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Stacks of boxes ready to be mailed is a common site around are home from late May till late July. After I have sold what I can of the homeschooling curriculum we no longer need at second hand curriculum sales and I start listing what is left on eBay.
I know there are a lot of homeschoolers out there that buy their curriculum long before then, but I still get a lot sales on eBay from the wait until the last minute crowd. Recently I have listed my books as late as the week before Labor day and still had great returns on my time spent.
eBay of course sells way more than just homeschooling curriculum and in the past I have sold every thing from toys, kitchen items and books.
In order to sell on eBay you first need to open an account. I find eBay to be an extremely user friendly system. Simply click on the register button and follow the directions.
Selling your item is easy just follow the step by step instructions that eBay provides. However, I do suggest doing a few of the following things to provide you with the best eBay experience.
Ten Tips For Successful Sales on eBay
1. Read up on the topic
If you are going to sell a lot of items on eBay read a few books on the topic. I have read an older edition of eBay for Dummies, as well as the original, The Complete Idiots Guide to eBay, both were very simple to understand and provided me with tips to sell my items at a higher rate of return.
2. Take good pictures
Try experimenting with light, and backgrounds to get the most accurate picture of you items. For books I like laying them on my laminate floors. For toys I drape either a dark or light table cloth behind them to help accent them and often bring in a desk light to help light the area better. You might even find you get the best light by taking your items outdoors.
3. Make sure you clean up you item the best you can
Dark marks on Lego can often be removed with a bit of rubbing alcohol followed by a rinse under water. Little tikes toys clean up well with a soft scrub cleanser. Over time you will discover all kinds of tips to clean up your items.
For more tips on preparing your items for sale check out …
How To Prepare Your Items For Resale So You Get Top Dollar
4. Do a bit of research and know the value of your item
You can do this by searching the sold listing area of eBay which is found in the side bar of options when searching for items.
5. Do an auction with a buy it now option
Start the auction at about 20 to 30% less than the average sale price of your item on eBay. Set your buy it now price at the high end of the average sale price of your item. This allows for the I just want it now type buyer to snatch up your item, and for the if I wait I might get more of a deal, buyer to both be included in the sale.
6. Allow your buyers several options for shipping
Rarely do I do a flat shipping rate, to me I feel like it can anger buyers if set too high. Instead I let the buyers decide what type of shipping they want. If my item is sure to grab me a high profit I often offer free shipping.
7. Be extremely accurate with your the description of your item.
It pays to even down play the shape of your item. There are always people more picky than you out there who will think that you described your item unfairly. If you have down played the condition of your item, you will not have complaints but instead praises.
8. Describe all the details
Add measurements of your item in the description box, as well as number of pieces, colors, or anything else that might be applicable to the sale of your item.
9. If you are going to accept returns make sure you have a stated return policy
I generally do not accept returns and have had no problem making sales without accepting them. I am extremely accurate in my pictures and details so that the buyer knows exactly what they are getting.
10 . Make sure that you are prompt in sending out your item as soon it is paid in full.
I try to wait no longer than 48 hours.
Bonus Tip: look in the sellers section of eBay for additional tips for selling.
Are you an eBay seller? Do you have any tips to add?
Want more tips on ways to sell you unwanted items? Check out my Reselling Tips Page which is cram packed with links to articles to help you sell your items wherever you want–yard sales, Craigslist, Facebook and more.
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Marisa says
March 31, 2012 at 6:53 pmGreat tips! I want to open an eBay store but just haven’t done it yet. I like how you laid it all out. I found you on It’s a Blog Party and I am a new e-mail subscriber. Come by and visit me. Thanks
Andrea Johnson says
March 31, 2012 at 8:39 pmI love selling on ebay! I have mostly sold kid clothes that I don’t sell at garage sales… or my husband sells his electrical stuff that he’s found for free at garage sales. (you would be shocked at how much money that has brought in!) For clothes, I find it most successful to do larger bundles. I add up in my head how much I would have charged at the garage sale for the bundle (which is 50 cents for shirts, $1 for jeans or $2 for the sets) then set that as my “goal” price. I want to get the final bid as close to that as possible! Our experience is to be sure to start it low enough to get bids, but enough to cover your expenses and make it worth your effort. Definitely look at other sellers and list any NAME BRANDS that may attract lookers. If I have a lot of good brands I put those in smaller bundles and try for more money, or mix thoses in with ones you may have a harder time selling because although it is great quality clothes names mean a lot to people! Any “new with tags”, attract more money as well.
Victoria says
March 31, 2012 at 9:10 pmThanks for the great tips Andrea.
Kristi West says
November 11, 2013 at 4:00 pmYour title is the most important part of your listing. Be sure to use your best words in the first five words of your title. These words should also be used in your description for better SEO.
Diane McLoud says
March 16, 2015 at 6:28 pmI’ve done a lot of selling on Ebay in the past two years. Somewhere along the line, I learned to lay my item alongside a ruler or yardstick (depending on the size of the item) for one photo. Then buyers get a very clear sense of the item’s size. This heads off any confusion, which helps earn positive comments.
Victoria says
March 17, 2015 at 5:20 amThat is such a great tip! Thanks for adding it.
Sam says
May 21, 2015 at 4:30 pmSome really good info here thanks! In terms of you not accepting returns, have you experienced a customer complaining about an item arriving damaged before?
Victoria says
May 22, 2015 at 5:09 amYes, one sent me pictures of a smashed item and so I simply did return his money in that case.
Tipswale.com says
May 27, 2015 at 1:44 amGreat Tips…!! Thanks
Victoria says
May 27, 2015 at 6:24 amYour welcome.
Mei says
January 3, 2016 at 8:54 amGreat tips you have here. I’ve been trying to get back into selling on eBay part time to make some extra income. So far, my sales have been very few and far between, then I end up losing on shipping. For 2016 I plan to push hard and make some sales and figure out my shipping.
Thanks again for this post.
Victoria says
January 4, 2016 at 11:58 amHope you have success with your eBay sales in 2016.