How to sell on ebay

How to Sell

To sell on eBay, follow these easy steps.

Important note: If you’re selling internationally, you’ll be required to offer PayPal or merchant credit card account as accepted safe payment method for your items. Please check the accepted payment policies on the site you’re listing your item for details.

Fill out the Sell Your Item form.

Important note: If you’re selling internationally, you’ll need to confirm your identity before you can finish listing your item.

The Sell Your Item form is where you create your eBay listing. Here are some of the sections you will be asked to complete.

Select a category.

Explore eBay categories ahead of time to help you choose the most appropriate category for your item. Try searching for similar items and see what categories have been used.

Select Item Specifics.

This option is only available for certain categories. If you see it, be sure to fill in the details to help buyers find your item. More about item specifics.

Be clear, complete, and descriptive. Your title should include words buyers would search for when looking for your item. View tips on titles.

Show off your item with pictures. You can use eBay Picture Hosting, which lets you add pictures straight from the selling form, and offers some attention-grabbing options. Or you can click Self Hosting to use your own hosting service.

Write an item description.

Here’s your chance to really describe and promote your item. Sometimes it’s easier to write your description in a word authoring program first, and then cut and paste it into the item description area in the Sell Your Item Form. Be clear and complete. Be creative, telling the history of your item and why someone would want to buy it. Read how to write a good description.

Choose a selling format.

Choose pricing and listing duration.

How long do you want your listing to run? How many items are you selling? What will your starting price be? Would you like to use a reserve price or sell with Buy It Now? Answer these questions here.

Enter payment and postage information.

How will you accept payment from your buyer when your listing ends? eBay recommends offering PayPal, the fast, easy and secure way to get paid. Learn how to sell with PayPal.

Where will you post your item and who will pay for that cost? The more details you include on the Sell Your Item form, the fewer questions you will receive from buyers, and this would make ending your listing easier.

Increase your item’s visibility.

Explore the many listing upgrades that can help your item stand out from the other listings. Choose the options that are right for you.

Review and submit your listing.

Now you’ll see a preview of your listing and a summary of its details. Look this over carefully. If you’re satisfied and finished, submit your listing.

Now your listing begins!

And when your listing ends.

Communicate with your buyer.

If you use eBay’s Checkout service, when your buyer completes Checkout, eBay will notify you by email. If you didn’t specify postage and payment details, the buyer can use Checkout to request this information. You can also use Checkout to send the buyer an invoice.

If you selected not to use Checkout, you should contact the buyer directly using email or phone.

Important: You should contact the buyer directly if you have not heard from the buyer or the buyer has not completed Checkout within 3 days of your listing’s end.

If the buyer paid with PayPal, you will receive an email confirming payment. If you have not yet registered for the PayPal service, you will be prompted to register to accept the payment. If the buyer paid via wire transfer, check your bank account to see if you have received payment.

Send the item to the buyer.

Pack it well! Use bubble wrap or crumpled up newspaper to protect the item from damage during postage. Make sure any parts of the item that are fragile are well padded and are located toward the centre of the box if possible. You don’t want damage from postage to create problems for you and your buyer. Read tips for packaging your item.

Leave the buyer Feedback.

eBay’s Feedback system helps create a trustworthy community for everyone. Your feedback about your buyer is important information for other sellers.

Contact Customer Service

If you have an additional question about this subject, Help Topics >How to Sell&instruction=&expirationDate=»>email us at Customer Support.
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How to Sell on eBay for Beginners

Did you know, the first item ever to be listed on eBay was a broken laser pointer — and believe it or not, it sold. Well, eBay has come a long way since then, reaching 182 million active buyers worldwide in 2019. New and used, ordinary and unusual, collectible and… whatever the opposite of collectible is if you want it, someone somewhere is probably selling it on eBay.

If you’ve been thinking about expanding your audience or testing new ways to sell online, it might be time to take a closer look at selling on eBay. But before you run off and list your first item, let’s dive into some of the specifics of the platform. In this blog, you’ll learn what makes a good listing, how to attract customers, and how to sell on eBay with Ecwid

In this article:

What Sells Best on eBay

There are roughly 19 million sellers on eBay, selling over 1.5 billion live listings. Now, you might be asking yourself, “If there are already so many listings and sellers, should I bother competing with them? How do I even know what to sell on eBay?” To answer those questions, let’s take a closer look at this marketplace and the items that sell best on it.

The most crowded eBay markets are in the US, the UK, Germany, and Australia. These sites have the largest rate — which indicates how many listings generated at least one sale.

rates from the US, the UK, Germany, and Australia (Title Builder)

Before you create an account, check out the top selling items on eBay. An infographic from Title Builder based on research into eBay US, eBay UK, eBay Germany, and eBay Australia, offers the following:

Categories with a high rate:

Categories with the most sold items:

Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t go on eBay if you don’t sell fitness trackers or dresses. But, doing your research is important. Goofbid’s eBay Pulse and eBay Most Popular tools can help you find eBay’s most popular search terms and items and decide if you’ve got products that might sell well on the platform.

You can also check out more niche category lists of what sells on eBay. For example, WebRetailer analyzed categories that mainly included products that are sold new and at a fixed price. Among other things, they found that the most popular category under Baby Products is Developmental Baby Toys, while the best selling product in Men’s is the Ralph Lauren crew neck polo

While eBay may be a crowded marketplace, it excels at helping sellers of niche and rare products connect with their fans. But that doesn’t mean eBay is right for you. Do your research and experiment with a variety of different ways of selling to find out where your customers are.

Dominique Frossard, an eBay seller of vintage Jeep Cherokee parts, underscores one of the biggest advantages of the marketplace:

The buyer’s attention is limited to the product they are looking for. Branding and design are not in the focus. A teenager can sell his radio at the same level as the professional business. — Dominique Frossard, the owner of JeepCherokeeChief store.

Dominique Frossard from JeepCherokeeChief

Tips for Selling on eBay

Each marketplace has its own unique idiosyncrasies that influence the way people buy and sell there. Understanding these nuances will help you decide how to start selling on eBay — and how to excel at it.

Buy first, sell later

How should you start selling on eBay? eBay uses a unique system to facilitate positive transactions for both buyer and seller. So, if you’ve never used eBay before, a good place to start is to try buying something yourself. This will give you a chance to see how eBay works (bidding, options, reviews, etc.), and make you better equipped to set a reasonable starting price in light of eBay’s unique system.

Buying before you sell will also give you an opportunity to build up your feedback rating. Few shoppers trust a seller without an established feedback rating, so maintaining a high rating will be one of your goals when selling on eBay. eBay rewards sellers with high ratings in the following ways:

Choose your format

The key differentiator for selling on eBay is the ability to choose one of two listing formats:

You’re free to select a single format or list using both. Adding a option to an listing allows your customers to either purchase your product immediately for a fixed price or place a bid in hopes of a better deal.

An example of an listing

You can also allow “offers” on your items, which permits customers to make a private offer for your product in an attempt to close the auction early. In response, you’ll be able to either accept if you’re content with the offered price, decline and let the auction run its course, or make a for a better price.

One thing eBay isn’t short on is options, so be willing to experiment to find the selling strategy that works best for you.

Make a good eBay listing

The best products to sell on eBay are the ones with clear, attractive listings. Here are the

Detailed descriptions help shoppers find your products, and give you more accurate pricing guidance as you create your listings.

An example of a detailed item description

Price competitively

On eBay, price affects more than how much your item sells for it affects your item’s visibility in searches and, oftentimes, whether it sells at all. So first, you’ll need to determine your product’s value. The eBay marketplace is massive, so there’s a high probability that someone has sold something similar to or exactly like — your product in the past. Discover what buyers have paid in the past, and that should give you a good idea of where to set your own price. To do this, search for products like yours in the eBay search bar using Advanced Search and selecting “Sold Listings.”

To increase search visibility, you can price auction items low. At the same time, it’s a good idea to set a reserve price (the lowest price you’re willing to accept) to protect from selling your product for less than you think it’s worth.

If you sell items with barcodes, you can use a barcode scanner on the eBay app to get a quick idea of a product’s value. Scan the barcodes on your items, and the app will list identical products for sale. Then apply the “sold items” filter to see how much similar items sold for. If your items don’t have barcodes, you can take a picture of the product, and the app will find similar items based on that image.

You can also select “sell one like this” right in the app, and eBay will add the product information it has in its catalog for similar products.

More: Price Wars: What to Do If Your Competitors Reduce the Price

Understand selling fees

eBay charges two main types of selling fees:

Fees may vary depending on categories. For example, fees on motor vehicles, real estate, and select business and industrial items will differ from fees on books or musical instruments. Read eBay’s guide on selling fees to learn more.

Learn eBay abbreviations

Use common abbreviations to add extra information into your item titles without exceeding the character limit. But not too many, or your titles and descriptions may end up looking like a bland alphabet soup.

Here are some common abbreviations:

Check buyer’s profiles before sending an item

Offer a good return policy

Even if it’s the best product on eBay, buyers expect to be able to return a purchase if they don’t like it. So in order to have a good reputation, you need to have a clear return policy. If buyers know what to expect on the frontend, they’ll be less likely to file complaints later on.

Don’t hesitate to make your return policy generous. You’ll attract more customers if they know they can send back an item if there’s a problem with it. However, more confident customers isn’t the only reason to offer an appealing return policy: it’s also one of the factors in eBay’s Best Match algorithm for ranking search results. Simply speaking, the algorithm favors sellers with generous return policies. So, if you want your products to appear more in eBay’s search results, offer a generous return policy.

Prevent returns

Preventing returns is essential to maintaining a store on eBay. Returns are connected to your seller rating, your feedback score, AND your performance status, all of which are watched closely by eBay. If you have unresolved buyer returns, your scores may be lowered, which limits your ability to sell and could even result in harsher restrictions from eBay.

That’s why it’s critically important to write detailed and precise descriptions and take the best possible pictures of your products. Packaging and shipping are also vital in preventing returns. Always that you’re shipping the exact product a buyer ordered. Carefully inspect the item to ensure it’s then make sure you package it in the most secure way possible. Use wrapping paper, bubble wrap, pool noodles, or packing peanuts if a product is fragile.

Become a Top Rated Seller

eBay divides sellers into various levels depending on their customer service, sales history, transaction defect rate, confirmed tracking and delivery performance, number of delayed shipments, and number of cases that are closed without seller resolution.

Top Rated Sellers are visible in search results

Based on how a seller is rated, they may be assigned to the following levels:

eBay takes performance standards seriously. Falling below standard will, at a minimum, result in your listings ranking lower in search results. In the worst cases, eBay may place sales restrictions on your account, making it difficult at best — and in some cases completely impossible — to do business on the platform.

How can I become a Top Rated Seller?
A merchant who meets the following requirements is categorized as a Top Rated Seller:

In a nutshell, you’ll need to provide excellent customer service, minimize late shipments, and be ready to cancel purchases when necessary (for example, when you don’t have the advertised item in stock). Use shipment tracking when possible to keep buyers updated, respond to all buyer requests promptly, and always ask shoppers to leave feedback if they’re satisfied with their purchase. For more detailed requirements on becoming a Top Rated Seller, check out eBay’s guidelines.

How to Sell on eBay with Ecwid

Attracting new customers at the lowest cost is the key to efficiently growing any business. Omnichannel selling makes that possible by allowing you to open additional sales channels from a single centralized inventory management system. With Ecwid you can add your store to as many sites, blogs, marketplaces, and social media pages as you want, and manage them all from your Ecwid Control Panel. Sell on channels like Facebook, Google Shopping, Instagram, Amazon, and more — all you’ve gotta do is log in.

Traditionally, selling your products on multiple online channels meant your product listings on each of those channels individually. It was It was tedious. And what was worse, it put you at risk of overselling stock because you were managing multiple inventories.

In a word… it sucked.

Ready to start Selling on eBay? No prob. One of the largest marketplaces in the world is available in just a few clicks if you’re an Ecwid merchant. There are two easy ways to add your products to eBay — the Codisto.LINQ app is available in the Ecwid App Market. Automatically publish new products, update inventory, and sync sales, with eBay acting as an additional storefront seamlessly integrated with your Ecwid store.

Once you’ve selected your app, simply choose products from your Ecwid catalog that you’d like to list, and voilà: your products are instantly available for millions of buyers across eBay. Your app will upload product pictures, descriptions, prices, and inventory levels right into the platform.

Sell on Amazon VS Sell on eBay

When you think of marketplaces, two giants come to mind — Amazon and eBay. If you’re considering experimenting with selling on a marketplace, you may wonder which of these two behemoths is the best place to start. The answer is, “it depends.” Keep in mind, shoppers often choose eBay for items, so if you sell something like vintage clothing, eBay is probably a clear winner for you. And eBay’s auction model offers opportunities for competitive pricing beyond what’s generally possible on Amazon.

Benefits of selling on eBay:

While there are tremendous benefits to selling on eBay over Amazon, it doesn’t mean it’s a winner for your store. Generally, eBay offers more freedom to sellers at a lower cost. But with Amazon’s increased cost also comes with some increased marketing value. Different products sell better on different platforms, and we recommend you do your own research before making a decision. Whatever you choose, if you sell your products on Ecwid, we’ve got you covered.

Over to You

Now that you understand selling on eBay a bit better, are you ready to give it a try? Maybe you’d rather sell on Amazon, Facebook, or stick to your own branded website? Let us know in the comments!

Why sell on eBay?

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Why you’ll love selling on eBay

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Millions of buyers

We’re one of the world’s largest marketplaces, connecting you with buyers near and far.

We’ll help you get started

See how easy it is to get started making money selling on eBay.

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Seller success stories

Creating her own dream job

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Taking the family company worldwide

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Building a business from his passion

See how Schad helps customers get what they need on eBay.

How to sell clothes on eBay

Spotlights

How to Sell Guides

How to sell clothes on eBay

Do you need expert tips and advice on how to sell your clothes online? This guide on how to sell your fashion and clothes on eBay will help you make the most money. It’s easy to cash in.

Are you ready to sell your clothes?

1. Preparation

Start with a little research

Search eBay for clothes that match or are very similar to yours to give you a sense of current prices and popularity on eBay. This can help you set reasonable expectations of how much money you might get for your items. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn how much value there is in popular brand-name and designer clothes, even pre-owned clothes (in good condition, of course).

Find out how other eBay sellers describe and price their clothes to get ideas and insights into best practices for how to sell clothes online. Start your research at the Advanced Search page and make sure to select «Sold listings.»

Clean your items

Cleaning your clothes is an important step to selling online. All pre-owned clothes must be cleaned prior to listing. For most clothes, this means washing and ironing. For special items—like suede, silk, and other delicate fabrics—you must bring your garments to the dry cleaners. Buyers expect to receive like-new garments—clothes that is ready to wear and free of odors and stains. Note that brand-new clothes with or without tags does not need to be laundered.

Take a few well-lit, focused photos

Great photos sell items on eBay. Your photos should be clear, well lit, and compelling.

Take clear shots of the front and back of your tablet. Place the device on a plain white background on a flat surface, like a table or counter. Sometimes, a single sheet of white printer paper will suffice. Take close-ups of any scratches or blemishes on the device screen, as well as the back. (Make sure to set your camera to its «macro» feature to take extreme close-ups in sharp focus.) Take a photo of your tablet while powered up and displaying its home screen to assure potential buyers that your device works.

Examples of photos

For more guidance on taking photos, watch the helpful photo tutorial video on the How to Sell page and refer to the Photo Tips page.

2. Listing Your clothes on eBay

Listing your clothes is fast and easy from your desktop or mobile device.

Select a category

Click the Start selling button on this page or the «Sell» link on the top of any eBay page. Then type the keyword describer for your item, for example, «Tommy Bahama Shirt» or «Betsy Johnson Shoes.» The quick listing tool will automatically suggest product categories for your item. Pick the one that best fits your item and click the button for «Sell yours.»

Write a short description

Describe the condition, size, color, material, and brand of your item.

For condition, include specifics, like a small hole, stain, or tear.

Colors may not appear the same across all computer monitors and device screens. It’s therefore helpful to be specific when describing color, such as «cherry red» instead of just «red,» or «Kelly green» instead of just «green.»

Include the material of your garment, such as cotton. If it’s a blended fabric, such as polyester and wool, let your buyers know the percentages of each material (if included on your garment’s tag).

If your item is a popular brand, include its name in your listing title. If your item is a special or limited edition version, include that information in your description, too.

Determine a selling format

You can choose between auction-style listings with an optional «Buy It Now» price, or fixed price listings. Your previous research will provide some guidance about pricing and listing type—whichever offers the best chance of your finding a buyer.

Rule of thumb:

Fixed price listings give you more control over the sale price, but items can take longer to sell than with an auction-style listing. Auction-style listings can give you a faster sale, but do not provide as much control over the final price.

Enter a fixed price or starting bid

If you chose a fixed price listing, make sure your price is reasonable and based on your research in Step 1. If you chose an auction-style listing, make sure your opening bid is also an acceptable amount for the article of clothes. This will ensure you get the minimum amount you want, in case the item sells to the first bidder.

Researching sold clothes on eBay will give you the information you need to price your item. Start at the Advanced Search page and make sure to select «Sold listings.»

Select a shipping service and set a shipping price

Use the quick listing tool or the eBay mobile app for suggestions on shipping services and price guidance. You may not need to weigh your item to determine shipping costs, since shipping guidance is provided based on items similar to what you are selling.

Here are quick tips to get started:

Ship the easy way with flat-rate mailers:

Provide your buyers with a shipping cost based on their location. You’ll need your and your buyer’s zip codes to do this.

Gather the following information:

You will need to select at least one shipping service, such as a USPS First Class Envelope for items up to 13 ounces. For items over 13 ounces, select a USPS Flat Rate Priority Envelope or Box.

3. Post-Sale Tasks

Accepting payment

When the buyer pays for a purchase, PayPal will alert you by email. You can keep the payment in your PayPal account or transfer it to a different bank account. If you keep the funds in your PayPal account, you can withdraw from them with your PayPal debit card or use them to purchase items on other websites that accept PayPal.

Shipping / packing

Many clothes can be shipped in a lightweight, waterproof envelope. If your clothes have fragile components, such as large buttons, protect them by wrapping your garment in one or two layers of small-sized bubble wrap before packaging it. Use a box or padded envelope that’s just slightly larger than the item you sold.

For more details on shipping and packing, read eBay’s Shipping pages.

Printing postage

Use eBay’s Print Postage feature to select, pay for, and print out a USPS authentic shipping label that you can tape or stick to the package.

Learn more about this time-saving feature.

Shipping to your buyer

As soon as you can, take the box to your local post office or, better yet, hand it to your USPS mail carrier on his or her next round. It’s a good idea to send a note to your buyer when the items have shipped. Provide a tracking number, if applicable.

Leave your buyer positive feedback

Buyers love to receive positive recognition from sellers. It’s an important part of good customer service. Be sure to leave them a positive comment the minute you receive cleared payment.