Ok so you cleaned out your closet and now you want to list some pieces on eBay, I am in no way an expert but I’ve been doing this for a few months and here are my tips:
KEYWORDS – If you were looking for an item ask yourself what would you look for if you were looking for that particular item. Keep it clear and try to mention everything that applies in the title.
Examples:
- Ann Taylor Loft Black Blazer Jacket Size 4
- J.Crew Chambray Denim Shirt Size XS Blue Long Sleeve
- FORTUNATA Schutz Size 8 Brown Sandals
- Stuart Weitzman Studded Jelly Flats T-Strap Size 7
PICTURES – Well lit, clear and sharp images are a must! Pictures are EVERYTHING when selling online. Try to capture the texture and every single details as much as possible. If you can get pictures on a model or dress form that’s even better. If you’re a blogger, most likely you have pictures of you in almost every single garment you own. The items with pics of me in them sold the fastest, always make sure to specify “This listing is for this item only“. Also for shoes talk about the fit, for example I’ll say I’m a 7.5 and these sandals fits true to size.
DESCRIPTION – If you have the time I highly recommend, adding as much details as possible to avoid back and forth email with prospective buyers. Make sure to list any flaws, for shoes add heel and platform heights, for pants add inseams etc… Also always mention the condition of the item, as in “perfect condition”, “good condition”, “has a minor flaw”, you get my drift.
PRICING – Ok this is solely up to you, a good place to start is to check for how much a similar item I’ve sold for on eBay. Do a quick search and filter for “sold listings“. That’s a no brainer but I will say it, please save yourself the hassle and just use PayPal, you will get your payment faster and you can ship as soon as possible and we live in a society of highly impatient people so the faster the better. I always do it auction style, and I make sure to add a “Buy I Now” options for the “I WANT IT NOW” peeps.
SHIPPING – I kept this one simple, I let eBay do the job for me and I offer international shipping. Some people have reservations about selling internationally but I’ve never had any issues. You ship to a center eBay specifies and they take care of the rest for you.
TIMING – Ok, I’ve experimented a lot with the time to end listings, personally you can most likely find me virtual window shopping early morning or evening and I think most people do the same. The best listing end time for me on eBay have been 9-11 pm Eastern, listing ending before 7 am Eastern does OK as well. Also I seem to do well on weekends, but eventually I started selling on weekdays as well but just not as much.
WHAT TO SELL – I’ve sold blouses, dresses, pants, jeans, sweaters, skirts but shoes are by far my best sellers. My coworkers couldn’t believe that people would buy used shoes but I treat my shoes really well, I almost always save the boxes and since I never walk barefoot the inside of my shoes are spotless. Make sure what you are selling is clean.
TIPS
- be courteous, if a customer is mad at you even if it’s not your fault, don’t take it personally and calm down. Give them options as in offer them a full refund as long as they return the item in the same condition it was sent or a resolution to the issue they are having. I’ve never had a case end badly, we were always able to come with a solution both parties were happy with.
- if you don’t receive payment immediately or in a few hours, kindly send the person a reminder message. If they fail to respond in 48 hours, I usually open a non-payment case or cancel the order. I then relist the items or offer it to the next highest bidder.
- be careful with combine shipping, if one person buys multiple items from you and ask for that make sure to weight your items to give them an accurate shipping price. You can easily under charge and end up loosing money.
- ship items are soon as possible, buyers love to get their items fast and they are more likely to give you a good feedback.
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great info…thanks xx
Thanks for the tips on when to end auctions…I feel like I never know!
Great tips! I just completed my first round of Ebay sales, my second round is coming up soon. I’ll have to consider some of these tips you’ve posted!
http://www.dressed2dnines.com
These are awesome tips, girl! I need to take notes- I’ve never sold on eBay before but it looks like you can definitely have some success there! 🙂 Happy Thursday!
-Ashley
http://lestylorouge.com
I really love these tips! I’ve been contemplating selling on ebay, but I’ve been too scared! Thank you for sharing!
Maggie
http://www.PolishedClosets.com
These are all such amazing tips! I’ve really been wanting to sell some stuff on eBay so this really helps!
<3 Shannon
Upbeatsoles.blogspot.com
Thanks for the tips. They’re super useful. I will have to keep them in mind. Happy Thursday!
I have honestly been looking forward to this post ALL WEEK! As you know, you’ve encouraged me to finally start listing some stuff on eBay and I’ve had so many questions about “what’s the best way to do this.” I didn’t know you could do a filter search for SOLD listings so I can’t wait to try that out!
Gina – On the Daily Express
feel free to ask me if you have any more questions, I can always update the post 🙂
Thanks for the tips! For some reason I’ve never though to use a photo of me wearing it. I have my own personal pet peeves about item photos – if the person has laid it out on the floor to photograph it, I wont buy it! I think when an item ends is less important than it used to be. I always made sure my things ended on Sunday afternoons, since I figured most people would be at home. But now that we all have smartphones you can be anywhere and bid! I do 99% of my ebay shopping from my phone.
Chic on the Cheap
Love these tips! I’ve always struggled with whether or not to try to sell on Ebay. Fabulous tips though!
xx,
La Joie de
Vivre by Alecia Mariana
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This reminds me that I have a bag full of nice items that I need to put up on eBay!
These are great tips for selling! I have sold a couple pairs of shoes on eBay before, but one time didn’t charge enough for shipping so I ended up not making any money off of it. Oh well! I think I need to try to start selling again!
Ohh great tips! I have never bought or sold anything on ebay. Crazy, right??
Nikki
thefashionablewife.com
Fantastic! Thank you for all the tips!
I need to sell a slew of stuff on eBay. This is encouraging. My first round went really well. I just need two more days to my weekend!! Great tips, girl, thank you!
Great tips! I just sold some Via Spiga booties on eBay, and I could have used your advice;)