Friday, August 29, 2008

Great New Way To Sell: Ebay

By George Ajourte


Ebay is a great invention for sellers and buyers. It has created a revolution in the way things are sold. Say goodbye to traditional classifieds! The site is a place for people all around the globe to sell and buy on one site. It is popular with millions. For selling on the internet, there is no other like Ebay. Below I detail how to sell on Ebay.

Ebay was founded by Pierre Omidyar as AuctionWeb in 1995. They decided to change the name in 1997. The site allows you to sell anything, but certain items are seen most often. Collectibles, antiques, and clothing are three of the biggest sellers. Poeple have sold broken, old, or weird merchandise on ebay. A few people even sold food in the shape of religious iconography! Beyond these oddities, real business goes on everyday at Ebay!

Registering is the way to start. You fill out your personal information. To become verified, you have to provide a valid credit card number. You can also set a Paypal account with a credit card. Your card will only be charged if there is a sales transaction.

One thing to keep in mind during set-up is to read the policies for sellers. Violations on listings can lead up to a suspension from selling. For helpful information, also visit Seller Central. It has advice and news and other helpful information. There are also different types of fees to be aware of. For listing an item, you will be charged an insertion fee, this is usually very small and based on the item. If you add features to the listing, such as the Buy It Now option, you will incur another fee. One other fee to be aware of is the final value fee. It is a small percentage of the final value of the sale.

Creating a listing is next. Use keywords to optimize the title. Include manufacturer information. This could be things like the model number, SKU code, etc. Make sure to add a good photo of the item. For expensive items, a reserve can be set to ensure a minimum bid.

You have two main options for how to sell. You can hold an auction. You set the time limit and customers compete to get the best price. They even have the option of setting a maximum bid; this way if someone outbids their first bid, the system updates it to the next highest amount up to the maximum. The other way is to pay a fee for a buy it now sale. In this way the price is set and there is no bidding. Once a sale goes through, the buyer will be notified so that they can pay. Once you get paid go ahead and ship the item to the specified address.

Feedback is an important part of the Ebay market. Sellers can leave buyer feedback and vice versa. If you have bad feedback customers can see it. They will not want to do business with you if you have bad feedback, so make sure you keep the customers happy!!

Ebay is designed to be user-friendly; it really helps you learn how to sell on Ebay. There are tutorials and advice columns. Once you get the hang of it, you will be selling like a madman! It is a fun, safe way to make some extra money. Don't be afraid to list something, you never know what you will sell!

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