Teach me how to Ebay, please!

[roary]

I am getting myself all fired up to sell stuff on Ebay, feel the urge for a massive declutter. I think it will be mainly clothes...

But I have no idea where to begin. Here are just a few of my questions:

1. HOw do you know what to charge for postage? Do you include the cost of envelopes etc?
2. Related: do you use padded envelopes for clothes?
3. Are there 'best days' to have your auction close? How long do you use?
4. What do you set as a reserve?

Thank you!

It's easy!

I'm about to sell all my old suits as I have a new job and it's casual dress!

1 and 2 There's a handy calculator on the royal mail website - use your bathroom scales to weigh the item and and 10-20g for packing materials. I include about 50p on top for post and packing. I also use the grey plastic bags you can get from the post office for sending stuff in... they are reasonable, in fact I'm fairly sure you can buy them on ebay!

1. Always include a weekend in your auction, and never have it close during business hours. Lots of people can 't access ebay at work and so can't bid!

1. Don't set a reserve, it costs more and isn't generally worth it unless the item is high value. Set a higher starting price instead - this would be the minimum.

If you smoke, put it on the auction, and if you have pets too...

I meant 50p on top of the postage costs for packing!

Hi roary, this is what I do.

1. I buy polythene envelopes from the post office. Medium and Large ones.
2. When I'm there I get a price list from them. Most items of clothing tend to be below £2.24, so when I add the price of the envelopes, I charge £3.00. If it's heavier, like a leather jacket, I charge £4.00. Sometimes it works in my favour, sometimes not. In fact Ebay has started setting an upper limit recently.
3. Don't worry too much when to start the auction. If you have good stuff, people will be alerted anyway.
4. Decide how little you'd be happy to accept for your item, and start from there.
5. Starting everything at 99p will get you lots of attention though, and it's what I mistakenly did when I started. But it's a learning curve.
6. Don't drop the price if your item didn't sell, but you know it's worth what you've asked for. Next week, other people might be around, and it might sell straight away!

That's all for now. It is highly addictive! Get photographing!

That's a good tip about not ending auctions during office hours. I'll have to remember that!

Second exhausted re selling clothes in season. I recently sold dd's summer clothes from last year. It's hard keeping them in the cupboard, but it's hopeless trying to sell them in winter!
I've never used the 'reserve price' either. Just start the bidding at a higher price.

Blossoming is absolutely right about the proof of postage - keep them for 45 days - I think that's the paypal chargeback time limit

roary, can I add some tips of my own?

1. You know the lovely packets online orders come in? Boden, asos, whatever...they all come packaged beautifully. Save the packets and re-use them for posting your ebay sales. All you have to do is stick a piece of paper on top with the new address! Saves a fortune on packaging costs.

1. I have found the best time to end items is on a Saturday evening after 9. It seems to be the time that women settle down with the kids in bed and a glass of wine and the laptop...or is that just me?

1. Start the auction at a little less than what you are prepared to part with the item for. I made the massive mistake of listing brand new Kurt Geiger shoes for 99p...it sold for £1.40 in spite of having 14 watchers and the memory still rankles

1. Use Ebay Mobile App on your iPhone. Seriously, it's the best thing ever! It's a free App as well. Use your phone camera to take pictures, and type the description etc as and when you feel. I have been known to list a load of items while sitting in the car waiting to pick dd1 up

Does anyone have any idea how best to sell clothes?

I used to ebay stuff years ago and did quite well at it but my account's been more or less dormant for several years.

I've got some nice clothes that I'd like to sell but a) never find the time and b) can't think how to make them look nice in pics.

Do you just hang on a clothes hanger or do you lay them out on floor/bed? Or do you model them

I have put clothes on hangers and on the floor. Whatever I think looks better at the time. I find black clothes really hard to show definition when hanging up, and look better, artfully(!) placed on the floor.
I never model them!
I have the ebay app on my phone too, but have never listed anything from it, or taken photos. Will have to investigate.

1. Do a completed listings search on the brand and item you are planning to sell. That way you can see what similar items have sold for, work out whether it's worth your while to list it at all, and look at the listings with the highest sale prices to work out the secret of their success.
2. Take good photographs of the items, extra photos are free for clothes, so there's no excuse for only having one crappy photo of a crumpled dress hanging from a battered wardrobe in a messy room. Iron the item first, lay it out on a clean bedspread with good lighting and without other clutter in the background. Photograph the front, the back, a close-up of the fabric, and the label at a minimum.
3. Do a detailed and accurate description of the item, using a decent font size and nice font. Describe any defects accurately, and give a general description of the condition, eg. 'this item has only been worn a few times', 'this item has had a reasonable amount of wear and is in good used condition with only light wash bobbling', or whatever. Make sure you mention that your items are from a pet-and smoke-free home and that you have washed and ironed the item before listing (assuming those things are all true). If you don't mention smoke-free, people may be wary cos they worry it'll arrive reeking of fags.
4. Take measurements of the item and put them in the listing too. I measure the circumference of the waistband, and the length of the item from waist to hem, or whatever. If the size given by the manufacturer comes up particularly big or small, then mention that.
5. Put all the relevant info you can into the item title, as that's what people search for. Include the brand name, any alternative names for the item, eg. top/T-shirt or jumper/sweater etc and include the size. Those are the things people put in their search.
6. I always start listings at 99p unless it's a very rare or unusual item. I can count on one hand the number of times something has sold for the starting price, and you do get more interest if you start low. Otoh, I only sell items and brands I know will sell well, I'm not interested in flogging New Look skirts for 99p. You save a lot on listing fees by starting low, as 99p listings are free, and you're not competing with everyone else on a free listing weekend.
7. Brands that I know sell well include: Boden, White Stuff, Camper shoes, Long Tall Sally, Karen Millen, good quality designer names. Gap, Next and M&S go for less, presumably cos there's more of it around and it isn't seen as a 'status' brand. Random computer bits sell well, old start-up disks, bits of memory, non-working laptops, etc. Also toys, Tripp Trapp highchairs, and 'classic' household items - I sold a non-working Dualit toaster for £50+ (and yes, I started at 99p). Agree with selling in season - I have various outgrown Mini Boden anoraks that are sitting around annoying me atm, but I'm hanging onto them until September, as they won't go for a sensible price right now. I tend to end listings mid-evening, between 9 and 10pm. Make sure when you list that the finish time isn't going to clash with a major TV event like the final of X-factor or a big football match.

lacksaDaisy, can you tell me the name of the i-phone app you have? I have an ebay app on my phone that I can buy with, but not sell.

I like the idea of using the phone as a camera and loading the pics on that way - it can be a faff on the computer.

1. I agree with Daisy about the packaging - I save any plastic packaging I get from Next/Boden/White stuff and simply turn the bag inside out to post stuff out in - the bags are very strong and save you a fortune in buying them from the shops or post office.

1. I usually wait until eBay have a 'free listing weekend' - usually once or twice a month but they only seem to broadcast this on the Friday beforehand. I take photos in good time and download them on my computer to make sure I'm ready for the free listing weekend. That way you can start your listing at a reasonable price - I have also made the mistake of starting listings at 99p and unfortunately the item sells at that price - if there's only one person interested, that's the price of the sale!

1. Get a feel for how you should word your listings by looking at similar items on ebay and picking up phrases that you like.

1. Whilst it's a bit of a pain, I tend to list a lot of items at the same time rather than spread listings out - people look at other items that you are selling at the same time and often bid on 2 or more things (eg kids clothes from the same brand/in same age range). Also saves on trips to the post office.

1. Ebay have their own forum from members about the best tips etc - well worth looking at if you're starting out.

1. Check the royal mail website for postage prices etc. I weigh my packages on the kitchen scales and usually add about 50p. Dont forget that postage is going up next months, so the sooner you can sell your clothes the better!!

Good luck. It's addictive.

Loads of good tips here. If you decide not to post outside of the UK, don't forget to block buyers whose primary delivery address is in countries to which you don't post in the Buyer Requirements page.

I've read that a lot of sellers have been ripped off by buyers claiming they didn't receive the item and getting refunded by pay pal. How can I avoid this? Surely a proof of postage isn't proof of delivery?

You need to se d recorded. I have sold just under 5000 items on eBay I never send a single item that is not signed for. Well ok I do but only to very very regular buyers !

I never list on free listing weekends unless it realists as it's too busy and don't get as much.

End on a tuesday, Thursday or sunday after 9.

Always ship abroad- signed for or air sure adds about £4 but some weeks half my stuff goes overseas.

Don't do 99 p listings. Always start with the minimum you will accept.

If someone emails asking for a buy it Now - refuse chances are they will get a bargain and it will be back on e bay in a week.

Should add eBay has dropped off in last 2 weeks. This week before pay day Is usually busiest but it is very quiet with few watchers.

Thanks

Ah, you see, people have very different systems for their ebay selling, and all can work equally well, though maybe for different kinds of item?

For low value items I always send 2nd class with proof of posting rather than recorded. I've only once had something go missing (and I was pretty convinced that the buyer was pulling a fast one, but couldn't prove it). You can use the proof of posting certificate to claim back from the Post office - the paperwork is a bit fiddly, but nothing too terrible. And after a couple of months you get a cheque for the value of the item plus the cost of the postage. There is a ceiling on the amount that is covered though, so important to check.

My big tip- take GREAT photos that make your stuff look expensive

100 times the cost of a 1st class stamp is maximum compensation but if you can't produce an original receipt the post office can be awful. Doesn't cover any jewellery, glass, pottery etc. Plus if the person refuses to sign and return a Gorman saying that it is lost you will get the claim refused.

This is absolutely BRILLIANT. THank you so much. Now I have to overcome my natural laziness and get moving on it!