Without a doubt, eBay is the leader when it comes to online marketplaces. For many, eBay is the go-to place to get secondhand clothing, furniture, accessories- and more! If it exists in the world, you’re likely to be able to find it on eBay.
It’s for this reason that eBay is such a great tool to use to make money online. When you are fed up with your old clothes, why not get some money for them? It’s simple, and you can put your earnings towards new clothes instead. It’s a win-win situation.
But how exactly should you list things on eBay? What makes an item stand out? What makes an item sell? We are going to explore all of these questions (and more!) in this post so that you get the top selling on eBay tips.
Selling On eBay Tips To Maximise Your Sales
The thing with eBay, is that without insider knowledge, it’s a lot tougher to get your listings seen and sold. There are quite a few different, but simple, strategies to use so that your listings appear in searches, and appeal to your buyers. Luckily, you’ll find out about these strategies in this section.
What is the best way to sell on eBay?
The easiest way to create listings on eBay is through their dedicated app- it’s ten times quicker than listing on the web, and you can quickly snap photos of your items within the app.
In terms of whether to use ‘auction’ or ‘buy it now’ listings, these will really depend on what you are selling. If you are selling a niche product, your best bet is to list the item as a ‘buy it now’ as there are likely to be less competing listings. If you have the right description, the buyer will find your item straight away.
However if you are selling clothing, sometimes you might want to consider using ‘auction’ listings. This is because people will type in search terms like ‘vintage dress size 10,’ and sort the dresses from ‘ending soonest’ so that they can snap up a bargain.
The best thing to do when you are starting out, is to try both auction and buy it now listings, and see which one gives you the best results.
You might also enjoy reading: How To Sell On Gumtree With Success
How can I increase my changes of selling on eBay?
You can increase your chances of selling on eBay by describing your item well, using clear photographs and pricing your item competitively. Read on to find out the exact process of creating a great listing on eBay. If you’re listing is great and well priced, your chances of selling will be increased.
How much does it cost to sell on eBay?
You get 1,000 free listings a month on eBay, after which you will need to pay 35p per new listing. When you list an item as an auction, you have the option to also add a ‘buy it now’ option so that buyers can make a purchase before the auction ends, should they wish to. This costs an additional 35p.
When an item sells on eBay, you will pay 10% of the sale price (including postage and packaging to eBay). This is what eBay calls a ‘final value fee.’ At the end of the month, eBay will invoice you for this cost.
If your buyer pays via PayPal (which most do), PayPal will also charge a fee of 3.4%, plus 20p per transaction. This fee will be paid automatically at the time of the transaction.
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Selling on eBay tips for beginners
So without further ado, let’s dive into the 5 top tips for selling on eBay to help you make your listings stand out, increase your profits, and improve your rating as a seller.
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Do your research
As with most things, a little research goes a long way. You will get the maximum value for an item if you do some research first to see what is currently being sold, and what has already been sold.
Within the eBay app, you can actually view completed listings to see the value that an item sold for, the description, and the photo. For example, I have completed a search here for ‘Le Creuset Honey Pot’ and filtered by both completed and sold listings. You can see exactly what each item sold for, and what the title was like.
Once you know how much someone has been willing to pay for the same (or similar) item, you know how much you can charge for the item that you are trying to sell. This tool is so helpful because it means that you can check that you are not over-pricing or under-pricing your item.
I love seeing what other bloggers have been selling to get some inspiration. Did you know that you can even sell empty bottles and jars?
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Title description is key
A title description should always be very clear, and you should make use of the full character limit. Before writing your title, think about what people are likely to be searching for- eliminate any words like ‘lovely’ or ‘beautiful’ because that’s just not what people will be typing into their search bar.
The things that sell best on eBay, are the things with the right title descriptions and photos. The title should be as descriptive and informative as possible. For example, if you were listing a dress you would put the brand, size, style, colour and pattern to make sure as many people as possible can find your listing through the search bar.
You might also be interested in reading: how to sell on Depop with success
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Clear photos
Clear photos mean that buyers get to know exactly what they are buying. Ideally your photos should be well lit, with a plain background so that the focus is on the item. If you can, put the item on a mannequin or take photos of the item of clothing as you are wearing it so that the buyer can get a good idea of what the garment will look like when worn.
Be sure to use as many photos as you can, and highlight any flaws both in the photos and the description. This is a really important tip, because if you sell something to someone without highlighting flaws to them, you are likely to receive bad feedback and then have the hassle of arranging a refund.
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Timing is everything
When you are listing your item, particularly when you are listing by auction, think about when the auction is going to end. The most successful things selling on eBay will end at the most convenient time for bidders- they sell the best, because the number of people viewing the listing is higher.
Ideally you want your listing to end on a Sunday evening between around 6-9pm as this is when most people will have access to a phone or computer to make a bid. If your listing ends during the night, or during the working day, it’s likely that there won’t be as many people available to be bidding on your item.
Luckily, eBay have a scheduling tool so that you can schedule your listings in advance. This means that if you schedule a 7 day listing to go live at 7pm on a Sunday night, you know it’s going to end at prime time the following week.
It’s also good to consider the time of the month that your listings end- people are more likely to be shopping on payday weekend!
You might also be interested in reading: Make Money From Home In The UK- 21 Ways
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Relist, relist, relist
If at first you don’t succeed, list, list and list again. Sometimes pieces of clothing will hang around forever and then all of a sudden you will have a few people bidding on it weeks after you first listed it. If your item doesn’t sell on the first time round, don’t get disheartened- it only takes a few seconds to relist it and a buyer will soon come along.
Remember- someone’s trash is another’s treasure, there is a buyer for everything! The best things to sell on eBay are those items that are already lying around your house- and it helps if you have already created the listing for them. You may as well carry on relisting if the hard work has already been done.
Find out more about some alternative sites to sell your unwanted items here
Final Selling On eBay Tips To Remember
- Research prices using the ‘completed listings’ function
- Use clear photographs
- Add as much detail as possible to the title
- Time it so that your listings end on a Sunday
- List any flaws
- Keep relisting unsold items
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