eBay Selling

Well I have just sold a handful of Alice's old clothes on my eBay for a tidy sum of £25. Considering that most of these were either hand-me-downs or second hand we certainly haven't lost out by her getting lots of good wear out of them.
Its not quite as easy as that though when you first get into selling on eBay, you have to remember that everyone selling wants to make good money, while everyone buying wants to find a bargain. Also you have to bear in mind that both eBay and Pay Pal (the most common form or payment method) charge relatively high fee's.

When it comes to selling you little ones old things try to bear in mind what you would look for yourself at all time. My biggest point would be do not list things at 7.45am just because this is when you have 5 minutes spare over breakfast! Other people just wont be looking at the items ending then. The best time I have found to hook-in mummy buyers are Friday evening between 8-10pm and weekend afternoon - evening. This seems to be when we not only have shopping on the mind but a free 20 minutes too!
This is also great because if you sell things on Friday and Saturday you have a chance to get them packaged and sent on Monday and your feedback will be great if the postage is quick!


Second point is that when listing your item really do make sure its in the right category and that you have put the most looked for words to describe it in the title. For example a girls dress could be described as 'cute dress 3 - 6months nearly new' or as 'Next Girls Pink Dress age 3-6months Flower Pattern' the second description will be returned on alot more searches because of the words it includes, where ever possible include the items brand (although only if it is a good one) colour and size and any significant details. Its not often people actually search for phrases like 'great condion' or 'cute' so try to use your word allowance better.

This leads us on naturally to the third point, take a Nice picture.It only needs to be one as this way you can add the photo free to your listing but try to take it against a plain background (I use either out double bed or my coffee table) and try to capture the whole item if you are only putting one picture. A good quality photo massively increases your chances of a sale. Also don't forget while you can list it for free with just 1 picture, why not add a line like 'For more photo's or questions please do not hesitate to message me and I Will email them to you'. Even f no one does ask this reassures people you are not hiding a giant hole in the back etc.

Remind people if you are selling more than one item with a line such as 'please check out my other items' and consider offering a postage discount. I will regularly 'bulk' buy off one seller and pay more for items by them to get several things at once.

Offer 'Collect in Person' as one of your postage options and remind people of this in your listing, lots of people are happy to pay 99p for a Teeshirt but not the money needed to cover its postage. This gives them a better option if they live nearby!

When choosing your postal service try to make a good calculation of your costs. It is defiantly best to stay cheap, but not to end up making a loss, please remember eBay Will take a final value fee and Pay Pal Will also take a % of your money so try to consider 3 things, fee's, cost of packaging and postal charge. I try to keep my postage to under £2 (usually around £1.39 for a teeshrt) but select the opton of 'other 48hr courier' Please tend to prefer to wait a few days and pay less for items like childrens clothes/toys but for items that could be gifts or celebration related try to offer a choice including a First Class or Signed for option.

Carefully consider what packaging to choose. I have come to the conclusion the wrapping almost all items in brown paper (bought in rolls from Rymans etc) with some parcel tape and handwriting the address's with a marker is the cheapest. If the item is delicate I will pack it out with either old scrunched up newspapers or else lots and lots of carrier bags (this works really well). If i do need to use Jiffy Bags I use recycled ones either of my own or from generous freagle users!


Final point when describing your item remember to include if you live in a pet and smoke free home as most people seem to find this reassuring!

Also dont forget that you can now use eBays mobile app to sell and re-list your items from. This couldnt be easier as you can add the pictures straight off your phone!

Good luck and happy eBaying!!