new to ebay - how to get started with selling?

[shelley72]

i have bought from ebay before, but never sold. i have lots of clothes that no longer fit me (or the DC) that are taking up space. nothing designer, brands like boden, white stuff, joules, monsoon etc. most things hardly worn.

so a couple of questions - do you think its worth trying to sell them? i have had a free listings email, but not sure how this works? can i set a price that i dont want to sell below? i know i wont make a lot but for example i have a winter coat only worn a couple of times and i would like more than 99p for it! what kind of things should i put in the listing? and how do i package things up if someone does want to buy - can you buy bags to send or do people re-use mail order bags?

sorry for jumbled typing - trying to juggle laptop, feeding DD and building train set!

thanks for any pointers you can give

I've used it for several years, but you don't end up with much after the final value fee comes off and the paypal fee too! Still, it can help clear the decks if you have too much stuff but don't expect to make much.
You can set a price you don't want to go below on an auction sale, but I think it only applies for more expensive stuff and it costs. The alternative is to use the 'buy it now' listing and set a fixed price, but this takes away the auction fun.
Best way to decide what to put is to look at other people's listings. As for packing, I always re-use mail order bags as costs are too high otherwise.
Take a good clear picture of whatever you're selling for the ad and make sure the header line for your listing says clearly what it is. Once you're set up on ebay you can look at 'completed listings' and that will give you a good idea of what sells, what doesn't and how much it goes for, but don't forget to allow for the fees!
Good luck!

set up your paypal to accept payments before you list. Also end items of an evening, but not to clash with soaps or x factor - there is no point listing items to end during the daytime.

You can set a reserve at £50, but if you want a set amount why not list as a buy it now, or start items higher than 99p. This can incur costs butt these will be displayed as you list.

I was terrified of making a start selling and procrastinated for ages, so in the end I just put on a few low-value things I wasn't too bothered about and which would otherwise have gone to the charity shop, just to get the hang of it.

As LUTS said, reserve prices are for higher-value items, I think there's a lower limit of £100 or something, but you can start the bidding at whatever amount you like, e.g. £9.99 instead of 99p. I think you just have to decide whether it's worth the risk of putting people off, they're naturally looking for bargains and although they might happily go up to, say, £30 for an item, they might not bother if it starts that high.

The brands you mention are quality ones that people actively look for, so put them all on at once and suggest in your listing that people look at your other items so you can combine postage.

If you have used jiffy bags/packaging in good nick, use that, but if you buy new ones, make sure you factor that into your postage charges.

Good luck!

whoever said you dont make much is wrong. My ebay junk pays for me to go on holiday every year. I start off low to gain interest, good quaility photos help and clear descriptions. Avoid writing LOOK , BARGAIN etc in the title-just be as descriptive as possible.
Pound shop sells jiffy bags and plastic bags but i try to recycle as much as possible. Try to weigh your item on a pair of scales and look at royal mail price finder
Good luck

Boden Joules and White STuff all sell really well on ebay, ime. As long as it isn't really out of fashion or completely knackered I would reckon on getting half to two-thirds of the new price for those brands. Do a completed listings search on eg. White Stuff skirts and you'll see what kinds of prices to expect. Skirts, dresses and coats sell better than trousers, I find. Like queenebay, I reckon on being able to fund our summer holiday through ebaying.

I sell Boden and WS regularly, and always start at 99p - you get far more watchers and bids that way, and generally get a higher final selling price as well. And of course there are no listing fees for items starting at 99p. The only exception would be if I'm selling a less-well known brand that I know won't get the same level of interest. Good Boden and WS items well-listed will usually get 20+ watchers over the course of a listing. If you can see that an item is not attracting many views, you can always pull it before the end of the auction and relist at a higher start price. But if you've got well-known brands in good condition, you shouldn't need to do that.

Take a lot of good photos (photos are free for clothes): I usually photograph the whole item from the front, the back, a close-up of the fabric, and a close-up of the label showing the size. Natural light is better than flash, I think. Wash and iron the item before photographing. I photograph laid out on a clean white bedspread, though I know other people swear by hangers. IME lots of clothes look a bit shapeless on the hanger, so I stick to laying it out. Make sure there isn't a shot of a messy bedroom or kitchen in the background!

Do a detailed description of the item: talk it up a bit. Include the fabric composition and whether the item is machine-washable. Also include the exact measurements, eg waist circumference and length from waist to hem, or whatever seems useful. Don't forget to mention that your item comes from a pet- and smoke-free home (assuming it does) - if you don't say that, people will assume it will arrive reeking of fags. If the item is from a recent collection (eg AW 2010) then say that. Make sure you pack in as many search terms as you can into the item title, eg especially brand and size, and any alternative names eg. coat/anorak/parka, or dress/tunic/top.

This is an interesting thread comparing details of listings on similar items.

Completed listings for White Stuff skirts

Notice how most of the ones that are unsold (apart from a couple that are just downright weird) are the ones that have higher start prices. High start price puts people off from even looking at the listing, i think, never mind watching it or bidding.

thank you there are some VERY useful tips there and PollyMorphic i will look up those threads later. I have lots to sell as i need the wardrobe space and to be honest the cash (any cash) will come in very handy too.

i have attempted to put a couple of things up this afternoon as a practice run - things that i really dont expect to sell at all, but so that i can get the hang of the listing process before i really make a start on my wardrobe. i failed on the photo taking though as i hung up, but wasnt happy with how it looked. also i couldnt work out how long you were supposed to have your listing up so left it as default - a week? - and couldnt work out how to change the end time but hopefully i will pick these things up as time goes on.

am so glad that i found this bit of mumsnet and thanks again for your help. will probably be back with more daft questions later

How does e-bay compare with asos marketplace, preloved or shiftingclothes? Have you tried any of these sites? Are you more likely to get a sales at e-bay because it is bidding rather than fixed price?

You can't change the end time, you have to time the start of the listing so that it finishes at the time you want. So if you want a Sunday evening finish, you need to list at the same time the previous Thursday assuming a 10-day listing. There are ways round this, but they mostly involve paying fees or being very organised.

Sunday, Mon, Tues, Weds Thurs all okay days to end, between 8 and 9.30ish works well (though check to avoid obvious telly clashes, eg. Downton, X-Factor etc or big football matches).