Tips for selling on e-bay??? How To?

yomama · 08-16-2002, 06:25 PM

Hello all

I was wondering if you have any tips for selling on ebay, im new there and im going to do some reading now while i wait to her from you all. By the way, im selling non computer related stuff, mostly appliances tools, ect.

Here are a few questions.

Is it worth paying for the featured position, costs $20.00 US.
Obviously it depends on what you stand to make but in general is it worth it?

How about quantity, if you have access to unlimited quantities, is it smart to post that? Should you mention that you only have say 5 or less to get the bidding going?

How about an e-bay store, is that a good deal. I think there are 2 packages where you can pay only 10.00 and another where it's like 50.00. What do you think?

Thank you very much for your help

sven222 · 08-16-2002, 06:30 PM

Seeing as you are new, you should only sell small stuff to start off with. Say if you start off by selling something huge and expensive, and you have no feedback, buyers will be reluctant to bid. Once you start getting feedback from buyers, then people will begin to trust you, and bid on your larger items.

As for the feature, personally I don't think it is worth it, but if you feel you need to add the fancy stuff, go ahead, $20 is a bit steep though.

I'm no expert on the ebay stores, someone else may be able to answer that.

Redwolf · 08-16-2002, 06:39 PM

Just don't moon the tea kettle while taking a picture of it

yomama · 08-16-2002, 06:48 PM

Thanks so far. Some of the items im going to sell will be well over 100.00. sven22, what price range are you referring to when you mention the trust issue? Would putting the official company web site as a link make you have more trust in the seller?
Thanks

Redwolf · 08-16-2002, 06:50 PM

Maybe. Make sure to have some companies and organization (TrustE, BBB) check you out so you can gain even more trust.

sven222 · 08-16-2002, 06:51 PM

If it was a well established company, with a nice website, then yes, I probably would.
The way you setup the actual selling page is also integral. Don't just type in what you are selling, it doesn't look professional. If you are familiar with the ways of html, you can use that on your page rather than just typing what you want in.
Once you sell your first thing, and recieve positive feedback, you will find people will bid on your items alot more readily.

yomama · 08-16-2002, 07:16 PM

What about accepting payment using the "e-bay payments"? They only charge 0.5% which is waaaay less than any merchant. This service allows the buyer to purchase with a CC through e-bay. One drawback is it looks like you have to let e-bay into your B-account

Knothead · 08-16-2002, 07:24 PM

Yep. Sven makes an excellent point.

When you deal on Ebay, people wanna know if you're reliable, and a person of your word...that's why they have a feedback/rating system, which you have to build up.

Here's a little kicker: While Ebay is essentially free, they stick you for 1% of the value of the thing you DID NOT sell, as well as a % of what you did sell.

So what's likely to happen, if you put up a whole buncha expensive stuff, well, nobody has a rating on you yet... so it won't sell, basically. And you'll have to pay (hey, bandwidth ain't free...) .

So I would second what Sven said.

Oh, and they give you one picture for free, so make it a good one.

Gutter Ball · 08-16-2002, 07:25 PM

PICTURES!!! You gotta have pictures of what you're selling. If I see a looooooong description with no pictures, I move on. I don't use any of the "extras", I don't think they're worth it unless the item is going to sell for over $750. If you have more than one item, you could have a "dutch" auction and list them all at once. An Ebay store is a good idea if you have LOTS of stuff to sell all the time. I would recommend Ebay payments. They provide some buyer/seller protection. I have separate bank accounts and credit cards (with $200 limits) linked to my Ebay/Paypal accounts. I keep those bank accounts with a very small balance.

yomama · 08-16-2002, 07:40 PM

great idea on the bank accounts gutter ball! Just open another and keep the ballance small .. du .. How does e-bay payments work as far as CC theft, do they protect you?

Also, how would you compare the dutch auctions with the regular style, when do you use either one. I have access to distributors so i will always have an almost unlimited supply??? Thats why i asked how many items to actually list.

Thanks so far.