Tips For Selling On eBay

This is NOT a sponsored post! These are personal tips I wrote this weekend (for my readers) for selling on eBay.

I throw clothes away, give clothes away and sell clothes on eBay. I never considered eBay an option until I started blogging 3 yrs ago. I came across a blogger who sold her clothes EVERY season. She stated it kept her closet manageable, up-to-date with new styles and gave her extra money to buy new things. Well, I'm not flipping everything in my closet every season, but as I get new things I like to get rid of old things. Why not make some extra cash for the nice items in your closet? I wrote some tips below for selling on eBay.

Open a PayPal Account:

Many buyers on eBay purchase items via PayPal. PayPal offers both you (the seller) and the buyer protection on all purchases. Not offering this payment option, limits the number of potential buyers for your items.



Write Descriptive Titles For The Items You Are Selling:
Buyers on eBay must search for what they are looking for! It's important to describe in detail what you're selling. Below is an example:

Brand / Color / Print / Fabric Style / Women or Men / Size

JCrew / Blue / Striped / Linen Buttoned Down Shirt / Women's / Size L

Take LOTS Of Pictures:
Great pictures will get you more views and offers! Take pictures of the front, back, neckline, embellishments, buttons, cuffs/sleeve and a closeup of the material. Take pictures of any defects. Leave nothing to guess. It protects you and the buyer knows exactly what they are getting.


Give Detailed Measurements:
Listing a top as L (Large) sometimes is not good enough. A buyer may ask for the bust, inseam (pants) and length measurements. If you purchased the item from JCrew etc. refer to their online measurement/size guide to get these answers. It's also important to STRESS if an item is misses, petite or plus size.



Material Matters:
What type of material is the garment made of? This can be found on the tag! Buyers want to know specifics. Is the garment 100% Cotton, Cashmere, a Cotton Blend, Dry Clean Only, etc.? Be sure to nclude this in your description.



Weight, Packaging & Shipping Costs:

WEIGHT: There is a BIG difference when selling a coat or tshirt online. A coat is heavy, has to be placed in a large box and costs MORE to ship. So consider the weight of what you're selling and factor in costs.

PACKAGING: Boxes, tubes, envelopes! What are you shipping the order in? I save boxes when I shop online and reuse them when I sell something. Go to CLEAN places like Best Buy etc. and ask if they have empty boxes you can take. The Post Office has boxes, but I find it's cheaper to ship when you use your own box. If you sell shoes, wrap the box the shoes came in. Putting a box inside a box adds more weight and adds to your shipping costs.

SHIPPING COSTS: Be honest with yourself! Factor in TRUE shipping costs. I live on the East Coast! When I ship to the West Coast it costs more. You never know who your buyer will be, so take that into account. I ship everything through the Post Office (it's cheaper, it's insured up to $50, and tracking is NOW included in the price)! If you're selling a really expensive item, I suggest using FedEx or UPS for safe & secure delivery. You must factor in all of these things, when coming up with a price for your item. If not, you will lose out and pretty much sell your item for FREE. That's a horrible feeling.

Group CHEAP items into LOTS: Last year (that's not my picture), I grouped my Old Navy & Target items into LOTS and sold them that way. I sold a LOT of Old Navy dresses. I sold a LOT of Target skirts. It's too hard making money off these things individually (buyers KNOW they don't cost much). Group and sell them together! You clear your closet, you sell to one person (saves on shipping), and you make a little extra cash.




Consider Selling Internationally: How many times have you said, "we can't get that here!" I mainly sell within the US, but I've received emails from people in Canada and Asian countries, asking if I would consider shipping there. Shipping internationally can be costly (but it's not as outrageous as you may think). 1. Be VERY clear to the buyer how much it will cost them to ship there. 2. Usually no tracking is offered for international countries (Postal Service). That may be different with UPS and FedEx (please check).

Designer Handbags can be SOLD on eBay: Here's how to get the BEST price! Keep the original packaging (box, receipts, pamphlets, dust bag). You'll get MORE money for the item, if you have the original box & dust bag and show it in your pictures. Luxury bags have authenticity numbers! When selling, take a picture of it close up and within the bag. Type the word "Authentic" in your title description. Don't sell to anyone with a low feedback score (this can be requested when you fill out the eBay selling form). Still jittery? Bring it to a consignment shop :). This is not for an eBay newbie or faint of heart. I sold a designer handbag set and received a much nicer amount than a consignment shop.

List Towards The END Of The Month, So You Can SELL At The Beginning Of The Month: THINK about when people get PAID! Some people get paid weekly! Some monthly! Think about when people are most likely to have money (usually it's at the beginning of the month or near an upcoming HOLIDAY). It's important to list right before, so they can SEE your item, make a decision and then hopefully BUY your item.

Be Patient: Don't expect to list an item once and expect it to sell the very first time. It takes time! You may have to relist it many times! Remember someone has to come along, that is your size and likes your style. Sometimes items sell right away! JCrew, Anthropologie, Garnet Hill, Coach, etc sell FAST! When you buy something, think of it as an investment. Ask yourself if you will resell, toss or give it away?

Research the Fees: Whenever you are selling on eBay you are going to need to understand that there are fees to consider, and many people overlook these. For the items you sell on eBay you are going to need to pay a fee if you choose to list a certain number of items. It will be free up until a certain point, after which you will have to pay the fee. Understanding the different costs that are involved when it comes to improving this is so important, and you need to try to make sure you focus on the best ways of being able to achieve this. So, ensuring you research this by using an eBay & PayPal fee calculator to figure out the best ways of achieving this is so important for the future.

This is something you need to understand as it can help you save money and reduce costs long-term, and this is something that you need to try to make the most of. In addition to this, you also have to think about things like tax, and packaging and shipping costs, all of which will eat into your budget. So you have to factor these kinds of things in when you are pricing your products more effectively.

I hope these tips help. I realize this post is long, but I made mistakes when I first sold on eBay.  

I didn't think everything through. I learned quickly, have a 100% sellers rating and thought it would be helpful & beneficial to someone else to write a post. Do you sell on eBay or another site? Share your experiences below.