Ebay Selling - Tips & Tricks

My name is Elizabeth and I am a hoarder of material possessions. Okay, I wouldn't go that far but I seriously have acquired a lot of stuff in my 21 years which is now starting to overcrowd my tiny little room. My friends had all suggested that I sell the good stuff on eBay and see if I could make a little money seeing as I'd spent so much on it all in the first place may as well get some of it back. 

When they said to sell it I thought it would be a lot of effort for little to no reward, I also thought it was going to cost me more money then I would be making but I was so wrong! It isn't hard at all, in fact it's probably very similar to running this blog actually, you just need photos and small descriptions to accompany your photos. It also is completely free to do, Ebay does take a small percentage of whatever you sell but it is a very small amount.

So far i've made nearly $500 selling shoes and bags and even some clothes that I've either worn once, or not at all. Some stuff even still had tags on them which is a sign that I buy too much stuff.

Here are 5 tips that I've learnt on selling things on ebay! :

1. Make sure your items are well photographed!

People want to be able to see exactly what they are buying, they don't want to pay for something only to receive something that didn't look anything like the picture. Use natural lighting if you can so they can see the exact colours and if you can't make sure that you say what the colours are in the description. 

For Example...

2. Use they fixed price option!

So far I've sold the most stuff through the fixed price option. Selling things via auction can be time consuming and can also mean that you won't get the price that you want. When you set a fixed price people can send you offers or a price that they are willing to pay based on the price that you've set. Its really handy and much quicker then sending things to auction

3. Be prepared to get to know your post office really well!

My post office workers and I know each other very well. I'm in there every couple of days buying postage boxes and sending things out, its pretty cute actually that they now know me as the eBay girl and get excited when I buy a large postal bag because they can tell I've sold something big! This however is the one downside to this selling process. In order to keep your customers satisfied you need to post things within at least 2 days of receiving their payment, depending on how much you're selling which for my was over 40 items it can mean constant trips to the post office which can become slightly annoying. However it is worth it in the end when you see your Paypal balance increasing as you send things off to new homes!

4. Write clear descriptions!

If you are unable to take clear photos I just use my Iphone and the photos turn out really well!  make sure your descriptions are well worded and very specific. If there is a slight stain or mark on something WRITE THAT. Don't trick people into buying your things it isn't nice! You'll be surprised what people will buy if you set a reasonable price and are honest with them. So a big tip is to use that description to your advantage!

For example the description I wrote for this dress was:

Finders Keepers blush pink and white studded dress. Brand new with tags still attached, never worn. Zip fastening down the back of the dress. Comes to just above the knee. 


5. Get a Paypal Account!

Having a Paypal has made things so much easier. You can just link your payments up to your account which is also much safer then just using your bank details. It also means that you can get insurance on your purchases which in turn makes your buyers feel more secure. Paypal just makes things much smoother and much easier when selling and even buying things on ebay!

I hope this helps you on your selling journeys with ebay!