Today’s guest post from Katy is all about selling on eBay.  Katy runs the blog Katykicker all about making money online, saving money, cooking and family life.

Be aware of fees

There are a number of fees to pay when you are making sales on eBay. You may have to pay a listing fee and then there will be eBay final value fees, PayPal fees and the cost to post your item. Ensure that you take these in to consideration when deciding if it is worth listing an item.

Check what similar items sold for

Use the advanced search tool on eBay to search for sold items. Do not be tempted to price your item based on the buy it now price of other listings. People often use scripts or robots to price their items and this can mean that other items are seriously inflated in price and have no chance of selling.

Take high quality photographs

If you are going to be selling regularly then consider investing in a decent camera. I use the Canon Powershot G7X Mark ii which is a camera a lot of other bloggers use. Use good lighting, show off any flaws or damage and use more than one picture.

Be thorough in your item description

It is better to over explain damage or problems with your item. Make sure that you use the condition box to accurately describe the condition of the item, to reduce the chance of a claim being made against you by your buyer. Also, use the item description box to give lots of details about the item. You can look on Amazon and other websites to help you, if you are selling an item that you know has a lot of detail to it.

Reduce the price of items with lots of watchers

If you have an item that has a lot of watchers, but no real interest, and you have listed it on buy it now consider dropping your price slightly. Often 50p - £1 is enough to make a sale. I recently had an item for sale for £40, with watchers, for a month. I dropped the price to £39 and within 1 day I had completed the sale for the full £39 - despite the item being on buy it now or best offer.

Use buy it now or best offer

People love to feel that they are getting a deal. If there is enough room between your price, and the next cheapest, consider allowing buyers to make you an offer. You can even set your minimum amount for an auto-accept in the listing of the item. This will save you time and ensure you don’t see offers below your minimum at all - cutting down on time wasters who want to offer £1 for items!

Switch items from buy it now to auction

If you have a lot of items, and you are trying to de-clutter, consider listing your items for 30 - 60 days on buy it now and then switching them to auction. It is really easy to change the listing and you can even use the bulk tool to do a load at one time.

Be prepared to wait to make a sale

If you aren’t in a hurry to clear out items, or don’t need the money fast, then be prepared to wait to make a sale. This is particularly smart if you have a rare item or an item that doesn’t sell often. Set your price and then be prepared to wait.

Don’t put all similar items as a job lot

It can be tempting to list items as job lots, however, this isn’t always the best way to maximise profit. I split up a load of dresses and baby outfits recently, instead of selling as a job lot, and I put all of the items on buy it now. I was able to make the sales, slowly but surely, and made almost £60 profit, whereas my last job lot sold for just £5 + postage.

Always get proof of postage

Sometimes items get lost. Other times buyers lie that they never received the item. By receiving proof of postage, and ensuring adequate insurance coverage, you can refund your buyer via eBay and claim back for your losses.

Write a return address on parcels

I have had items that have gone missing in the past, refunded and claimed from the Post Office and then a few weeks later the item turns back up at my home. Often this is because people did not receive the red card, misplaced it or did not collect their item in time.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed these 11 tips for eBay selling. Selling on eBay can feel time consuming, and not worthwhile, but often it is. Even if you sell items for just a few pounds, by calculating the postage correctly you’ll soon have a nice little sum in the bank.

eBay selling is something that I love to do to de-clutter, make money and to build up a nice fund for our family holidays. It is great to get some money back on baby clothes, books, shoes and more. It can take some time to make a sale but I’m happy to bag the items up once listed, put them in my hall cupboard and wait for the sales to trickle in!

 

Want to make some extra cash?

Find loads of ways to make extra money at home on my blog, as well as my favourite side hustle in my matched betting blog.

To get started, you can make money online with 60 methods I’ve tried and tested.  

Just need £1000?  Here’s how to make £1000 in one month at home.  

Short on time? These methods can make money in one hour.

Want free cash?  Here are loads of free money offers.

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter for the best free money offers, money-making and money-saving tips we discover!

 

Save