We’re increasingly being told that decluttering is the key focus, forward-thinking, and that second hand is the key to saving the environment. So, if your house is bereft of storage solutions and full of junk, or if you have items you’d rather move on than land fill, then you could do much worse than looking to offload than online. With that in mind, and with the help of eBay UK, here are 5 IDEAL tips for selling on eBay
KEYWORDS ARE TRULY KEY
Take the time to get your keywords right and the bidders will come. There are a lot of listings out there, and a lot of buyers, and when those buyers search, eBay.co.uk automatically looks for words in the listing’s title only, so it’s crucial to write your listing in the target customers’ language and focus on the keywords they’re likely to search for – especially brand and specific product names.
PICTURES ARE IMPORTANT
The vast majority of users will not bid on items that they cannot see. With used technology, buyers want to make sure the item they are purchasing is as described (the internet is awash with amusing anecdotes of this) so be transparent and honest about the condition of the item. Be sure to provide images from a variety of angles, as well as close-ups and feature details. For best results, take photos in natural light against a neutral background. Remember, a good picture often holds up a less than perfect listing.
OPT FOR 10-DAY AUCTIONS
When listing an auction, you can choose whether it lasts one, three, five, seven or 10 days. The longer your item is listed, the more chance there is of people seeing it, so unless it’s time-sensitive, pick 10 days. For ‘Buy-It-Now’ listings, you can choose three, five, seven, 10 or 30 days. Though they cost the same, we advise selecting the 30 day option. In short, opt for the maximum days available within a selling category to open the sale up to the greatest number of bids.
CONSIDER POSTAGE COSTS
Consider the impact of postage costs in advance. If you don’t offer free postage, you will need to pack your item, then weigh and measure it so you can calculate postage costs. Use the eBay postage estimator service to check your pricing – you don’t want to be out of pocket by covering excess postage once the product has sold. Be sure to include it in your listing’s price.
TIMING, TIMING, TIMING
Get the timing right. The busiest time for buyers is Sunday evenings, so schedule your listings to end around that time. Avoid times when most people will be busy, such as weekday mornings, or any big events such as sports matches or TV finales.