A living wage is hard to come by in the 21st century. Unlike Amy March, marrying rich just isn’t a practical economic plan for most of us. A more pragmatic solution? Creating a secondary — or primary — source of income by learning how to sell on eBay.

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As more millennials side-step inflation by polyworking, maintaining a side hustle along with your full-time job isn’t just a pipe dream. But you don’t have to go in as unprepared as Batman in his first fight against Bane. We’ve scoured the World Wide Web to compile the best tips for fledgling sellers spreading their wings on eBay.

In this article, we’re covering:

• Steps To Start Selling on eBay
  • Decide What To Sell
  • Set Up an eBay Seller Account
  • Create a Listing
  • Complete Post-Sale Tasks
  • Optimize Your Listing
• Best Practices
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

Steps To Start Selling on eBay

1. Decide What To Sell

Cars, watches, antique dolls or even a McDonald’s chicken nugget resembling a character from “Among Us” sell on eBay. Alternatively, a broken printer or dried-up nail polish might not cut muster. Use these guidelines to hit the sweet spot.

Start Small: Decluttering your house or apartment to discover hidden treasures others might find valuable. You’re not likely to incur a massive loss selling things you’d normally get rid of at a garage sale. Plus, you won’t spend money sourcing products and holding onto inventory.

Understand What’s Sellable: Like any online sales conglomerate, eBay lists restricted and prohibited items. It may sound obvious, but not everything goes. Selling prohibited items like pets, human parts or banned substances can lead to account suspension or even removal in some cases.

Use Your Expertise: eBay shot into the spotlight as a place for collectors and hobbyists to flaunt their stuff. Maybe you’re passionate about manga or excel at forgery detection. Use your niche knowledge and expertise to spot bargains and make a buck off ‘em on eBay.

Calculate Product Margins: Not every product is a cash cow. Apart from your expenses, eBay usually charges two types of fees, plus promotion and subscription fees. First up, you’ll need to account for insertion or listing fees. eBay charges fees based on the item category, not the price. If you list your product in two categories, you’ll need to pay insertion fees for both, so keep that in mind.

You’ll also need to add up final value fees for every sale you make. It’s usually a percentage of the sale value. Optionally, you may need to pay for listing upgrades or subscription fees. Calculate the total seller’s fee to determine if it’s worth listing the product.

Look at Top-Selling Products: On the fence about what to sell? Take inspiration from the top-selling products on eBay. Although it may not be your final destination, you can bank on their popularity ratings amongst eBay customers.

The best-performing categories on eBay are automotive, clothing, shoes and accessories, home and garden, collectibles, business and industrial, jewelry and watches, health and beauty and computer/tablets.

2. Set Up an eBay Seller Account

Now that you understand what you’ll be listing, continue your journey into eBay entrepreneurship by creating an account:

Step 1: Visit eBay and click the register button in the top left.

Step 2: Put in your name and email address.

Step 3: Choose a password. It must contain at least one number and one symbol.

Step 4: Confirm your account following the instructions sent by email.

Step 5: If you have an existing business, create a business account by clicking Start a Business Account and filling in your details.

Step 6: Set up your payment information by linking your checking account, credit card or Paypal.

Step 7: Complete your profile by adding a picture and some additional information about yourself.

Step 8: Click on My Account and select Personal Information to edit your user ID to something relevant to what you are selling.

Edit your user ID. Source

DSA Verification

If you’re looking to explore the international market — i.e., if you’re a seller in Europe or have buyers in the European Union Single Market — you need DSA verification. Alas, EU regulations are stringent. You’ll need to be verified under the Digital Services Act or risk payout blocks.

eBay will need to verify the following details:

• Phone number and email
• Personal and business information
• Bank account information

However, you won’t have to furnish these additional details unless you specifically navigate to an eBay European Union site — for example, ebay.fr — and sign in and list an item on that site.

If the EU market is too good to pass up, be forewarned. Buyers in the EU will be able to see your phone number and email address.

3. Create a Listing

With a seller account under your belt, you can crack on with a listing. Think of your listing like an online dating profile: you need to put your best foot forward to increase your chances of success.

Step 1: Select one of three ways to create a listing.

The first way to create a listing is by using the quick link.

1. Click on this quick link.
2. Select List an item.

The second way is via Seller Hub:

1. Go to the Seller Hub Listings tab.
2. Click Create listing. A drop-down menu will appear.
3. Select Single Listing.

Select the Create listing button. Source

The third way uses eBay export:

1. Go to any export.ebay.com page.
2. Select Create Your Listing.

Click Create Your Listing at the top right of the page. Source

Step 2: Next, you’ll need to tell eBay what you’re selling.

1. Identify your product by typing in the product description, UPC or ISBN code in the bar under Tell Us What You’re Selling.

2. View suggestions from similar items sold to find the same item or items close to your product and click Select.
3. Review and edit the auto-populated information to customize the listing to your specific product.

For a niche product or regular sales, follow the steps below to complete the advanced listing form:

1. Type keywords for your product into the search bar below Tell Us What You’re Selling and select Get Started.
2. To identify the right keywords, click Browse Categories and select the category and subcategories that match your product.

Note: If none of the items work, select Continue without match at the bottom of the page.

Step 3: Once you’ve made your selections, complete the generated form. It’s important to pay special attention to the following steps:

• Provide titles and select the category: eBay suggests you avoid all caps and are as specific as possible with your 80-character limit. Select the category most relevant to your product and add a custom label (SKU).
• Add your Description: Imagine you don’t have the luxury of pictures to describe your product. Add item-specific details like brand, color, packaging, product condition and product line. Keep your tone friendly and concise, and optimize text content for smartphones.

• Upload Photos and Videos: Take high-res photos in good lighting from multiple angles to accurately represent your product’s condition. Drag and drop or upload media from your mobile or cloud storage.
• Choose Selling Format: Choose between Buy it Now, to close sales quicker, or Auction. Set a listing duration. Auction listings can last one, three, five, seven or ten days. Buy it Now listings will be re-listed monthly until the item sells or you cancel the listing.

• Price: Check out recommended prices based on similar items and set a competitive price. Add Best Offer if you are open to negotiating.
• Shipping: Select shipping policies for your listing. More flexible policies like free returns and two-day shipping are more attractive to buyers. You can also select Local Pickup if you’re shipping locally.

Select shipping details. Source

Step 4: Before your listing goes live, you’ll need to double-check that all your i’s are dotted and your t’s are crossed.

If you see a blue “i” icon over any section, you’ll need to add more details. Scroll down to Preview at the bottom of the page to see what your live listing will look like and if you need anything else to make it pop.

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5. Complete Post-Sale Tasks

Unlike your standard hallmark rom-com, there are plenty of details to tie up after the “happy ending” of a sale.

Verify Payment: Don’t jump the gun once you make a sale. Shipping your product before you verify payment is a rookie error (and an easy way to get scammed). Wait until eBay confirms payment. If you’re a new seller, eBay may put your proceeds on hold for 48 hours until they verify the buyer has received the product.

Pack and Ship the Item: Once you’ve seen the kerching in your bank account, you need to pack your items securely. The first priority is to keep your product from damage en route. The second priority is to make a good impression.

Make sure you mark the item as “shipped” on your dashboard once you’ve sent it.

Leave Buyer Feedback: Indulge in a little quid pro quo. Thank the buyer for prompt payment and encourage them to leave seller feedback.

5. Optimize Your Listing

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! Your listing is live. However, you may not get your listing perfect the first time. It can take practice and a little tweaking to be the Michael Jordan of listings, but it’s nothing you can’t fix.

Work on Your Seller Reputation

Standing out in a community of millions is no cakewalk. Building credibility is one way to make an impression. Join niche community groups and interact with hobbyists and enthusiasts to create inroads.

Boost your feedback rating by selling inexpensive items, leaving positive reviews for buyers and encouraging them to do the same. Complete transactions as soon as eBay notifies you an item has sold and ships products once you’ve got the green light on payment.

Promote Your Listing

A little advertising goes a long way. Like Google Ads, when a buyer searches for your item, your listing gets bumped up to the top of the queue under a Sponsored tag. If your listing meets the brief, a nudge from eBay promotions might be the missing secret sauce.

There are three tiers of promoted listings: express, standard and advanced. Depending on your listing and budget, visit the Seller Center to choose the right tier.

Use International Shipping

eBay’s Global Shipping Program is a game changer. Ship internationally and expand your market for no additional cost or semantics. Just visit the My Account section, click Site Preferences > Shipping preferences and select Edit to opt-in.

Sign Up for a Store

You may have to shell out additional cash, but signing up for an eBay store has its perks. While you can start selling on eBay for free, in the long run, upgrading may be wise.

An eBay store will give you access to sales insights and support, insertion fee credits when your auction ends in a sale, a custom store name and design and promotional pricing tools.

Offer Discounts and Coupons

A good deal builds goodwill. The easiest way to take a few bucks off is to offer free shipping for a first-time purchase. Additionally, as a store subscriber, you can create personalized promotions.

To create a discount or coupon, go to the marketing tab and select Promotions. Click on Create a Promotion and then Coupon. Specific discounts and items. Schedule the time frame or click Start Immediately, then select Launch Coupon.

Optimize for SEO

You don’t need to be an SEO expert to sell on eBay, but it sure helps! Did you know eBay has its own search engine, Cassini? It helps customers find the most relevant products. Optimize your listing by using the correct keywords, uploading high-quality images, including accessible descriptions and filling in eBay’s unique identifiers, like the manufacturer part number (MPN).

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Best Practices

Trying to become a top seller on eBay can feel like going viral on social media. There are millions of sellers, so how do you stand out? We’ve compiled tried and tested tips from sellers to give you a leg up.

Compare Prices

The price you set can make or break your listing. Understand your target audience and what they’re willing to pay using completed listings for similar items. Check sold and unsold listings to see if you need to tweak your prices.

Turn On Allow Offers

Sometimes, the starting auction point or Buy It Now price is too high. If an item has remained unsold, you should be open to counteroffers. Turning on Allow Offers lets customers know you’re flexible on your price. Save time by filling in your Minimum Offer to auto-reject lower offers.

Offer 30-day Returns

Buyers, understandably, are weary of a scam. Setting a generous 30-day return policy allows customers to buy without worrying they’ll come home to a faulty product. It also means you’ll be eligible for eBay’s Top Seller Program with discounts and visibility.

Communicate With Customers

Online purchases can be anxiety-inducing. Before you make a sale, be honest about defects, scratches and damage. Answer any customer questions, and keep them in the loop on shipping.

Take High-res Photos

We’ve all seen the listings with a single fuzzy picture that looks like it got downloaded on a second-generation computer. They rarely sell. Multiple high-resolution images with a clean background from different angles are more on the money. Try to show customers scale, real-life angles and flaws.

Learn About Suppliers

As a fledgling eBay seller, it’s not likely you’ll be a supplier’s biggest client. Getting inventory on short demand during peak seasons and off-season can be tricky. Understanding your supplier will help you order in advance and streamline your supply chain.

Track Sales

You may be racking in the bids, and your sales might be sky-high, but profits are tough to sustain if tricky fees keep eating into your margins. Monitor your profits and expenses to determine where to cut costs or if you need to offset expenses.

Sell Using the App

Say you’re thrifting and find an item that catches your eye. Redeem the time by selling on the go with eBay’s app. To create a listing via the app, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Download the app.
Step 2: Describe or scan the item you want to sell to show like listings.

Step 3: Select a similar listing and click Sell One Like This.
Step 4: Double-check the duplicate listing so your information is accurate.
Step 5: Change the title and description and add keywords.
Step 6: Replace images.
Step 7: Choose the selling format, weight dimensions and shipping information.

You’re ready to go!

Share Posts on Community Forums

Deciding to buy a product from a stranger on the internet is a bit of a gamble. A smidgeon of goodwill makes the sale go down sweeter. Participate in community forums relevant to your products. Share your listings on on Reddit, Facebook Groups or X (formerly Twitter) circles (if it doesn’t violate community rules) where you’re an active member.

Use Product Identifiers

Just like adding details significantly changes the results you receive when googling (or engineering AI prompts, for that matter), including product identifiers makes it easier for customers to find your listing. Add details like the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), Universal Purchase Code (UPC), International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Manufacturer Part Number (MPN).

Create Effective Listing Titles

Optimize your listing titles by adding clear item specifics, avoiding acronyms and using relevant keywords. eBay’s examples of effective titles include:

• Dell Chromebook CB1C13 11.6in Intel Celeron N2840, 2.16GHz 2GB 16GB SSD
• Lululemon Cashmere Sweater Medium Blue Mens V Neck New Long sleeve
• Dr Doctor Who 12” Deluxe Striped Scarf Fourth 4th Costume Tom Baker BBC Licensed

Optimize for Mobile

49% of 30 to 49-year-olds make purchases on their mobile phone weekly. Make your listings easy on the eye and mobile-friendly with clear descriptions, bullet points and larger font sizes.

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FAQs

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Conclusion

Figuring out how to sell on eBay can make you feel like you did the first time you heard the joke, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, spell it.” But, with a little guidance and a few tricks of the trade, you’ll be acing “it” in no time at all.

Did you find this article helpful? Let us know if you want us to answer queries on all things eBay in a comment below!