New Seller on Ebay-really want to make it work!

[Dropinthe]

I want to become a really successful ebay seller and I would be really grateful of any tips/notes/ideas/do's and dont's for selling on ebay.

I am going to mainly sell second hand designer clothes/accessories and also new high street clothes.

Has anyone an ebay success story they wouldn't mind sharing?

Thank You!

Start with the 2nd hand clothes, dont rip off with Postage, get a free certicate of posting for anythign and everything valued up to £28, recorded up to £100, will cost 70ishp for that but will save you a fortune should something go missing.
Start bids Low, more interest. Look up things before listing them, see what sort of words people would be searching for...ie Next, donna Karen, whatever over Nice, Goreous whatever...
(and hello drop, you can no write From a Smoke Free Home!)

YES i CAN!!!!

gOREOUS???

Goodness me Drop, dont pick! And make sure you spell things properly in your listings!

Oh - I've just started selling on ebay have sold 2 books so far - don't know why but I was very nervous

didn't have a clue about postage etc so just looked for similar items and put what others did

I think if your going to sell clothes try to get lots of feedback first then you are eligible to put it in a premium position but I think you can only do it if youve had 10 lots of positive feedback.

Hi Dropinthe, I am a SAHM but make quite a nice little living selling on eBay! Saying that I made a killing Oct/Nov/Dec but have made hardly anything this month but that's the way it goes ~ a regular income it's not!

If you are an eBay newbie, I would suggest building up your feedback rating by buying first. Most people won't touch sellers with a low feedback rating.

I tend to start my listings low in order to generate interest (but also cover my initial costs)and this generally pays off (but if it doesn't I haven't lost out). Other tips would be:

• Accurate descriptions (especially if you are selling second-hand goods - people appreciate honesty)
• A decent photograph
• Speedy despatch of goods when sold
• Always obtain Certificate of Posting from the Post Office (this covers you up to £30)
• Never rip people off on postage - just cover your packing costs
• Sunday evenings are the best time for items to end so pay the extra 6p and schedule your listings if necessary

I could go on all night really - at the end of the day it's very much a case of doing it and learning from it but good luck!

Hi Drop, here are a few pointers!

Start things on a Sunday so the end on a sunday, you get a better audience then.

weigh the packages before you make the listing. I buy my jiffy bags from the £1 shop, so you get say 5 for a quid. Nobody likes been ripped off on postage, but I always add on 50p, 20p for the jiffy and 30p to cover paypal.

If you're wondering about how to weigh the items, you can pick up small digital ones from Argos for around £22. That way you don't loose out, or get angry complaints from buyers! Me and DH have sold over £400 worth of ebay stuff in one year (just stuff we don't need) so the £22 scales were a good investment

Pictures! As many as you can, and learn how to upload them on to your web space if you have it!

Don't start an item at £1.00, it'll cost you 20p, start it a 99p and it'll save you 5p per listing!

Nicely worded adverts that have been taken time over get good results I agree with everyone else on that, esp the spelling!

Good luck with the selling!

How much with a package with kids boots, 2 thick bodywarmers and 3 trousers and cardy normally cost to send then?

Also bear in mind, its not always best to say first class postage, it may be cheaper to do standard parcel or 2nd class.
I had two packages for one buyer and it turned out to be cheaper to send them seperately!

Very good points there CQ.. wish I thought of them too!

Angeliz, have you got kitchen weighing scales? You could get a rough idea of the cost by weighing the stuff then looking here
Click the find postal cost and se the drop down menu for 1st 2nd or SP costs!

Girlfriend of mine makes a living from it but is very organised.
She has some decent PROPER weighing scales,every list of postage charges you could imagine,rolls of wrap,so she can dispatch pronto.

I use turbo lister when I'm doing a few items at the same time, then I can check them over and upload them to ebay on a Sunday night.

I also bought a load of bags in different sizes from ebay to send clothing in - it's so much easier than brown paper!

So sorry I had to go before all these great tips-Thank You for taking the time to respond.All have been noted in my book!

Dropinthe hope you don't mind me resurrecting your thread thread to ask the question I always want to ask successful e-bayers- where do you get your stock ?
I have sold some of my/ the kids clothes and hardly made anything and wonder where some of these power sellers get there stock.

or any other successful sellers ?