This is part of a series of blog post that I wrote for my family, friends and anyone who wants to learn how to sell on eBay. For a complete list of the series check out CATEGORIES in the right side bar. You will see “Getting Started on eBay,” 01- What You Need to Get Started through 14 – Common Abbreviations/Acronyms. eBay recently made some changes that will take effect in September and October, I will be updating some of the post to reflect the changes. If you are an experienced eBayer and you see something that needs to be changed, check back in a few days and if it has not been changed please leave a comment. Thanks!

 

 

Set your price – by doing your research (search eBay’s Completed Listings; see the “Do Your Research” section on the “Getting Ready to Sell” page), try to keep your starting price low.  A low starting price encourages the most bidding.  When I research items I often notice items that have a high starting price will not have any bids, but the same items with a low starting price will have many bids and the winning bid will usually pass the high starting price that got no bids.  You pay an insertion fee (listing fee) based on the starting price you set.  (See table below) As of 1/3/07, the starting fee for items listed $1.00 - $9.99 increased $0.05 to $0.40.  Most of my items start at $9.99, but if you want to get a certain amount for an item, you can set a Reserve Price.  You are charged a fee for listing with a Reserve Price, but if the item sells, the fee is refunded.

 

Insertion Fees
Starting or Reserve Price	Books, Music, DVDs & Movies, Video Games*	Other Categories
$0.01 - $0.99**	$0.10	$0.15
$1.00 - $9.99	$0.25	$0.35
$10.00 - $24.99	$0.35	$0.55
$25.00 - $49.99	$1.00	$1.00
$50.00 - $199.99	$2.00	$2.00
$200.00 - $499.99	$3.00	$3.00
$500.00 or more	$4.00	$4.00

 

There are several Auction selling formats – Auction-Like Format, Buy It Now, Fixed Price, Reserve Price, and Best Offer.  We will be discussing Auction-Like style format where the highest bidder wins after so many days.  Auctions can run 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days.  My auctions are usually for 7 days; I did try 10-day auctions when I was selling Jeans; however, you pay an extra fee for a 10-day auction.

 

Using Auction Management Software – allows you to create a sales template, host your photos, and manage your auctions.  Auction management software makes it easy to send end of auction notifications, invoices, a reminder if the bidder does not pay promptly, and a notice of when the item has shipped.  You can also host your photos at photobucket.com or another free photo hosting site to save money.  eBay allows one free photo and charges $0.15 for each additional photo.

 

Okay, let’s get started listing an item.  First, choose how you would like to sell your item by selecting Online Auction, Fixed Price or Ad Format and then click sell your item.

 

What type of item are you selling? Select the best category to help buyers find your item.

 

Step 1 Category (Select Category)– Enter your keyword into the keyword box to let eBay help you find the best category.  When using this box the system will find your best category and when you click Sell in this Category it automatically chooses the major category and sub-category.  There is a fee to list in a Second Category.  I have never listed items in a second category.

 

Step 2 Title & Description - (Describe Your Item)

 

• Item Title - (see the “Item Title” section on the “Getting Ready to Sell” page)
• Item Specifics - (some items will let you pre-fill in specific about the item for example a handbag will let you choose – style, color, material, brand, and condition)
• Item Description - (see the “Item Description” section on the “Getting Ready to Sell” page)

 

Step 3 Pictures & Details – (Enter Pictures and Item Details)

 

• Starting Price - (see the “Set Your Price” section on the “Listing Your Item” page)
• Buy It Now (BIN) - you can add the price for which you wish to sell an item to your listing, when you get a bid the BIN goes away ($0.05-$0.25 fee)
• Duration - auctions can run 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days
• Start Time - when you list an item the listing is created immediately; you can also pay a fee and schedule a listing
• Quantity
• Item Location - Where you are located is determined by your zip code
• Add Pictures - (see the “Photos” section on the “Getting Ready to Sell” page)
• Listing Designer - improve the visual appeal of your listing with a theme and layout($0.10 fee)
• Gallery - provides a photo of your item when someone is searching the listings (Free)
• Page Counter - counts visits to your auction page
• And other options

 

Step 4 Payment & Shipping – (Enter Payment & Shipping)

 

• Payment Methods - Paypal
• Buyer Financing Options
• Ship to Locations - will ship to the US and the following (check all that apply) North and South America, Canada, Mexico, Europe, United Kingdom, Germany, Asia, Australia, Japan

Some people only ship to the US and Canada, I ship Worldwide.

• International Shipping
• Shipping Insurance - some sellers require the buyer to purchase insurance, I only require it on high-priced or fragile items.
• Shipping Discount (discount if the buyer purchases other items from you)
• Shipping & Sales Tax (Flat (same cost to all buyers), Calculated (based on buyer’s address, Freight (over 150lbs)
• Domestic Handling Time

 

Step 5 Review & Submit – Review your listing carefully and then submit.  Occasionally someone will email you if something is incorrect in your listing.  You may be able to revise your listing.  The information you can revise depends on the amount of time left until the auction ends and if you have any bids.  If you have bids and there is less than 12 hours before the auction ends, you will have to end the auction and relist the item.  See eBay’s guidelines for more information.