Oh, sorry. Just figured it out - wrong David.

David (not the webmaster)

I have been listing regularly on Ebay and want to offer a few more selling tid bits.

1. Title

This is very important and this is how people find your auction. You will see many titles that do not make complete sense and filled with words to get more potential bidders to the auction. Do it wisely and creatively and you will get more potential bidders.

Ebay also gives you limited space on the main title, but you do have the option to add a second title. Depending on the item and its potential selling price I add the second title to incorporate more keywords that might be searched by potential bidders.

2. Description

I break down each of my components and clearly state what is involved. I always duplicate my title in the description and add other words to help with bidders searches.

There is a check box when searching Ebay to "search title and description" and I use that option when looking for items.

It is safe to say that many titles are incomplete and or lack information for a correct search and you might find it in the description. So make sure you have a nice description that includes other words related to your item.

3. Pictures

Depending on the value of an item I list up to 12 pictures with the super size option.

Normally for small items I have just one picture and I do not super size it.

I also photograph in a booth so my pictures are void of a background. I just love the auctions when a picture is taken on a Victorian rug! Visually challenging to say the least.

4. Shipping

I now use the Ebay calculating method. Ebay made it so when you visit an auction that is using the calculation method the price appears on the top of the page. I stopped using a flat rate system, which was costing money in the end. I also have shipped some crazy items and recently shipped out a pair of vintage wood ski's!

I also use Pay Pal for this more and print labels directly through the Pay Pal system. I do not go to the post office anymore and leave it for my daily USPS pick up. I order all of those supplies directly from the USPS.

I still charge a handling few depending on the item. It is usually .75 up to $6.00 for larger items that require more packing material.

Ebay Store

Other then that I set up an Ebay store since for me it is cheaper to keep it going then to keep listing items. Let me clarify that, I can keep things moving and or hold them in the store for a longer time period. The Ebay stores get less visibility, so it takes longer for people to find items and they do not appear on every page. It depends on how many items appear in the auction searches.

I like to keep items in the store until I see a watcher or two on an item then I will usually push it out to auction. When I price items for my store I search completed auctions and usually sell for $1.00 or $2.00 less then the last completed auction to sell it quickly. Many people are turned off by store sellers because the items are priced much higher.

I want to sell and get rid of stuff and not keep it laying around. I just sold a set of 8 casters that sat in the store for 4 months. It cost me .10 per month to keep them in the store and Ebay takes a little more % off of store items then auction items, but your paying less to list them.

at most I have had 200 items in the Ebay store and I average around 50 or so at all times.

If you ever have any specific questions about Ebay including final value fees, problems with buyers and or just technical questions feel free to email me directly or PM on this forum.

Thanks

David

"Report an Unpaid Item"

This happens to me when I sell on Ebay and it is not everything that it sounds like when you see it. You can use this to get your fees back when you and a buyer agree not to complete a transaction.

It is very important that your buyer knows you are sending this and they agree not to complete the sale.

If not, then a savvy buyer can stop you from getting your money back.

If you do have a buyer that bid and did not pay and has not communicated with you after many email attempts through the Ebay system, then send this form. More then likely the bidder will not respond and if they do not respond you get your selling fees back. Also, if in that time they are "No Longer a Registered User" you get your fees back immediately.

In the case where the buyer and you both agree, once they complete the form (emailed to them once you start the process with Ebay) you will get your fees back.

The last scenario is the only one where the buyer does not get a strike against them and they are not affected by the process.

I have used this system probably 5 or 6 times and only in one case did not get my fees back and that was a buyer with a problem that did not want to play by the rules.

Thanks

David

Just in case you have not ventured into this area, I have been using Pay Pal shipping for years and it is a huge time saver.

Once someone purchases using Pay Pal, on the Pay Pal details page for that item you will see a few shipping options.

[Print Shipping Label] [Print Packing Slip] [Add Tracking Info]

When I was not using Pay Pal for shipping I would use the [add tracking info] for my Ebay sales. When you click the link in Pay Pal you just select the shipper add the tracking number and then it automatically sends an email to the buyer.

This to me was also a safety issue documenting my steps and taking care of my obligations as a seller.

The Print Shipping Label is a handy tool that lets you ship USPS and or UPS directly from your computer. I will not go into detail about how it works, just letting people know that it is easy to use once you ship a few items, you will get the hang of it.

Also, since it is connected to Ebay, your items sold page will automatically get updated that the item has shipped and the buyer can visit the original auction page and click to see the shipping information.

The nice thing is you never have to visit the post office again!! I suggest getting a digital scale to make it even easier.

Thanks

David

I think that this new addition to the Feedback system has good intentions, but it does not provide the seller any way of using the information to improve their Ebay selling.

As a seller you do not get the Detailed listings until you sell 10 items.

Basically the buyer can rate the seller on:

Item as described

Communication

Shipping time

Shipping and handling charges

I think these criteria are good ways to rate a seller, but every buyer has their own opinion on each criteria so if someone expects something shipped in one day and you ship in two days then they will give you a lower rating.

As a seller we should be able to see how each sale is rated so we can fix or improve how we sell.

So in the end it is so subjective that it really does not reflect correctly on a seller.

It really does not make sense to me.

Any one else care to add to this new Ebay feature?

David

Re: the new rating method

To me it creates more confusion. Subjective judgement is highly unreliable to start with...just take a look at buyer ratings on Musicians Friend or any other selling website. You get the gamut.

For this reason, I made the decision right away to refuse to use it. I know that doesn't stop others from using it on me but it's just my way to say that I don't like it.

I think a simple positive/negative/neutral is enough. Just one man's opinion.

Ok cool, so I'm not the only one that does not like it!

Woohoo!

David

Here is a good read on the topic in the Ebay Guides

Click Here

Also, there is a bunch of information in the Ebay Forums. I'm not sure if anyone uses the Ebay forums, but I use them to get information and read up on topics of interest.

Click Here

If you have a question, it probably has been asked and answered in the forums. Be careful posting, many times they visit your auctions and give you feedback you might not want.

David

Hello!

I thought with all of the Ebay changes I would give some information as to what I'm doing as a seller and how I have changed my selling on Ebay. I also wanted to share a few more Ebay situations.

First and foremost, NEVER send a package Fed Ex International. They have what is called a brokerage fee and it is out of control. UPS and the USPS do not charge this fee, so be careful. This has nothing to do with duties and taxes.

I have required USPS insurance on all of my pakages and charge for it. If you follow through with that and have a problem, you can start a claim on line with the USPS and never have to go to the post office.

I use the Ebay shipping calculator for all of my shipping and give the buyer 2 or 3 options that they can pick from. I think a flat rate will be a thing of the past and Ebay is making many of the recent changes because of sellers taking advantage of high shipping.

Wih the calculator you can put in box dimensions (dim weight) and a handling charge to your liking. On small items I add a .50 cent handling charge and larger items, up to $6.00 if there is a lot of packing involved. If you have an item under 1lb, then click the Custom Weight option to put in the OZ weight. Works great for regular mail.

Ebay also reduced prices for certain picture options and other options to enhance your listing. This is a good thing and makes sense for Ebay, since better prices in this area would mean more sellers will use it and that in turn makes for better auction listings.

More Later....

David

I plan on selling for the first time at Ebay. Thanks for this sticky thread, quite informative.

I'm thinking of selling some of the extra hardware I never use to clean my shed. After a few practice sales, I hope to have enough experience that I can then sell my Slingerland Ace and a few pricey cymbals, without anything exploding. The advise in this thread will go a long way to speeding up my learning curve. If you have any updates, please let us know. Thanks again. Joey