How many items do you buy before you start selling?

[boogiewoogie]

I've only used Ebay to buy so far but have a lot of clutter to sell or give away. I'm considering selling on Ebay but I'm nervous about buyers who will try to scam a novice seller.
What other tips would you give me for a first sale for say a designer brand top?

check out similar items. Lok at what they charge for postage and how they describe it etc. Set up a paypal if you havent already got it. You're less likely to get ripped off if you use Paypal

Cut your teeth on a few low value items, not your crown jewels.

You might be a novice seller but bidders would not know - presumably you already have some feedback from buying.

You can make listings look more professional eg by putting payment and delivery terms, refund policy, liability for things being lost in the post or say things like you will pursue non-payment dispute for time-wasters. It signals to scammers that you mean business and might prompt them to look for easier prey.

Genuinely fiofio at your post. I thought that claims on item not being received was quite common. Also, I think that as a new seller, your item might not fetch the price it deserves and buyer may take advantage. Non? As you can tell I'm very new to this and would like to do a bit of research before taking the plunge as I don't want to be left with -ve feedback right from the start.

When I wrote items to buy in the title, I meant this as a way of increasing feedback score iyswim.

The likelihood of being scammed depends on the items you are selling. I understand that selling mobile phones, popular electronic goods, computers and such can bring out the scammers. A designer brand top does not sound to me in that category.

For me, I only sell used children's clothes, the odd piece of furniture and fairly low value household appliance. So far, touch wood, nobody can be bothered to scam me.

I have recently started selling DCs clothes on e-bay and must say have been rather disappointed with the prices I have got - e.g. £2.75 for pair Boden trousers, £3 for immaculate Baby Gap summer dress. Some things I have listed which are good make, e.g. John Lewis, and in great condition aren't selling at all. Spending an awful lot of time for little return, especially once paypal and Ebay have taken their cut! Does any one have any dos & don'ts tips that might help me out??

tigertea, some tips:

Make sure you include the brand in the title and in the drop down that allows you to select the brand.

Do the same for the size, as many people filter by size.

I find that colourful clothes/bright prints sell much better than light coloured clothes, which tend to languish however good the condition or brand.

I rarely bother to sell any clothes that are unbranded eg GAP, Boden, Vertbaudet, OshKosh, Timberland, Next ... John Lewis will not attract much interest as a brand. I don't list unbranded items unless there is something particularly unique and attractive about them.

Sell summer clothes in April/May and winter clothes in September. I don't bother selling clothes outside these 2 periods.

End listings in the evening. For other items, I would recommend a weekend, but for children's clothes, you can end on a weekday because a lot of bidders are busy mothers who are about during the week after their children have gone to bed. Avoids the overcrowded weekends.

List all your clothes to end around the same time, rather than in batches over a few weeks. Cross-refer your listings eg in your Gap listing, say 'check out my other items in the same size, including Boden ...' - this increases the overall traffic.

Offer postage discounts.

Pay for a gallery picture.

At the end of the day, it must be a desirable item ie something at least you will want to buy yourself. I find this test to be quite accurate. No amount of tips can get past this one.

And, of course, luck!

Forgot the most important one. Take a good clear flattering photo that shows all its best features! Give your clothes an iron if necessary. Plain background (laminate flooring is the cliche!).

I've used ebay to sell my playstation games. I haven't been scammed yet. A few people have asked if I have a buy it now price or offered me money to end auction early. I have always resisted these kind of offers as they are against ebay rules and have always been pleased with the final outcome.

I note that you say that you wish to improve your feedback score by selling items. I have found that a lot of buyers don't bother to give feedback. I have had a look at the feedback of some buyers who haven't left any for me and although some sellers have left feedback for them in the feedback left for others there is a big fat hole! Maybe this is just gamers though?! Good luck!

Blueshoes's list is brilliant. The only thing that I would add is as a buyer, I prefer photos that were taken in natural light.

thanks, ninedragons. Too right about natural light. I wait for a nice sunny day and then take all my photos at once- no flash. It also gives a much truer reflection of the actual colour.

I link to photobucket to put free pictures, some large. This is good for clothes with fine details eg Monsoon where you want closeups of certain features. Or show defects - which you should describe, but the photo can allow the buyer to decide whether to overlook.

If you can wait, better to list for the full 10 days, but 7 days is otherwise fine.

If you know it is a popular item that is bound to attract interest, have a lower starting price eg below £2. If you get a lot of watchers, you know there will be a bidding frenzy towards the end £££. If you start with a high-ish price eg £5+, you might attract fewer watchers and achieve a lower selling price.

Thanks all, that was very useful. I think I'll wait till I'm back from holiday to start selling.

Yes - thanks Blueshoes - very helpful