How do I start on eBay?

One question I get from alot of people is, "How do I even start on eBay?"

First of all, start small. Set up an eBay account and buy a few things to learn the process and get a feel for how eBay works. eBay and working at home is not for everyone. And it is ok if it isn’t right for you. Sell some of your own things before you invest any money in other products to sell. Understand that eBay is more than taking pictures and working on the computer – you need to be familiar with how to edit photos, shipping, customer service, and Paypal. Take your time and learn about these things before you jump in and go for it full-time.

Once you are comfortable with the whole process, don’t be afraid to take a risk every now and then. I am often asked, “But what if you buy an item and it doesn’t sell?” Well, that’s ok. I can always relist it. I can mark it down and sell it for what I paid for it and move on. You don’t want to buy a truckload of 1,000 items without having tested them out first, but you do want to experiment with different products – you may find something profitable to sell on a regular basis.

Make small investments and try new products to test them out and see what kind of results you’ll get. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new products and try new things. eBay is constantly evolving and no trend will last forever. Experience is the best teacher.

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FREE Marketing Techniques

Here is a FREE creative way to drive bidders to your auction:

Always use your store name when leaving feedback for others. For example, one of our automated feedback responses is, “Fast payment, easy transaction. Thanks from Atlanta Golf Shop.” Why should you do this? It is another way to get your store name in front of a potential customer. Let’s say a shopper is scanning through another member’s feedback. She may see the store name on the feedback and think, “Wow, that sounds interesting. I wonder what this place is.” Out of curiosity she clicks over to your store, and maybe she buys something, or adds you to her FAVORITES and visits you later when she has more time. See how that works?

Also, when sending any email to any person for any reason, cutomers or non-customers, put a link to your eBay store or seller page under your name. You can usually add the link to your signature on your email program under OPTIONS. I can't tell you how many customers I have gotten because my child's teacher clicked the link, the PTA president clicked the link, people who I have bought from on eBay clicked the link, etc. Don't waste an opportunity to promote your store!

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What's your refund policy?

You will not even exist as an eBay seller without customers. Everything you do needs to revolve around outstanding customer service. Offering a fair, generous refund policy shows potential buyers that you are an honest seller and will stand by your products. Customers may never even use the refund policy, but you are giving your customers options just in case they don’t like the item for whatever reason. You are empowering them. If you look at large retailers, they will allow returns on any item for just about any reason.

I see a lot of eBay sellers that have return policies like, “store credit only,” or “returns only allowed if item is grossly misrepresented.” I’ll say as a customer, I don’t buy from these sellers (on or off eBay). As a customer, I want options. I want to know that if clothing doesn’t fit, I can return it. Or if an item doesn’t match my home décor, I can return it. I don’t want to feel stuck with a purchase that can’t be returned. I don’t want to waste my money on a product that may not work for me once I have it in my hands.

My refund policy allows returns within 30 days, for any product, for any reason. I even offer a refund for my eBooks if the customer isn’t happy. Having a fair, generous refund policy will attract more customers to your store and you will make more sales. Even if a customer returns an item and you issue a refund, that customer will know that you are a seller with integrity and they will return to your store. You can always relist the item and sell it again once it is returned.

I sell about 300 items a month, and less than 1% of the items are ever returned. You know how it is, you intend to return an item but never get around to it, or it sits in your car for 2 months waiting to be taken to the post office, and you forget about it. Having a generous refund policy is a powerful marketing tool that any seller can use, and it is totally free.

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Build Your Feeback Score - Fast!

You will want to build up your feedback score to gain the trust of potential buyers. An easy way to do this is to buy items on eBay. You can buy inexpensive items that you’ll actually use such as party gifts, children’s clothes, kitchen gadgets, office supplies, and your shipping materials. I make it a habit to buy 2-3 items a month on eBay so that I can check on the competition. I can see how items are packaged, how quickly they are shipped, how professional the seller is, and I even get new ideas for my own store by being a customer in someone else’s store.

Pay attention to shipping charges, even on small items. Some dishonest sellers will post items for 1 cent, or 99 cents, but add exorbitant shipping fees. This is a deceptive practice and is frowned upon on eBay. Just be sure you review the shipping fee, and all details, before making your purchase.

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Handling Negative Feedback

You have done everything right. You found a great item, taken a nice photo of it, written an accurate detailed description, sent professional emails to the buyer, and shipped the item promptly and securely. Then, you log on to check your eBay account, and BOOM! There it is. Someone has left you undeserved negative feedback. You are heartbroken. Now what?

First of all, this is not the end of the world. With negative feedback, it isn’t a matter of IF, it is a matter of WHEN. It probably isn’t your fault. The buyer may have had a bad day, lost his job, or had a fight with his wife. You have no idea what happened in his life that day. He impulsively takes it out on you because you are accessible and you can’t fight back. He takes out his aggressions on the computer, and you are the recipient.

Don’t rush right out and leave negative feedback for the buyer that says, “WHAT A JERK –AVOID THIS BUYER.” This will only make you look bad. If you choose to leave negative feedback for him, keep it unemotional and professional. You can say, “Disappointed that this buyer didn’t contact us first – we always refund!” Shoppers will look at your feedback and wonder what the negatives are all about. Make it clear that you are the bigger person and you will always handle problems professionally and be fair if given the opportunity. Don’t be impulsive and slap a negative feedback on someone without thinking about how it will affect your reputation. Be careful what you say!

When you do get a negative feedback, be sure to leave a reply below it on your feedback profile giving your side of the story. For example, we usually say, “Customer did not contact us regarding problem. We always refund!” Shoppers will see that you were blindsided with this remark and that you are willing do whatever it takes to make the customer happy.

You must be proactive in taking steps to prevent negative feedback. Add a sentence to your listings, your About Me page, all email correspondence, and your packing slip stating, “If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us prior to leaving feedback and we will issue a refund.” You want to imply that if negative feedback is left without giving you the opportunity to correct the problem, that the buyer is not eligible for a refund. Furthermore, you want to satisfy your customer so that he is eager to leave positive feedback for you.

Maybe you did make a mistake. Maybe you sent the wrong size or missed a flaw on the item. In all fairness, a buyer should give you a chance to correct the issue before slamming you with negative feedback. We are all human, we all make mistakes. Unfortunately, a small percentage of eBay members are too quick to leave negative feedback at your expense. This is part of doing business. Be sure to block that member from bidding on any more of your items. You probably don’t want to work with someone who isn’t willing to let you correct a mistake.


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Use Buy It Now - Sell More Items!

eBay sellers have mixed opinions on Buy It Now. Some never use it because they like the exposure to potential buyers for the full length of the listing. I have a different approach, but you have to do your homework to get the most out of a Buy It Now listing.

Once you have been selling similar products over a period of time, you get a feel for how much they will sell for. If you don’t know how much an item will sell for, do a search for the item on eBay under COMPLETED LISTINGS. This will give you any items matching your key words that have sold over the last 30 days. This is an excellent way to find starting price, buy it now price, and to find out if there is a demand for the item. Remember, an item’s value is determined by how much someone will pay for it, not how much you think it is worth.

Searching COMPLETED LISTINGS is a valuable tool that will help you gain insight on how much an item can sell for. I offer Buy It Now (BIN) on most of my items for several reasons. First, it is only 10 cents per listing to offer BIN. One item sold on BIN can pay for all the BIN fees for the whole month. Second, someone may need the item to give as a gift and time is running short. They need it now, so they want to buy it now. Third, people may be buying items for trips, vacations, weddings, parties, or holidays and they simply do not want to wait for an auction to end. Finally, some people are just impatient and in a hurry. They see it, they want it, and so I give them the chance to buy it immediately. I would rather see one of my auctions end early and get the sale, than to have the customer buy a similar item from another seller, just because he is in a rush.

You can capitalize on those procrastinators by offering BIN on your auction items. BIN is great to use around holiday time – Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Valentine’s Day. You can use BIN on 3 and 5 day listings as the holiday gets closer. Just be sure to factor in shipping time so that your customer will receive his item in plenty of time.

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Using BEST OFFER on inventory listings

When you move items into your store inventory, you have the option to ACCEPT OFFERS FROM BUYERS. This is a terrific feature. BEST OFFER gives shoppers the power to bargain with you, and it gives you the opportunity to sell more items. Let’s say that you have a child’s coat in store inventory at a fixed price of $10. It has been sitting there for a while. A shopper comes along and offers $8 for it. Certainly, you would accept their offer and take the $8. You have made another sale, will receive another positive feedback, and have created a relationship with another customer. The customer is happy because you accepted her offer. You have empowered that customer and made a sale at the same time. Everyone is happy.


The idea is to get more sales, and keep people coming back to your store. I see this happen all the time, the shopper may not spend much on the first item, but the next time around they will spend more. Once the customer experiences your great customer service, polite emails, and fast shipping, they will be back.

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