How to make money on ebay

How to Make Money on eBay

What To Know To Start Selling on eBay

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David J. Rubin is a fact checker for The Balance with more than 30 years in editing and publishing. The majority of his experience lies within the legal and financial spaces. At legal publisher Matthew Bender & Co./LexisNexis, he was a manager of R&D, programmer analyst, and senior copy editor.

Selling items on eBay can be an effective way to bring in some extra cash. On your own terms, you’d sell things from your home, whether those things are related to your hobbies and interests or those things simply need to be done away with. Depending on how much time you’re willing to commit to make online sales, selling on eBay can be a nice side hustle to bolster your rainy day fund or a full-time job if you find that you are really good at it.

Let’s discuss the nuts and bolts of how to make money on eBay, optimize your listing, and set yourself up for success.

Key Takeaways

Create an Account

Before listing any goods, you must have an account with eBay to sell goods. Consider whether you need a personal account or a business account. Although the decision is ultimately up to you, you should consider operating with a business account if:

If you’re not sure whether you need a business account or a personal account, you can always switch after your account has been created. Navigate to the ‘My eBay ‘ tab, then select ‘My Account’ followed by ‘Personal Information’. By clicking the ‘Edit’ button, you’ll be able to change the account type and enter your business details when you’re ready.

eBay Business Account

You have a higher limit of listings per month.

You have access to better tools and promotions.

You’re able to use your company name as your registered name.

You get greater selling privileges in crisis situations.

Tax reporting is more complicated.

You are required to report your eBay income as business income.

You will need to keep detailed records of all transactions for taxes.

Get Administratively Prepared

There are several additional administrative items worth considering before you list your first item. When setting up your account, consider an appropriate eBay name that invokes trust. Set up a PayPal account in advance to ensure you can promptly receive payment when your first item sells. If you’ve never used eBay before, consider navigating the site, identifying an inexpensive item, and testing out the ‘Buy’ feature to see what a customer is going to experience.

If you plan on listing your first items with «Buy Now» options, consider getting armed with shipping supplies before you list. You won’t know how long it may take for your first item to be sold and if it goes quicker than you realize, you may be forced to make your very first customer wait as you gather what you need to ship the good.

Prepare For Your Listing

It’s time to start selling! Gather items from around your house that you no longer want or use instead. It’s time to do some research after you’ve collected a box of things to sell. Start the process by going to the “Selling” section of the website and hitting the blue “List an Item” button.

You’ll be prompted to fill in your product’s details, upload photos, and name an item’s price and shipping rates, among other information. Before preparing your listing, consider navigating to this part of the website to better understand what information will be needed. After a while, you’ll get a hang of what is needed; for your first listing, write down a list and gather the information before proceeding.

A book is a good item for beginner sellers to start with. Its straightforward size and shape make the shipping process simple, and its price can often be easily determined by other postings.

Set the Right Price

Learning how to price your items is an important part of being a successful eBay seller. You can see how much similar goods are sold for by searching for the item on eBay and adjusting your settings to show sold listings. You shouldn’t determine current market value by the selling price but by how much sellers are able to get for an item.

You can also use other online selling platforms, such as Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Craigslist, Poshmark, and Nextdoor to gauge the right listing price. This may be straightforward if your item is common and standard (i.e. a specific book). If your item is more specific or unique, make a list of comparable items, how your product is similar or different, and adjust your pricing accordingly.

Spend some extra time when researching how much to charge for more expensive items, such as antiques, art, or collectibles. You’ll want to make sure you understand the item’s value before you list it so as not to sell yourself short. Sites like WorthPoint.com can help you to pinpoint an appropriate listing price.

Optimize Your Listing

As you create your listing, your goal is to make your listing as attractive as possible to potential buyers. Pay attention to what other sellers are doing, especially those who are generating sales. Whether it is offering free shipping or using specific keywords in their titles, there are always ways to gain an advantage in your eBay listing.

Title

eBay product listings have up to 80 characters. Your goal is to easily communicate what you are selling and have the consumer easily identify what the product is. Try to include two or three primary keywords in your title as well as descriptors such as brand name, color, size, product attributes, or product condition. Some product listing types also allow for a subtitle up to 55 characters for an additional fee.

Shoppers may be used to using acronyms to scan product listings. Consider using terms such as «NWT» (new with tags) or «GUC» (good used condition) if space allows.

Keywords

Leading up to creating the product listing, spend some time researching what keywords best identify your product and drive search results. As you become more serious about selling, consider investing in SEO tools to help identify these search criteria.

For your initial listings, check what phrases Google auto-completes as you search for your product, see what words similar listings use and analyze recent Google Trends data for search criteria. These keywords should be used throughout your title and product description. Don’t plan on spending too much time on your description; try to find the balance of describing the good for sale without leaving any potential unanswered questions.

Product identifiers and item specifics aren’t required, but it’s often best practice to include this information on your listing. By typing out information such as the condition, color, brand, ISBN, or UPC, buyers are likely to be driven by your listing should there be keyword matches.

Photographs

You’re allowed up to 12 free photos per listing, so consider documenting your product from different angles or different spaces. This is the opportunity to also build trust with your clients by clearly displaying any defects or issues with your product.

It’s often advised that photos should be at least 500 pixels on its longest size. Ensure good lighting in a clutter-free environment, and be mindful that text or some artwork are not allowed in photos. You can also pick a stock photo to use using the eBay product catalog.

Shipping/Returns

eBay’s fast shipping program ‘eBay Fast ‘N Free’ is designated on a listing by a prominent tag. If you plan on shipping your product quickly anyways, these types of listings attract buyers and invoke confidence in your sales as Fast ‘N Free products are guaranteed by eBay.

As the seller, you’re allowed to set whatever return policy you want. Be honest about whether you’re willing to accept returns, being mindful that customers may choose a different seller (with even a higher price) for the flexibility of a return. You can set a return period (i.e. the buyer is allowed to return the product within 14 calendar days of the receipt of payment).

Avoid the common beginner mistake of listing your item in the wrong category. Your listing may not receive any traffic if left up or removed by eBay should the posting be reported.

Review Your Niche (or Lack Thereof)

Some sellers might prefer the focus and direction that a niche market provides, but don’t worry too much about finding one. When getting accustomed to eBay, consider selling what you can to learn about how the marketplace work and what it’s like partnering with customers. In time, you may naturally find you prefer selling certain types of goods or working with certain types of customers.

It can seem daunting at first, but you’ll acquire an eye for what buyers want as you become more experienced. Even when you’re not selling, consider having the eBay (and other marketplace) apps on your phone so you can check the value of the items and teach yourself what to look for when you’re at garage sales, thrift stores, or antiques shops and shows.

Streamline Wherever Possible

After you’ve completed several sales, it’s time to review how things and gone and come up with ways to improve. Identify areas where you can make the process simpler. Even the smallest changes to make things a little quicker can add up and save you a considerable amount of time in the long run. Ask yourself the following questions:

eBay charges “insertion” or upfront fees for placing items for sale and final-value fees for items that sell. As you sell products, understand how the gross proceeds differ from these net amounts you receive.

You can create templates ahead of time if you consistently use certain words in your listings. If you decide to pursue a specific niche, think of how a single post can relate to others and attempt to replicate a successful listing. If you’ve noticed that certain layouts, keywords, or listing features have driven more success, leverage those in other listings.

How Do I Offer Free Shipping on eBay and Still Make Money?

You’ll want to incorporate the cost of shipping into the price of the item if you’re offering buyers free shipping. You can get custom shipping and packaging recommendations from eBay as well. You can estimate shipping costs using eBay’s shipping calculator.

Is it Easy to Make Money Selling on eBay?

Be prepared for a learning curve when you first start selling on eBay. After a while, you’ll get the hang of where to find products, how to price your inventory, write listings, and ship items. You’ll likely find that selling on eBay can be an effective way to make money on your own terms once you get comfortable with the process.

How Much Money Can You Make on eBay Before You Have to Pay Taxes?

How much tax you have to pay depends on how you’re using eBay. You might not need to pay any tax if you’re selling casually in the same manner that you would if you were having a garage sale. This is often the case with person accounts.

How To Make Money On eBay: Get Started In 40 min (+ expert advice)

That got me thinking:

How can I show you how to make money on eBay too?

We also interviewed a senior executive at eBay to get insider tips on how to make money selling stuff on eBay.

6 steps to make money on eBay

Susan decided to put what we learned to the test. When she did, she was able to make money within 37 minutes after signing up for eBay.

Here are the six exact steps she used:

Now, I’ll let her explain what she did in her own words. Take it away, Susan.

Step 1: Sign up for an eBay account

Time taken: 2 min

This was very straightforward.

Go to the eBay website, click on the “My eBay” button at the top. From there you’ll have the option to register for a profile. Follow the instructions and sign up.

Step 2: Find something to sell

Time taken: 2 min

Almost everyone has something lying around for eBay.

Apparently, someone out there knew how to fix it though. This highlights one of the greatest things about eBay: Its wide reach means that you’re likely to find a buyer for almost anything that you have to sell.

While most people don’t have tons of spare high-value electronics laying around, you probably do have something else. As for me, I had these too-big shoes in my closet that I’d never worn.

Step 3: Research the product and the price

Time taken: 5 min

I didn’t want to make the mistake of setting an arbitrary price based on emotions, or not knowing what the hot keywords are for describing these shoes.

Here’s how I researched:

Step 4: Market your eBay listing

Time taken: 15 min

Since I already did the research, this was the easy part. I took photos and then determined the title and description copy from the other sites I saw that were selling this product, making sure to highlight the major distinction (its color) along with the standard brand distinction.

I took the reader tip and decided to list on a Thursday, for a 10-day auction to get in two weekends’ worth of eyeballs.

Here’s what I did:

When Ramit was trying to sell off his broken laptop, he used brand identification (Apple MacBook), photos of the actual item being sold, and added an honest, thorough description:
“This laptop has some damage, but it’s definitely repairable and it’s a steal if you know how.”

The brand name draws in lots of viewers, and the honest, thorough description targets the listing to just the right person who’ll end up loving the purchase.

Step 5: List your first item on eBay!

Time taken: 5 min

eBay makes this really easy. I chose to offer free shipping because this attracts more buyers. I bundled the estimated shipping cost into the price of the item.

Step 6: Fulfill your eBay sale

Time taken: 8 min

It’s really, really important to get those good seller ratings, even if you’re not quitting your day job. Fulfillment means being a reliable seller, packager, and shipper, and getting the item to your buyer ASAP.

Total time taken: 37 min

5 expert tips for selling on eBay

It’s easy to be skeptical about something like this — I know we were.

Susan and I are both fans of Big Wins. That means aggressively cutting costs, optimizing our spending, and earning more.

But does earning more apply to eBay?

How much can you really make on the site anyway? Isn’t this the same place where people regularly try and sell stuff like “the most expensive GIF”?

Most importantly: Is it worth it … or am I just going to get screwed by selling all of my stuff way below market value.

Here’s the 5 best tips to make money on eBay in order of importance:

Tip 1. Use really good pictures (and a lot of them)

Like establishing a good relationship, first impressions are crucial.

That’s why you need to make sure your photos are great. Photos are going to be the very first thing people look at when they click on your product listing. So make sure they look as good as possible.

When taking photos of your product, make sure you keep these two things in mind:

Quality
The best-sellers use really good pictures — not blurry and not like you’re selling from a house from the show Hoarders.

To do this, photograph your product on a flat neutral-colored surface and background (ideally white so your product will pop). Make sure it’s well lit so you can actually see the product.

The photos don’t have to be perfect, but should accurately reflect the quality of the item.

PRO TIP: You can build your own lightbox for cheap to really make your photos look professional.

Quantity
As one reader put it, her secret was “LOTS of pictures.” As of writing this, eBay allows you to post 12 photos for free — so posting a lot of photos might not be an issue for you.

However, if you want to add more, you can leverage third-party tools to help.

“Use an outside app to manage listings and to upload photos to your own server so you don’t have to pay eBay’s prices for extra photos,” they said. “I use GarageSale myself.”

Tip 2. Write mouthwatering product descriptions

A good product description is the perfect marriage of copywriting and selling.

Because it’s not enough to just describe your product (which you should also do), you need to sell the reader on why your product is perfect for your potential customer.

To do that, keep one thing in mind: Sell benefits, not features.

There’s an old marketing maxim that sums this up nicely:

“Buyers don’t want a new bed. Buyers want a good night’s sleep.”

The bed, springs, box frame — those are all just features. They’re not what the buyer’s looking for. The buyer wants comfort. They want a good night’s sleep.

A few other examples:

So ask yourself, “What is my buyer looking for? What are they struggling with? How does my product service those needs?”

A few other things to keep in mind:

Tip 3. Time your listing right

There are typically two schools of thought when it comes to your list timing:

Our suggestion: Go with the longer duration. More specifically, choose a 10-day listing and optimize it for the most views.

“Use the 10-day listing starting on a Thursday,” suggests one reader. “That gives you two full weekends of eyeballs. Weekends typically have the highest traffic.”

Tip 4. Avoid reserve prices

This same seller told us even more about reserve pricing.

This is a price minimum a seller can set on their product. If an auction ends without any bids at that price or higher, the seller doesn’t have to sell the product.

Here’s what they had to say on the topic:

Tip 5. Find your niche and own it

The survey respondent who made the most money off of eBay ($50k+ in the past 12 months) gave us an interesting tip on what to sell:

“Find a niche market, and go deep. Do you have a hobby? If so, can you sell supplies for it? If selling hobby supplies, make sure your customer has purchased everything necessary for a successful project such as providing fantastic customer support.”

Many people think that choosing a niche limits the amount of customers you have — which isn’t the case. Choosing a niche allows you to focus your offers on a specific group.

Let’s take fitness coaches for example. Who do you think will do better?

The second one, of course. That’s the paradox of niching down your offering. The more specific your niche, the easier it is to sell and the more you can charge.

If you need help finding a target market and niching down your offerings, be sure to check out my best articles on the topic below:

Bonus: Susan’s interview with Jim Griffith, from eBay University

When I asked Griff for any secrets on the best items to sell on eBay, he told me, “think local.”

Instead of thinking only about how to sell YOUR stuff on eBay (like your old stereo, computer, designer jeans), think about how to make a micro business selling OTHER stuff on eBay, that you obtain locally, such as….

Audio excerpt from my interview with Jim Griffith

[ Running Time: 2:48 | Download File (Right-click, choose “Save as…”) ]

How to Make Money with eBay in 2022

It’s always worth making an effort to make money with eBay on the side, regardless what other work you’re involved in. It’s one of those side jobs that really helps to supplement your income. It also helps you to keep your home decluttered!

Even if you don’t feel you buy that much, you probably find you have a constant churn of things you don’t use anymore. With two small children in the house, we certainly have a steady churn of abandoned toys and baby gadgets…

A Source of Steady Extra Cash

Going back several years, eBay has long played a part in my ability to make money from home. I don’t rely on it anymore, but having it there provides a pleasing sense of security. I know that if I ever find myself struggling to pay the bills at the end of the month, I just have to grab my computer, log on, and get listing.

Is it easy? No, not really. When you tot up how much time it takes to make money with eBay (including all the photography, wrapping, and time at the post office) the hourly rate can come out pretty low. But I get really quite irritated when people turn their noses up at eBay.

At the very least, eBay turns clutter into cash – and it’s possible to make it do far more than that.

Is it worth it to sell on eBay?

How worthwhile selling on eBay is depends a lot on what you have to sell. Some people make a full-time living from eBay sales.

A better question is whether it’s possible to make big money.

To that, I’d have to be honest and say that eBay wouldn’t be my first port of call if I was keen to become a millionaire! But it’s great as a way to supplement income. In fact, I’ll be so bold as to say the following:

What Sells Well on eBay?

People sell literally everything via online auctions, but here are some categories of items we’ve always found to be the best things to sell on eBay:

The Ten Best Items to Sell on eBay

A 10 Point eBay Selling Strategy

There’s nothing secretive about my way of doing eBay, so I happily share it below.

Before I start, however, I must emphasise that this isn’t easy money. My wife and I have a good system going for eBay. I tend to do the listing, picking and photographing, and she does the customer service and the posting.

At times, we only have a few items listed at a time, and use it for pocket money. At other (leaner) times, we ramp it up to make “real” money. Either way, it’s money we wouldn’t have if we didn’t do it.

1. Maintain an “eBay pile”

We always have an “eBay pile” on the go. We’re fortunate enough to have a summerhouse-style office in the garden, and we have some shelving racks to keep everything organised. The photo below below shows an example selection of the kind of things we typically have waiting to list. The actual pile is far bigger!

The point of the eBay pile is that you put everything on it that you don’t need anymore.

Ours includes completed video games, CDs we don’t want, books we’ve finished with, leads we only needed once, and even perfumes and cosmetics that we’ve used a little of.

All of this stuff sells. We’ve even sold half bottles of perfume in the past.

Yes, there are things that may not fetch enough to be worth the hassle, but anything from unwanted Christmas presents to equipment from abandoned hobbies is fair game for the eBay pile.

The other really important thing is that we always maintain the eBay pile – even when we have freelance work piling in and we don’t need the income. This means that whenever we hit a lean time, our “stock” is sitting there waiting for us.

2. Keep your gadget boxes

Our garage is stacked with empty boxes from everything remotely valuable we’ve purchased over the last decade.

The reason for this is that we always try to eBay (or otherwise sell on) things we don’t need any more.

Unless we buy something we intend to keep forever, we keep the box, because everything on eBay fetches better money when it’s boxed.

3. eBay for other people

If you live a minimalist lifestyle, you may be saying “well, this is all very well if you actually have stuff to sell…”

If you really don’t (and are being honest with yourself about your clutter), you have the option of eBaying for other people. Many people don’t have the time, the computer skills or the inclination to eBay their clutter – so offer to do it for them.

You can do this for family and friends, or even take it further and offer it as a service. I’ve personally done this with computer equipment as a sideline to running an IT support business.

You’ll need to agree a rate, but charging 50% of the sale price, less any fees, is an agreement people have always been happy with in my experience.

4. Find a speciality

To make money with eBay reliably, it makes sense to specialise in certain items. Ideally, these should be items you know about and have a passion for.

My personal favourite eBay niche is vintage computing and gaming items. I love playing around with the retro kit, so cleaning it up, photographing it, writing about it and making sure it works is all part of the fun. I also keep some of the best bits for my personal collection!

Knowing your market in a specific area also means you will see things in your day-to-day life and know that there’s money to be made on them. Several years back ago I used to buy several copies of certain printed UK Nintendo magazines, because I knew the bundled giveaway gifts would be collectable in other countries.

I made some decent money from this and similar “hustles.” Buying low and selling high is always a bit of a buzz – even on eBay!

5. Learn eBay’s advanced search

eBay’s Advanced Search is central to making decent money on the platform. It allows you to see what items typically sell for, how rare they are and (most importantly) how much you can expect to make.

In addition, using this feature can also highlight when it’s NOT worth selling something on eBay. There have been times when I’ve found out a much-loved game or record is only worth a tiny amount, and decided to hang onto it rather than sell it for so little.

6. Make use of Gumtree

Gumtree (and other classified ad sites) can sometimes prove a rich source of items to resell.

As a specific example, I have some saved searches for specific items that I collect and resell, and receive an email notification is anyone lists one. Usually people on these sites only allow people to collect the items and won’t box them up and send them, so nine times out of ten the item is out of reach.

However, on the odd occasion I find something for sale just down the road, the price is often far lower than it would be on eBay, allowing me to sell it on for a healthy profit – simply because I’m willing to deal with the listing and posting.

7. Hit the yard sales

Similarly, another option is to buy things at yard sales and car boot sales and resell them on eBay.

We need to be honest here, however: People have been doing this for years, so really profitable items are more of a once a year lucky find than a regular occurrence.

That said, there are people who do these sales as a one-off clear-out, often selling things they don’t appreciate the true value of. If you stick to searching for items you genuinely know about (as per point four), you can cash in here. But be aware you won’t be the only person trying to do so!

As a quick aside, it’s perhaps worth mentioning we have a “car boot sale pile” as well as an eBay pile. We haven’t actually visited a sale as a seller for a long while, but it’s always nice to know we could if we needed some emergency cash.

We know from past experience that certain things do well at car boot sales / garage sales. These include electrical adaptors and chargers of all kinds (don’t ask me why!) clothes (must be ironed!) and books.

These sales aren’t the place for high value items, but for things too cheap / bulky / impractical for eBay, they’re another good way to swap clutter for cash.

8. Know when NOT to use eBay

Over time, you come to learn not to use eBay for certain things.

We never have much luck with books, as an example. The combination of low selling prices plus high postage costs makes selling them there rather thankless and not very lucrative.

Amazon tends to be a better bet for books, and Discogs is good for records – in our experience at least.

In additional, Facebook’s selling pages provide a hassle-free alternative to eBay. They’re particularly good for furniture and bulkier items that are a pain to post. We have a detailed article on Facebook Marketplace here, explaining which items do – and don’t – go well.

9. Keep packaging for EVERYTHING

Continually buying postage boxes and rolls of bubble wrap can quickly eat into the money you make from eBay.

As such, we don’t waste any packaging – everything from Amazon boxes to jiffy bags get reused in our house. It seems a little over-frugal at times but it means you don’t just make money with eBay, you make a tiny bit of profit on the packaging too – and it all adds up.

10. Improve your IT skills

There’s very little in the way of home working that’s not made easier with better computer skills.

The ability to quickly process photographs, copy and paste regularly used snippets of text, and respond to queries from your phone (just three examples) are all things that will speed up your eBay business.

If you want to make money with eBay, your computer skills will help you make it much faster.

Are you making money with eBay? Do you think my strategies are good? Do you have any of your own to share? Let us know in the comments!

16 profitable eBay selling tips

Updated by Nele van Hout
27 January 2022

Looking to make a tidy income as an eBay seller? Here’s how to sell on eBay and make the most money from listings.

Credit: Natee Meepian, paitoon – Shutterstock

Whether you’re looking to set up your own online business or just want to shift some old belongings, selling on eBay can be a great way to make a bit of extra cash.

But, whatever your intentions, it’s best to learn the ropes on how to sell on eBay before getting started so you can be sure you’re not missing any tricks, and know that you’re on top of all the eBay fees.

We’ve crammed as much info as we can into this guide, so by the time you’re done reading it, you’ll have all the advice you need to start making money on eBay.

How to make money on eBay

Here are the top 16 ways to maximise your profits by selling things on eBay:

Know the best things to sell on eBay

Whether it’s some old textbooks or your Pokémon card collection, before putting something on eBay it’s crucial that you take a bit of time to decide whether what you’re selling is in the right condition.

You might be keen to start making money on whatever you can get your hands on. But, if you make the mistake of selling items that aren’t in good condition or are missing crucial parts, you could get bad reviews which make it harder to sell other things on eBay.

If you’re looking for the best things to sell on eBay, use the ‘Marketplace Research’ tool to find out what the hottest items are. Also, check out what the most-watched items are, as well as whichever ones tend to have the most bids on them. This will give you an idea of what products sell.

Try thinking seasonally, too – you’re not likely to get many bids on a pair of sunglasses in the middle of winter, so put them somewhere safe until the time is right. Chances are you’ll make a lot more cash on them if you can wait until they’re in more demand.

Buy cheap things to sell on at higher prices

As well as selling items that you no longer use on eBay, it’s also worth looking for low-priced things to sell on at higher prices.

Be it at your local charity shop, a car boot sale or even on eBay itself, there are loads of places to find great deals on products.

There’s a risk you could lose money doing this if you’re unfamiliar with how much a particular product sells for on eBay, so we’d definitely recommend doing some research first. Our guide to upselling is a good place to start.

But, if you’re confident that a seller has underestimated an item’s value, it’s a good opportunity to buy it, sell it for the price you think it’s worth and (hopefully!) earn a profit from it.

Take some inspiration from this student who picked up items at a car boot sale and sold them on eBay for 10 times what she bought them for.

Improve your eBay profile

The best way to get started as a seller on eBay is to become a buyer first. This way, other users can see you have an eBay history and recognise that you’re trustworthy.

Even if you just purchase a couple of small items for a few quid each, paying for the items promptly and taking the time to give feedback (positive if possible!) can really build up your eBay presence and get you a good buyer rating.

Another important step is choosing your username. Remember that whatever you choose will effectively be the name of your mini business, so lewiscapaldifan103xx probably won’t instil a huge amount of confidence in potential buyers.

We’d recommend either going for something simple and professional, like a variant of your name, or a name that’s relevant to the kind of things you plan to be selling (this might make you easier to find in eBay searches too).

Research eBay’s fees

Before you start making money on eBay, you first need to work out exactly how much an item is worth and how much it’s going to cost you to sell it. Obviously, you want to make a decent profit, but there are some additional costs applied when selling on eBay that you need to be aware of.

Ecal is a nifty tool that works out how much you’ll pay for each sale, based on what you list it for and how much it eventually sells for. Try running your item through this to see what sort of profit you’ll make.

What are eBay’s fees?

These are just a handful of the possible fees you may be charged for your eBay shop. This page on eBay’s website has more details on all their charges, which will vary depending on what you’re selling.

Look out for eBay seller promotions

From time to time, eBay runs promotional offers for private sellers – keep an eye out for these as you’ll likely be sent an email with a link to activate them. If you’re able to wait until these offers come around to sell your higher-priced items, you could save a fair amount of money on seller fees.

The offers can include paying reduced fees (sometimes as little as £1 per listing!).

To use the offers, look on your seller account page on eBay and find the section containing current promotions. Next to each offer, it will either say ‘Active’, in which case it’s been applied to your account, or you’ll need to click a button to activate it.

Or, keep an eye on our student deals section – if and when the offers are running, we’ll feature them.

Charge the best price for your item

When you’ve decided on an item to sell, use the eBay advanced search tool to discover how much similar items have been selling for lately. You can search for whatever you want to sell and tick the ‘completed listings’ box to see heaps of similar items and the prices they sold for.

For some items, like CDs and DVDs, you can find out how much they’re worth by getting quotes from other second-hand selling websites like Music Magpie.

If you’re able to scan your item’s barcode, you should get a pretty accurate valuation – then you can add a bit onto this amount as your selling price on eBay (unless you’re offered a really good price for it, in which case you could sell directly to that site instead).

Also, make sure you correctly price the postage, or you could end up out of pocket. Royal Mail’s price finder will tell you how much postage will cost, so you can add this to the listing. But remember that you do have to pay an eBay fee on the total transaction, including postage!

Note that high postage fees can put some sellers off, so we’d recommend adding the cost into the price of the product itself so you can offer free postage. This will give your items a «Free Postage» tag in the search results. And since buyers can filter out items that don’t offer free postage, your products will be seen by way more users.

Start bids low to catch the attention of buyers

It might be tempting to give your listings a high initial price, but starting your bids at 99p (or similar) should actually get you a better sale in the long run.

A low starting bid will catch the attention of more potential buyers and encourage a competitive bidding war as the item reaches its last day of bidding.

However, please note that this tip doesn’t apply to really niche products – if it’s something that only an avid collector would be searching for, don’t set the initial bid too low as you’re less likely to get a lot of bids on these items.

You can always add a minimum price (the reserve) if you’re worried about getting a rough deal, which means the item won’t be sold unless it reaches this minimum required amount.

Take good photos of the items you’re selling

A photograph of the item you’re selling adds maximum credibility, and an eBay user is much more likely to continue bidding if they’re confident they can see an accurate representation of what’s on offer.

If there are extra components to the item you’re listing, include them in the photo – we’re talking boxes, instruction manuals, batteries and whatever else you’ve mentioned in the description.

You don’t need an amazing camera to do a good job of this, but do make use of the macro mode (if you have one) and use autofocus, both of which will work wonders for close-up shots.

Natural daylight is key to getting clear, high-quality photos. But, if you’re in a dimly-lit room, adding a little extra lighting (like a desk lamp) can make a big difference. Just make sure you avoid any shadows.

Also, remember that you can upload 12 photos to a listing for free at one time.

Launch auctions during eBay’s peak times

Before you jump straight in and post your listing, take some time to think about when you should open the bidding.

In general, the best time to end any auction is on a Sunday evening. This has been proven to be the time when most casual buyers go for a browse, so it’s the time that auctions really start to heat up.

So, if you’re going for the maximum 10-day auction (which is always the best option as it increases the chances of getting more bids), list it on a Thursday evening to increase your exposure to potential buyers.

As mentioned earlier, if you’re selling a themed or seasonal product, think about what time of year would be best for it to go on eBay.

For example, the start of October would be the perfect time to start listing any fancy dress items you have as people start searching for their Halloween party outfits online.

Write convincing product descriptions

Now for the hard part: writing the descriptions that will sell your product. It’s crucial that you take your time over this, as a good description can make or break a deal.

eBay allows you to use up to 80 characters in your title, so make the most of it. Make it clear, concise and use plenty of keywords to help make your item as easy to find as possible.

How to write eBay product descriptions

Never do shill bidding on eBay

‘Shill bidding’ is when you bid on an item with the intention of increasing its price/search ranking or to make it look more desirable, rather than because you actually want to buy it. This is illegal, so neither you nor your friends or family members should ever bid on your auctions.

There are systems in place to spot this and prevent it from happening on the site. For more details, have a read of eBay’s policy on shill bidding – they’ve got super clear guidelines on it, so if you’re unsure about it at all, the info on their site can put your mind at ease.

Increase your eBay selling limits

When you first start selling on eBay, you can only list 10 items up to a value of £650. Before you’re allowed to add more items to your eBay store, you have to prove that you’re a good seller by sending your items quickly, communicating with the buyers and collecting positive feedback.

To increase your limits, you can hit «request selling limit increase» on your profile – eBay will then decide if they want to give you a few more listings. But you can only do this once a month, so it can take a while to build up your to a decent number of listings. Especially if you’re selling high-value items, you could reach your limit pretty quickly.

If you want to speed up the process, you can try emailing the support team. They’re often happy to increase your account’s limits sooner as long as you have good feedback and sell your items at a reasonable price. We’ve tried this ourselves and increased our limit to over 1,000 items per month in just a couple of weeks!

Maintain contact with buyers on eBay

Once your sale has gone through (yay!), be sure to send a confirmation email to your buyer as soon as possible and invoice them for the full amount, including the postage charge.

You should then send them another email once you’ve received their payment and when you’ve dispatched the item. We know this sounds like a lot of emails, but buyers appreciate being kept in the loop and if you’re too quiet there’s a chance they’ll get suspicious and report you.

Make sure you also dispatch the item as promptly as possible and be careful not to be too ambitious with your ‘handling time’ declaration. If you estimate that you’ll take two days to dispatch the item but end up missing that self-imposed deadline, you could receive a negative review and the buyer may ask eBay for a refund.

When your customer’s received your product, do remember to give them some lovely feedback. It’s how the eBay world works, and as the saying goes: what goes around, comes around.

Package items in a large envelope to save money

If the items you’re selling can fit in envelopes, this can save you money on getting the goods to the winning bidder.

As long as the envelope’s within the Post Office’s guidelines of a large-letter size (35.3cm x 25cm x 2.5cm), you can avoid the added costs of selling parcels.

Of course, not all items will fit in envelopes. But if you’re selling something small like CDs, jewellery or thin items of clothing, it can really cut the cost of post and packaging (which will make your listing look even more appealing to buyers).

Always get proof of postage when selling on eBay

Send every item you sell by recorded delivery – or at least get proof of postage. Particularly because, unfortunately, there are eBay buyer scammers out there who cause trouble by telling eBay that items haven’t been received, even when they actually have been delivered.

So just make sure you’re armed with proof in case you need to fight your corner.

Send items with a hand-written note

Adding a personal touch to your deliveries makes a massive difference. If you write a little note to say thank you to the buyer for their purchase, it gives them an insight into the person behind the sale, which will mean a lot more to them than an anonymous eBay username.

If you’re selling something like vintage clothes, you could give a little info about the back story of the item in the note with details like when you first bought it, where it was from and your reasons for selling it.

It only needs to be a couple of sentences (a whole letter would be a bit over the top), and it might even be repeating things from the product description. But, make an effort to present it nicely, and you can be confident that your eBay customers will appreciate it.

It could even lead buyers to feel more inclined to leave you a positive rating on eBay and buy from you again.

Hopefully, you should now be equipped with the skills and know-how you’ll need to succeed as an eBay seller. Good luck!

For more ideas on how to start raking in the cash, head over to our make money quickly guide.

How to Make Money on eBay in 2020

Also, eBay caters to entrepreneurs across the board. Whether you’re reselling your stuff for extra money, growing a side hustle, or building a scalable business, eBay can work for you.

If you want to learn how to make money buying and selling on eBay, bookmark this article. There’s a lot to cover, and you’ll want to refer back to this guide as you go.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Can You Really Make Money on eBay?

People sell on eBay because it’s easy to get started and make a sale. Your eBay store can be up and running within minutes after reading this guide. Buyers also flock to eBay because it’s a trusted marketplace that offers a convenient shopping experience.

So, yes! You can learn how to make money on eBay and Amazon in 2020. Many of these principles work on both sites.

Why Sell on eBay?

Whether you’re a casual seller or a serious entrepreneur, eBay can serve your needs. Here are a few benefits of selling on eBay:

How Do You Make Money on eBay in 2020? Follow 5 Easy Steps

Used properly, eBay can be an excellent business tool to grow your online business. Here’s how you can start making money on eBay.

Step 1: Decide What to Sell

Some users are selling their old junk and operating from within their own homes. Some are nurturing a small side hustle to make 500 a week on eBay. And some sellers are large-scale businesses complete with employees and a warehouse.

The aftermarket automotive parts industry, for example, is prominent on eBay. You’ll often find sellers with multiple domestic warehouses and overseas manufacturers.

But what should you sell in your eBay store?

Start your search within your own home. Are there any items collecting cobwebs in your attic or garage that you could sell?

If you intend to be a large scale business, you’ll need to do more deep thinking about your business goals. Definitely check out our guide on how to write a business plan to kickstart your research.

How small or big you want to scale your eBay store will depend on your preference, time, and available capital.

Here are some of the best things to sell on eBay to make money:

But honestly, you can sell nearly anything on eBay. Laura Christine from the Become Your Own Boss Today blog says, «there is no end to what you can sell. Practically anything sells.» She started by selling for an antiques dealer. It was a perfect pairing — he knew antiques, and she had technical savvy.

New items. Antiques. Used products. You can almost always find somebody on eBay willing to buy your item — for the right price, that is.

If you need further inspiration, check out eBay’s Explore page to see what’s trending. Browsing the selection may inspire your next product idea.

Research Current Events

Take a look at what’s happening in the world right now. It can point out what products are in high demand.

The coronavirus outbreak, for instance, has spiked the demand for sanitation products. The Sun reports » hand sanitiser sales were up 255 percent in February » in rather disparaging terms. (If you feel squeamish about the ethics of profiting during a crisis, read this post for a perspective you won’t hear in mainstream media.) eBay sellers noticed the growing need for hand sanitizing gel. And they were quick to supply it.

Kobe Bryant’s untimely death impacted fans around the world. Total Pro Sports notes how so many people put their Kobe Bryant memorial shirt for sale on eBay following his memorial at the Staples Center.

Step 2: Register for an eBay Account

After you decide what to sell, it’s time to create your eBay account. Fortunately, the process is quite simple and can be up and running within minutes.

If you intend to sell in large quantities, a business account will better suit your needs. Registering for a business account will also request your legal business name and phone number.

Step 3: Choose Your Subscription

Are you serious about growing your online business on eBay? You’ll want to consider the subscription plans they have available.

Additional business tools become available based on your subscription tier. eBay makes recommendations based on how many items you list per month. The Basic subscription, for example, is best for accounts that sell up to 100 pieces per month. The Anchor subscription would be more suitable for accounts listing at least 100,000 items per month.

Step 4: Create a Listing

First Steps

Learning how to create an eBay listing is a straightforward process.

Add Photos

eBay allows you to post 12 photos for free. You should post as many pictures as possible.

Quality pictures inspire buyer confidence. Clearly showcase your item and consider adding shots from different angles and lighting.

Also, be mindful of eBay’s photo restrictions:

Provide Product Details

When you entered your item’s keywords in a previous step, you should already have the item brand, color, and condition completed. If possible, you’ll also want to enter any other relevant details, such as size, gender, and measurements.

Also, take a moment to double-check your title. Confirm that your listing title is as specific as possible to maximize search engine results.

Add a Product Description

If you’re selling a Tae Bo workout DVD, for example, you may want to include:

Set Your Price

In this section, eBay recommends a starting price point based on what other sellers are charging for your item. If you want, you can manually change the price.

Also, you’ll have the option to:

You might be wondering which you should choose.

Buy It Now or Place Bid?

eBay is widely known as an auction-style marketplace. Buyers bid for a product. After a set time, usually seven days, the product goes to the highest bidder.

But some people didn’t want to wait seven days until an auction was over. That’s why the Buy It Now listings gained popularity. Buyers can bypass the auction process entirely and buy the item immediately.

You’ll find that many sellers offer both Buy It Now and Place Bid listings, depending on the item they’re choosing. Other sellers only use Buy It Now listings. It creates a straightforward shopping experience, like Amazon or many other online retailers.

Set Your Shipping Cost

When listing your item, remember to measure the package weight and dimensions. This will help you calculate the estimated shipping cost. Depending on the shipping requirements, it may affect how you price your listing.

For shipping, you’ll also see some options:

Double-Check Before Submitting

Before your listing goes live, double-check that all the information you entered is accurate. Confirm this information now will save you customer-related headaches later on.

You’ll also have an option to preview your listing before you publish it. Once it passes your review, click List It at the bottom of the page.

Congratulations! You just created your item listing.

Step 5: Follow eBay Best Practices

Ship Your Orders Within Expected Time Frame

Your listing will specify your shipping and handling time. Sellers should ship the item within 30 days of receiving cleared payment. Ideally, you will ship the order within one business day of receiving cleared payment.

Respond to Customer Cases Promptly

The two most common reasons a buyer will open a case against you are:

For cases where the item isn’t received, you should upload a tracking number. If the tracking confirms the delivery, the case will likely go in your favor. If it doesn’t, then you should offer a replacement or refund for this order.

For cases where the item doesn’t match the description, the resolution is trickier. You’ll have to wear your customer service hat to discover the problem and how to best resolve it. You might need to offer technical help, a replacement, or arrange for a return for a refund.

The worst thing you can do, though, is to ignore it. Doing so will likely result in the case closing in the buyer’s favor. eBay will debit you to arrange a full refund — sometimes without the buyer returning the item.

Upload a Shipping Tracking Number ASAP

As soon as you ship the item, you should upload the shipping tracking number to the transaction. This allows both you and the buyer to follow the package’s journey to its destination.

Uploading a shipping tracking number is also essential in protecting you, the seller. Let’s say the buyer opens a case against you for «Item Not Received.» If the tracking number confirms the delivery, eBay’s team will likely close the case in your favor.

Specify Your Shipping and Handling Services

On your listing, you can specify how soon you will ship the product. Some sellers may send the item within one business day after receiving payment. Another seller might specify three business days. Be sure to state this clearly to avoid any confusion.

If you use a dedicated shipping carrier, you’ll also want to post this. Some buyers may make special shipping requests. They might, for example, live in a rural area and ask that you use USPS over UPS. Or they may request a quote on expediting their order.

7 Pro Tips to Help You Dominate on eBay

Tip #1 Aim for the Top Rated Seller Badge

If you want to excel at building a profitable store on eBay, aim for the Top Seller Badge. Here’s why:

The improved visibility in eBay’s search results is reason enough to get the Top-Rated Seller Badge. If your listing is stuck on page 5 of eBay’s search results, it’s challenging to make a sale. It can almost feel like your listing is stuck in limbo, lost forever. Experience this for long enough, and you may want to quit eBay altogether.

So how do you get the Top-Rated Seller Badge? Here are some of the requirements:

Tip #2 Don’t Skimp on Packaging

A lot can go wrong between when the item ships and when the buyer receives it. Bubble wrap and durable packaging are your best friends. Often, it can even save you money.

If you’re selling a Blu-ray DVD player and it arrives in pieces, you’re obligated to issue a full refund. You lose an entire sale and a potential repeat customer because you didn’t spend the time and money to package it carefully.

Tip #3 Pay Attention to Your Feedback Score

On eBay, buyers can rate the transaction as positive, neutral, or negative. eBay’s feedback system can be a determining factor on whether a buyer purchases from you.

Customers may be hesitant to purchase from you due to your limited seller history. Tons of negative feedback is sure to scare away future customers. However, having tons of positive feedback can inspire buyer confidence.

Remember to ask buyers to positively rate their experience if they’re satisfied with their orders. Also, if you receive negative feedback, eBay allows you to address it. You can reach out to the buyer and offer a resolution. If the buyer is happy now, you can send a Feedback Revision Form. It allows them to revise their feedback from negative to neutral or positive.

Tip #4 Invest in Excellent Photography

For your listing pictures, quantity and quality will serve you well.

Best practices recommend that your main listing photo should feature your item by itself. Having white poster boards can be handy. You can use these to set the floor and background for your item. The blank setting will make your item pop in photos.

And be sure to include lots of photos. eBay lets you post up to 12 for free. If you’re selling a t-shirt, for example, here are some picture ideas:

Tip #5 Choose a Niche

You can probably make a couple hundred or even a thousand dollars selling random stuff you find in your garage or at your local discount store. But choosing a niche lets you follow a more specific marketing approach.

A niche is also useful if you already have a personal brand and online presence. Let’s say you have a following on YouTube by offering fitness advice. An extension of that brand could be selling fitness related products in your eBay store. Some products might include:

Choosing a niche will affect everything moving forward. Consider who you’re selling to, what you’re selling, and how you market. If you decide to sell items with your personal brand, eBay can be a powerful selling tool for you.

Tip #6 Deliver Stellar Customer Service

Offering fantastic customer service can help you secure eBay’s Top Seller Badge. Also, it can improve the chances for a buyer to repurchase from your store.

Moreover, customer service can often redeem you when an order goes south. Buyers can be reasonable and are often willing to let you resolve the issue.

But if you offer poor service, then expect a negative review on your account. Also, the buyer will likely open a case against you and receive a full refund for the order.

Consider including a paper slip inside the package with instructions to contact you through eBay. This gives you an opportunity for you to resolve any issues before the buyer opens a case against you.

Tip #7 Consider Free Shipping and Returns

Finally, you’ll find that eBay sellers debate the merits of free shipping and returns. There are some benefits to offering these perks.

Listings that offer free shipping and returns have a «Free Shipping» and «Free Returns» note when they appear in search results. This can often entice customers to purchase from your store instead of a competitor’s.

Advertising free shipping and returns may increase in orders. This can potentially offset the cost of shipping. The savings, naturally, would be significant if you sell large quantities of items.

Still, you might worry about return shipping costs. If you’re receiving too many returns, you may need to revisit the quality of your product or update your listing description.

If you see frequent returns on an orange t-shirt, for example, there may be something you can fix. Perhaps the picture doesn’t accurately show the color, and you can post a better quality picture. Maybe it’s closer to red, and you need to update your description. Minor changes to improve accuracy can improve your return rate.

So, How Much Does the Average eBay Seller Make?

Also, this average figure is pretty vague.

Let’s take a look at a couple of real examples.

She Asked, “What can I flip to make money?”

“Basically, at the weekends, I would go to flea markets, yard sales, car boot sales, and thrift/charity shops and browse what they had on offer. I would always have my phone ready to search eBay, Amazon, and Facebook marketplace to see how much these items were selling for second hand.

“It was basically just a pure arbitrage operation. Find products that are being sold at these stores and yards that are selling for a lot more online, get the best possible deal buying them, then get them uploaded for sale the same night at around the price they have previously been selling for.

“It would never cease to amaze me how many people there are out there who are willing to pay a premium price for something that we had managed to buy. In some cases, over 10x or more what we had picked it up for.

“There are so many more new marketplaces popping up online to sell these products on now too, so it’s giving more opportunities to get a good price for the products you pick up. The best part of it was that there were no real costs apart from fuelling the car and any listing costs when selling products on eBay.

“The best piece of advice I got when doing retail arbitrage is to make sure you have your phone with you at all times so you can check what products sell for before you buy them. Also, look at what the specific product has previously sold for, not for how much people have it on for sale at currently. The current for sale prices can often vary wildly, but a look at the previously sold prices gives a much more accurate representation of the product’s true value.”

The amount of money you make often correlates with the amount of time and capital you put in. Making more would require more market research and marketing. If you commit to the grind, you can eventually grow your eBay store in a six-figure business.

What Are the Easiest Things to Flip on eBay?

Brand name and vintage clothing tend to be easy items to flip. There is a demand for quality and brand-name clothes at a discounted price. Also, clothes are lightweight, meaning that they’re cost-effective to ship.

You can also find success with flipping tools. Lightweight power tools and gardening tools, especially, are often excellent candidates for an easy flip.

What Are the Best Items to Resell?

When you’re looking through your home for items to resell, stick with items that are:

You’ll also want to be mindful of the item’s weight. If you’re attempting to ship a heavy object, like a 30-pound dumbbell or a marble vase, the shipping costs may be high. You might even need to raise your price just to offset the amount it costs to ship your item. On top of that, heavy items often require extra packing — another expense eating into your profit margins.

And even after your careful preparations, your item may arrive damaged. If you want the item back, you will need to cover the return shipping costs. Depending on the condition, you may not even want the item back, and you’ll have to issue a full refund. On this single transaction, you made zero dollars and lost an item.

Wait. Is it Illegal to Resell Nike Shoes?

Earlier, we mentioned shoes as an excellent reselling opportunity. Nike sneakers, especially, tend to be popular among «sneakerheads» and athletes.

Nike, however, is a powerhouse brand. If you’re thinking of reselling your Nike shoes, you’re right to double-check that you’re not crossing any legal lines.

Good news: you can resell your Nike gear on eBay. A quick search for «Nike» on eBay, and you will see hundreds of other users putting their Nike wear up for sale.

Have some Nikes in good condition that you want to resell? Go for it!

How Can I Make 1000 Dollars Fast?

Making money on eBay depends on doing the right steps in the proper order. If you follow the steps above, you’ll build a solid foundation to grow your eBay business.

What trends do you see? What are people buying?

If you’re selling something that nobody is buying — say, a pager — then you will see little upward movement in your bottom line. Learning about making money in any business starts with confirming there is a demand for what you’re selling.

What Can I Sell for Quick Cash?

Some items routinely sell well on eBay, including:

If you do a quick sweep through your garage, attic, basement, and closet, you’re sure to find something you can resell for a quick buck.

How to Earn Money on eBay Without Selling Anything

You might think this is a joke, but it isn’t! You can actually make money on eBay without selling a thing.

The Takeaway

If you were thinking eBay was too old-school to consider selling on, especially when so many in e-commerce flock to Amazon, this guide may have been an eye-opener for you.

If you want to succeed on eBay, be sure to follow the above steps. Also, don’t forget to infuse your entrepreneurial spirit into what you do. With enough patience and grit, you’ll be able to build a business on eBay that can supplement or potentially replace your income!