Starting selling on eBay - any tips?

C

Caveat

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I might as well. It struck me that we have a good load of stuff that we have no need for from clothes to CDs to furniture.

I already have an account which I opened a good while ago - just to have, but never used it. I'm sure the process is easy enough and I'm sure Ebay will advise but does anyone have any tips or advice? Anything to avoid doing?
 
The best advice I can give you is to get out a weighing scales and weigh each and every item. Then match this up to the postal office's guidelines as size and weight matter. They have a breakdown of costs for everything from local postings to international. I once sold a bag on eBay only to find myself out of pocket for the sale as it cost far more to ship than I imagined!
 
Thanks yeah - I had considered that. With this in mind is it a good idea to restrict selling to Ireland only or will that exclude too many?
 
It depends on your time really - i personally had no problem shipping worldwide but its time consuming. NEVER post something until payment is received either as this covers the shipping cost. Best thing to do is to restrict larger items to Ireland and the UK perhaps to make your item more appealing - no-one will buy an item for 20 euros and have to pay 80 to ship it!!

Other than that, detail your ads as much as possible. 1 picture is free, so get one really good picture to post and hopefully thats all you need. Be reasonable with your selling prices too.

Hope it helps!
 
Delete any contact someone makes about shipping the item to Africa.

You will gets loads , they will be scam.
 
There's a few Irish based websites that may be worth considering before ebay. I have found www.donedeal.ie a very good one to browse and use. No affiliation, just a happy customer and regular browser there...
 
Thanks all. Hadn't considered donedeal but yeah, heard some people mentioning it alright.

Noted about the scams too.
 
I bought a ralph lauren hoody, brand new of an irish seller, who would only ship to ireland, for 13 euro.. The same top costs on average 55-60 sterling plus shipping when sold internationally, so be prepared to ship abroad..
 
I think a read through some of the previous threads about e-bay might be worthwhile. Might be something over on boards.ie too.

The 'Sell', 'My eBay' and 'Community' options here might be helpful also. Don't use it myself but daughter uses it a lot. Familiarising yourself with postage charges, procedures and processes here in Ireland is a good idea, get yourself some good padded envelopes and strong tape.

Make sure you request a receipt (even handwritten one) from the post office so you can provide the tracking no. or even copy if the parcel goes astray.

Presumably you already have a Paypal ac.

Most importantly get yourself a good goafer (like she has me well trained to do) and get them to do the trips to the local post office. Its very handy for her when this goafer forgets to seek reimbursement of their expenditure on postage ;)
 
Thanks again all - and thanks for the links Sue Ellen.

No, I don't have a paypal a/c - yet.
 
I would try to end all your auctions on Sat or Sun nights, maybe around 8pm.

I think auctions do best when they can have the max number of bidders watching the deal. And this is the time most people are likely to be surfing. No work, free time, not too late etc.

Also, treat your customers well. Don't bog your arm in for postage. I see people looking for £4 for something tiny. Don't rip people off and they are more than likely to bid. If it will cost 50c to post, charge 50c.

Also, get your stuff posted asap after the auction. I have fought eBayers very impatient. They want the stuff NOW !!

Follow these tips and you'll do ok. I have been on eBay for approx 8yrs. HAve 600+ feedback and all 100%. Enjoy, but watch out - theres loads of conmen and scammers out there.
 
Quick question RMCF is it possible to put a price on an item without an auction.Cant seem to find how to do it,Im new to ebay as well.thanks d
 
Diddles said:
Quick question RMCF is it possible to put a price on an item without an auction.Cant seem to find how to do it,Im new to ebay as well.thanks d
Click to expand...

Yeah there is a BUY IT NOW option. It costs extra but think its minimal.

Any more questions feel free to ask or PM.
 
Caveat said:
No, I don't have a paypal a/c - yet.
Click to expand...

You need to open a paypal a/c . It will cost € 1.50 and a month later you can verify your account and you will receive refund .

To verify your account , you must use the 4 digit code which will appear on your credit card statement , and enter this number in your paypal account .( see notifications at www.paypal.ie )

Be prepared to pay your fees ........There are eBay insertion fees and eBay final value fees etc

Also Paypal fees , - when you receive a payment you will be charged 3.40 % plus € 0.35

Best of luck on eBay
 
More tips:

1) Communicate with your buyers. I sell some stuff on ebay, and when I'm posting the items I send them a message to say that it's been posted. If the buyer is outside of Ireland, I let them know approximately how ong it will take, using An Post's estimates. If you're posting something on a Saturday, let them know that it won't move until Monday.

2) As allthedoyles says, you need a paypal account and if your credit card company offers internet services, you can get the 4 digit verification code on your online statement after a few days.

3) Always leave feedback. It encourages your buyer to do the same and feedback is king on ebay.

4) Give as accurate an item description as you can. The description is free anyway, so use it to your full advantage.

5) Depending on the weight of the items you're selling, don't be afraid to list internationally. It doesn't cost extra anyway (except for US and Canada) and there's no harm gauging if your items have an international market.

I can't think of anything else, but I hope all of hte above helps. Happy selling!
 
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