How to start selling on eBay

If you've never done it before, selling on eBay can be daunting. It sounds easy. But as soon as you open up your eBay seller account the questions begin. What should you auction? How well will it sell? What shipper will you use? Is UPS or USPS better? Will you sell to international bidders? What about packing? Do you need bubble wrap? And that's only the beginning.

One of the first things to consider is a very basic one: What will you sell? Is it really the time to take a quick snapshot of that antique heirloom chandelier and throw it up on eBay without a reserve, without any research, without any preparation? No. Save that piece until you have a better understanding of how eBay works. Choose something that is easy to photograph, easy to describe, easy to ship. Something that doesn't require research.

In my case, I chose to list mugs. Everyone has them and apparently people still want them. There is a market. But the main reason I liked the mugs is because they were somewhat uniform in size and weight. Figuring out how to ship them was easier. Photographing and describing them was quick and easy. Picture an assembly line.

My first round of auctions consisted of nine mugs. In the process of listing them, I was able to define the various elements needed in the description, list any and ALL dings, chips, and cracks and work out the parts of auctions that are so important to sellers. These included potential shipping charges and a return policy. If you've already used eBay to buy items, then you might have an idea of what you want to include. If you haven't, take some time and really read the various parts of current auctions. Find sellers who have been on eBay for a long time and have a good track record. Read their feedbacks. Finally, search eBay for items that are like the ones you want to sell.

Obviously with two households that have accumulated items for 40-60 years, I have all sorts of things in size, number, and scope to put up for auction. But for these early auctions I've decided to start small and work my way up the ladder. So mugs, bow ties, jewelry, books, and magazines will be the types of items that make up my first eBay auctions. What about you? Why not share your first auction? Did you start small or did you take a deep breath and go for broke?   

Comments

[Ray]

WOW, Vikk!!!!! I'm a Queen's Court member and was intrigued by your "Dancing Pencils" on that site so I came here. What a talented person you are!! And how neat to watch you as you are on your path to becoming a PowerSeller! I have been to Lynn's BootCamp for two years in a row and am slowly working my way up. Working full time and doing eBay just don't mix. I have a house full of stuff - I consider my home a "depository for dead ancestors' belongings" - and that is literally the truth. My father passed away in 2003, and we have to sell the house that had been my beloved home for fifty years. These days, with people being so transient, it is not often one hears of a family residing in the same home for decades. Prior to his passing, I received practically all of my sister's belongings when she moved north to live with her boyfriend; her household items consisted mostly of my deceased aunt's possessions (she was born in 1900) and those my grandparents' home which was lived in for over eighty years. WOW. I have paths throughout my house with boxes and piles on both sides. It has taken almost five years now, since my father's passing, for the pain and suffering to go away to where I can go through things and turn loose of them...and eBay is where a lot is going. My father sounds much like yours - one who never threw away anything. However, unlike me, he had a wonderful system and "everything had a place, and everything was in its place." He was a true gentleman and scholar, and I wish I were more like him in so many ways. I recently sold a shoehorn from a famous hotel in San Francisco that he had saved from his business conventions (probably in the 1950s); the man that purchased it worked at that hotel! I had wonderful communication with him. I also did a terrible thing - I had two vintage miniature tea cup sets - one was New York/Coney Island, the other was the Prudential Building, "the tallest building in Chicago" - well, in my haste, I shipped the New York set instead of the Prudential one that was actually purchased! To make a long story short, I had wonderful emails with the purchaser - shipped him the correct one, and told him to keep the New York one (how could I ask him to go to the trouble of packaging and shipping it when it was my error???) Turns out he works for Prudential, as I once did, and he asked me if I came across anything else from the company to let him know. eBayers are such nice people! (For the most part....). Well, I love your writing and will be keeping in touch, either through this site or the Queen's Court. Must get to work. Kindest regards, Ray

[Vikk]

Hi Ray,

Welcome to My Dancing Pencil. We certainly share a number of things. So sorry to hear about your father. I totally understand about having things from generations past, too. Unfortunately we only have a few things from my maternal grandmother as she sold her house and contents after my grandfather died and didn't tell the family until after she made the deal. And when my paternal grandparents died, the children had to sell the house and have an estate sale as everyone had moved out of state. They managed to divide some items up but the shipping costs were so high that we didn't get as much as I would have liked and a few things were turned loose that probably should have been kept but grief intervened in the process of setting up the auction.

Glad you've had such great outcomes on eBay. That's really encouraging. I've heard there are many people who collect corporate items. My dad has a few around here that I'll be putting up for auction in the near future.

Like your dad my dad had a place for everything. Like you I fail quite a bit in that endeavor. Right now I have staging areas in the house holding my things and moving things in the house, my mom isn't too happy but I don't know any other way to try and get everything integrated. At this rate I figure it will be the first of the year before it begins to look decent again. Thanks to Ike, it may be longer but I hope not.

Looking forward to your return. Say hello when you do. It's nice to get comments from my readers. Thank you, also, for your kind comments on the blog.