The money series: How to make big bucks by selling on Ebay

With Ebay being the biggest international market place to sell items, it is worth the time to learn a bit more on the process of selling and how to improve your listings to increase the sales in your Ebay store, even if you are new and curious to start selling. It all makes ‘cents’.

Approximately $181 million in sales are being made on Ebay each day, therefore the volume is high enough to start your Ebay journey today and I am glad to help you guide through the basics of selling smart on Ebay.

 

Determine what to sell

When starting on ebay you have to decide on what you would like to sell. As Ebay is a global market place you can practically sell anything, however shipping fee does need to be taken into account as it heavier items are more expensive to ship.

For beginners I would recommend to start by going through your closet or other items around the house, and see if there is something you would like to sell. I started my selling career on E-bay on a rainy Sunday after I decided to clean my closet. This is when my passion for selling became reality and I wanted to sell more, but I wanted to do it smart.

Determine to who you want to sell

Selling globally can be real fun but not always profitable. Shipping fees can run really high when having to ship to the other side of the world, the same goes for returns and package safety. Therefore it is recommended to decide your audience.

Age groups are also important when selling. Even though younger people are fond of Fashion, it is most likely that they will buy their items from the store. Bigger sizes do really well on Ebay as they are harder to find in regular stores, so if you are running out of products in your own closet you can purchase them elsewhere like thrift stores. To learn more about reselling second hand items, I recommend you to read how to flip and sell items online.

Build a following:

Building a following on Ebay is one of the smartest things to do, especially when you have multiple listings and list new items every day. The followers will be notified when you are listing new products which means your items will get more views and there is a higher chance in sales.

A large following can be retrieved in many ways with customer service being the priority. When you provide great service and qualitative items, customers are most likely to follow you and consider future purchases.

 

Draw attention:

Drawing attention to your item can be achieved in many ways. It is recommended to have a catchy item title with as many important features of the item as it will match the keywords when searching for a similar item in the search bar. Another attention point is the item picture, if the item looks well photographed and appealing, it is most likely to be clicked on.

When the pictures are right the sales will increase by 30%, which could be the decisive factor in someone’s purchase and another sale for you.  The first tip is to iron every item that has wrinkles. When an item has wrinkles the quality of the garment looks worse than it really is, while when you iron an item it can look as good as new. Just ask yourself how you would like to see an item being displayed before you buy it and apply it.

Read more on how to improve your sales through your pictures

Another attention grabber is service. When customers notice that you have great service they are most likely to purchase an item and return for future purchases as it draws positive attention. When accepting returns you instantly create a customer service base as it creates trust towards the customers.

What are others selling and how to price:

Looking at other seller’s sales is smart! When planning to flip items it is important to pay attention to other sellers and which brands are selling well for them. When purchasing items you are looking for inventory applicable to the current E-bay market. In the end you don’t want to get stuck with clothing you aren’t able to sell.

Brands do really well on Ebay as it is the first thing people type in Ebay. When purchasing items, check for brands that do well and which sizes are popular. Personally I feel like bigger sizes are selling harder than smaller sizes, however this depends on the brand and age category.

I  recommend pricing your items at a fixed price instead of bidding as your follow base might be too low, you only end up selling prices for really little money. In the advance search bar there is the option to view sold items. In this section all sold items will be shown including their selling price and the amount of time they were listed. You can retrieve a lot of information from this search query as you are able to decide your prices. When calculating your selling price do not forget to do research about the shipping fee. Shipping calculations are very important when listing your items, you will have to do it accurately as it will cost you money if you miscalculate.

 

 

 

Product details

Product details will inform the customer about the size and overall condition of a product. Clothing sizes can differ a lot between countries therefore mentioning the details in a broad way will inform the customer more than just naming the size from the tag and it will decrease returns.

I highly recommend to always mention the measurements of an item and the condition. When the item has flaws this also should be mentioned so the customer won’t be surprised when receiving the item. After all bad feedback could hurt the future business of your Ebay store.

 

Listing:

The listing pattern of an Ebay store depends on how many listings you would like to have in your store. When being a beginner it is normal to list all the items you would like to sell. As an advanced seller it is recommended to list 5-10 items a day when having a lot of items. When following this listing pattern followers will visit your store more often and know you have new stock each day.

Listing items is the hardest part of the selling process as the products needs to be attractive to buy and need to applied to the current season in order to be found. My personal tip is to pay attention to the season, and the trends like holidays or festivals. Winters are perfect for festive looks and summers are perfect for loose fabrics and short sleeves.  In the last trimester of a season it is recommended to add more items for the next season, imagine selling sweaters in the summer!

 

Are you a professional Ebay seller, or are you a newby? Leave your tips and experiences in the comment section below so we can all learn from each other’s experiences. You are also very welcome to say hi!