Learning How to "Ebay"

Updated on December 16, 2010
S.R. asks from Clinton, MO
8 answers

I am in need of some tips and advice about selling on ebay. I have never used ebay before. It will be baby/toddler clothes I am wanting to sell. How does it work? I know people that have bought baby clothes before and just buy a bag at a time and what you get is what you get, you don't get to know what's inside until you open it. Can you sell singleton clothes too, or do those not sell as well? How do payments work and shipping the stuff to them? I really have no idea how this works any advice or direction would be great!

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H.H.

answers from Kansas City on

make sure you take pictures as those items sell better. You also want to make sure you list the cost of shipping in your post. Every extra option you choose cost some money whether you sell the item or not. You want to start your opening bid on a minimum price you want for the item. Whatever you do don't accept personal checks or cash in the mail. Some people will claim they sent you cash and claim it got lost in the mail. You need a paypal account as most buyers will not buy from you unless they can use paypal. Most forms of payment are paypal, money orders, or cashiers checks. There are also scam money orders out there so the best form of payment is paypal.
When you list your item, give details like no stains, slightly worn or new with tags if they still have the price tags on them. If they have stains don't bother selling them as you will get bad reviews on your feedback and those aren't good. Stained clothes don't sell at thrift stores so they aren't going to sell anywhere and most thrift stores will just throw them away when they sort through the items. you should buy an item on ebay to see how things work so you have an idea. Also look up items similar to yours and get an idea how much they are going for. Look at a lot of other items particularly from those that have sold over 5,000 items and see how they describe their items. That will give you an idea how to list your items and find ways to help them sell better.

Have you looked into Craigslist? It is free to post and sell items. Or you could have a garage sale and post the garage sale on Craigslist to advertise and get more people to come. The downside to craigslist is it is more local and have to meet the person to sell your item. I don't recommend having people come to your house, meet them in a store parking lot or somewhere public. When you set up an account make an email address just for craigslist or ebay. After they email you and seem interested in the item then send them your phone number in email. That way you aren't getting a ton of phone calls after the item is sold and only the ones interested will see your phone number. We have had a lot of luck selling stuff on Craigslist and also buying good deals. Once the item is sold make sure you go back to your account and have the item marked as sold or deleted. With craigslist just accept cash. If they don't bring cash don't sell the item. Most people on craigslist know they need to bring cash.

1 mom found this helpful

S.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

If there are any good, well-run thrift shops in your town,
I would recommend looking for your baby and toddler clothes there.
With e-bay, you really don't know what you're going to get.

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M.B.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi S., I am learning how to sell on Ebay as well and I have been able to find a lot of good infomation from various websites just by typing my question into Google. There is alot of information out there, but as someone else mentioned the first steps that I took of course, was to get my account set up with Ebay and get a PayPal account set up. I've now taken pictures of the first set of items that I want to sell. I heard that it's better to start out selling some lower cost items first when you start out so that people can build trust. People tend to be reluctant to purchase high-price items from someone that hasn't sold before. Also, I believe the USPS has those boxes that ship for one set price as long as what you are selling will fit into the box. That's the next thing that I plan to confirm. Best wishes to you.

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C.P.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi S.! I have been a buyer on ebay for years & was going to open a shop for my home decor. But, I decided to go with Etsy which is for handmade/vintage items at www.mydragonflydesigns59.etsy.com, which by the way is under Mom owned businesses on this site. Ebay has great info on starting as a seller. Just follow the steps for the basics. But first, sign up as a seller & I highly recommend get a paypal account for your safety. Best tip I learned from Etsy was take GOOD pics! Put item on plain background. I use a white tablecloth over a small table by a window of natural light. This was after taking pics in a lightbox & using a flash. Don't bother! Also take front & back and if there is a flaw or stain. People want to know, your price will reflect it & you will get positive feedback (which is very important!) . Start with baby clothes to get your feet wet. Then when your comfortable, you can sell anything on ebay! Make sure your title has words to say exactly what it is so people can find it. Also, make sure your items are packed well so no damage. Compare USPS &UPS rates ( get chart online) & add a thank you note!!!!! Hope this helps! Happy Holidays, C.

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J.E.

answers from St. Louis on

Go to ebay.com and follow the 'selling' tabs. Watch the short video on how to sell.
It's best to start by just familiarizing yourself with the website. Type in an item or two you are interested in, say "gymboree dress 4t" and see all of the choices. Notice how people word things, etc. You will get better as you go along. You could even bid on something but you have to set up a paypal account to pay for it. It's all easy once you get the hang of it but initially you might need some help. Good luck.

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C.L.

answers from New York on

I really don't do full-time selling on ebay but we have used it to sell our extra baby stuff we don't need anymore; mostly formula. It's fairly easy, you just need to take a picture of your item you want to sell. Decide whether you want to auction or place a fixed price on it or do both. It all depends on how much you would want to spend on having your item posted. These are just basic stuff. But if you would like to pursue full-time selling on ebay, I agree w/ "Mommy B." There are alot of tips and message boards you can go through to educate yourself on ebay.

There is one final note I should say, you should open a paypal account if you haven't done so for easy transactions and more secure for paying and getting paid. Hope this helps.

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C.A.

answers from San Francisco on

Yes, you can sell single outfits. This is the way I sell things. The items that sell best are the 'boutique' brands like Tea, other brands that do well Gymboree, Old Navy and Gap. The 'cheaper' brands do well if you 'bag' sell them.

You need to buy yourself a scale to weigh your packages. Ebay has a calculator so that all you have to do is put the weight of the package in the system and it figures out how much it will cost to deliver.

Make sure that you include pictures. They are pretty easy to upload into the system.

The more selling you do the easier it gets. Good luck!

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M.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

Ebay has a great tutorial on how to sell and buy on there...check it out. Too long to explain...

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