Selling on eBay is a great way to clear out your closets and make some extra cash, but you won’t earn as much as you could until you learn to master the eBay selling process.

Make Sure the Price Is Right

Take a look at your pricing, and what other people are charging for similar items. If you start your listing with a price that’s too high, people are never going to bid on it. Likewise, if you set an unreasonable reserve, you’ll never meet it, and you’ll be stuck with your item forever.

eBay is like a gigantic online garage sale. People don’t expect to pay full price, and they’re looking for good deals.  If you don’t provide good deals, your stuff won’t sell.  Start with a low price, and set a reasonable reserve to ensure your item sells.  If you can’t afford to sell your item for less than you paid, you probably aren’t going to sell it on eBay.

Photos, Photos, Photos
People want to know what they’re buying.  Buying on eBay isn’t like going to your local store; you can’t pick up an item, hold it up, feel the materials or evaluate the color.  If you’re selling electronics, buyers only have your word for it that the electronics are in good condition.  Good photos provide something for your buyers to evaluate.

Try to make sure your eBay photos clearly show the product you’re selling, and aren’t cluttered with a lot of other extraneous stuff.  Don’t take a photo of the video game box you’re selling on a cluttered tabletop; clear a space and lay out your item nicely, centered in the shot, and make sure your photo shows it accurately.  Don’t try to hide flaws; tell buyers about flaws up front, and show them in photos, or they’ll come back later and leave you negative feedback.  If you’re selling something in unopened condition, you can take a picture of the sealed package.

User Ratings Provide Important Information
When people buy from you on eBay, they want to know that they’re not going to get ripped off.  They want to know that you’ve described a product accurately and that you’ll ship it in a timely manner.  Ratings are a way for buyers to evaluate your reputation as a seller.  If you’ve got poor ratings, you’ll have a hard time selling things on eBay.

To ensure positive feedback, describe your items accurately.  If you sell a shirt that has a big hole at the bottom, you’d better tell your buyer that the shirt has a hole or your buyer is going to leave you negative feedback. Don’t tell people that they’re getting something new if they’re not getting something new.  Ship items promptly upon payment, and communicate with buyers quickly.  You’ll watch your rating rise as you get positive feedback.