oh kindly wise ebay whizzes...your top tips please for ebay newbie

[AuraofDora]

have been gleaning these threads, am big part nervy but more parts desperate and have some good stuff in great condition which i so need some cash for...

1.am planning to have auction end sunday

Any other tips purlease oh kind

we dont have much history on there, have bought a few bits n pieces does that matter too much?

tia

Use the best photo you can take, making sure that the item is clearly visible on a plain background and the photo is the right way up - I skip past pics that are on their sides. Write a clear and accurate description, with pictures of any marks or damage - damaged stuff can still sell, but you have to be open about it.

Use the post office website to allow you to calculate what the postage will be - you can weigh the items (not forgetting packaging) and find out how much First Class/Standard Parcels etc is going to cost.

Set a realistic starting price - too low and you may end up selling the item for far less than you want to sell it for (as happened to the buyer of a bike that a mumsnet member bought recently).

Be clear about the payment methods you are willing to accept. In my and dh's experience, Paypal is best, and you can say that you will only accept certain payment methods, though people will still bid and then contact you to say they don't have a paypal account (for example) and will you accept a cheque - then it's up to you to decide whether to accept or to relist, which I believe you could do in that situation as the buyer had violated the terms of your auction.

I'll come back and add anything more that I can think of - hope this helps.

sunnygirl
thanks so much, its quite alot to me head round so this is big help!

dh is gonna help me and has special mac programme for photos and loading he says and i and have noticed that clear informative descriptions do help alot!
so planning to take a bit of time and set it out nice...

off to check out royal mail (mind you i only have kitchen scales and some of this stuff is big!)
will check out courier sites

muchos gracias sg

Look at completed listings that always gives you a good idea of what sells and how to price your things.

lilyloo
am doing that atm looks like there is a bit of interest (baby carriers, stair gates etc) dh has microphones, computery bits and all sorts to go

can i ask though..with big items (e.g.playpens) are they easily couriered? Have noticed that alot are for collection only, is courier just too much hassle for some folks, do you guys think?

If you happy to arrange a courier you are likely to get a better price as a wider market. Just think some people can't be bothered arranging one and sitting in for it so do collection only.

i think if you sell on ebay you have to set up an account with them to do this, and it takes a few days to sort itself out - they basically send you a password or something in the post if i remember correctly. so do that now as it takes a bit of time to set up your account to start selling ....
good luck
also i find that ending auctions at aroaund 9.00pm are better than mid-day, early morning ...
you can set the auction when listing to end at what time you want ....

couriers are great for selling and posting larger items. Some do a flat £10 fee for large items which helps a lot.
When we do an ebay run, after photographing carefully, I package up and weigh fully packaged. Then put the weight of the entire package on the website with posting options. I also state that this is the packed weight, not the item weight. This way there is no nasty shock for me with additional postage cost thanks to bulky wrapping. Also, I can post the items on the same day after the auction has finished IF I recieve payment confirmation.
Ebayers are damn fussy about postage and speed. Having them all wrapped up and ready to go helps a lot. I bought some of those stick on postage delivery notes too so after the sale, I can print off the details, my details, pop in the plastic delivery note bit and stick on the front of the parcel with the address showing. Nice and professional looking

Main things people get narky about:
Bad photos and descriptions that miss out crucial details about scratches, faults, bits missing, size, weight etc
Badly packed
Overpaid on postage - charge £5.00 and then they see a 42p stamp on the packet will give you a negative comment
Slow delivery. They will not care if you are unwell/have kids to look after. They expect fast postage after they pay. Any delay could lead to negative comments unfortunately.

Personally, I recommend you do not accept cheques. They cause delays, stress, lost in post, bouncing issues etc etc Just not worth the hassle. Paypal is the best way to go. If they do not have paypal, they can collect for cash is my only alternative. If you state it on the page, they cannot comaplin.

Good luck. Ebay has made us a lot of money on stuff we would have thrown away. It is a little bit of an effort but the cash in the paypal account which literally pays for our Christmas is worth it.

The title of the item is restricted to a certain number of characters, so make very word count. No-one searches for 'lovely', but they might be searching using a slightly different name eg buggy/pushchair/stroller so if you include all of these more people will see your item.

Include as much info as possible about the items, and make sure you check your email for people asking questions. If there are computery bits you could include a short description of what it's usually used for eg cable to connect laptop to TV.

Also: spellcheck it! Or better, get DH to proofread.

thanks you guys, this is really so helpful

we have paypal and an ebay account (never got round it before are on our uppers but i have no experience and more than a tad nervy!

feeling bit more confident now! and digesting all this info and my butt will be in full action asap

i can wait for anything couriers, i am time rich!

clothes....
any particular tips there guys?

have found an issey miyake suit and junior jean paul gaultier jacket from my previous life ..

is there any particular etiquette? not sure of the sizes labels are in japanese!

was planning to do main shot, details of cloth and buttons, label itself does that sound ok? cannot model them I dont fit em anymore!!

am doing all the photos tomorrow and getting quite excited!

oh crikey
my main question with clothes is:
do i invest in dry cleaning now or wait to see if it sells?
tbh they seem fine but i wanna do the right ting

I would only dry clean something if I was expecting it to go for quite a lot. And if it looked fine I probably wouldn't bother, tbh.

If you can't read the size, put in the approximate size you were when it fitted you,
and make sure you put the size in your heading. Put actual measurements in your item description, cos people will often ask you for them anyway. I tend to give waist measurement, length from waist to hem or from shoulder to hem for dresses, and length of sleeves. That way people can work out for themselves whether an item is likely to fit.

And start your bidding at the lowest price you wouldn't be completely gutted to accept.

oh frogs that's a good idea
will get measuring tomorrow

dont know if they will fetch alot or even be of interest but they are clean and doing nowt in my wardrobe...

Check completed listings to get an idea of what they go for.

frogs i've been looking but there is nothing quite like what i've got (lol)
so dont know if good or bad but am watching some items by these designers just in the hope they sell at all!

oh cripes

couriers...

any recommendations??

I posted this for somebody else the other day:

My tips for getting the best prices possible:

Clear photographs, nicely presented (good background and lighting). I crop my photos and reduce the file size so that the auctions don't take too long to load on dial up connections. However, this is only really an issue as I often add 5+ pics to to an auction.

I use Auctiva - then you can add lots of photos for no extra charge. You can also schedule auctions for free.

I list all week, and schedule auctions to start on a Thursday for 10 days. Then you get two weekends of potential viewers.

Add as much detail as possible about condition and flaws. I also say that if the buyer finds a mark or something that I haven't mentioned, then I will happily refund once the item has been returned.

Add that you are a pet/smoke free household if you are, and that all items will be freshly washed prior to sending.

Add a link to 'sellers other items' people often bid on a few things.

Offer collection in person as an option (don't accept Paypal for this though as it leaves you open to scams), and a reduction in P&P for multiple wins. You save 20p on all subsequent items if winning bidders pay in one transaction, so it's worth trying to get them to bid on a few things.

Make sure your P&P is reasonable. I would say an absolute max of £1 above the actual cost of stamps. Less if you are not using professional mailing bags (I buy these from Ebay), and posting promptly. I say that I will post the same day if payment is made before 12pm, so often make a few trips to the PO per lot of auctions ending. Hence the P&P charge is more than the cost of the stamps and packaging only.

fourarms, good tips thanks..
have got some stuff up today to end next sunday and really quite excited!...
need to get the rest organised and away

Fourarms how do you use auctiva - how do I get it to use on my ebay listings?

www.parcel2go.com have always come up trumps for me.