Selling on Ebay
As you probably already know, Ebay is one of the most popular and largest auction sites on the net. It has millions of
customers and can be a great showcase to sell your product or service. But how do you go about doing that?
Well first you will need to get an Ebay account and Paypal account. These two run hand in hand. While Ebay does allow
you to use other methods to get the money from people, check or money order, or even cash, most transactions are done on
Paypal. It's quick, secure and easy to get payments back and forth. You can sign up at Paypal and
Ebay by clicking these links.
Once you have your account setup, what do you sell? Well most people start off by selling what's in their home. My
father made a pretty good living selling baseball cards that started as his hobby.
But like any good business, knowing what you need to know is as important as the item. Researching the item to give a
full description is much better than just a quick blurb. Ping G-15 Titanium Driver with External Sole Weight Pad sounds
a lot more impressive than "A golf club I had in my garage." Just like in real life, you have to sell the sizzle and not
the item. Tell why they need the item, sell it, not just post it. When describing an item, be honest. That honesty will
help you keep returning customers and provide positive feedback. If you say it's a Ping and you send them something else,
you are just going to anger the people and make enemies, not to mention the financial costs.
Researching can have another benefit. Knowing what an item is worth helps to set the lowest price you are willing to take.
Who would have thought an old video game would sell for $32,000? If he had sold it for cheap, then he would have been
out what it was truly worth to collectors.
Another tip is to be reasonable on the shipping. A lot of people offer the item at one penny, but charge $20 shipping on an item that wouldn't
cost $10 to ship to Alaska from Florida. The practice may get you thrown off of Ebay, but even more importantly it will make
people distrust you and your business ethics. Checking with the post office or UPS can give you a pretty good idea of what
the maximum shipping would be.
Some items don't sell very well. It's a fact. If you see fifty of the same items for sale and they aren't selling, there
is a good chance yours won't either. But then the timing may not be right. Sometimes items are better sold after a certain
event than they do at the time you want to post them. For instance, as tragic as Michael Jackson's death was, a lot of
people sold merchandise that probably wouldn't sell for a decent price before.
Catching the eye of someone is also an important marketing scheme. Many people try comedy or strange circumstances
surrounding their item, such as the haunted Kermit. Visitors like to have a bit of a laugh and while not all items are
appropriate for that sort of thing, novelty items or the occassional bubble gum that looks like George Washington can be
fun items to market that way. Some even wind up going viral.
Be aware of Ebay's rules on what can be sold. Items are pulled and accounts suspended for breaking the rules too many
times. They provide an entire list of contraband stuff, including creepy things like body parts, even if they are
William Shatner's kidney stone. :)
For more excellent tips and a complete course in Ebay marketing, check out this great package called
Ebay Inside and OUt
and learn from experts on how to truly win and profit on Ebay.
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