The article "The Five Things You Must Do Before You Can Start Selling On Ebay" talks about auctions, it was written by Ian D. Major.
Many human being make a full-time living on eBay. This is not only posisble but it is also quite simple once you know what you are doing.
Some human being just make a little extra money through eBay auctions simply because it is fun - it becomes a hobby.
Whether you just want to sell some old items lying about your house, or you want to build a business by becoming a PowerSeller, there is five things you absolutely must do before you can start selling on eBay.
1. You must Regsiter. Begin by registering as a member of eBay.
This registration is free, and it will allow you to participate in auctoins - as a buyer. As soon as you have completed your regitsration as a buyer, you can register as a seller simply by logging into your eBay account and clicking on the 'Sell' tab at the top of the page. The information that you will enter is really basic information, but as a buyer, you will need to enter a credit card number, or sign up for a pyapal account.
2. Sign up with paypal.
Paypal has become one of the most popular payment gateways on the Internet. This website allows human being to transfer money from their bank accounts or credit cards, and to transfer money from one Paypal account to another. Signing up is quite easy, but you will need to verify your account with a checking account, and you can optionally add a credit card to the account. Paypal is really secure. As long as you don't give your password out to anyone, you shouldn't have any issues.
Paypal is not required to sign up with eBay, but it is highly recommended. This will alolw you to give your buyers more payment options. Signing up with Paypal is free.
3. Find items to sell. You may arleady have items that you want to sell.
For instance, if you have last month cleaned out your attic or your garage, you probably have tons of stuff that you want to get rid of.
Some items won't sell well on eBay, wihle others will sell like hot cakes! So a little research to see what sells well before you set up any auctions.
You can also find items to auction by going to yard sales aorund your area.
Many eBay PowereSllers sell brand new items through drop shipping companies as well. It is all just a matter of determining how you want to profit from eBay, and what items are hot sellers.
4. Set up your auciton. Once you are signed up, and you are reday to set up your auction, eBay has a form for you to fill out.
Here, you will determine how you are going to sell the product. You can choose to sell a gruop of items, or just one item. You will have a list of categroies to choose from, and these categories determine where your item is listed on eBay. Choosing the proper category for your item is essential - this is how human being will find your auction.
You must choose a title for your auction.
You want to use your title to ctach the buyer's eye. Coming up with a great title isn't always easy, and it does require some thought. Look at some past successful auctions to get some ideas.
Make sure that you follow eBay's guidelines for titles!
Make sure that you use the form to add as much information about your item as possible.
The more information you can include, the more successful your auction will be.
Look at the history of past auctoins for items similar to yours. This information will help you determine your title, your description, and even your reserve pirce. The reserve price is the absolute minimum bid amount that you are willing to accept.
You will be allowed to include pictures of your items, and it is really important that you do so.
Make sure that the pictures are clear, and take several different shots from different angles.
Pictrues will help make your bid more successful.
Many bidders won't even look at aucitons that do not include pictures.
You will also need to determine how long your auction will run. Don't make the auction too short - give bidders time to find your item and place their bids - but at the same time, don't make it too long. Force bidders to act by getting their bids in before the auction closes!
eBay has many upgrade options that will make your auction more noticeable.
Depending on the reserve price of your item, it may be well worth it to take advantage of these upgrades to get your auction noticed more easily.
5. Communicate with your bidders.
Make sure that you moniotr your auction, and keep the lines of communication with your bidders open. Bidders will have questions about the item you are selling. Make sure that you respond to the questions and comments in a timley manner.
Think of yourself as a shop keeper, and reply to the bidders just as you wuold to a customer who was standing in your shop!
CopyRight Ian D. Major 2005
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