some good tips for selling on eBay?

[Miss]

I have recently started selling items on eBay and would like some advice/tips as to how to make the most possible profit.
Thankyou

[Roddy]

Making the most profit starts with buying your product as low as possible. You can't expect to spend nine dollars on an item that will only bring in ten and make any profit.

Every day eBay dumps sellers with less than stellar sales and performance. Part of that performance is providing a hassle free return policy. If you read their 2014 Spring Seller Update linked below you will see clear indications of where they are going. Be aware of what is expected of sellers. eBay likes to word these things in a way that makes you think it's good for you as a seller.

Clear photos are a must as is a detailed description. Good photos are 80% of the sale. Selling used items has become high risk as condition is a matter of opinion. Your opinion may be that the item is in great condition. A buyer may see it otherwise and demand a refund.

It is an unfortunate fact that eBay has been over run with children. I see them here every single day asking questions. Most of their questions deal with how they can get out of paying for something. Every single day my people have to deal with these children wanting to return something or not pay for it to begin with.

We are rapidly moving away from selling items that will attract kids. Games and consoles, skateboards, posters, many hand held devices, etc. As a high volume seller it is the only way I will survive what is coming. Keep that in mind.

You should do more than just present your item for sale. You need to make it desirable. We sell no name shirts from storage auctions for decent money but only because we talk them up and present photos that make them desirable. How do you make a simple blouse desirable? You put them on a model with a large chest and keep a few buttons undone. Sex sells and it sells best to women.

Back in the glory days of eBay I could sell a rock out of my yard and expect to make money. The glory days are gone. Be careful and watchful.

[Fairdo4all]

In the first place you need an item that you either bought cheaply yourself or which no longer has any value to you. That item must also be one for which there is a brisk demand.

Good photo's are indeed a great help when selling but*** [see my little true tale at the end] to my mind the single most important thing when selling is to think like a buyer ! If you yourself were wanting to buy an item that you have not seen, from a seller who you will never meet, what would YOU want to know about the item to give you the confidence to spend good money for it ? What you would like to know is probably also what a prospective buyer would like to know.

I am not suggesting you 'talk it up' ~ be truthful and accurate in the description but make sure you very clearly describe it and in full detail. be careful of words like Immaculate, Mint, as NEW. Your view on the condition may not the the same as the sellers view !

***5 or 6 years back i listed and sold 10 'Mystery Lucky Dip' parcels on ebay for £25 each without giving the buyers any idea what so ever what would be in them, apart from my guarantee that the contents were worth at least £25 and could be resold on ebay for at least that. Now you would think that no one in their right mind would have bought them, in fact all 10 were sold within a week. I started my listings asking them if they like a little flutter on the horses', dogs etc or bought a few lottery tickets every week. The asked how many times they even got their money back. Then saying that these lucky dips were a no lose gamble, they might get something they really liked but if bot could resell and get their money back. I got 10 glowing positive feedbacks ! At that time i was buying and selling watches and 35mm cameras' often in multiples in job lots. That was what the 10 people got cameras' and watches that individually i could not be bothered to list but could potentionaly raise maybe double the 25 quid.

[Jon]

1) Give detailed descriptions. It is amazing how many people try to sell clothes without stating the size, camping gear without stating the weight, cycle lights without stating the light output, cycle inner tubes without stating the valve type, books without the publication year, etc, etc.

2) Be accurate - wrong descriptions soon generate negative feedback which puts buyers off.

3) Set a sensible starting price. A ridiculously low one puts some buyers off, as they have no idea how high it might go.

4) Use images which give a clear view of the item.