Do you have unwanted items lying around your house that you want to get rid of? Do you like the idea of making money by getting rid of them instead? If so, selling on eBay could be an excellent solution for you. Selling on eBay can make you some extra cash if done correctly and can even become a full-time job if you make enough sales or sign up with one of their many selling platforms. Regardless of how much time you invest in selling on eBay, it can be fun, empowering, and profitable if done correctly. Here’s how to sell on eBay for beginners step by step!
eBay Register for a personal or business account
If you are just looking to sell a few things online, it’s easy. Just create an account and you can get started right away. If you plan on selling several items, it’s best to register for a business account; these types of accounts have features that make it easier for sellers with multiple listings.
How to Sell on eBay
This is a simple four-step process. Determine what you want to sell and how much you want to make from each sale. Create an attractive listing, including photos of your item (or items). Upload your item(s) and then wait for buyers to start bidding. Make sure you know how much it will cost to ship your items and when payment will be due, so you don’t end up having unhappy customers or negative feedback from failed shipments. Take good care of your customers and they’ll take good care of you—which means more sales in the future!
Sell on eBay Step by Step
Product Research
Before you start selling, do your research. Figure out what items will sell best in your area and what is already selling well locally. While it’s important to get a sense of your competition, don’t just stop there—take a look at how other sellers are marketing their products as well as how much they’re charging. Your idea could be great, but if you can’t convince people it’s worth their money, it won’t go anywhere.
What Are The Best Dropshipping Niches for eBay?
Although eBay doesn’t offer a ton of high-volume and high-margin products, there are certain niches that you can use effectively. If you know how to sell on eBay for beginners step by step, it’s possible to make good money without having a huge volume of sales. Although drop shipping may sound intimidating at first, starting with small niche sites can be one of your best ways to learn how dropshipping works and what it takes to be successful with it. Because dropshipping is so highly focused on Pinterest marketing, selling food and beverage items (i.e., cooking/baking goods) or pet supplies is ideal as these are very easy items to visualize.
Which Dropshipping Products Should I Avoid?
Too many sellers get into dropshipping because it seems like an easy way to make money. They find a product they can drop ship, purchase some inventory, and call it a day. But here’s what happens: After receiving returns or not being able to sell enough of their products they begin to lose money with each sale they make—which defeats. Instead of learning which products are best suited for dropshipping, you could end up drowning in unsold inventory before you even realize your mistake. To avoid that fate, ask yourself these questions when considering whether or not an item is worth selling as a dropship product
Choose Your Account Type
Once you’ve decided you want to sell on eBay, it’s time to choose your account type. A good rule of thumb is that if you think you’ll be listing a large number of new items every month, go with an individual seller account. Individual sellers get some perks that business sellers don’t (like PayPal payment processing and free returns), but they also pay higher fees. If your business model is less reliant on frequent listings and more about making fewer sales at higher margins, then a business seller account could be your best bet. It’s less expensive than an individual seller account, but there are still plenty of fees associated with selling on eBay in any form.
Promoting Your Listings
So you’ve set up your account and listed a few items. Now what? How do you make sure that potential buyers see your listings? With several hundred million listings on eBay alone, it can be hard to stand out from all of those other sellers. It’s important to promote your listings, but don’t spam others. Instead, try leaving positive feedback for other sellers and add them as friends; they’ll likely return in kind. Also, ask customers if they know anyone else who might be interested in your item—and then encourage them to share it with them via social media or email.
Creating Listings that Sell
When you’re new to selling on eBay, you must write very detailed and descriptive listings. Include as many photos as possible and use bold, block text to highlight important information. Avoid acronyms, jargon, or language your customers might not understand. It can be tempting to overstate your product to make it sound better than it is; in some cases, you might even think your product is too good and need a reality check. If you’re confused about whether or not you should put best before a description (best investment, best friend, etc.), don’t do it! Remember: honesty is always the best policy.
Set up shipping options
Setting up shipping options is one of the first things you’ll want to do when you’re getting ready to start selling. You can choose from Flat Rate, Regional Rate, and Calculated Shipping. Keep in mind that calculated shipping is generally most beneficial if you have a variety of different-sized products. If your items are mostly all similar, then flat rate or regional rate are the best options for your eCommerce business. For example, many people who sell clothing online use flat rates as it’s easier to calculate shipping rates based on weight. Also, make sure you know how much weight will cost you: some sellers find out too late that they don’t ship enough stuff to justify a more expensive ground option. To keep your costs down while still offering free or cheap shipping, consider offering free shipping with purchases over a certain amount—$50 is often a good benchmark here. This way customers get free shipping but only need to spend about $15 more than what it would have cost them otherwise.
Pick a Reputable Seller Platform
If you want to sell merchandise online, you’ll need a reputable seller platform (or at least an account) from a reputable company. Two of the most widely used platforms are Amazon and eBay. Not only do these services provide their sellers with access to potential customers, but they also make it easy for sellers to create listings and manage orders without any additional expense or hassle. If you plan on selling your items online, it’s worth investing in one of these platforms—even if it’s just as a test run. More than likely, using one will help you get valuable feedback about what does (and doesn’t) work when trying to sell something online before taking things too far down that road.
Get Rid of Clutter
For many people, clutter is a hard habit to break. When you’re trying to sell something, it’s all too easy to hold onto it until someone forces your hand. But your goal should be to get rid of your clutter as soon as possible. If you have multiple copies of an item or don’t know if it’s worth anything at all, donate items instead of selling them. When you do decide how much an item is worth and that a sale is in order, list it using specific keywords and product descriptions; relevant information will make your listing pop up in front of more potential buyers. Make sure that your photos look great—after all, if no one buys from you, why not just donate what you have left?
Feedback
If you’re selling on eBay, you need feedback. Once a buyer purchases an item from you, they have 3 days to leave you feedback – both positive and negative. To increase your chances of receiving positive feedback, make sure that your communications with buyers are prompt and courteous; package items securely; and ship items promptly (try using a delivery confirmation). After all, customer service is key! If a buyer leaves negative or neutral feedback (or if they don’t leave any at all), address their concerns promptly. You can also offer additional services, such as free returns or faster shipping options. Try to use every communication with a buyer as an opportunity to impress them and win them over!
Communicate Clearly and Promptly
When selling items online, it’s important to communicate clearly and promptly with your customers. When buyers ask questions about shipping costs or when an item will arrive, answer quickly and politely. Don’t forget that it might take you a few days (or longer) to ship an item—don’t leave customers waiting without any information. And don’t be afraid of direct communication; if you know an item won’t arrive before Christmas, tell buyers so they can find something else in time. Prompt communication is a great way to build trust and reputation online—and it will help you establish yourself as a trustworthy seller who knows how to get things done.
Final Checkout Steps
Once you’ve built your product and settled on a price, it’s time to decide how you’ll get it from point A (your garage or storage space) to point B (the customer’s home). Your shipping options can be broken down into two categories: fixed-rate services and variable-rate services. Fixed-rate services include FedEx Ground and USPS Priority Mail. If you’re not in a rush, these are great options since they are both affordable and reliable. If you do have a deadline, however, you might want to consider using other providers that offer discounts or flash sales. These can save money while also getting your package delivered as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Selling on eBay is a great way to get rid of some unwanted stuff while making a bit of extra cash. You can sell practically anything, but if you want to sell your items quickly and attract buyers, focus on things people want. Your item has only 30 seconds to capture potential customers’ attention—make it count! Follow these tips and sell like a pro in no time.