How to list your used items on eBay
You don’t just create used item listings to sell on eBay. So, follow the guide below to do the right thing:
Look at the type of photos competitors use and how they enter information about the item. Consider yourself a buyer at the moment and try to see those things on a particular seller’s profile that makes you think they are trustworthy. You need to be able to convey this exact sense of trustworthiness on your profile to attract sales.
Your title should be spelled correctly and must include the relevant words for that product. Avoid fluffs like “best”, “cool” or “hot”. Don’t also use symbols in your listing such as “C(oth$”, nobody searches for them, so your used item won’t be visible in searches. Avoid the use of exclamations, for instance, “Hot Jewelry!!!”.
If you run out of space, use alternative spellings and phrasings. Search online for alternative spellings for the specific item you’re selling. Make sure it is relevant. For example, if you can’t fully write “Apple iPod”, just write “iPod”.
Most importantly, your listing description should clearly mention the item defects. If you keep the information from a buyer, they’d return the item and request a refund, so don’t bother lying about defects. You don’t want to get the Significantly Not As Described (SNAD) claims. Nonetheless, do not sell used items that need repairs on eBay.
Buy It Now: Buy it now are typically fixed-price items. If you select this method, a potential buyer is able to buy and have the item shipped to them without waiting for an auction to end.
Auction: eBay auctions last between 1 and 10 days. If you sell a used item in the auction, you can potentially get a higher price for it. Auction encourages buyers to offer competitive prices, and is good if you have an item people frequently search for and will fight over such as a rare item.
Suppose you’re auctioning. You want to set a lower starting bid to attract more bidders and interest. If your item does not generate interest or is not visible, the final selling price will be low. You can use the “reserve” price feature for your item so that if you don’t get a high bid, the winner will pay the price you set. This feature is a paid eBay feature, and buyers tend to dislike it.
You don’t want to overcharge buyers for shipping and handling. Although you can tweak the shipping price to offer a lower price, and account for handling and supplies, some buyers are turned off by the inflated shipping fee. Besides, lots of buyers even expect free shipping, and eBay boosts the visibility of items with free shipping offers.
If you have a particularly heavy, used item for sale, consider increasing the “buy it now” price or the opening bid and offer free shipping to attract buyers and win better visibility on eBay search results.
Make sure to pay eBay on time. You owe eBay commission fees and other fees over time from your listing, so ensure regular, full payments to continue listing your used items on eBay. Look at the fees as your regular business expenses and tweak your product price to cover them.
Auctions that end on weekends enjoy higher traffic, which increases the chances of getting higher bids for your used items.
If your item is seasonal, look for the better parts of the year to sell them. Skis tend to sell more during summer while beach gear performs better in winter. Refer to eBay’s planned promotions for specific categories to help plan your sales for the highlighting time of the categories.
Offering a return policy helps not only to qualify for eBay discounts, but buyers are more likely to commit to buying from you. Not many buyers return their purchases, so could be making more profit when you make buyers feel secure than losing money to product returns.
Also, Top Rated Plus sellers offering discounts receive eBay discounts small enough that the cost of a single return can cost more than a small seller’s monthly discount. Thus, if you offer a return policy, a buyer can return everything they purchase from you for any reason – you can’t refuse a return. If you do not offer returns, you could still take them on a case-by-case basis.
While an auction is running, make sure to answer your bidder’s questions. Be prompt, clear, professional, friendly, and patient. Buyers love when questions are answered, so ensure to answer all questions for transparency.
While double-checking, look at your spelling. Make you make proper capitalization and punctuation to make your listing easier to read. Don’t overlook even the minor mistakes or fluffs in the description.
If you entered the item as an auction, eBay allows you to keep making changes until the first bid is placed.
You don’t just create used item listings to sell on eBay. So, follow the guide below to do the right thing:
- Research the market
Look at the type of photos competitors use and how they enter information about the item. Consider yourself a buyer at the moment and try to see those things on a particular seller’s profile that makes you think they are trustworthy. You need to be able to convey this exact sense of trustworthiness on your profile to attract sales.
- List your item
Your title should be spelled correctly and must include the relevant words for that product. Avoid fluffs like “best”, “cool” or “hot”. Don’t also use symbols in your listing such as “C(oth$”, nobody searches for them, so your used item won’t be visible in searches. Avoid the use of exclamations, for instance, “Hot Jewelry!!!”.
If you run out of space, use alternative spellings and phrasings. Search online for alternative spellings for the specific item you’re selling. Make sure it is relevant. For example, if you can’t fully write “Apple iPod”, just write “iPod”.
- Take clear pictures
- Lighting. Lighting is also important, so don’t take photos in dark places. You need natural light – even your phone’s flashlight should be turned off while taking photographs of the used items. For better appearance, you may have to crop or rotate photos.
- No photo effects. You do not need photo effects or editing that change the natural look of the item. However, you can slightly improve the picture with editing tools, but not in a way that falsely presents the item.
- Capture defects. If there are slight defects on the item, make sure you capture them. Buyers need to know that the item is not perfect because they make their decisions based on what they see. So, if they receive anything different from the photographs, they can request a refund. Any defect on the item that you include in the pictures shows your confidence in the items, and the buyer is able to trust you.
- Background. You need a clean background for your images. If you can’t get an attractive background, use a plain background. You could use a clean, white sheet of paper. Place the used item on it and take pictures.
- Write an honest description
- Writing a description. Your description should include relevant information about the item, including the manufacturer, compatibility, used status, weight, color, size, and measurement, to mention a few.
- Relevant information. You don’t also want to add too much information. Most buyers will simply exit your page if you provide too much irrelevant information. Just go straight to the point, and mention the product specifications. You can search the product type online for its specifications. Note that relevant information helps your listing to appear in the search result, so use the most important information in your description.
- Avoid cluttering. If you have to design your listing, keep it simple. Don’t clutter your listings with elements that are hardly related – you want a readable listing that is mobile-friendly and clearly communicates the information.
- Font type. You want to use moderately large and easy-to-read fonts for the listing. Avoid excessive animation and clashing colors to keep potential buyers engaged. Buyers with poor eyesight will quickly exit your profile if the prints are not clear.
Most importantly, your listing description should clearly mention the item defects. If you keep the information from a buyer, they’d return the item and request a refund, so don’t bother lying about defects. You don’t want to get the Significantly Not As Described (SNAD) claims. Nonetheless, do not sell used items that need repairs on eBay.
- Select your selling format
Buy It Now: Buy it now are typically fixed-price items. If you select this method, a potential buyer is able to buy and have the item shipped to them without waiting for an auction to end.
Auction: eBay auctions last between 1 and 10 days. If you sell a used item in the auction, you can potentially get a higher price for it. Auction encourages buyers to offer competitive prices, and is good if you have an item people frequently search for and will fight over such as a rare item.
- Set your price
Suppose you’re auctioning. You want to set a lower starting bid to attract more bidders and interest. If your item does not generate interest or is not visible, the final selling price will be low. You can use the “reserve” price feature for your item so that if you don’t get a high bid, the winner will pay the price you set. This feature is a paid eBay feature, and buyers tend to dislike it.
You don’t want to overcharge buyers for shipping and handling. Although you can tweak the shipping price to offer a lower price, and account for handling and supplies, some buyers are turned off by the inflated shipping fee. Besides, lots of buyers even expect free shipping, and eBay boosts the visibility of items with free shipping offers.
If you have a particularly heavy, used item for sale, consider increasing the “buy it now” price or the opening bid and offer free shipping to attract buyers and win better visibility on eBay search results.
Make sure to pay eBay on time. You owe eBay commission fees and other fees over time from your listing, so ensure regular, full payments to continue listing your used items on eBay. Look at the fees as your regular business expenses and tweak your product price to cover them.
- Set your auction time
Auctions that end on weekends enjoy higher traffic, which increases the chances of getting higher bids for your used items.
If your item is seasonal, look for the better parts of the year to sell them. Skis tend to sell more during summer while beach gear performs better in winter. Refer to eBay’s planned promotions for specific categories to help plan your sales for the highlighting time of the categories.
- State your policy clearly
Offering a return policy helps not only to qualify for eBay discounts, but buyers are more likely to commit to buying from you. Not many buyers return their purchases, so could be making more profit when you make buyers feel secure than losing money to product returns.
Also, Top Rated Plus sellers offering discounts receive eBay discounts small enough that the cost of a single return can cost more than a small seller’s monthly discount. Thus, if you offer a return policy, a buyer can return everything they purchase from you for any reason – you can’t refuse a return. If you do not offer returns, you could still take them on a case-by-case basis.
While an auction is running, make sure to answer your bidder’s questions. Be prompt, clear, professional, friendly, and patient. Buyers love when questions are answered, so ensure to answer all questions for transparency.
- Crosscheck listings before submitting
While double-checking, look at your spelling. Make you make proper capitalization and punctuation to make your listing easier to read. Don’t overlook even the minor mistakes or fluffs in the description.
If you entered the item as an auction, eBay allows you to keep making changes until the first bid is placed.