Your inventory is all fresh and clean and you’re ready to go! Now it’s time to list. Go to www.eBay.com. If you don’t already have an account, you’ll need to create one. Then click “Sell” towards the upper right corner. Click on “List An Item.” eBay will ask you to describe your item and it will try to find the same item so you can can utilize the “Sell Similar” feature. It will walk you through many details of the item, and if it finds an item similar, a lot of the information will already be filled in. You can change anything you like.
The first thing you need to add is a clear and concise title. You have 80 total characters available. Start with the most important information first and then add details after. For example, if I were listing a sweater, I would title it something like:
Talbots Sweater L Women’s Knit Pullover Aqua Blue Long Sleeve Ribbed Neck
I always put the brand and size first, and then fill in with details like colors, fabric texture, sleeve length, etc. eBay puts more weight on the first 50 characters, so it’s important to put the most important info (brand, size) at the beginning. After that, fill in with the rest of the details. Try to use as many of the 80 characters as you can. If you have a hard time coming up with keywords, do a quick search on eBay for your item and it will pull up details that other people have used. For example, I searched “sweater women’s blue” in the eBay search bar, and some of the examples it came up with were “cashmere, cotton, cardigan, turtleneck.”
The first section is “Required Details.” You won’t be able to submit your item until you fill in everything in this section. If you’re using the “sell similar” feature, check each detail carefully and change to tailor it to your specific item.
The second section is “Recommended.” Fill in as much detail as possible. Be sure to click the “More Recommended” button.
The third section is “Additional.” After filling these in, click on the “More Details” button.
Next is Photos and Videos. Even though eBay will include details from the “Sell Similar” item, they won’t include the description or any photos, so you’ll need to be prepared to supply your own. eBay allows one video and 24 photos. Add as many photos as possible, showing your item from all angles and highlighting any flaws (I like to circle flaws to make them really obvious). It also allows you to add one video, but to date I haven’t tried this yet. When I do, I will post and let you know if it sells any faster.
I’ve heard that some sellers no longer fill in the “Description” box. The Description no longer shows up on the first page of the item, so buyers have to take the extra step to click on it to see it. However, there’s a handy “Use AI description” button. I click that and let it fill in some text, then I edit it to sound a little more natural. If the item I’m selling has any flaws, this is where I spell that out. I put it on the first line in all caps; for example:
PLEASE NOTE: THIS HAS A FAINT STAIN ON THE LOWER LEFT FRONT (see circled in photo)
Next is pricing. You’ll need to decide what you want to price it for, if you’d like eBay to automatically reduce the price on your behalf, and if you’ll accept offers. This takes a little research. I search for my item on eBay to see what similar items in the same condition are going for. If you choose to let eBay automatically lower the price, it will lower it every 3 days by the amount and minimum price that you authorize. You can also choose whether you’d like a “Buy it Now” price or if you prefer an auction. If you choose to use the auction feature, eBay will let you set the duration and minimum price. I personally just use the “Buy it Now” feature, but will add an update if I try out the auction. I do normally use the Auto Reduction and Allow Offers features. If someone offers you a lower price, you always have the option to accept or decline.
After that comes shipping. You can decide whether you or the buyer pays for shipping. I’m personally very torn on this. If you offer free shipping, you need to be sure to price your item high enough to cover that expense. I normally make the buyer pay. When I shop online, I don’t mind paying for shipping but I do have friends who won’t consider buying anything if they have to pay for shipping, so lately I’ve been experimenting with offering free shipping on some of my more expensive items. However, if I do this, then I don’t allow the auto‑reduction or allowing offers. This is just a personal choice and I’m still trying to figure out the best formula. You have to be vigilant to make sure you’re still turning a profit. eBay also gives you the option of USPS, UPS, or Fed Ex. I’ve only ever used calculated USPS shipping through eBay and have had very good luck with it. Some sellers choose to ship on their own, and I have heard really good things about Pirate Ship being much cheaper and very reliable. I’m nervous about going out on my own with shipping, but will let you know if I ever try it. Be sure to weigh your item and measure the package. I bought a very cheap postal scale at Walmart (I believe it was about $10) and it is worth its weight in gold. Since I mostly sell clothes and books, I ship most clothing items in a poly mailer and most books in B‑Flute. Occasionally I sell a pair of shoes or something else that really needs a box. Measure the dimensions of the package and weigh it, and eBay will estimate the shipping. Try to be as accurate as possible, because once you make the sale, eBay automatically charges the buyer this estimated charge. If your measurements are off, you’ll end up eating the cost of the overage. If you would like to play around with the prices of different sizes of boxes or envelopes, eBay has a really nice shipping calculator at https://www.ebay.com/shp/calc/rates.
eBay allows you to choose your handling time: Same day, or between one and three shipping days. I try to ship everything the same day, but I choose two-day just on the off chance that I’d be sick or out-of-pocket or whatever. It’s never a bad thing to overdeliver on your shipping time, but if you’re late, I think you’d be in trouble with both the buyer and eBay. And we never want that! To set your handling times, click on the arrow to the right of the “Delivery details” information.
The next decision you’ll need to make is if you’re going to accept returns. This is completely up to you, and I’ve heard arguments from both sides. At this time, I’m accepting returns and have had ok luck with it. I think I’ve had three returns out of approximately 85 items sold, so to this point it hasn’t been a big deal. And the people were nice to deal with.
That brings us to International Shipping. I think everyone is automatically signed up for international shipping – your only choice is whether you have eBay ship it or if you want to ship it yourself. For me personally, this is a no-brainer because I have no interest and no intention of ever shipping anything internationally myself. I choose the “eBay International Shipping only” option because if you do get an international order, you just ship it to eBay’s International Shipping Hub, and they take care of the rest. I haven’t actually sold anything internationally yet, but will post if that ever happens. Here’s more information on eBay’s International Shipping: https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/shipping/ebay-international-shipping?rmvHdr=true. If you have no interest in selling anything internationally, there is a way to opt out (see link above).
You then have the option of promoting your listing. I’m very embarrassed to say that I’ve never done this because I don’t really understand it. But it is my goal to figure it out soon and then I’ll post an update.
When you’ve filled out all of these details and you’re happy with your listing, click “Preview,” and you can see what your listing will look like live. You should always do this because I’m always seeing something I forgot to change in the details that is completely wrong. Take a look and make any adjustments, then you’re ready to go! If you want it listed right away, click “List It.” If you’re not quite ready yet, click “Save For Later,” and it will be saved in your drafts.
How often should you list? The key to success on eBay is consistency. Try your hardest to list every single day. If you want to take the weekend off (or any days), a good idea is to go ahead and enter several items and “Save For Later.” This will keep the listings in your drafts and you can release them whenever you’re ready. I’ve heard that you should list as many things as your selling goal. For example, I’d like to sell three items per day, so I make sure and list three items every day. That’s it! After you list a couple of items, it gets easier and faster. I’ve heard my YouTube heroes say that they can list an item in a few minutes. I’m not even close to that yet, but I do think with practice I’m getting faster. Good luck and go list, list, list!