way, but if you’re using the website that’s okay too!) Go to My Selling > List An Item > Item Description. Don’t skip out on taking the time to add important information to your listing.

SIX | Title

Writing a great title is important. This is the way buyers find your listing. You have 80 characters to use, and you want to use them all (without adding random words). Think about how the buyer is searching for that item. Are you selling an iPad? The buyer is probably not searching for “Black tablet”, they are searching for “Black Apple iPad Pro”. Add as many details as you can. 

BAD TITLE: Cute blue shirt with lace

GOOD TITLE: FOREVER 21 Blue Long Sleeve Lace Shirt Top Blouse / Women’s Size Small S

SEVEN | Category

Put your item in the right category. If your item may go in multiple categories, do a quick search on eBay for what you are selling and see what category they are selling in. If you don’t put your item in the right category, you are missing sales. eBay automatically sets the category, so make sure it’s correct.

EIGHT | Pricing

You did your research in step three. What is the average price selling for? When you have great pictures and a great description, you can set your set a little higher than the average selling price. When you buy items to resell, you will want to calculate the price to make sure you are making the right amount of profit.

NINE | Buy it now or Auction?

I have found that doing a mixture of both work the best. Everyone has different ways of shopping on eBay. Some like to bid on auctions to try and get a good deal, some like to buy the item now so they don’t have to wait. I often put my older listings on auctions. (If I have a shirt at a buy it now for $8.99 with free shipping, I will do a $4.99 auction with $4 shipping.) Try changing up your listings every time you relist them. This way you learn what you prefer. People bid on auctions so sometimes your item will sell for way more than what you thought and other times your item sells for how much you start your listing. A lot of people start their auction style listings at $0.99, but I don’t recommend it because it might sell for $0.99.

TEN | Description

Have a description template written. (Find some description ideas here!) I save my description template in my notes on my iPad, then I copy and paste. In your description you want your policies and item details. Be very descriptive and add any flaw your item has. When you add even minor flaws, the buyer trusts you as a seller more. 

ELEVEN | Store it 

This is also an important part in selling anything on eBay. The last thing you want to do is message the buyer and tell them you lost the item. So keep track of your items for sale. Fold it nicely and put it in a drawer, bin, or a safe place. I recommend buying this bin and put everything you have listed in it. Once you have many items listed, you will want several labeled bins. Over time you will find what works best for you. Right now I wrap all my items in tissue paper, add my business card, and put it in a shipping envelope. Then I label the envelope by bin and item number. This isn’t really necessary if you have few items listed. The goal when something sells is to find it fast and it not be snagged. I also add everything I list on a spreadsheet. Read more about how I organize my inventory on spreadsheets here.

TWELVE | Cha-Ching!

Yay! Your first item sold! Now to ship it. You definitely will want to buy shipping envelopes and order free boxes. It is very important to add something with each item that sells. It can be a short “thank you for your purchase” note, a “please shop again!” business card, or just the packing slip. It’s so easy to buy a shipping label and print it from the eBay app. Tape it on and take it up to the Post Office! 

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.

Are you thinking about selling on eBay?

What have you found works best for you?

Let everyone know by commenting below!

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