This is a good step-by-step guide for setting up an auction.
Research closed auctions to get an idea of what you might expect your item to sell for, and to figure out what to set your starting bid at. I normally try to start my auctions a little above what I paid for the items and also add in the fees associated with the auction. That way, I hopefully don't lose money.
Try to write a clear and concise description and title. This will help save you time by cutting down the number of questions from potential bidders. If you do get questions, you should try to answer them promptly.
Auctions with pictures almost always sell for more than those without pictures. You'll eventually want to invest in a digital camera, but for just getting started, you can take pictures with a regular camera. Then get the film developed and either have the photos put on a CD, scan them into your computer yourself if you have a scanner. You should also edit your pictures, to make them look better and load quickly on Ebay. You'll want to crop the picture to focus on the main subject. A smaller photo size will make the picture load quickly. Most people won't wait very long for an auction page to load, so you want to be sure your photo loads quickly, otherwise you'll be missing out on bids. A good free photo editor is IrfanView.
Try to have your auction end in the evening on a weekend, since there's usually more bidders on Ebay during that time. Sunday evenings usually work best for me.
It's usually best to state in the auction what the shipping costs will be. You can just what the package weighs and your zip code in the auction description, and then bidders can figure out the shipping themselves, or you can go to USPS's Postage Calculator to get a shipping estimate. You will need to know the weight of the item, and a zip code it will be shipped to. The USPS usually has better shipping rates on smaller items. It's a good idea to also check the rates at UPS and Fed-Ex if you're shipping something heavy. I like UPS better for heavier items, because they'll pick the package up from your house for no extra charge.
Here's some very helpful USPS shipping calculators that you can use in your auctions:
http://www.mrb411.com/ocsc/instructions.html
http://auctionsupplies.com/calculators/
http://www.geocities.com/nathan_arendt/Software/SHWiz.html
http://www.iship.com/sellit/seller.asp
http://www.zonalyzer.com/
http://www.isdntek.com/shipscript.htm
http://www.geocities.com/pellasax/ratechanges
You should decide what types of payments you will accept, and be sure to include that information in your auction. I take Paypal, C2it, StormPay, PayingFast and Postal Money Orders only. I really like electronic payment services, because they allow me to take credit card payments and receive payments extremely fast. I do not take checks, because my bank charges $29 if it bounces, and I'm not willing to take that risk. As for money orders, I only take the ones purchased from the post office, because I found out that banks treat all others the same as checks and people can put stop payments on them. Also, Postal Money Orders can be cashed at the post office.
Here's a list of payment services you might want to check into:
Paypal |
StormPay |
C2it |
PayingFast |
BidPay |
Western Union |
CCNow |
PaybyCheck
You should ship items out as promptly as you can once your receive the payment. Some people like to ship items out immediately after receiving the payment. I don't like running to the post office every day, especially since I usually have to take my kids along, so I only go about once a week. I state in my auctions that the item will be shipped within 7 days after payment is received, so that bidders know ahead of time that the item may not ship out right away.
You can get free USPS Priority Mail boxes and tape here: Free Priority Mail Supplies.
You can print a free shipping label with free delivery confirmation on Priority Mail by going here.
Here's some Auction E-Books that will also help you make money on Ebay. A lot of this information is absolutely free.
Managing your auctions can sometimes be difficult, especially if you have several running at the same time. Here's some services that may help:
SpareDollar |
Shooting Star |
kAuction |
ManageAuctions |
AuctionTrace.com |
Auction Wizard 2000 |
Auction Watch |
Andale
Save time and trips to the post office by printing your postage at home:
Stamps.com has several great incentives if you sign up with them. I have personally used Endicia, and liked them a lot. I believe both will give you a free trial.
Once you figured out how to sell on Ebay, you may want to get some business cards to pass around and promote your auctions. The site below offers them free. I've ordered from them several times, and there cards are very high quality and professional.
This page was created by DealzGalore. Copyright 2003.