Am a tooootal ebay novice. Can someone give me an idiot proof guide on how to sell stuff please?

[Fuckitthatlldo]

After a major wardrobe cull I have some barely worn items I would like to sell on ebay. They are mostly dresses from Monsoon (some of which are pure silk) and also a light woollen dress from Fenwright and Manson. I originally bought them for around the £100.00 mark.

If someone could give me the idiots guide to selling them on ebay I would be eternally grateful. Thanks.

The technical side is quite straighforward, you just go to 'sell an item' and it takes you through. Before you start you will need to take good photos of your clothes and upload them to your computer and name them. I normally put the clothes on a table cloth on the floor (a colour or pattern which contrasts clearly with the item), and make sure you take enough photos that the buyers can see everything they need to see. This might include a full shot, and then more detailed shots to show the pattern, or some particular detail, or any faults. Some clothes might need to be hung on a coathanger and taken against a wall to show the shape properly.
Base your title on how people might search, you can bung in some keywords at the end, for example "Monsoon silk dress size 8/brown and purple/hippy/christmas/party".
Make your description detailed, include things like if it is a small fit for the size, what you might wear it with etc.
Basically when buying off ebay you want to know as much as possible about this item you can't see in real life!
I always start auctions at 99p, as this means that more people will put you in there 'watch' list and may bid later even if the item goes up considerably. However, I don't sell such expensives clothes as the ones you've mentioned, so you probably want to decide the absolute minimum you would want for it and start there.
Keep postage as low as possible as people will take this into account and mentally add it to the price. I send things normal second class, and am willing to refund things if they get lost in the post (it's never happened), rather than asking people to pay more postage for tracked etc. But this is personal choice, you may not want to take the risk. Royal mail have a very good 'price finder' on their website so you can calculate the cost in advance. Oh and you'll need kitchen scales for this! Including international postage is worth it I've found, I've sent things all over Europe, and the more that bid, the higher the price goes.
You also need some packaging, but even good think used plastic bags with the address sellotaped on will do. I don't think people mind as long as it arrives safely.
Good luck, and if you PM me with your ebay name I might take a look at your Monsoon dresses!

send anything over £46 special delivery or courier

end auctions at about 8.30pm of an evening, Mon or Tues seems best. Starting at 99p is a risk in case you only have one bidder. Buy it now with best offer may be better for you and can end any time of the day.

List any measurements and take pics of ironed clothes on hanger or dummy if poss with the plainest background possible - pictures load quicker that way for buyers to view.

Thanks you two. Will take some pictures tonight and go from there.

If you want to catch the 'Christmas market' you might wish to offer BIN (Buy it Now), a short auction (3 or 5 days) and Special Delivery.