New to eBay - what do I need to know?

[NigelGresley]

I’ve got a few things I think it would be worth trying to sell on eBay. I wondered if you had any advice for a newcomer please?
What are the things I need to be careful of? Any other general tips?

I was wondering if buyers would be deterred by the fact I have no selling history, and whether it could take a while to sell the first item.

Is it worth the fart on of going backwards and forwards to the post office?
I probably won’t be selling much worth more than £50 (for a single item)

I don’t use PayPal, do you have to use that?

In the future I might use it for more buying and selling due to DS’s hobby.

Thanks

Yes I think you need to have PayPal nowadays.

If selling items for £50, make sure you price up p&p for sending recorded as people will try to scam you. I think you are supposed to send everything recorded anyway, but I don't bother as my stuff is all small and cheap (under £20) and I accept that I may take the occasional hit from scammers.

I don't know if lack of feedback will hinder you. It isn't something I judge much. Hardly anyone leaves feedback as a buyer these days anyway.

I'm selling stuff this summer, having had a break (or only buying!) for a few years.
I've noticed a signed-for delivery seems reasonably standard for anything (usually clothes) I've bought, so I'm doing that for my selling. Check the postage guides to make sure you're charging the correct amount.
I've undercharged once ..... but my fault really for putting a bulky jumper into too small an envelope which made the parcel massive!

Buy a decent stock of envelopes etc so you've got it all to hand.

You can buy your postage on eBay, then put the parcel straight in a post box ..... obviously only suitable for smaller things (that fit in a normal post box). Otherwise, if you finish your auctions at roughly the same time, you can package everything at the same time then make one weekly trip to the post office.

Check out similar items to see what people are buying. You'll not (usually) sell for anything close to what you paid ..... but it is more than if you chucked it out / recycled / donated.

I've got a few auctions finishing today and haven't sold in years! I timed them to finish today so i'd have the weekend to wrap and post them.

I quite enjoy it- it's exciting seeing the bds come in (even if they are just 30p!)

I'd also start the bidding low but set a reserve if you're not willing to part with it below a certain amount. I mainly shop for clothes and some of the starting bids are around £15 for a worn high street top, which is too high for ebay imo.

People prefer free postage. I now give free postage for everything and just increase the cost of the item to reflect that. It means I don't have to worry about overcharging or undercharging as long as I know the approximate postage cost.

If there's an item that costs £10 with free postage, and the same item that costs £7 with £3 postage, people will go for the first one, even though the total cost is the same. Because people are ridiculous like that. But it has actually reduced some of the anxiety for me.

I'd advise you to sell your cheaper stuff first, maybe buy a couple of cheap items too, to build up your feedback. People will be wary of buying expensive items from a seller with no feedback.

Also I don't do auctions any more, as buyers don't like them much any more in this age of instant shopping. Hang around until precisely 7.38pm on a Sunday night to win something? No thanks. I sell everything on Buy It Now and just let them sit there. I tend to sell around two or three items per month this way. People have been known to buy my stuff at times like 5am, so it suits everyone more.

You really will need to start using Paypal if you want to sell on eBay.

Personally, I would be very cautious about buying a £50 item from an eBayer with no seller feedback. I'd probably try to find a more experienced seller with the same item (where possible), even if it was going to cost a little more.

It might be a bit of a faff, but I think it would be worth your while to start with a few low value items to build up some seller feedback before you list the higher value items.

I don't sell on eBay, only buy and I tend to prefer no postage, also I am not interested in auctions, if I want something I want it now, not in a weeks time and then lose it to someone else. So buy it now is best for me, I usually filter that option.
I probably wouldn't go to a seller with no feedback for anything more than about £10 and then only if it was the only one on there.
Some sellers offer click and collect from Argos which I have found useful.

Thanks for the helpful tips everyone! I’ll let yoh know how I get on

Do sellers need to know your address or is that’s revealed to them in any way?
One thing I don’t like about selling things through Facebook is having strangers come to the house or giving your details out to strangers.

They need to know your address if they're going to be posting something to you. But it's only given to them after you've paid. And as the buyer, you specify the address - so you could make it a work address if appropriate.

When it comes to postage you might find the courier delivery works out considerably cheaper than royal mail. You can buy it through eBay and will get an invoice once a month for any delivery charges, that also means if you end up booking a delivery but not using it you don't get charged.

If you’re selling a few items the buyer may wish to bid on more than one so give five minutes between them.