It seems like Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year come like a whirlwind every year. Well, this year is no different. If you find yourself, like many, trying to recover from the financial strain of travel, cooking and hosting Thanksgiving you may be dreading your Christmas shopping.
Finding a second job isn't always an option but thankfully there are still ways to make money from home, fast and easily. It's usually as simple as owning a camera, taking the pictures and listing your stuff on eBay. But for those who haven't sold on eBay before, it may seem scary or even unlikely that you'll be able to make some extra cash in time for the holidays. If you follow this tutorial you'll learn not only how to sell but how to sell what you already have without having to put any money up front, save on eBay fees and more.
Setting up an eBay account
Before you get ready to sell on eBay, you need to set up an account if you don't have one already. This is quick and simple and won't take a lot of time so simply go to the website and add an account. Choose a user name and verify all of your contact information. Make sure everything is correct as you're going to have to align this information with your PayPal account. If you already have an account, great! You're already one step ahead of the game and probably have already established a buying record with feedback which will give you an edge in selling.
Setting up a PayPal account to sell on eBay
The second thing you want to do is set up a PayPal account. This is imperative as an eBay seller. Most buyers and sellers use this method only and without one you are seriously limiting yourself. Because it could take a few days to verify your account you want to set this up hand in hand with your selling. No need to hold back first though; your items on eBay will be there for 3, 5, 7 or 10 days so you will have time to verify all of your information before you begin accepting payments via PayPal after your items sell.
How to sell on eBay
It's of utmost importance to take in house stock inventory, meaning things that you already own. Look around. Did you buy some items years ago that you maybe don't fit or don't wear? Do you have clothes, toys, shoes with tags still attached? (NWT=New with Tags) Or if not, perhaps you wore them one time (Mint condition) and there is no sign of wear or tear. Maybe you have things that are still new but you snatched the tags off (NWOT = New Without tags). Once you've identified some items that you have around the house, you're in a good place. This will save you from having to buy wholesale and sell retail which takes time, determination and a lot of effort and most importantly money. If you're looking to make money, it doesn't make a lot of sense to have to put any out in advance, right?
What to sell on eBay
Housewares, clothing (especially designer), shoes, toys, CDs, gift cards, ... just about anything will work if it's in great, new or almost new condition. Remember, this is the time of year that people are looking for gift options. Are you able to offer them that with what you have on the table? Identify and figure out . You're going to have to go at it from a consumer perspective. Is what you are selling something that you would buy or be willing to buy? Remember, it's all about presentation and representation that will set you apart from the other sellers on eBay. It's a very competitive business and you need to bear that in mind.
How to get the most bids on eBay
The most important part of selling your products and grabbing your potential buyer's eyes is going to be pictures. If you don't have a great digital camera, no worries. Usually a very good picture phone will do, especially if you have a smart phone.
You don't just want to snap a photo, you want the picture to talk to your buyer. If you're selling clothes, it's best to iron them in advance if they have been sitting in the closet a while. Pictures of wrinkled clothes just don't come off as very appealing. That could be the difference between someone buying your item or going on to the seller next door to purchase the same thing. So make sure that what you're presenting is going to pop to the buyer.
Get some poster board (black and white) to present your pictures on a clean and fresh surface or use a clean kitchen table. Take several shots to make sure that you're showcasing the item to its fullest. If you're putting clothing up for bid, take measurements, i.e., inseam on pants, etc. If you don't know how to measure you can learn how easily online through eBay itself.
How to cut down on eBay and PayPal fees
Using eBay and PayPal is not a free service. Therefore, the more you sell, the more you are going to have to pay out. EBay charges the most for what is called a "final value fee". This is 9% of the sell price, less shipping, and can certainly begin to add up as you get into a niche of selling. Never mind the fees for insertion, adding a "buy it now", and pictures or using their templates. However, there are great ways to circumvent both the eBay as well as the PayPal fees (they charge about 4.5% for every payment received).
Free Online Picture Hosting
When you want to take a lot of pictures to showcase your items, you'll find that eBay picture fees will add up little by little. However, by hosting your own photos and adding them in the body of your template you will incur no fees. One of the most popular free picture hosting sites is Photobucket. Not only will they allow you to host your pics, but you will be able to have the direct HTML links for inserting them into your listing as well as hyperlinks to the page which you can use as your main picture or "gallery" flick which will be featured on the eBay home page whenever potential buyers do a search for your item. Other great online sites to host your flicks are Flickr which can coincide with your Yahoo! account and Picasa which goes hand in hand with your Google account.
Free Online Auction Templates
The last way to really spruce up your listing and give it its own face, while saving a pretty penny is to use what is called an "auction template". These will be vibrantly pictured eBay templates where you can pretty much copy and paste the HTML code into your listing. They have step by step guides like "add here" where you will type information about what you are selling, give your shipping details and also insert the HTML code from your image hosting sites.
You can wind up saving up to $1 per item sold just following these steps. Pictures will be unlimited which means you can insert a bunch without worrying about that, and your items will be showcased in an eye-popping manner. Knowledge of HTML code isn't necessary but it will also be a good idea to do some basic searching online for HTML codes in case you want to change some things, for example, the font.
Good luck and remember, eBay is also a fantastic resource for not just selling and making that much needed extra cash during this holiday season, but also for turning that money over and buying your gifts at a fraction of retail and having them shipped out in time for your gifting.
Qiana Williams - Fashion professional Qiana offers insight on a range of topics, from fashion and shopping to gourmet cooking.
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