How to List an Item on Ebay

Remove any dust, clean the objects, and make them look as nice as possible for the photo. Think about the angle you’ll want to use when you shoot the object.

A corner of your bedroom, the kitchen table, or the dryer can easily be your studio areas. Choose the one that has the most room to work with, and most importantly, which area is the most well lit. Natural sunlight works best for Ebay photos, so try to aim for an area near a window with full sun. A large, clean white blanket will provide a good background for most items.

Make sure the camera is charged and ready to use. You’ll be taking close-up photos, so you may want to use a manual focus sometimes. When taking pictures, try to have the item take up as much of the view finder space as possible. Take photos of the exterior, interior, special features, any flaws, unique traits, and special items or parts that come with the item. 

Upload the photos to your computer. Retouching photos can also help increase interest in the items.

Head to Ebay.com, click register, and create your new account. Do the same at PayPal.com. Both sites will ask for your personal information, along with a credit card or banking information to keep on file to pay fees or make purchases. This is required, and both sites have a high level of security, so the risk of entering your information is very low.

Click “sell” and get started by choosing the category that best describes your item. Next, you’ll choose a title. This is very important. Choose keywords buyers will be searching for, including brand names, model numbers, condition, color, material, and style. Subtitle is optional, and costs an extra 50 cents.

After choosing the proper title, upload photos and describe your item. Use a larger font size to make the text easier to read, and use bulleted lists to organize the description. Include all aspects, condition, special features, color, size, make, model, and anything else you can possibly think of in the description. Describe the item as if there are no photos.

Choose 7 day auctions to get the maximum exposure for your items. For higher priced items, choose 10 day auctions, which is a small additional fee. Also, you can choose to add a buy it now price. Set this price high enough so you will be satisfied with the amount you receive. For collectible and rare items, it is usually best to not include a buy it now price, instead starting your auction at a reasonable price and seeing how much it sells for. 

How often you ship, what shipping service, and whether you accept returns is up to you. Most sellers offers the postal service as the primary option for its ease of use. It’s also easy to predict how much an item will cost to ship. Calculate postage on USPS.com based on the weight, or by the price of other sellers who are selling similar items.  Keep in mind you will need to  charge an accurate shipping price in order to turn a profit on your items.

Once you’ve chosen the shipping carrier and shipping price, choose a return policy. You can choose limited returns (7 days), 30 days, or not accept returns at all.

Finally, once you’ve completed the previous 7 steps, you can sell your item on Ebay. As you can see, it does take some work. That’s why it’s best to group your items and take photos and list them all in one session. Be sure to log into your account to watch bidding activity and answer buyer’s questions

Once the buyer has paid for the item, it’s time to ship it out. USPS offers free Priority Shipping boxes.  Package items using packing peanuts, newspaper, bubble wrap, and other materials that will ensure a safe transit.  You can update buyers with a tracking number if you have purchased delivery confirmation. Note that your item will not be insured unless you have purchased insurance.

Don’t forget to withdraw the money from your PayPal account that you just made, and to keep track of your earnings.

Tip: If you shop online, save packing material and boxes to reuse when selling on Ebay.

You can only leave positive feedback for buyers. It’s best to leave glowing feedback for all buyers, since your feedback profile is public and will determine your seller reputation on Ebay. 

Start the process all over again if your auctions were a success!