Drug Free eBay Top 10 Tips (read on - it'll all make sense...)

With the sun beginning to finally break through the clouds this month it is the perfect time to clear out your wardrobe and generate some cash from things you don’t wear. Back in 2011 I wrote my first blog post about eBay and I have learnt a lot since then about successful selling, so much so that PayPal put a hold on my account in February: they thought I was a drug dealing money launderer because of all the money going in and out of my account. True Fact! Last year I made nearly £2000 for clients selling their unsuitable clothes.

Here are my updated, drug free eBay Top 10 Tips:

1.      What’s New Pussycat? eBay Pulse used to be a great barometer to check what was and wasn’t selling and sadly, as of September 2012 it no longer exists. In its place there is the most awesome Watch Count (click here for their website). Simply select your country and then search for your key words. They even have an option to see items with zero/fewest bids - great if you need a specific item for minimal cash. I use this function to see why things haven’t sold: it may the description, the starting bid price, a badly pose photo.

2.      Knowledge is power. You wouldn’t go and buy a car without checking out the market and seeing what is on offer elsewhere. Say I am listing a Boden Top size 18, I run a search on the item to see if there are any similar items selling with that description. I check out the listing price, the photos, the description and the delivery time of similar items.

3.      Standing out from the crowd. There are 1000’s of items for sale on eBay: you have to make your listing stand out. List the garment attributes in the title - BNWT (Brand New With Tags), 100% Silk, Cashmere mix, BN (Brand New). I use a mix of capital and lower case letters as well.

4.       Descriptions which actually describe. I did an English degree so I secretly love this part but 1 sentence about your item alongside 1 photo? Would you buy that? If you were on a market stall shouting your wares what would you say? This is your chance to really sell your item: fit, cut, quality, washing instructions. Why are you selling it? When did you wear it? It is races season soon so a dress you wore to Ascot, York or Aintree will sell better with that information included in the description – buyers will know what the end use is.

5.      Givers gain - I always include the measurements of the garment. This also saves you time – the more info you give, the less questions buyers ask.

6.       Phototastic – these babies come before your now wordy and bursting at the seams descriptions. Some buyers, if they really want the item, will buy from the photos alone. Think of your photos as a sequence of events: front, back, sleeve detail, front detail, lining, damage (if any), tags (if still attached), close up of the original price on tag, retailer label showing brand and size. Make sure the photos are turned to right way round before uploading.

7.      Be honest – if you say you’ll deliver in 3 days but you know work is going to be pretty hectic and you’d rather spend your lunch hour on Twitter than queuing at the Post Office then don’t make promises you can’t keep. Bad service = bad feedback which affects your seller ratings.  

8.      Packaged to perfection – Buy your packaging from Wilkinson’s – super cheap and great quality.

9.      It’s all about the timing – As with so many things in life, eBay really is all about the timing. Sunday night between 6.30pm and 9pm is the optimum time to list on eBay: more traffic, more bids, more money. Use the scheduling option on the selling form if you are batch listing. It will cost you £0.06 per item and saves a lot of stress.

10.  Money, money, money – Ah yes, eBay has to pay themselves somehow. They take 15% of your final sale price and PayPal charges a 3.4% transaction fee plus 20p per transaction.

Let me know how you get on! Til next time..x