softgrey said:
I know a lot of our members buy and sell stuff on ebay...
i am attempting to set up an account and sell some stuff from former shoots and from my wardrobe closet...
do you guys have any tips for someone just starting out?...
what kind of account to set up?
what kind of features to select?
is it a good idea to set a limit?
how does this work?
how safe and secure is my account?
how much to charge for shipping?..
etcetc...
*i am planning to sell some smaller items first to establish myself as a reputable seller before putting up the really 'designer' pieces...
does this sound like a good plan?...
any advice appreciated...
i am so clueless, since i've never even bought anything on ebay...
basically..how do i get started?...
help!!...
Well, first you just need a seller's account to start selling stuff. It's free, all you need is a valid credit card and email address. Listing items is what's gonna cost ya. There's a fee to insert the item and they take a percentage of the final price also. Paypal will also have fees (4% of total payment) when you accept payment from credit cards. If you plan on selling a huge load of items, then you might try opening an online store on there.
It may be a good idea to set a reserve price (limit), which is the minimum amount that you're willing to take for item, if you're using low starting prices and you know that there might not be alot of demand for that item (saves you from the single bid at starting price situation). Bear in mind that less people will be willing to bid on an item with a reserve if it's too high. You might also put a high starting price instead of a reserve price, but the listing fees are also higher. If it's an item you know for sure there's gonna be huge bidding wars on it, then you might wanna start the auction at $0.99 or something (because of lower insertion fees and increased demand due to low price).
7-day listings are optimal for good exposure time without people getting pissed off for a long wait (if it's something in very high demand, then a 3 or 5 day listing will be sufficient). Offering a buy-it-now price is also a good option to have (it's just a price where the bidders can pay to win the item right away), sometimes you can get a higher amount from an eager buyer with cash to burn that uses buy-it-now than through the normal bidding process.
So far as security, it's pretty safe, you just gotta be careful with scam emails that may look like it's from ebay asking you to confirm all your info (including social security number and credit card info), they just steal your info and account. Ebay will never send you an email asking you for such info. Same with Paypal, there are some scam email asking for paypal account info and stuff.
It's always better to be willing to ship worldwide (as then you can get more people bidding on it), although you can always refuse to send to some countries (where fraud is more likely to happen, i.e. Malaysia or something). So far as payment options, Paypal is the best, both for you and the buyer, as it is secure and both parties have proof when someone sends a payment or not. How much to charge for shipping is up to you, usually it's just the actual postage fee plus packaging fees (padded envellopes or boxes).
It's always good to have some feedback (reputation) before selling, as buyers will be wary of bidding on an item from a seller with no feedback. Best way to get started is to simply buy items (small ones, movies, cd's, ect) so you can build it up quicker.
Of course, when listing items, give the maximum amount of info (well, that is relevant at least) and some good pictures. For designer clothing it would be description, measurements, season, condition of item. Also, in the title of the item (what's gonna pop up when someone searches for it), add some other keywords that might be relevant, like similar designers.
Okay, that's alot of text, so I'll let you breathe a little. I hope this was helpful.
