15 Pro Tips That Will Help You Sell Anything On eBay

When it comes to selling on eBay anything goes. You can buy *almost* everything imaginable- but that doesn’t mean everything will make you a profit. With 182 million active buyers and 25 million active sellers worldwide, it is a marketplace on an enormous scale and it’s important to stand out. Whether you’re wanting to start an eBay business or just have a mountain of unused clutter to sell, by following these tips you will soon become a more attractive eBay seller and begin making sales. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Respond Quickly to Messages

 

Potential buyers often send messages asking for further information about an item. It’s important to respond to them as quickly as possible or they may lose interest and go to another buyer. It’s also good customer service and if someone has a good experience shopping with you, they are more likely to leave positive feedback and wish to buy from you again.

 

TIP: If you’re busy try setting aside a dedicated half hour for responding to customers- it could be the difference between making a sale or not!

 

2. Write Clear and Honest Descriptions

Ensure your descriptions provide a full picture of what you are selling. For Instance, when selling a pair of trousers, it’s useful not only to state the brand, size and colour but also the exact measurements and material. If there’s anything wrong at all with the item now is the time to come clean! Dishonesty leads to negative feedback which may hinder sales. 

 

TIP: Just because an item is faulty doesn’t mean it won’t sell, many people look to buy items which they can repair so it’s always worth a try listing something.

 

 

 

3. Store Everything Appropriately- Keep Stock Organised 

It’s important to store the items you’re selling in a way that won’t lead to them being damaged which would lead to disappointed customers. Many professional eBay sellers keep a storage unit. Within their unit stock can be organised on shelves and easily found one a sale has been made- just like having your own warehouse!

 

TIP: Use covers or dust bags to prevent items needing cleaning before they can be posted.

 

4. Take High Quality Photos

 

When selling online the only way a buyer can receive an impression of a product is through photos. Be sure to use all the available pictures showing the product from all angles. It’s not necessary to have a fancy camera, a smart phone will do, but make sure the photo is well lit and you can see it clearly. Keep other objects out of the picture so the images aren’t cluttered and the focus is on your item.

TIP: When selling branded items be sure to take photos of any labels proving their authenticity.

 

5. Post Items Quickly

The promise of a quick delivery will attract potential buyers. Consider offering multiple delivery options so that those wanting to pay a bit more can get first class. Be sure to get to the post office within the timeframe you specified.

TIP: Be honest about the delivery times, there’s nothing more annoying than having to wait longer than expected for a parcel to arrive.

 

 

 

6. Look at What is Actually Selling

While the key to selling as much as possible may seem to be to list as much as possible it worth looking first to see what is actually selling. Do your research and make sure there is actually a market for the items you wish to sell. This will prevent you from wasting time listing items that no one really wants.

 

 

TIP: Don’t be tempted to throw away items that you can’t sell as they’ll end up wasting away in landfill. Try donating to charity or even giving things away for free. 

7. List Similar Items at the Same Time

If you have a lot of similar items, baby clothes for instance, try to list them all at the same time. Buyers may be in the market for a particular category of items and want to buy multiple things from you.

 

TIP: Try leaving a short message at the end of your descriptions encouraging those who are interested to look at your other similar items.

 

 

8. Offer Combined Postage and Packing

 

Combined postage is a great way to encourage buyers to purchase multiple items. Not only does this mean more sales but also saves you having to write as many address labels and saves trips to the post office so it’s a win-win.

TIP: Be sure to still consider the size and weight of the parcel when deciding how much to charge for postage to ensure it doesn’t eat into your profits.

 

 

9. Bulk Buy Packaging Online/ Recycle Packaging

Don’t be caught out buying expensive packaging at the post office last minute. If you’re planning to sell a lot of stock it is worth bulk buying packaging supplies online to save money. You can also consider recycling old packaging. Finally, a benefit from having an online shopping addiction!

TIP: Make sure recycled packaging doesn’t look old and that items are not going to break in transit.

 

10. Look at Recently Sold Items 

By looking at how items similar to yours have sold recently you can make sure your prices are competitive. It will give you a better idea of how much to list your items for and how much to charge for postage.

TIP: If you can’t find any recently sold items similar to yours it may that there sadly isn’t a market for it unless an item is particularly unique or rare.

 

 

11. Relist Items

 

If at first you don’t succeed try and try again*. You may have been told this while at school but it applies perfectly to selling on eBay. Even if something doesn’t sell the first-time round it may catch the eye of a buyer the next. You don’t really have to do anything to use this tip as eBay has an automatic relisting feature which you can select when putting your items on sale!

 

TIP: If something doesn’t sell try experimenting with reordering your pictures or adding to your description. 

 

*Within reason – don’t spend your whole life agonising over and unsold pair of shoes.

 

12. Use all Words Available in the Title for More Keywords 

Think about how a buyer would think when searching for your product. Use as many key words as possible to cover all basis. You could include the brand, colour, size, model and condition for instance. 

 

TIP: Make sure everything is spelt correctly especially brand names, incorrect spellings may prevent people finding your items. 

 

13. Send Thank You Notes to Customers

Include a note inside your package thanking buyers for shopping with you adding a reminder to leave feedback. This will make customers feel valued and positive feedback is really important in making people feel confident spending their hard-earned money on your store. 

 

TIP: Invest in a printer it will help you massively with not only the thank you notes but also address labels.  

 

 

 

14. Look Out for Max Selling Fee Weekends

Ebay makes their money by taking a small cut of whatever you sell. They do however have events where the max selling fee is 1 pound so this is a perfect time to list any higher value items so you can keep more of your profits. 

 

TIP: Ebay never really give hints as to when they’ll have offers on so the key is to be patient.

 

 

 

15. List So Auctions End on Sunday Evening 

Sunday evening is when the highest number of people are at home so when most people are looking to buy on Ebay. Time your listings carefully so there will be more interest in your auctions. Similarly try not to have listings that finish during the day on weekdays or on Friday and Saturday evening. 

TIP: If you use this tip keep your Sunday evening free as it’s exciting to see all the bids (and your hard-earned money) come in- as well as being available to answer queries of course!

 

Stay motivated, keep on top of listing your items and make time to go to the post office and you’ll have no trouble becoming a pro Ebay seller when following these tips. All that’s left to do then is to enjoy the extra money coming in!