BETA YOURSELF
SELLING ON EBAY Hitting the new year surrounded by old tat? Need some extra cash in a hurry? Craig Grannell explains how to get the most out of the (in)famous online marketplace… THE BASICS
couriers – and note that eBay sets maximum postage prices for categories, regardless of what it might cost you.
■ Protect yourself
Do what you can to avoid scammers. Give your account a complex password and activate 2FA in eBay’s settings. On desktop, head to ‘Account settings’ > ‘Site preferences’ to block buyers with non-payment strikes and manage a block list. Cancel bids from anyone with negative feedback, and send expensive items via fully trackable post.
■ Get it write
Put searchable keywords in your listing titles, and check spellings carefully — errors can cost you sales because fewer people will find your listings. Examine successful auctions for the titles and descriptions they used, and be wary of eBay automatically adding
■ Set yourself fee
information — if you do include it, check every detail against what you’re selling.
■ Weigh it all up
Weigh what you’re selling, in the packaging you’ll ship it in, and check against current postal prices. Anything thicker than 2.5cm will cost at least £3.10 via Royal Mail. Packages over 2kg can get expensive, even when using cheap
For everything you sell, eBay and PayPal take a cut (10% including postage for eBay; 2.9% plus 30p for PayPal). Set up a fees calculator in Google Sheets or Soulver to help you price items, being mindful of postage and packaging costs. Take advantage of ‘Maximum selling fee’ offers from eBay when selling expensive items.
■ Watch the watchers
Periodically check in with your active listings to see how things are going (or use ebay.co.uk/sh/lst/active on desktop). The Active list under Selling will provide tips about useful information you can add to improve your chances of a sale.
PRICE IT RIGHT ■ Save your love
I think we’re a clone now Find a listing similar to what you’re selling, select ‘Sell one like this’ and eBay will clone the listing. Just remember to change the details!
Search eBay as normal to view items along the lines of what you’re selling. If you’re not quite ready to sell but want to track sales over a period of time to get a handle on pricing, save the search and occasionally check it.
■ Compare the market
In any list of search results, select ‘Sold items’ from the filter. Then sort by price or ‘Ended recently’. This will show you what people are paying, so you can decide if your price is ambitious or too low — or if it’s not worth selling something at all.
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