11 Tips To Make Money Selling On Ebay

You don’t have to be a fashion junkie or a huge games nerd or a lifelong collector of niche memorabilia to make money selling on eBay. Whether it’s the stuff at the back of your wardrobe that you never wear, toys that your kids have long abandoned, or unwanted gifts that have been shoved in a cupboard, most of us are sitting on a small goldmine without even realising it.

It’s pretty simple and straightforward to make money selling on eBay, but at the same time, it pays to have a bit of insider knowledge up your sleeve. Knowing how to get the most out of the platform will ensure more cash in your pocket, and less hassle for you behind the scenes. It’ll also make sure that you don’t make any easily avoidable mistakes.

Here are my top tips to help you to make money selling on eBay, starting today…

1. HAVE A GOOD DECLUTTER, AND GET YOUR ITEMS ORGANISED

First of all, you need to work out what you’re going to sell. You also want to get off to the best possible start, and avoid any situations like being paid for an item from a buyer, and then discovering that you’ve got absolutely no idea where you’ve put it. I’ve done that once, and the stress almost definitely shaved a few hours off my life.

So have a sort out, and create a dedicated space in your home for your items, even if it’s just a box or a corner in your wardrobe. Wash anything that needs a freshen up, and iron if necessary.

Don’t jump to any hasty assumptions here about what’ll sell and what won’t. I’m going to show you how to research potential selling prices next, but you’d be amazed at what you can trade in for cash on eBay. From the cardboard middles out of toilet rolls, to smelly pairs of shoes (there’s a market there involving men who are ‘into that kind of thing’, shall we say?), your earning potential is only really limited to your imagination and resourcefulness.

For more inspiration, check out these 5 things from around the home you might not realise you can sell, from Fiona at Savvy in Somerset.

2. CHECK OUT WHAT SIMILAR ITEMS HAVE SOLD FOR RECENTLY

Knowing how to price your items can seem like a bit of a minefield, but eBay has a tool that makes it easy to establish how much you can realistically charge. On the eBay homepage, click on ‘Advanced’ in the top right corner. Then you’ll see this:

 

 

Then simply enter keywords relevant to your item in the search bar, tick the ‘sold listings’ box, and hit enter. You’ll then be able to browse through similar items that have sold recently, and what they were priced at. This gives you a good idea of what’s worth selling and how you should set your prices.

3. DON’T OVERLOOK ‘BUY IT NOW’

Lots of people think that to make money selling on eBay, you’ll be running auctions that’ll last around one week. That’s one option, but it’s not the only one. Instead of setting a low starting price and hoping that your items will attract a bidding frenzy, you can choose to list as ‘Buy It Now’. Your buyer can get what they want without waiting any longer, and you can get the price that you really want.

There’s a ton of debate about whether auctions or Buy It Now are more effective. I personally have much more success with Buy It Now, but it’s worth trying out a few approaches to find out what works best for you.

4. IF RUNNING AN AUCTION, PLAN YOUR TIMING

If you decide that auctions are your best bet to help you to make money selling on eBay, then timing is key. Your auctions will typically get the most attention when they’re due to end – so if that’s at 9am on a Monday morning when most people are off to work or doing the school run, or 4am on a Tuesday when most people are asleep, then you’re missing a trick.

Many sellers find that it’s best to start their auction listings between 3pm and 8pm on a Sunday, so they end at the same time the following week. If you’re happy to let them run a little longer, then you could start a 10-day auction on a Thursday evening. I’ve tested this out myself, and I’ve found that my auctions definitely perform better when I follow this advice.

5. SNAP SOME DECENT PHOTOS

You don’t have to be a master photographer to take good photos for your listings, and you don’t need any special equipment. Your phone will do the job, but do put a little effort into getting some good snaps. Natural daylight is often best, and remove any clutter from the background.

You can include up to 12 photos on each listing for free, so make the most of them to give your buyers confidence in the fact that they know exactly what they’re buying. I mainly sell clothing, and I snap from the back, front, sides, and inner labels, I’ll zoom in on any details like buttons or frills, and I’ll also make sure to clearly photograph any minor imperfections.

6. CAREFULLY CONSIDER YOUR LISTING TITLES

What you write in your listing titles plays a big part in whether you get any eyes on your items, and that obviously plays a big part in you selling your stuff. Think about what your buyers will be searching for when they’re looking for that particular item, and be as descriptive as possible.

Consider the brand, the style, the size, the colour, the material, and anything else that might be relevant. Drop any filler keywords like ‘lovely’ or ‘stunning’ – they’re not usually going to be a good way to drive traffic to your listings.

7. BE HONEST ABOUT THE CONDITION OF YOUR ITEMS

There’s plenty of scope for selling items that have been used, and aren’t in new condition. But always be honest and upfront about any damage or wear. Otherwise you’re obviously going to run into problems with disgruntled customers, and you’re running the risk of getting negative feedback on your account.

If you’re consistent with your listings and you offer a good level of customer service, you could make money selling on eBay for years and years to come. Treat your buyers how you’d like to be treated, and you won’t go far wrong.

8. KNOW YOUR FEES

As a private seller on eBay – which means that you’re selling your own belongings, as opposed to buying to resell as a business – you’ll get 20 free listings every month. Sometimes, you’ll be given even more as an incentive to really get stuck in.

There are some other costs though that you need to factor in. You’ll pay around 10% of the final value in fees to eBay, and PayPal will also take a small fee for processing your payments. These are just part and parcel of selling – which it can still be extremely lucrative, regardless of fees – but being aware of what you’ll be paying means you know exactly what you’ll be getting out of it.

9. BE PREPARED WHEN IT COMES TO POSTAGE

The first time I sold an item on eBay, I had no packaging supplies at home, so I had to make a quick dash to the corner shop to see what I could find. I paid way above the odds, so I realised that if I wanted to continue selling, it would be much more cost effective to buy in bulk. You might want to consider buying your packaging via eBay. That way, you could build up some positive feedback as a buyer, which adds a little credibility to your account.

You can change your buyers for postage costs, but it makes sense to know how much you’ll pay for each item, so you aren’t unexpectedly left out of pocket. Thankfully, Royal Mail and all their main competitors have their costs detailed on their websites, so you never need to get any nasty surprises.

10. SET UP A LISTING SYSTEM TO SAVE TIME

You’ll want to get your stuff listed as quickly and effectively as possible, and avoid too much faffing about. I find it best to batch up the various tasks… So I’ll spend half an hour taking a load of photos of everything I want to sell, then I’ll measure them all and make some notes, then I’ll sit down in front of the TV and get them all listed in one go.

If time is an issue, go with little and often. You get much quicker with a bit of practice, and you can start to see results fairly quickly if you just keep chipping away at it.

11. BE PATIENT!

Sometimes I’ll list an item and it’ll sell within a couple of minutes. Other times, I’ve got items that take months and months to shift. It’s all just part of the process, and I find it really useful to remember that if you’ve done your research and you’ve priced fairly, your stuff WILL sell. Just sometimes not as quickly as you’d like it to.

It’s all a learning curve, and you’ll quickly pick up the tricks of the trade that will give you a great chance of success if you want to make money selling on eBay. And if things are slower than you’d like? You might find it useful to check out my post about why your stuff isn’t selling (and how to fix it).

FINAL THOUGHTS ON HOW TO MAKE MONEY SELLING ON EBAY

Getting started is always the biggest hurdle, but when you’re into the swing of things, you’ll see how straightforward it really can be to make money selling on eBay. It can be pretty damn profitable, too.

You’ve no doubt got a ton of stuff sitting around your house that you don’t want or need, and it’s helping no one whilst it’s cluttering up your cupboards. So why not get started with listing today? Once you get your first cha-ching, it becomes addictive…

 

 

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