I need general eBay selling help

[bangsportscards]

To preface I made around $510 in sales on eBay this past Saturday, Sunday, & yesterday. This was for about 11-12 items. Check my completed sales under eBay ID holymolydeals4u for further details if interested :) After shipping & seller fees I brought home a little less than $400.

I just quit my full time 50 hours a week job to work part time & now have a good many extra hours to devote to online selling. I am leaning more towards eBay overall as my main vehicle over Craigslist & Facebook.

Thus I am seeking other members' thoughts of any material related to eBay that has helped you become a better seller. I'm talking a book, magazine, online article, ebook, etc whatever resource that you have used which has turned into good results. I definitely want to explore all the available eBay selling options & opportunities.

I have a room full of items from a variety of categories (sports cards, shoes, clothes, electronics, collectibles, jewelry and so forth) & many that should net $5 upwards to a couple hundred bucks. So while I am experimenting in playing around on eBay listing stuff I also want to intentionally soak in new information that may propel me to greater heights in regards to my eBay selling career (HAHA).

I will be waiting to review the responses. And feel free to share all thoughts, suggestions, questions, etc that revolve around this subject.

Brian

[ajcorleone]

I have been doing Ebay for almost 20 years you can check my stats under my link here in SCF. I have found that the more information you can include the better it is. Yes it sounds simple but I have noticed including simple things like years toys were made and who made them make a huge difference. And now with 12 free pictures you should take advantage and show every angle possible of the items your selling including serial numbers,any flaws. Ebay is pricey but it is still the best way to get your item seen. They have tutorials on their site for selling tips and it might be of use to you and also see how others list itmes that you might have they can help you with your wordings. Hope that helps

[Star_Cards]

Like AJcorleone, I've been on eBay for almost 20 years too and it is the best way to sell product. Sure there are non paying bidders and issues with items, but for the most part when an item is paid for it's good. Craigslist and FB are interesting but I find it's a lot of time for little return in sales. I just use craigslist to sell large item that I don't want to ship. There are too many people that say they will take an item and then never respond after the first email or even set a meeting time and never show up. Plus you have to work around schedules. Ebay you just pop it in the mail.

As far as tips for selling. Lots of photos! I usually use the full 12 they let you post unless I just run out of shots needed. I take close up, in focus, details of items as well as all sides. Make sure to focus on the worst parts of the piece if it does have damage. You want the photos to do the talking but I also write pretty detailed descriptions too.

If you are looking for reading material about selling, a google search will bring up tons of tips. I'd say the top ones for me would be....

Lots of well lit photos. Don't use blurry or dark images and take lots of photos. People like to see the item.

Write great titles. don't spam the description but make sure there are enough key words that people can find it various ways. Add production dates, manufacturer, etc.

Research. Always know what you are selling. It can help you earn money if an item is rare or save time if an item doesn't really have a market. When in doubt, look it up to see what completed auctions have sold for. If I'm out picking and I'm not sure of it's value I look it up. Keeps me from buying bust items.

As far as buying, garage sales, estate sales, goodwill outlet, and sometimes auctions is where I go. Buy in bulk and always try to negotiate.

If you are going to do this full time get shelves in your house... it will help you stay organized.

[bangsportscards]

Thanks guys. I am pretty familiar with all that's been said. It's always fun learning and experiencing more.