Last week I gave my beauty storage an overhaul and this week I’ll be working through my collections of accessories, jewellery and shoes. In the summer I opted for the ‘would I buy it now’ principle and cleared my closet of a huge amount of clothes packaging most of them off to the charity shop. I must admit putting them on eBay never really crossed my mind as I have found selling on the auction site hugely time consuming in the past.
However at the weekend I put a request on my own personal Facebook page for eBay selling tips. The feedback was so insightful (thanks so much folks), I thought I would change the content originally planned for Week 2 of the declutter challenge and share their handy hints. I’m a complete eBay novice so some of these hints may not be new to you so please do chime in with your own tips and tricks for selling.
Descriptions
Over and over again, my Facebook friends mentioned how important the descriptions were in getting the best from your listing. Be sure to include as many details as possible, making sure to mention brand and size within both your title and description. My very stylish friend Nicci even adds a few of her own tips to prospective buyers on how dress up the item.
Remember to be transparent about any imperfections or snags as no one likes surprises.
Bulk Listings
If you have a large amount of pieces to sell then consider using eBay’s Turbo Lister to upload hundreds of items in one fell swoop.
Images
A good selection of images are key to a successful listing. Jackie has the genius tip of photographing her items on wooden hangers using a blank background to ensure her listings are as professional as possible. Lolly suggests capturing the size and shop labels as well as close-ups of buttons and detailing to give the buyer a really clear view on what they’re buying. Finally, Michelle avoids using the eBay photo editing tool as she believes it degrades the quality of the image.
Pricing
Jackie also suggests searching both the eBay listings and the finished auction results to discover prices for similar items, then set your own pricing accordingly choosing the reserve option or ‘buy it now’ if you wish.
Packaging
eBay is an ideal place to buy postage bags and envelopes as you can get your hands on 50 various sized bags for around £3. My friend Michelle saves even more money by keeping the plastic packaging from her online shopping orders and reuses to wrap her eBay parcels.
Postage
Don’t be caught out by expensive postage charges after you’ve sold an item. Amy recommends using the Royal Mail postage estimator to calculate how much your package will cost to despatch. You can then ensure these costs are absorbed into your p+p fee.
Auction Time
Fiona always finds Sunday night is the best time to end an auction to ensure prospective buyers get the whole weekend to peruse your wares.
Protection
Matt warns not to send out the item before you’ve received payment and Lolly advocates sending items through Royal Mail’s ‘signed for’ service. This way you protect yourself from unscrupulous buyers who may suggest they haven’t received an item. If you don’t accept returns be sure to make this clear in your item description.
I hope you’re own decluttering mission is going well. Please do drop us a comment with your own tips for selling through online auctions.
I need to do a massive wardrobe declutter in the next few months to allow space for my boyfriend to move his stuff in (I’m currently occupying 2 wardrobes, one chest drawers and one storage closet). I’ll definitely be bookmarking and using these tips to skip some of the stuff that is (apparently) surplus to requirements! xx
Big congrats on moving in with the boy Emma! x
Thank you 🙂 xx
Ah so timely! I did my first Ebay clear out shoot on Sunday, photo geek over here got a bit too into it – the photos of the items made me want to keep them all! So my top tip would be to shoot on a light or white background and light the object if you can/ know how. It’s amazing how much better stuff looks…
So typical Karina, it’s just like when you go to sell a house; it’s painted and buffed within every inch of its life and looks so pretty you wonder why you’re bothering to sell! Hope you manage to list some of the items x
I’d just add always shoot items in daylight, and I usually start my listings at 1p – it entices people to bid and also means you get lower insertion fees.
Thanks Jennycake. Do you ever find your items go for a very low price if you start them off at a penny?
I was wondering this too!
Not really, a lot of the time I’m selling old clothes that would otherwise go to the charity shop so I think any profit is better than nothing! But I have done this with more expensive stuff and I usually get what I want for things.
Always always always use a signed for and TRACKED postage service (royal mail, myhermes or click and collect). This is the only way you can avoid unscrupulous buyers claiming your items haven’t turned up and you having to refund them.
Very good point Claire. Lolly did mention this but I didn’t make it very clear. Some buyers do get up to shenanigans don’t they?
I’m planning on selling my Nikon camera and a few more designer-ish items on eBay in the next week or so, thanks for the tips Lauren!
I hope you have some fancy hangers Charlotte! x
As well as ebay I use a dress agency to sell clothes. The one I use takes clothing 2 years old and under and sells it in their shop for a commission. You can also pick up some bargains!
Claire, this reminds me my Mum used to sell through a dress agency. I must look if there’s one locally to me. Thanks for the tip x
I wouldn’t use Royal Mail with eBay, too much risk of it apparently not arriving. Hermes is the way to go!
Good point. I’ve never had any trouble with Royal Mail but other couriers are available!
the Royal Mail tracked services are pretty pricey in comparison with the other courier options is the thing, some buyers are put off by the high prices.
Hermes and click and collect are both great, I think Hermes collects from your door and click and collect you have to take it to a drop off point (usually a newsagent etc) but both are traceable services for a fraction of the RM price.
Always always switch on ‘buyer restrictions’ which means buyers who’ve failed to pay for previous items can’t bid on yours.
I’ve been ebaying loads of stuff (I’ve made £90 in the past week!) and I think one useful thing is to let go of your idea of how much an item is worth. I was gutted when a £50 sold for £7.99 because I was ‘losing out’. I wasn’t though, as I never wore it and I wasn’t somehow winning by having it hanging in my closet.
Lastly, ebay has taught me never ever to remove tags from clothes until you wear them. As, if you don’t, the fact they’re brand new with tags bumps up the ebay value.
A £50 dress, even!