Ebay Business- Selling Your Stuff

Christopher Matthew Spencer

• Publisher: QuickStudy Reference Guides
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781423237556
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: E-Commerce
• Index: Business

Start selling, boosting your sales and building or extending your business on the world's largest auction and retail marketplace. Clearly and concisely organized in 6 laminated pages, our eBay sales expert and author will guide you every step of the way to ensure you use proven methods of listing, selling, dealing with returns and payments down to options for shipping and packaging items all while keeping an eye on your seller rating through quality transactions. Suggested uses:

• NEW Sellers – learn to sell used products, new products you create or items that you buy and resell for yourself or others
• Experienced Sellers – already using Etsy, Amazon or Craigslist? Know the details so you can add the largest auction and retail marketplace to your list of stores
• Already Selling on eBay – take your selling to the next level by expanding on what you sell and boosting your sales, while knowing the pros and cons of growing your business on eBay

Listing & Selling Your Items

There are multiple ways to list items, including the web form, third-party listing tools, and the application programming interface (API).

• Every item that is offered has a unique item page and eBay item number.
• If the listing is auction-style, there is a bid option available towards the top, and if it was enabled when the item was listed, a Buy It Now feature.
• If the listing is offered at a fixed price, then the Buy It Now and Add to cart buttons are visible.
• The classified ad format provides a means to contact the seller to facilitate a deal off eBay.
• The seller information appears towards the top-right in a box, including the feedback score, the seller’s store (if they have one), a link to see other items from the seller, and icons that permit sharing of the listing.

What Listings Should Contain

• The listing title
• Item condition: Provide the condition with accuracy and integrity. Is the item from a smoke-free home? Are there issues of any kind?
• Select eBay categories will display pull-down menus for size, color, or other item variations. These menus allow you to avoid creating a number of separate listings for an item that has different colors and sizes (e.g., t-shirts and shoes), thus saving on listing fees
• Shipping cost information, such as a shipping calculator or flat rate shipping cost
• Item location
• Ship to locations, such as whether the seller ships cross-border or only in the home country
• Payment options, such as PayPal
• Returns policy
• Details about eBay’s Money Back Guarantee
• Item specifics: Details about the item, such as the style, country of manufacture, color, and brand. Most of these details are optional, but they will help your item sell with greater velocity
• Description: The compelling description of what you are selling
  • A powerful description is critical to selling success
  • Collectible buyers are more likely to read lengthy product descriptions than someone purchasing a commodity item
  • Buyers of aspirational products will react to romantic language
  • Buyers of luxury products are concerned about authenticity and the seller’s integrity
  • Commodity and necessity product purchasers are in a hurry to buy and will not read through lengthy descriptions, so consider using key points
  • Use plain English and avoid using obscure vocabulary, as cross-border trading involves language translation software

Listing Considerations

• Clear and abundant photography sells items, so capture excellent photos with a camera, phone, tablet, or scanner. eBay allows you to post up to 12 images for each item.
  • Every item listing must contain at least one photo.
  • Photograph all sides of the item.
  • Include any tags, maker’s marks, stains, and issues.
  • Props, mannequins, displays, and backgrounds provide interest and appeal.
  • To avoid confusion, do not photograph extraneous items (i.e., if you are not including the object with the shipment, do not include it in the photos).
  • Be sure to photograph everything that will be shipped to the customer.
  • Photos must be at least 500 pixels on the longest size, but larger files are better. Balance image size against upload times based upon the quality and speed of your Internet connection.
  • eBay does not allow borders, advertising watermarks, text, or unrelated artwork on photos.
  • Stock photos may only be used for brand-new products.
• Start selling items by clicking the Sell button located on most pages.
• Create a listing template to save time by populating the selling form fields with preferred
• Listings can be saved as drafts, allowing you to resume the work later.
• Catalog product information is predefined stock item description (and in many cases photos) from eBay’s catalog that is available for many product categories, including cameras, books, DVDs, sporting equipment, and event tickets. Access to this information can be obtained by entering a UPC, ISBN, VIN, or part number.
• The item category is a critical decision when listing.
  • eBay will suggest categories when you enter a relevant set of keywords that you intend to use for your listing title.
  • Up to two different categories may be added to a listing, but selected categories must be correct for the product being offered.
• While fixed price listings can sell at any time, most auction style listings receive a lot of bidding interest towards the end. eBay allows listings to be scheduled in advance for an additional 10 cent fee.
  • 64% of users believe Sunday is the best day to end an auction.
  • 54% think the ideal time is between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Pacific time.
• Shipping methods are complex. To ensure you are offering competitive rates, test the shipping calculator after launching the listing so you understand what your customer sees and will be asked to pay for shipping. Learn more by visiting http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/ship-smart/.
  • Track every single package.
  • Offer buyers a choice of shipping methods (e.g., express, ground, and economy).
  • Take advantage of negotiated discounts by using USPS, FedEx, and UPS from the eBay label printing system.
  • Add enough handling to cover packing materials that are sufficient for safe transport.
  • Consider free shipping as a marketing strategy.
• Offering cross-border shipping options greatly improves sales in many product
• The duration of the listing matters most with auction style listings. Many sellers start their listings on Sunday with 7-day durations, but there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
• Avoid the unnecessary risk of starting auction style listings below your cost basis—not all products will attract multiple bidders.
• A low price does not necessarily increase sales ...

Table of contents

• What You Should Know Before Selling on eBay
• Identifying Items to Sell
• Understanding Selling Formats & Fees
• Determining Value & Viability
• Listing & Selling Your Items
• Communication
• Shipping & Returns
• Features & Policies
• Tactics for Success