Good Ol' Ebay

I have a confession...I am sort of an Ebay junkie.  Mainly vinylmations (see here) but I have bought a few purses as well.  More than just buying though I love to sell things on ebay.  I dont really have a lot of big items for a mass of things so it makes no sense to have a garage sell but at the same time there are things that I want to get rid of but try and make money from at the same time. 

The last month I have been on a selling tear, going through every room in the house and posting whatever I can to try and get rid of things in the house.  So far I've made over $200!  Pretty impressive right!  I was actually shocked when some things sold but very happy all the same. 

I know Ebay can be a little tricky for the first time seller so I decided it might be a good idea to give you some tips.

• Make a detailed title description to cover as many searches as possible
• Be accurate in your product description, make sure and mention any defects/marks/imperfections
• Be reasonable in your shipping charges, I like to use the fixed rate boxes so I know exactly how much shipping will be
• Ebay now allows 11 free pictures, dont get carried away with pictures but post as many as you need to give potential bidders as much detail as possible
• Do a little research before posting on prices so you can be fairly priced.  You want to be in the same range as like items so you dont price yourself out of the bidding
• Honestly...nothing is too silly to post and get bids on.  I have sold a few things on ebay that I thought would never sell.
• Make sure when the items sell you send invoices out same day and once payment is received you prepare the item for shipping same day.  Remember that buyers leave feedback based on shipping so you want to get the items out as fast as possible.
• When taking pictures you want a clear background with nothing in the background to distract from the item.  Research says red backgrounds draws people in but I just use plain white to keep it clean and simple.

Of course I dont post my blog address on the picture on ebay but it gives you an idea of how my pictures look.  I have sold a lot of things on ebay and to be honest I have no clue if there are buying trends but rest assured posting in December is more likely to be a busier bidding time than any other time of year, what with Christmas shopping and all.

I hope these tips help you with selling on ebay and dont forget me when your little ebay shop becomes so successful you can retire and live off the profits...ok that probably wont happen but one can dream!

-Rachael