How to be successful on ebay?

[Courtney]

I am still learning about eBay & looking for any knowledgeable tips to get business going. I opened a store up a few days ago. Whats the best to sell on there, track business?

[Roddy]

You can sell nearly anything if you sell it right. The description area should be used to make your item desirable, not just describe the item. Photos should be sharp and bright and as close up as possible.

ANYTHING wrong with an item should be clearly stated. Even if it's a tiny scratch on the back. Buyers hate surprises.

A solid return policy should be stated. Shipping of any electronics outside the country should be avoided. A quick response to questions is important just like a thank you email is after the sale. You want those stars to remain high or you get penalized for it.

The best selling times are fall, winter and spring. In the summer sales will slow down. Use the summer months to get more stock.

Always research any item before listing it. See if it's selling at all and for how much. Just because you see a few of the items listed doesn't mean that they are selling at all. Use the completed section to find out.

Buy low sell high is of course ideal but selling "lower" than your competitors will often bring you more sales.

ALWAYS be looking for more stock. That means turning off the TV or game console and getting out there to yard sales, flea markets, auctions, and even driving through alley ways on trash day. If you are serious about making money then you need to treat it like a real job. The more you restrict yourself the less money you will make.

If you live in a major city do not overlook the free section on Craigslist. People give away items every day that could easily be sold just because they don't want to bother. Drive though wealthy neighborhoods and keep your eyes open. When people are moving they often discard very good items.

If you consider doing what I described above ALWAYS ASK before you take something. Most pickers don't ask and some pay a price. Many cities have an ordnance or laws restricting "dumpster diving" activities. However if you ASK to take it then there's no problem with the law. It can be as simple as knocking on the door and saying "hi I'm a metal scrapper and I was wondering if it would be okay if I took some stuff you have sitting out for the trash". Ninety percent will say take it. Always leave an area cleaner than you found it and they won't have a problem with you coming back again. Always carry heavy duty work gloves and hand sanitizer. Once you get past the idea of going though trash in your head you can make very good money.

About eighty percent of my business these days is though wholesalers and storage buy outs. I still have a crew that brings in the other twenty percent. It's thousands of dollars yearly. Remember that it's you that determines how much you will make.

[Rich]

I've been selling on ebay since 1999 and have 4625 positive feedbacks and I am leaving there because it is no longer seller friendly to the small seller. A few low DSRs left by buyers (even if by mistake and unfairly left) and they will slap 21-day holds on your PayPal funds, put Seller Limitations on how many items you can list and sell, and lower the placement of your items in search, Ebay is attempting to "weed out" the "little guy" and go with all high volume sellers. Read the discussion board threads there in ebay Community and you will see lots of horror stories from longtime sellers like me.