What sells the best and the worst!

[Slippersmum]

New to the eBay world and wondered which items sell the best? I have put some clothes on and some books but had no interest. Maybe this says something about my style :-) or should I be selling a few items together? Tips for selling books? We are struggling financially at the moment and really could do with some extra cash. Thanks

Clothes can sell very well. This is what has worked for me:

.Higher end brands like Boden, Joules and Next sell well individually whereas supermarket type brands sell better as a bundle.

.Try and go with the season so spring / summer items will sell well now.

.Try and make bundles of outfits or items that coordinate rather than a bundle of random items.

.Photos are your friend! Get a nice blanket or duvet cover to lay your clothes on (as a background) and try to make sure nothing but that background is in the photo. Wash and iron the clothes so they look really nice in the photos and take your photos in bright, natural light so the potential buyers can see exactly what they are getting.

.Be detailed in your listing. If you just put 'girls clothes age 2-3' the buyer does not know what they are getting but if you list items individually e.g:
Next Cord Skirt age 2-3
Next long sleeve top age 2-3 (matches skirt)

. Be honest. If something has only been worn twice, say so, equally, if an item is 'well-loved' and is only suitable for play-wear, say so too.

Hope that helps.

I've never sold books, so can't help you with that, sorry

That's brilliant and helps loads thanks. Having read your advice I think it's my photos. I can see they don't look great! Will try the duvet idea. Thanks!

clothes look much better hanging on a hanger than laid on the floor. Try BIN with best offer and free p&p. I send everything Hermes for £2.98. Link to eBay and it uploads all tracking for you too.

Books are really a waste of listing unless they are very rare/valuable.

I sell mainly clothes and books too. In my experience, most clothes, as long as they are decent quality, will go. Adult clothes especially. Children's clothes - it depends on the make. Designer obviously sell, and solid quality eg Next and M&S will go. That said, I am going through a complete trough at the moment - nothing is selling!

Re books, my advice would be to be strictly honest about the state of them. There are guidelines for what each description of condition - err on the cautious side. People don't mind a book with creased covers as long as you have said they are creased.

I often don't photograph the books but use the stock photos ebay provides - make sure you pick the exact edition you are selling.

I sell with BIN - no-one buying a book wants to mess around with auctions unless it is antiquarian!

Selling with free postage is often an attraction. Postage for a small paperback can be as little as 75p second class and rarely more than £1.20. Fat paperbacks would be more though.

Also try selling on Amazon. I have many books listed on both Amazon and Ebay. Amazon take more commission but they also automatically charge the buyer £2.80 for postage no matter what it really costs so you can recoup some of the price there.

Selling books though is no way to make quick money. My sales are very small and it can take months for a book to sell. That said, they do all go in the end.