If you are new to selling on eBay, listing your first item can be a bit daunting. Selling on eBay really isn’t that hard, but we want to make it even easier for you! In this post, we will be sharing with you the things that you should be including in your listing to help get the most money for your item and to sell it quickly. These eBay selling tips will help you feel confident in listing your first item!
We also have a variety of other helpful tips for selling on eBay. You can check them out here!
If you are completely new to selling on eBay, we suggest you check out some of our posts for beginners:
Beginner’s Guide to Start Selling on eBay
How to Start Selling Items on eBay
Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links. This just means that we make a little money if you buy something through one of our links. It does not cost you any more to purchase an item through our links. It just helps support this blog so we can continue to bring you more content like this. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.
Creating a Template
If you plan to sell more than one item on eBay, we highly suggest that you create a listing template for you to use every time you list an item.
In our previous post, we walk you step by step in creating a template. We suggest you do this first and then come back to this post.
Choose a Template
Choose a template from your list of templates (you may have made only one). Click “Start Listing.”
Adding a Title
The first thing you will want to include in your listing is a title. This is what will help buyers find your item.
If you were searching for your specific item, what would you type in to search?
For example, if I was looking to buy a specific book, I would probably type in the title of the book and the author. These would be two things that you should include in your own title.
Add as much important information that will fit and still be readable. This might include the brand name, year, number of items, etc.
In this section of your template, there are a couple of listing upgrades available: a bold title and a sub title. We would not recommend spending money on these upgrades because they are not necessary.
Changing the Category
Your template should already have a category selected, but you can change it if it doesn’t fit your item exactly.
You also have the opportunity to add a second category (for a separate fee). We only do this on occasion for items that we think will bring more money if they are listed in multiple categories. For example, sometimes an item might fit in a collectibles category as well as a toy category.
Choosing the Condition
Depending on the category of your item, there will be different choices for the condition of the item. For a lot of categories, you will have the option of used or new. For the book category, you will have more options like: brand new, like new, very good, good, & acceptable.
You need to be completely honest about the condition of your item. It is better for your buyer to receive an item that is in better condition than described than to have the opposite occur. For example, I purchased some used books that were described as “like new.” When I received the books, there were lots of worn parts and creases on the dust jacket. I was really disappointed because the items did not fit the condition described in the listing.
If you are not honest in your listing, then buyers will not be happy when they receive their items. You do not want to get a bunch of negative feedback because it will make it harder for you to sell.
Other Specifics
Before the pictures section, there may be other specifics for you to add depending on the category you choose. For the book category I chose, an option to include an ISBN number is available.
Adding Photos
You can add up to 12 photos of your item. We definitely suggest having more than one picture.
This most important part about your pictures is accurately showing your item. This means that the clearer your pictures are the better. Good lighting is also important.
We suggest having a solid background for your pictures to make them stand out. A sheet or a table cloth will work well.
Make sure that you include pictures of any issues with your item. If you’re selling a board game and there is a tear on the box, then you need to make sure that you clearly show it in the pictures.
Your buyer should not be surprised by the item that they receive.
After you have uploaded your pictures, you can rearrange the order by clicking on a pictures and dragging it to the position you want.
Item Specifics
The next section in your template will have a variety of things you can include in your auction. These specifics are optional but can be helpful for buyers searching for your item.
These specifics will vary based on the category you choose.
A lot of these item specifics are the filters that people can use when searching an item.
Fill out as many of the specifics that apply to your item.
Item Description
Your item description can include things that you already mentioned in your title and item specifics.
You can also get into more details in describing your item. Make sure that you also accurately describe any issues your item has to the best of your ability.
If you’re selling a group of items, the description is a good place to explain all what is in the pictures. For example, if you are selling a group of books, you might list all the book titles and authors in the description.
In our previous post, we also talked about your selling policies that should be included in your description.
Selling Details
If you followed our tutorial for creating a template, you may have some of this section already filled in.
Format
You have the option to list your item as an auction-style or fixed-price listing.
Auction means that your item has a starting bid, and it can go for a lot higher price than the starting bid. Fixed-price means that you set one price, and that’s what your item will get if it sells.
We always list our items as auctions, but you can change the type of listing with the drop down arrow.
Duration
The duration is the amount of time that your item will be available to purchase. For auction-style listings, you can choose that duration to be 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days. For fixed-price listings, your item will be available for 30 days or less if it sells before that. If you don’t want it on there that long, you have to cancel the item.
We usually list our items for 5 days.
When you are typing up your listing, you can choose to list it right when you are finished or choose to schedule a time for it to be listed. Make sure you pay attention to the time zone when you are scheduling your item. The time is based on PDT, so if you don’t live in that time zone, you will have to figure out what time that would be for you.
We have found that having our auctions end around the evening at some point is helpful because you want the majority of people to be off of work when your auctions are ending. The reason being that more people will be able to look at your items and place additional bids before they go off.
Price
You have to give your item a start price (for auction-style listings). Make sure that you are okay with just getting the start price because there is no guarantee that you will get more than the starting bid for your auction. You can also give your item a buy it now price, but it is not required. The buy it now price has to be higher than the start price.
You should look at what other people are selling similar items for, and you should also consider how much money you paid for the item. If you think that your item could bring a lot of money, but you are not sure how much, you might not want to include a buy it now price.
It will be a waste of your time and money to list your items at high prices if no one is else is actually selling their items for that price. You can see what people are actually selling their items for by searching for your item and including sold items in your search.
For fixed-price listings, you can only have a buy it now price.
Other Selling Details
Besides Payment Options, the rest of this section is optional. You should have a PayPal account and include your PayPal email address so that you can receive payment. We talk more about PayPal in this post.
Shipping Details
We already talked about choosing shipping services in our previous post.
For this post, we are just going to talk about the Package Weight & Dimensions section.
You will then need to fill in the dimensions and weight of your item. Most likely it will be a package, but you can see all the options in the drop down menu for package type.
You need to have the length, width, and height of your package (it doesn’t matter what order you type them in). We use a tape measure to measure our packages. Dimensions are done by whole inches, so do not round down.
The weight is in pounds and ounces. We use a kitchen scale to weigh our items. 1 pound = 16 ounces, so if you have a package that weighs 1 1/4 pounds, then it would be 1 pound and 4 ounces.
| 1 pound | = | 16 ounces |
| 3/4 pound | = | 12 ounces |
| 1/2 pound | = | 8 ounces |
| 1/4 pound | = | 4 ounces |
Listing Your Item
You can choose to preview your item before listing it. You also have the option to save your listing as a draft if you aren’t finished editing it.
As we mentioned earlier, you can schedule your listing to start at a certain time or list it right away. If you choose to schedule it, you will still click the “List Item” button at the bottom of the page as long as you changed the settings in the selling details section.
Related posts: