Making a Profit on Ebay

When selling on eBay, these few tips could really help you start to get the profits flowing. I decided to keep them brief, because nobody wants to spend an hour reading a list.

1.) Research

Make sure to check out other listings similar to yours for pricing. If you can beat their prices with yours, fantastic. Starting a bid at $.99 is also a great way to get people to notice your listing.

2.) Listing Time

Be concious of when you’re listing your items. If your listing is scheduled to expire at four in the morning on a tuesday, it is much less likely people will be up and competing for your item during the last few minutes then if your listing ends eight o’clock on a Sunday night.

3.) Shipping Prices – Watch Out!

When selling larger items, make sure you take into account the price of the shipping. Although free shipping is a great way to direct traffic to your item, shipping can cost more than expected and you can end up losing money. The easiest way to combat this is with the “Calculated Shipping” option.

4.) Be a Photographer

Listings with well taken photos are much more likely to attract buyers. A desktop lamp can make any desk a good stage for some nice shots. Use online photo editing sites such as Piknic to brighten or sharpen your photos.

5.) Honesty is a Policy

The more honest you are about your listings, the more comfortable people are buying from you. Even if your item is flawed, let people know. If an item is listed as Used and the condition is said to be great but there is not detailed description, it can be thought of as suspicious from the buyer’s point of few. If your item has minor abrasions, is missing parts, etc., let the buyer know and even go as far as taking close up photos of the flaws so they know exactly what they are buying.

6.) Keep Up With Feedback

Feedback is a very important part of eBay, as it lets buyers know how reliable you are. Make sure to always leave those who buy from you feedback, as it is just important to them. If someone forgets to leave you feedback after you are sure your item has been delivered, it doesn’t hurt to send them a friendly message ensuring that their item was shipped safely and that they are satisfied while also requesting they leave you feedback for the transaction.

7.) Communication is Key

Always make sure to keep in contact with your buyers, whether they have purchased your item yet or not. Communication is extremely important to buyers, and if you are known to be very polite and open to answering questions and addressing concerns, you will be much more strongly considered as reputable. Even if there is an issue, good communication can still leave both the buyer and seller satisfied. (EXAMPLE: I sold a pair of Raybans once that I believed to be genuine. They were not American made, and the seller contacted me and told me this. I agreed at once to refund him once he sent the glasses back, the transaction was made without issue, and positive feedback was left for both parties.)

8.) Advertise

Use Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. to your advantage. Let everyone know you have things for sale; you never know who might need what. Twitter’s ability to put the pound sign (#) in front of words to make them appear in searches is very handy. (EXAMPLE: #forsale #onebay brand new Xbox!)

9.) One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure

This cliche speaks for itself. Don’t hold back selling things if you have even the slightest notion someone else might take an interest; you never know what junk you could turn into money.

10.) Be Kind

Although this follows up on the communication section moreso than it is a new topic, being kind is very important. Simply stated, buyers are much more likely to make a purchase from someone who isn’t a jerk.