How to Be Successful and Make Money on EBay

I've been selling on eBay for a few years now. I'm a Powerseller and will be sharing some tricks of the trade for you below. While I'm not a certified eBay teacher I have taught several friends and family how to sell with success on eBay. If you're interested in using eBay as a means for some extra income just continue reading.

eBay can be a great source of income for stay-at-home moms and dads or it can be such a great source of income that you can both become stay at home moms and dads! The potential is there, you just have to know how to tap into that potential which is why I'm writing this practical, how-to article. This will start at the beginning so if you've already dabbled in it a little just read the titles in bold and skip to the section that you're needing help with. This article will be most beneficial if you can open another Internet tab and have eBay there for you to go back and forth to while you read the information and follow along.

For Beginners

Creating an account:
The first thing you'll need to do is create an account. It's a simple process, just go to www.ebay.com and click on "Register" then fill out the information on their registration form. Make sure you write down your eBay user id and password for later reference, you'll need it everytime you log in. Once you have created an account you can click on the "my eBay" tab at the top of the page, this is the page where all of your selling and buying information will be displayed. Before anything can be displayed, you have to decide what you want to sell.

You'll also need to create a Paypal account. To do that simply go to www.paypal.com and sign up following their process.

I recommend selling some household items first on eBay. This will help you get the hang of the selling process and you can also decide whether or not selling on eBay is something you enjoy. It's a no-risk way to start, if you don't like it you haven't invested any money in purchasing items to sell. Go to your basement or wherever your storage is and find a few things to list on eBay.

The criteria for choosing things from home to sell:
Make sure you want to sell it and that you don't really care what you get for it. You'll be listing your items as an auction so it may not go as high as would hope. Make sure you're ok with that.

Find something that isn't broken. It's true that people will buy virtually anything but you don't want to start with a piece of junk and get discouraged when you don't make a fortune.

Make sure the item isn't prohibited on eBay. You can read prohibited items here.

Items that typically sell are throw pillows or Christmas decorations, DVDs or video games. You could sell a lamp or a clock or even a chair. Children's clothes typically go well, especially brand name. Basically pick a common item, nothing too bizarre or random to start with.

Once you have chosen your item you'll need to take a picture of it. I typically lay my items on a piece of cheap, black fabric from the fabric store. This makes for a nice background color and will make your item stand out.

Takea picture of your item:
Take the picture of your item and then load it onto your computer. Crop the picture so that you see very little of the background and your item takes up most of the picture. Save your picture where you'll be able to easily find it for later use.

Listing Your Item on eBay
Once you have saved your pictures on your computer you are ready to list your item for sell on eBay.
Click on the "Sell" tab from your "my ebay' page.

Click on the "Customize your listing" option and then click "start selling."

Type the name of what you're selling in the search box under the "search categories" tab. Then click search and eBay will find the categories most often used to sell that particular item.

Choose the category that works for you and click continue.

Create a title for your item. The title will need to include all words that you think people will search for to find your item. For example, if you're selling infant clothing you would want to title it something like this, "EUC 12 18 month Girls Clothing Shirt Top Toddler Clothes" or something like that. The title doesn't have to make sense, you're just wanting to type the key words for more people to find your listing. That way if someone searches "12 month girls shirt" they'll find your listing and if someone searches for "18 month toddler top" they, too, will find your listing.

Once you have created the title you can write a subtitle, but it costs an extra fifty cents so I don't recommend it.

Follow the rest of the selling form filling out the information and condition of your item accordingly.

Add your picture to the listing. The first picture is free, each additional picture is fifteen cents. It is worth it to post additional pictures if you need to show the front and back of your item or close-up details. To load your picture click on the "add pictures" button and then make sure the "basic" tab is selected at the top of the page. Then simply click "browse" and find your picture that you saved on your computer. Once you have selected the picture click "upload" at the bottom of the page.

Next you'll be describing your item. This is where you'll type a detailed description of your item for everyone who clicks on your listing to read. It's easiest if you click on the "standard" tab to describe your item. You can make the font larger or a different color by using the tools at the top of the description area.

Once you have described it scroll down. Skip the Listing Designer for now, it just costs money and doesn't make that much of a difference in your sales. You can choose a page counter for free directly below the listing designer.

Next you'll be choosing how to sell your item. I recommend auction for beginning sellers. Start your item at 99cents. If you want to get a specific amount for your item then you can choose fixed price and put the price that you're wanting to get. The fees are a little higher for fixed-price listing. However, if you do a fixed-price listing you can also add the option to take best offers from buyers, this will allow them to submit an offer for your consideration. Just follow the prompts to choose best offer.

Choose the duration of your auction, it can be 3, 5 or 7 days. For a fee your listing will remain on eBay for 10 days but again, for beginners I don't recommend that. You'll want to spend as little as possible on your listings until you decide if this is for you.

Decide how you want to be paid. I personally only accept Paypal because too many people have said they'd send a money order and then they never do. You can choose whatever you prefer and are comfortable with.

Set up the shipping details. Use the pull-down menus to decide what shipping services you'll be offering and then enter the cost for shipping and handling that you want buyers to pay. To get an estimate of what it will cost to ship your item you can always go to www.usps.com to calculate shipping cost. You will need to know the weight of your item and zip code, I typically put in 90210 for California when I'm calculating shipping because that is pretty far away from me. I figure if I put enough in the shipping cost for it to get to California then I'll be able to ship it anywhere else for that amount without losing money on shipping. You don't want to have outrageous shipping costs, it is against eBay policy and it really will effect how successful you are on eBay.

Scroll down and click continue, you can skip the rest of that for now.

On the next page you'll just review everything and then click on "List Your Item."

How to check completed listings to see if an item will sell.
One way for you to find out if your item has the likelihood of selling is for you to check completed listings. To do this login to eBay.

Type your item in the search bar at the top of the page to find similar items for sale.

On the left-hand side of the screen scroll down and you'll see a place where you can put a check in a box next to "completed listings."

Check that box, then hit enter. This will bring up listings that have ended and the sale prices. If the price is in red that means it didn't sell, if it's in green that is the price that the item sold for. Scroll down and you'll be able to see an average price of what the item went for.

I know that seemed like a lot but I went through it step-by-step for you, it really is easiest to have an eBay page open as well to follow along with.

For Experienced Sellers - aka Already Selling on eBay Looking for Ways to Make More Money
In this section I'll explain what I have done to become and remain a PowerSeller on eBay.

Buy clearance and sell it on eBay:
Many times you can buy items on clearance and bring it home to sell it on eBay. I would stay away from items that are only 50% off or less. Try to find items that are 70-90% off to increase your profit potential.

When you find something on Clearance you can call a friend or family member to look it up on eBay's completed listings to see if it sells well.

You can look it up on your phone if you have that ability.

You can also make a list and come home to check the items on eBay's completed listings to see if it sells well.

If you don't have paper and pencil ready then use your cell phone and take pictures of the items on clearance as well as their price. Then go home and check completed listings to see if it sells.

Try to find something that you can sell several of - here are some ideas of items you can find that typically sell well.
If buying items on clearance try to find several of one item. This will save you time as you simply relist instead of having to create separate listings for every item you buy. For example, if you see baby monitors on clearance for $5 and you find out that they sell consistently for $19.99 then go to the store and buy all of their monitors in the clearance section. I've done this several times.

A few things to watch for that are great sellers are: baby monitors, infant car seats, Spin Spa Brushes, Polaroid Film, Discontinued Items, Electronics, Toys.

Just before Christmas is a great time to find toys on clearance. They are making room on their shelves for all of the new toys of the season. I once bought 30 of one toy on clearance and sold everyone of them.

Car seats are often clearanced just before Spring. Try to get them at 80% off or higher for a decent profit.

Remember: if it's selling consistently in completed listings it will most likely sell for you so take a chance and buy all 20 at the store, just make sure it's at a store that accepts returns just in case.

It doesn't always have to be on clearance for you to make a profit! Christmas is a great time to start selling on eBay because people are willing to pay sometimes double retail value for an item just so they can avoid going shopping! The year that the Friends Scene It game came out I sold literally hundreds of them for DOUBLE what they cost in the store and they weren't on sale!

Disclaimer-not all of these items sell all the time-it's up to you to make an informed decision based on completed listings, I make no guarantees that they will sell for you.

Find your niche.
What one person enjoys listing, you may not. Find what works for you and what you enjoy listing. My friend loves to list toddler clothing, for example, but I can't stand taking the time to list clothes. Choose something that interests you and that you won't mind creating listings for.

Try to find items like the Friends' game mentioned above. If you can find something that sells consistently for a long period of time then eBay will be much easier for you. You'll have one listing to create, then you can simply relist that item over and over. You'll also only have one place to shop, find your item in stock and buy three or four at a time, just enough to stay ahead. Or, if you're brave, you can list the item and not buy it until it sells. Just make sure your store has a never-ending supply of the item you're selling. This is actually my favorite way to sell, I let the stores be my storage facility and I buy items as I need them. It's not for everyone though and can be a bit nerve-wracking if their supply starts to run low.

Your niche may be shopping at yard sales to find items, or antique shops. You might prefer to only buy clearance items or you might find that you do best selling in certain seasons, such as Christmas. Whatever your niche is, find it, get comfortable in it and sell!

Watch for trends.
Watch for popular toys, new movies in theaters, limited quantity releases, etc.

At Christmas you will need to watch for the best toys of the season according to magazine reviews and television shows. These are the toys that will most likely sell for more than retail value.

When a new movie comes to a theater they will often have action figures, posters, or other items that have the movie theme. These will often sell on eBay for more than retail value.

When a new video game system is released they often release a limited quantity per store and per customer. It often pays to stand in line and buy one or two of these systems, then sell them on eBay for double your cost or more! Hard to find items are a great way to make money...if you can find them. :)

Keep your eyes and ears open for items that are the newest trend and hard to find. Webkinz used to be such an item. I sold hundreds of these, as well, for double their retail value. They were very hard to find for a few months so I literally drove to every Hallmark store in the area and bought as many as I could. People in other states didn't have any in stock so they were willing to pay more than double for the trendy toy. Trend-niches come and go but ride the wave as long as you can and enjoy!

Sell Internationally.
International buyers are looking for items that are only available in the states and are therefore willing to pay a lot for it. One way to reach the international market is to offer Worldwide shipping in your shipping section.

You can calculate international shipping at www.usps.com. I always add $3-$5 for handling just because it is more of a hassle to ship internationally. Your local Post Office can explain the procedure, there are two basic forms, first-class and priority mail.

If you're shipping priority mail you'll save a percentage of your shipping cost by printing your label online through paypal. It also saves you the time of filling out the customs forms.

Another way to reach international buyers is to actually list your item on their country's eBay site. You can find those sites as well as other helpful hints on eBay's Sitemap.

The international site that I sell on the most and have found to be the most successful is www.ebay.co.uk this will list your items in the UK. The listing is very similar to our eBay page. Remember to search completed listings on their site before listing your item to make sure it will sell over there.

Pay your fees regularly.
eBay has listing and final value fees. If you become a powerseller or are selling a large quantity of items, I recommend paying fees on a regular basis rather than waiting for the invoice at the end of the month. I go in a few times a week and make a one-time payment. To do that just click on your seller account link to the left of your "my ebay" page. This will help you keep a true sense of what your profit is.

I hope you find this helpful! I know it's lengthy but you can find all of the forms that I referred to at www.ebay.com, go there and get started selling today! I have been able to make a gross income, on average, of $10,000.00 a month. Obviously that doesn't include the cost for the item and the fees. I know of some people who, the husband and wife both literally quit their jobs and strictly sell on eBay for their income. Buying online is definitely more popular now than it was even five years ago. People just like the ease of buying online and having items shipped to them as opposed to driving around searching for the item you need. So take advantage and be their shopper! You never know what you'll be able to make until you try.

Enjoy eBaying!