I buy and sell on eBay and I have for a really long time. I make mistakes still, but I have learnt the hard way from most of them. Here are some top tips about buying and selling.
Buying and selling
1. Don't be scared of PayPal.
I quickly learnt how bad Bank Deposits can be (capitals because eBay uses them for this). Sellers would say payment hadn't cleared when it clearly had, buyers didn't like that it would take three days, or longer over a weekend or public holiday, for a Bank Deposit to clear.
As a buyer I have been able to put through a number of claims through PayPal which have held up and I have got my money back. As a seller I often do partial refunds if I can save on postage. There are some fees involved, but you are paying for protection whether you buy, sell or do both.
2. Use online chat if you have problems with eBay.
There are a few ways to get in touch with customer service. One is telephone chats which is great, the other is an online chat. They can and will fix almost every problem you will run into, including if you accidentally put a crazy big like $50 on a tiny badge.
3. Be a buyer
If you want to sell, buy some things from eBay first. Take note of how it is packaged, what you like about the service and hat you don't, and see how you can apply that to your own money making mission. For example, one seller sent me a lovely dress with a free necklace. I really liked this item and often send out little freebies with my business card attached to the front of the wrapped package inside the satchel.
Just buying
1. Look for free postage wherever possible.
You can search for this in the advanced search option. You can also elect to sort items for lowest price+postage. This is almost always a great option.
2. Yes, you should buy from overseas sellers.
The majority of my eBay purchases are from sellers from China or Hong Kong. They often offer very cheap or free postage. Most of this stuff is of the crafty variety and I'm pretty sure they do this to feed their feedback scores.
3. It's okay to leave negative feedback, but only when necessary.
I got burnt last year when I sold some jeans under the wrong title - apparently they weren't wide leg after all (PS- they were) and the narky crazy, leaving negative feedback and a long long long inbox rant. I didn't refund her because a) she didn't ask and b) she paid $3 for a pair of jeans. I had fully intended on doing so until I read her expletive filled rant on my feedback wall, and had the comment and the buyer removed on eBay. The best way to claim a refund is to apply through PayPal or approach the seller through a private message. The only time you should leave it is when you have attempted to resolve the issue and haven't been able to. Feedback does make the community a lot safer, but give the seller a chance to solve your problem first.
4. Set your limit
Know a bit about what you are buying and set a limit to what you want to spend. For example, I'm buying buttons to sell and refuse to spend over $1 to buy them. I know that similar items will eventually come up and playing bidding wars becomes very tiresome.
5. Accept that sometimes what you order won't be quite right.
Last year I ordered a tutu to wear for the Christmas pageant. It would have fit my tiny nephew very well. One size fits all, or 'adult size' does not always mean that. Other things, like a 'rockabilly dress' which is actually just fancy embroidery, doesn't live up to it's name. This is a chance you will take, so buyer beware.
Just selling
1. Set the price at what you think the item is worth.
At the moment I have been selling items from a starting $5-$15 dollars and often making more than the starting bid. I used to start everything at 99 cents, but often people see the 99 cents price and assume that the seller thinks that's what it is worth.... even if that is grossly untrue. The majority of what I list sells and I rarely have unsold items at the end of the cycle.
2. List up to 40 items for free!
It used to be 3, then 5, then 10... and now it's 40! You can list 40 items for free each month, but eBay will take a fee from the transaction (about 9%). If it doesn't sell, the items are automatically relisted three more times. If you have a lot to sell, it can be a good idea to list a lot at the end of the month, and then the rest at the beginning of the next month... you will have 80 items listed!
3. Postage options
I now only use eBay Click and Send parcels. The satchels cost $3 for a pack of 20 or so (just search eBay for these) and you can post up to 500grams for $7.50. This is a small saving when compared to using padded bags etc or pre-paidd satchels.
The reason I started using these is because it is much easier to print out the label, the general saving, the easy to track parcel postage that is automatically activated when you lodge it at a post office and because I got caught out too many times trying to send items cheaply.
Avoid using free postage where possible as this will cost you heaps of money. People will only bid if they think your postage fee is fair. I charge $7.50, but I don't charge my buyers for extra wrapping, petrol to post office, bubble wrap... etc. Other people do, but as I hate paying postage myself I would much rather offset this a little in my prices.
4. Take some chances!
I mostly sell clothes on eBay, seeing as fashion is my passion, buy I have also sold electronic stuff (eg camera, Sony memory card, iPhone 3...), DVDs we no longer watch, excess wedding stuff like a veil I never wore and decorations, extra crafty things, fabric... oh, the list goes on! Everything I have sold that is a little bit out there has gone like hot cakes.
Some things that don't tend to go include books and textbooks. We have a lot of these things are are looking into better alternatives for passing them on.
Happy eBaying!
You can find me on eBay under my handle: popfunk
xx Lisa
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