Tips for occasional eBay seller

[Wigeon]

Can anyone recommend a good book, or blog, or website with tips for an occasional eBay seller - me?!

I don't want to set up an eBay business or anything, I just want to make a bit of money from the odd thing but I'm sure there are some golden rules which are obvious to more experienced sellers which have completely passed me by, such as the best time to end listings.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Oh, I should add that I have been selling things occasionally for a while, so I don't need a complete beginners' guide about eBay basics - just tips about how to maximise the selling price!

end items at 9pm - during the day you will have far less buyers. Post items asap, take as many photos as possible, be totally honest and list faults. Keep p&p to a minimum. Also wait until September, this is one of the quietest times to sell items.

Good key search words. No terms and conditions like you don't accept returns or you are not responsible for items lost in the post. Definitely wait until sept as fergoose says - it's tumbleweed out there at the mo

totally agree - send anything recorded that is say over a tenner (or everything if you want) to prevent buyers saying they didn't receive an item and getting their money back

if you are buying to sell on ebay, you are a business seller in both their eyes and those of HMRC
be careful

yes the moment you buy anything to sell on you become a business. Selling personal items you don't need to be registered as one.

Thank you for the tips! Just selling the odd personal item, not buying things in, in order to sell on eBay, so not expecting any men from HMRC to turn up on the doorstep!

May I recommend selling taps in August? I have 10 watchers and four bids so far! Also a window (removed during our recent kitchen extension) - 18 watchers and one bid! (still almost a week to go before the auction ends).

If August is generally a rubbish time for selling, it's presumably a great time for buying, as you don't have much competition! .

I've sold a lot this week and got good prices.