How to: Sell on eBay

My husband and I have always lived pretty simply. Partly because we have never had much money, and partly because we just like a minimal lifestyle. We try not to gather too much clutter in our house and often are going through closets and drawers finding things that we don't need or don't use to give away.

Until recently, I always just donated things we didn't want to a thrift store. Then, when we were getting ready to move back to Utah we participated in a family garage sale with some friends. We didn't make a lot of money, but it was definitely more fun to make some money on our old things than no money at all. After the garage sale we still had lots of things we wanted to get rid of, but now with a taste of profit we decided we would try selling on eBay before just giving them away.

I won't pretend we have made a fortune doing this, but we have made money, and since it was on items that we had used up and would have given away anyway, it has been that much more rewarding. If you want to start selling on eBay, here are some thoughts to help you get started:

1. People will buy anything. You never know what someone might want, so don't throw something out just because you wouldn't buy it online. Since listing is free on eBay (although they do take a small percentage of the sell price) there is no harm in trying. The only exceptions to this would be if its an item you can't or don't want to ship, or an item that is very worn or damaged.
2. Charge for shipping.  When I first started selling things (mostly clothes) I had the idea that people would be more willing to buy it if I didn't charge shipping. But then shipping costs always ended up being more than I expected and I didn't come out making much of a profit. Once I started charging for shipping I found that people still bought my items. If someone wants the item enough, they won't mind paying a little to ship it.
3. Use descriptive titles. I have found that the more details I can put into the item title the more quickly it sells. So instead of listing your item as "black dress pants" say something like "Express Design Studio Black Dress Pants Women's Size 6 Long". It may seem excessive, but the more information a buyer can see right away, the more likely they are to click on your ad and buy your item.
4. Take adequate photos. I say adequate because it doesn't seem to matter that much. eBay is not Etsy (which seems to always have beautiful photos) and buyers seem less concerned with the quality of photos than the information the photos provide. If you are selling a book, for example, buyers will want to see the dust jacket, the front and back covers, the spine, the title page, the publishing date, relevant illustrations, and any wear and tear the book may have. The buyer will not care whether or not the book is displayed on a velvet cushion as long as there are enough photos to show them its overall condition.
5. Price right. eBay has auction and flat rate selling options. I almost always use auction because I like the possibility of getting multiple bids and making more money. However, the system will make suggestions to help you list your item and it often prompts you to start at a very low price if you use auction style. Then if you only get one bid you just sold that expensive sweater for one dollar. Despite what the system recommends, don't start your price any lower than you feel the item is worth to you (even if you are sure you are going to get multiple bids) that way you have no regrets when the item sells.
6. Be smart. eBay is a pretty safe marketplace, but there are still scammers. Use a paypal account to safely accept payment and report any strange emails, such as ones asking you to sell outside of the eBay interface, or asking you to ship to suspicious countries for extra payment. If you aren't sure about something contact customer service.

Selling on eBay is great way to make a little extra money, especially on items that you would have willingly given away! Give it a try and you might be surprised. 

P.S. I was not compensated in any way for this post, the opinions and experiences are completely my own!