Selling on eBay
The worldwide ebay phenomenon has allowed millions of people around the world to trade online & make in many cases a very respectable living. Ebay UK for example is the UK's number one choice for small & larger business with nearly TEN million members & attractiing well over 8 million hits per month.
There are many other regional ebay sites around the world especially ebay.com & others in local languages etc.
I have filled this webpage guide with valuable information based on MUCH experience & lessons learned. Areas covered include listing items for sale, pitfalls when buying & selling, packaging & shipping of goods, accepted payment methods, using the feedback system, availing of listing & marketing tools, avoiding fraudsters, using ebay stores, where to
ship to etc.
Communication
This is the most important thing to get right. As with any form of commerce you need to keep in close contact with your internet customers & potential customers also. When you register with ebay you will have a 'My Messages' folder in your 'My Ebay' it is IMPERATIVE if you
wish to be successful that you read all the email message you recieve & PROMPTLY reply to each. Do not leave your customers wondering if you have recieved their cheque & not shipped their goods!
Probably 95% of all sales will be shipped by a non recorded, non registered method of postage. This is because it is faster, cheaper & insurance is usually not sought by buyers.
What does this mean in effect? In essence it means that when you post an item you do not have any control over its delivery time, you will be unable to track it, if it is delayed by a seasonal holiday, a workers strike etc. This is why you need to keep in close contact with you sustomers & answer their emails promptly.
It must be pointed out that the postal service, despite being much maligned is good & is ESSENTIAL for success in your business - Credit where credit is due.
Photographing/Scanning
With ever changing technology it is now possible to buy & sell just about anything online & to easily provide crisp clear photographs of your goods. The importance of good images of your items CANNOT be understated. When using digital cameras & scanners ALWAYS retake/re-scan objects if the pictures obtained the first time around are unclear or can be improved upon. You can experiment with different background colours for coins etc when taking pictures. Start off with good equipment which has now become MUCH less expensive that even one or two years ago.
Feedback & Recent Changes to The System
Ebay opperates a rating system commonly refered to as 'feedback' This system (Which is optional) allows buyers to record a choice of Postive, Neutral or Negative comments which is intended to reflect their experience of dealing with a particular seller.
Sounds good? Not quite - leaving Negative feeback comments is probably the area which causes the most annoyance & anger when using ebay. Many members have missused this system in the past. This is probably the reason why ebay has taken the HIGHLY controversial step of removing a sellers right to leave negative/neutral feedback.
Feedback Removal
Feedback is now permanent. eBay has now withdrawn the mutual feedback removal.
Fraud & Malpractice
The internet like all areas of life is open to those who's motives are to defraud & decieve. On ebay it is HIGHLY advisable to check the feedback comments & location of sellers especially (and with no disrespect) some of those in China, Nigeria, Russia etc. Fake auctions for rare coins etc have been discovered & removed by ebay.
eBay, to their credit take this problem VERY seriously & are working hard to keep up with such activity. Another very important matter is looking out for fake ebay (& paypal) emails. These emails tend to resemble the real thing but are not usually all that convincing however. they usually contain warnings that your account is about to be suspended etc. Such emails are designed to obtain you personal information & should never be replied to..
Simply (as I mentioned above) log in to 'My Ebay' on the top right corner of the ebay homepage. To be absolutely certain when visiting ebay just type 'www.ebay.co.uk' (or .com etc) into your browser to ensure you are in the right place!
I recall a few years ago clicking on a fake ebay email link & was redirected to a fraudulent website in Korea !
In summary always be aware of the above.
Paypal
Paypal is the international leader in online payments with over 103 million members. You can sell goods without accepting PP but as they are now so widely respected & accepted, it is HIGHLY advisable to become a member. MANY buyers will not bid if you do not accept paypal & this will result in you losing a considerable ammout of revenue. It is important to be aware that you will be charged 4% commission by paypal. You can add your bank account details to your paypal account & you can transfer you money to your bank account (takes 5-7 days & is free) Please also be aware of fake paypal emails (similar to fake ebay emails) - these usually sugest your account is about to be suspened etc.
The website URL in this email link (above) looks ok but when you click on it this is where it leads (Note: Some of the links in this FAKE site are to legitimate Paypal pages!)
http://paypal.homelinux.com/mrtg/.cgi-bin-webscr-cmd_login-run/index.htm
Remember: the safest way to visit paypal is open your browser & type 'www.paypal.com'.
Other Payment methods
Ebay has now banned the use of cash as a payment method however most sellers will freely accept a cheque, postal order etc in payment. Many sellers will not ship goods until cheques have first cleared in their bank - not unreasonable but lenghty delays are not advisable. Please always refer to the payments accepted info in a sellers auction.
Shipping Locations
I NEVER cease to be ammazed by sellers who will only ship (post) goods within their own country. This is utter stupidity & is costing these people a great deal of revenue annually. I have had sellers email to say they had cancelled my purchases for this reason.
If you are say in the USA (just as an example) you should be willing to send goods to the UK, European Union, Canada, Australia.New Zealand etc. It is not unreasonable to have the occasional location which you may be concerned about, but shipping to your country only, again, is UTTER stupidity. - if you wish to make money do not turn away customers.
eBay Rules, Announcements etc
It is VERY important to keep yourself informed about ebay. New rules & policies are updated regularly. As a member you must keep up to speed.with site policy. I have copied below the links section on the bottom of the ebay UK homepage. As an example from this list 'VeRO Protecting IP' This section is where ebay deals with copyright infringements such as counterfeiting etc. Breaching these rules may result in your account being suspended. It is also advisable to check the 'announcements' pages & 'Safety Centre' links also. 'Feedback Forum' is where you leave feedback for other members.
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Parcelling & Sending Goods
This is obviously an essential requirement of selling on ebay & should be done with great care & attention to detail. Common questions: How quickly should you ship an item? IMMEDIATELY if not sooner! Nobody likes waiting for their purchase(s) Parcelling - generally speaking most people use jiffy bags or padded envelopes, these are simply not good enough on their own for books etc. Always carefully double wrap a book using protective stiff cardboard etc - then put it in the jiffy bag. Carefully write (preferably type) the buyers address & ALWAYS have the return address in the back in case it is not deliverable. . Pottery & Glass items - Wrap small breakable items in multiple layers of bubble wrap & place in a stiff cardboard box. Items (for example) such as Sylvac, or Beswick figures etc should end up being a small well wrapped item in a large box when properly packed for posting.
Using 'MY eBay'
Here is a view of the various sections you will see once you have logged into 'My ebay'
These links will bring you to your buying & selling info in detail. Examples from below 'Watching' this is where you can track an item over a period with a view to possibly bidding near the end. (You will recieve an email from ebay to inform you that the auction is ending soon (3-4 hours before - sometime these email are not sent!).
My Summary All Buying Watching Bidding Bid Assistant Best Offers Won Didn't Win Selling Manager Pro Inventory Scheduled Active Unsold Sold Awaiting Payment Awaiting Postage Paid & Dispatched Archived Reporting Picture Manager Automation Preferences Marketing Tools Want It Now My Messages All Favourites Searches Sellers Categories My Account Personal Information Addresses Preferences Feedback PayPal Account Seller Account Subscriptions My Reviews & Guides Dispute Console
Note ALWAYS keep your eBay & Paypal passwords safe.
What to sell
Refer to the 'Prohibited & Restriced items' (link below) for more info but generally speaking most items are allowed from antiques, ladies fashions/cosmetics to 4X4 vehicles.
Many sellers specialize in small collectables, coins, stamps, tokens, medals, banknotes etc.These are IDEAL for ebay being compact, lightweight, & easy to post - not to mention HIGHLY saleable!
Some items may involve too much hassle due to weight, fragility etc. You decide.
Item Descriptions
Generally speaking it is well worth the effort to properly describe the items you are selling. It is IMPERATIVE that any faults are declared & described clearly.
Buyers will like to know the mintage of a coin, the date of publication of an old book & some background on the author etc. However, write a description not a novel!
Auctions, Buy-it-Now, ebay Shops
An ebay listing or auction can be for periods from one up to ten days (I ALWAYS use TEN day listings for auctions) When selling individual or once off items especially Rare & collectable items, an auction is usually best & may result in multiple bidders getting involved & your item obtaining a VERY HIGH sale price. It is also possible to use Buy-it-Now only. This method involves putting a fixed price on an item & the first 'bid' or purchase wins the item & ends the listing.. 'B-I-N' type selling suits those who have purchased multiple lots of the same item & intend reselling. In the listing you can have one item or 10 -20 etc, each new purchase does not end the listing & therefore reduces your workload. An ebay store or shop allows you to list large numbers of items which will run for 30 days, 90 days, or indefinately if you wish & suits large & small scale selling. Use your judgement - experience is a great teacher.
Listing & Marketing Tools
Ebay, as you might expect, will have put a great deal of thought & research into everyting it does. Tools such as turbo lister for bulk listing of auctions, ebay stores, etc all work & should be FULLY availled of. Most people will have heard of ebay & I think also most will be aware just how good they are at self publicity - remember the David Beckham penalty miss football which ended selling on ebay for an enormous sum & made the TV News!! This mass media profile will benefit you as a seller.
Wish to Sell/ Haven't the Time
There is no requirement to list hundreds of items each week, it is perfectly fine if you wish to list say twenty lots a month, or sell only occassionally. There is no presure or obligation, you are in control.
Where to Aquire Stock.
Anywhere such as car boot sales, auctions, placing adverts in local media, asking you friends for unwanted items, charity shops, using a metal detector, etc.
Or maybe selling the accumilated goods in your house.
Plenty of items can be bought on ebay & resold on ebay - there are thousands of catagories - get to know them!.
Bidding/Buying
When bidding it is important that to be aware that most of the bidding action takes place (on a seven or ten day listing) in the last few minutes! I have been outbid on items in the last 10 seconds!. Do not overpay for goods & ALWAYS check the postal charges before bidding. I was once quoted £16.00 ($25) by a seller to send 8 coins by airmail! (I would charge less than £1)
Self Promotion, Your Own Website?
Yes, even in this technological information age you'd be suprised how 'word of mouth' & local advertising etc still works.
Your own website will cost far less than you think & in the grand scheme of things, taking a longer term year to year view, it will effectively cost nothing.
Remember your site will contain all the nessesary information YOU wish to provide & will be VERY helpfull for all existing & potential customers, Go for it!
About the author
I have been a collector, especially of coins for over twenty five years & buying & selling antiques & collectables for many of those years. 'comerford.antiques' are an established ebay business having traded with 6,300+ members.
There is very little to compare to the oppertunity that the internet offers to earn money from something you enjoy doing.
The internet has allowed me to reach out to new, distant useen customers
You will quickly get a feel for your level of success, you attention to detail etc. .
I hope you find it helpful. Many thanks & Successful Selling!
Regards,
E Comerford.
