Selling on eBay is a great way to shift some of your unwanted clutter and make extra cash at the same time! I’ve been buying and selling on eBay for years and believe me, once you get the bug, there’s no stopping you. Some eBayers have even made it into a lucrative new career for themselves, so who knows; that extra pocket-money or small side hustle could turn into a full-time job!
It takes work, but in good months where I’m very active, it’s not unusual for me to make up to hundreds of dollars in spare cash.
RELATED: 50+ Ways to Make an Extra $100 This Month That You Can Start Today
This post will already assume that you have an eBay account and are familiar with the basics of listing items. If you’re not, go here for more information.
Once you’re all set up, if you want to learn the best ways to turn your unwanted belongings into a bulging bank balance, then read on to learn my secrets of creating eBay listings that sell!
- Deciding what to list on eBay
Wondering what you could have that you could possibly put on eBay? – In short, everything!!! Seriously, you’d be blown away by the things that people buy on eBay. Once you get into the habit, you will start noticing all of the junk around your house that could turn into a profit.Obviously the higher value items you sell, the more you will make, however, I once put up a $1 plastic ball that my husband wanted to throw away: “I’ll just see what happens”, I said as he rolled his eyes, and it later sold for $7, plus postage. If in doubt, list it. I have a couple of white plastic storage boxes that I keep my ‘inventory’ of eBay items in and whenever I want to get rid of something, into the eBay box it goes until the next time I bulk-list some more items.
This is THE book to help you decide what items you couldn’t stand to part with and which could be instead making you serious cash
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Read the book that started it all for some inspiration, before you get started!
RELATED: 5 Essential Reads That Will Help You DeclutterJust remember, if you buy things especially to resell on eBay, or make things yourself to sell on eBay then you will need a business account. Learn more about that here: https://pages.ebay.com/help/account/how-to-register-business.html
- The prep work
I advise bulk-listing once you have at least 5 or more things to sell as it really is faster, but it’s up to you if you prefer to add listings one at a time.The first thing you need to do is clean the items ready for photos. You might need to take some close-ups of any damage or labels, so don’t wait until the item sells before cleaning it. If there is any damage, it won’t necessarily put prospective buyers off but you will probably want to make a note of it now so you remember to mention it in the listing.
With clothing, I always wash, steam and hang them so they look their best. Never be tempted to take pictures of clothes that are rumpled or have wrinkles, even if you are in a rush. They will look much more attractive to buyers if they are presented in the best way, bringing more bids and selling for a higher price.
- Research average prices before you list
Speaking of high prices, it’s important to research what similar items are selling for on eBay, especially if you are using a ‘buy-it-now’ listing. – If your items sell exceptionally fast on a ‘buy-it-now’ listing, this could be a sign that you’re setting your prices too low.You also may never know when you have something that’s a collector’s item or an antique, so it’s worth looking up similar items.
Get a benchmark for what you should expect to make by ‘watching’ other listings and aim for somewhere in the middle, or if you aren’t concerned about selling fast, start at the higher end.
Be aware that eBay fees and PayPal fees will be deducted based on your sales, so what you sell something for isn’t necessarily what you will ‘get’.
eBay will also give you the option of whether you want to open the listing to international buyers. Personally I don’t do this, as you’re not always able to track packages overseas – meaning if it got lost you wouldn’t necessarily be compensated.
- Know what an item will cost to ship before you list it on eBay
You should also find out what an item will cost to send, including any insurance you might need, in order to avoid a nasty surprise that could eat into your profits. You should send high-value items via a trackable courier that offers enough insurance to cover the shipment’s value, as it’s a seller’s responsibility to see that it arrives safely with the buyer or refund them.With packing materials, I always keep leftover materials from online deliveries and recycle them for my eBay packages, so it’s rare that I have to buy packing materials. You should always make sure that an item is well packed so it arrives with the buyer in one piece, however.
- Good, searchable titles are key
This might seem obvious but you’d be surprised at how many sellers have items that sell below their value or fail to sell at all because of incorrect or misspelled titles. I’ve found crazy bargains in the past where a seller hasn’t mentioned a model number or brand in the title and so fewer potential bidders get to see the auction because it may not come up in certain search results on eBay.Remember to also include key selling points of your particular item, for instance, if it is a special edition, rare, never worn, sealed, BNWT (brand new with tags), etc.
If the item you’re selling is one you don’t know much about, then ask someone or have a look online to see what other sellers are using. Remember to use a spellchecker and then make sure your item is accurately titled according to whatever a prospective buyer would type into eBay’s search bar.
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