How to sell on eBay

We want our customers to exceed at selling on eBay, whether they are looking to save money on eBay postage, reach new markets, or simply sell those old items that have been hanging around for too long. We have some great general eBay advice to help you get signed up, selling and shipping!

Get up and running on eBay

The potential is there for anyone to use eBay, whether you want to get serious and make multiple sales or you have just had a spring clean and have some old items to sell.

Sign Up to eBay

It’s free to sign up for an eBay account and it only takes a couple of minutes, but there are fees for listing and selling items. Consider at the start whether you need a private or business account.

If you intend to be a regular seller, frequently buying up items to sell on for profit or selling a lot of new items - opt for the business option.

List your item on eBay

Think about which category suits your item best and see what your categories your competitors use. Consider whether you are willing to sell abroad. There are huge opportunities to sell abroad on eBay - such as in Germany where 26% of German consumers spend their shopping time browsing on eBay.

You can choose to sell your items as an auction listing, where the buyers bid the highest amount they are willing to pay, or if you want to sell at a set price - choose to set it as Buy It Now. 

8 top tips for selling on eBay

Years after its launch, eBay is still going strong and remains the go-to auction site for millions of buyers worldwide. But with so many vendors, shops, and products on there, it’s hard to ensure your products rise to the top of that all-important search results the first page.

Here are our top tips for getting your products the attention they deserve from both search engines and shoppers.

1. Don’t keyword stuff your listing title.

Search engines are optimised to home in on titles, so incorporating keywords into the title of your listing is important, but you should always be descriptive and clear. Be natural in how you word the title - it will result in more clicks, as opposed to squeezing in as many keywords into the title as possible. 

2. Use unique titles for your items

Fresh, unique content - be creative describing your products and don’t recycle the same old titles and descriptions. It might take a little extra effort to make your items sound different, but it will be worth it when the money comes rolling in. 

3. Provide descriptive detail about your product

Page and product titles are just one part of your eBay shop window. You have plenty of room to add more information - add a detailed product description alongside eBay’s item specifics.

A descriptive listing can boost your click-through rate and stand you out from the crowd - plus it will make it clear what you are selling and why it is so great. 

4. Research your rivals

eCommerce moves quickly, so when you are listing your items take some time to research what images they use, what their product description says and see how much they are selling their items for. 

eBay has a tool allowing you to grab the descriptions of items like yours, make use of this improve upon it. It’s no good just copying - our guide is designed to help you sell more, step up and be better than the rest! 

5. A picture says it all.

Let’s face it, we are getting lazy - photos are much easier to consume than text. Some great quality camera work will do a better job than even the most excellent product descriptions. Clear, crisp and high-quality images will get the buyer to put their trust in your products. 

7. Sell-more on Sundays

eBay traffic soars on Sunday evenings when people have free time to browse the web and indulge in some retail therapy. Set your auction to end at a time when everyone’s online and ready to engage in a bidding war.

8. Learn the Lingo

eBay is such a big deal, it even has its own language! There are some key terms that are useful for buyers and sellers. The abbreviations you should know as well as your ABC include; 

BN: brand new
BNWT: brand new with tags
BNIB: brand new in box
BIN: buy it now
VGC: very good condition
NWOT: New without tags
NWOB: new without box
HTF: hard to find
VTG: vintage.

Pricing and Postage for your eBay items

Don’t price yourself out of a sale or leave yourself short when you put a price on your item. Check against items that are the same or similar to yours and see how much they are being sold for. It is also important to check the fees eBay at the price you are selling at too.

You will need to include information about postage when you think about the price. Free shipping will entice more buyers to your listing so consider;

• Marking up the sale price so the consumer pays for some of the delivery cost
• Using economy courier services so shipping prices are kept to a minimum

If a buyer is getting free shipping they are more likely to be more patient on delivery times, so economy mail is perfect leaving both the buyer and seller happy. You can access some great economy shipping services for eBay using Parcel Monkey.

We can also help buyers purchase goods that are collection only, as you book a courier to go and pick up your items on your behalf. 

Sell, sell, sell!

The best bit about eBay is the buzz from making a sale. Be on top of any questions that potential buyers might have and once the auction has finished get that item out to the buyer as soon as possible!

Getting Paid

PayPal is the easy, secure way to get your money faster so ensure you set this up correctly to ensure you get paid. eBay provides plenty of guidance on this topic and you should take the time to make sure you get this right. 

eBay shipping services

Once you have sold an item online you are going to need some cheap eBay courier services, as you won’t pay out all that money you have just made on shipping costs. Parcel Monkey has a courier comparison quote engine just like eBay one, that calculates how much it would cost to send a parcel either domestically or internationally. 

Consider if you would like to have the convenience of a courier coming to collect your items from your home or work address, or whether it is easier for you to pop to the Post Office or a DPD Pickup shop and drop off your parcel. Our prices will be lower than you can get at the Post Office counter for a Parcelforce service, as we have discounted prices due to the number of parcels we send. 

eBay International delivery

63% of sellers sell cross-border on eBay so keeping international shipping simple is very important. We collect all the required customs information in the booking process and we have cheap international shipping services designed to help eCommerce retailers keep the costs of sending a parcel abroad down.

Some items are of greater value and need an expedited delivery service and we have courier services available to help those eBay sellers too.

By going international you can reach new customers the world over with ease but there are some considerations to think about.

• There is more to global delivery than the Post Office. Parcel Monkey have huge discounts on shipping rates with reputable international couriers to destinations around the world.  
• Calculated shipping is best for beginners. Avoid any unexpected charges by providing the weight and dimensions of your parcel accurately into our quote engine so we can generate accurate delivery prices.
• Remember to turn on international shipping!  Select ‘Sell to international buyers’ when you list your item on eBay. Exclude any regions and countries that are too expensive to ship to.
• Refunds and returns are part and parcel of the world of eCommerce, including eBay so consider offering this to your international buyers if you want to make more sales - after all only 1% of items sold internationally are returned.
• Be clear about Customs and Duties when shipping overseas, these are the responsibility of the buyer.
• Always provide accurate contact information for the recipient to be contacted via no matter which courier you ship with.
• Provide tracking numbers to the recipient so they can see when the package is set to arrive and give them confidence in your service. All Parcel Monkey services come with a trackable number. 

 

Hopefully, our guide has given you more understanding on how eBay works, how to sign up and an overview of eBay shipping options available for you to book, so you can find a reliable courier service to fulfil your eBay orders.

Related Information 

How to send a parcel

Arrange a collection from someone else

Local Courier Services for collection only eBay items