eBay Seller's Guide and Tips
A tutorial for eBay sellers with small to moderately-sized inventories. Written by a Top-rated seller with over 4,000 100% positive feedback.
Index of Contents
»Getting Started
»Making the Listing
»Answering Questions
»After the Sale
»When to Leave Feedback
Getting Started
I won't be covering too much of the basics here. If you do not already have an account with eBay, you will want to start on eBay's main page and click Register. Follow the steps to create an account. eBay will likely require a credit card, which is used to pay your listing fees once you start listing. Don't worry, as long as you don't sign up for anything extra or a store account, there will be no monthly fees. For uploading items, I recommend using Turbo Lister, which is a free tool for managing your inventory. It is built by eBay so you don't have to worry about giving your account information out to a 3rd party. The program works well, although it can be a little slow on older computers.
Making the Listing
The first important part of having success on eBay is having a professional looking listing. eBay allows full HTML usage in its listings, so you will want to make good use of it. Alternatively, there are many templates available that will make your listing look more professional (some of these may not be free). If you are interested in learning HTML, I recommend starting at W3Schools.
Regardless of which method you choose (custom HTML or a template), make sure that the layout of your listing is easy to read, uses normal font sizes, is organized with headings, and contains a simple and elegant design. All too often I see very large font sizes, sometimes as high as 24pt, for regular reading text. This makes it difficult for buyers to follow your listing and makes it look less professional. Here is an example of a design I created for an eBay listing:
eBay allows you to upload many pictures; however, they charge an additional fee for more than one picture. If you have a server that you can upload pictures to, and then hotlink to, you can have multiple images without the extra cost. In the design above, I have three pictures that buyers can click on to see full-size versions. Having pictures of your items from multiple angles helps increase buyer confidence, and will make them more likely to purchase from you. It can also cut down on questions.
Be sure to give all the specifics of the item you are selling. Be clear about what it is, using bulleted lists when necessary. The more information you give, the more likely a buyer's question will be answered, saving you time and increasing the chances of getting a sale.
It is a good idea to have Shipping and Payment information in your listing, as buyers often have questions about your policies in these areas. Make sure the headers are prominent and not easily missed.
Answering Questions
Regardless of how much information you give, you are bound to receive questions. Questions range from shipping pricing and time in transit to item specifics and requests for items you do not have listed. Answering questions gives you an opportunity to impress a potential buyer and make a sale. Once a question is received, it is important to respond thoroughly and in a timely manner. Buyers will expect a response within one business day, and the longer you take to respond the less confidence they will have in you. I have found that many customers will email again after 2-3 days if you haven't responded yet, if they are really interested in the item. It also isn't uncommon for a buyer to have changed their minds or purchased locally if you wait 2-3 days.
When responding, use proper grammar and spelling. You need to sound professional, but also friendly. It is a great idea to start with "Hello" and end with "Thank you", when appropriate. If you made a mistake in a previous email or in some part of the transaction, do not be afraid to apologize. When a mistake is made, reassure the buyer that you are correcting it.
Understand that not all buyers are well versed with computers or are knowledgable about business. Many buyers have poor spelling and grammar, and that is something that you will simply have to work with. Some buyers will also email on the weekend and expect a response within a day or two. If you have the ability to answer emails on the weekend, it is a great idea as many buyers do their online shopping on the weekend. If you are unable to, just be sure to answer emails promptly come Monday morning, and if a buyer has been waiting since Friday evening for a response, it is a good idea to briefly apologize for the delay.
After the Sale
Once a buyer has purchased an item, you have the responsibility of shipping it out in a timely manner and following up with tracking information. Most shipping services offer tracking, including USPS Priority Mail. Sending the tracking information to every buyer within 24 hours after shipping will cut down on questions and improve buyer confidence. With the introduction of eBay's Detailed Seller Ratings, where buyers can rate you based on various facets (including shipping time and communication), it is important to have a great follow through with every sale.
If a buyer has used Buy It Now to purchase an item, or has won it through auction, yet hasn't paid, you will want to follow up via an eBay message within the next 1-2 business days. Be nice and ask if they need any assistance paying. Often times buyers will have to go through a lengthy verification process with PayPal before they can pay, and you should be understanding of this. You will, however, come across the occasional dead-beat buyer, or buyer who honestly forgot about the sale and doesn't check emails regularly. If a week has passed with no correspondence, you will want to start a claim using the Resolve a problem link next to the item. This will be the best way for you to get your Final Value fees back, which can be fairly hefty on expensive items.
When to Leave Feedback
Not leaving feedback shouldn't be used as leverage against the buyer. eBay no longer allows sellers to leave negative feedback anyway, so this isn't much of an option anymore. I usually leave feedback once a confirmed PayPal payment is received. This helps improve buyer confidence and can show that you are an honest seller with the expectation that the transaction will be handled properly from start to finish.