Getting to Grips With eBay

eBay has become the world’s number one jumble sale – if you’re looking for something peculiar there is a safe bet your desire will be sated by eBay, if you’re willing to look hard enough.

For those that don’t know, eBay is an auction site which offers you the chance to pick up second-hand (or sometimes new) item for potentially very low prices. As a seller you’re opening your collection of old tat up to the world’s largest garage sale! With hundreds of millions of users worldwide you’re chances of a sale are much higher than packing the car up and heading out for a cold morning at a car boot sale.

Buying On eBay

So how does it all work? Firstly of course you need to sign up to eBay.co.uk here  and set up your account.

After that you simply need to browse the huge amount on offer on the site. This can be done with a search, if you know what sort of thing you’re looking for, or through the drop-out menu which appears when you click “categories”.

eBay can be a great place to pick up some rare or scarce items. If you’re a vinyl collector simply browsing the music section should get you excited about the prospects of offloading a few albums –or more likely, adding to your collection.It isn’t only a place for picking up rarities – it can be an inspirational hub of retro fashion and self re-invention. If you happen to need a bit of authentic retro clobber you could do a lot worse than sifting through eBay’s great big rummage sale. Browsing through their fashion  section for vintage and new clothes can land you with surprising gems - whether it is a pair of retro sunglass for this summer’s festivals or a a whole new outfit.

Selling On eBay

For some embracing eBay can simply mean giving yourself the chance to finally get rid of some of the clutter about the house. eBay is full of unwanted gifts, items which have been used only once, and antiques – turning unwanted clutter into cash goes a long way when dealing with buyer’s remorse!

So how do you get started selling on eBay? There has been much written on the intricate technical aspects of selling items on eBay, so we will only offer an outline here. To sell on eBay you need the following:  an eBay account, a camera, and something to sell!

With this in mind you’ve got to be sure the item you want to sell will sell at all – while your trash may be someone else’s treasure this doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a sale on any old trash! Original packaging and a lack of “wear and tear” tend to go a long way.

Having a picture is vital for making a sale at all, and taking a good one helps. Make sure your item is well lit in an uncluttered space in your home, having more than one picture is always a good bet as it allows bidders to see whether the item has any cosmetic damage for themselves.

eBay charge an insertion fee based on the item’s starting price or reserve price – and a little extra for any further information you  want to include such as subtitles, pictures and themes. There can be further fees applied, especially if you want to use the popular “buy it now” option. On top of this, if the item sells, there may be a Final Value Fee. While this all sounds expensive most of the charges are negligible on most items.

With this in mind you may want to look at some of our related articles:

Online Auction Websites: http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Shopping/article/online-auction-websites/