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How to Choose an Item to Sell on eBay

by Contributing Writer

  • Overview

    Thousands of people buy and sell on eBay every day. Everything from car parts to movies to guitars are bought and sold within the auctions posted. You could even find lots full of baby garments. Avon agents have posted their products online as well. It seems like anything and everything has a spot on eBay, right? Wrong. As many items as are posted to sell, many of them never reach their reserve price. If you find yourself in a position where most of your auctions are not selling for what you want, take a look at some of the steps below.

  • Research

 

  • Step 1

    Research your item on eBay first. Look under "Completed Listings" to see what similar items have sold for in the past. If you find that the price is not what you are looking for then don't sell the item on eBay.

  • Step 2

    In the event that the price is satisfactory to you, then you will need to research other search engines as well. Look through Google, Yahoo and retailers like Walmart.com.

  • Step 3

    Compare the prices for buying the item new and the completed listings on eBay. You're looking for a safe middle ground, a price that you'll be happy with and that people will be willing to pay.

  • Step 4

    Decide whether you want to sell this item as a "BUY NOW" or put the item up for auction.

  • Step 5

    If you put the item up for auction, then lower your reserve price by $5 to $10. Buyers tend to bid more if the reserve has already been met.

  • Shipping and Handling

    • Step 1

      Know the approximate cost to ship this item. Buy a digital weight machine if you do not have one so that you can calculate the costs.

    • Step 2

      Add $1 to $2 dollars to your shipping and handling for material costs, i.e. boxes, bubble wrap and packaging paper.

    • Step 3

      Compare your shipping price to the prices of shipping in the "Completed Listings." If you've gone over their costs, you will need to lower your shipping price.

  • Adding It All Up

    • Step 1

      Compare your costs to your expected profit.

    • Step 2

      Do not forget to calculate eBay costs for posting the item.

    • Step 3

      Decide whether the costs for posting and shipping your item are going to be worth the profit.

    • Step 4

      Do not post your item if you are not satisfied with the Reserve Price or the "BUY NOW" price that you will need to post.

    • Step 5

      Do not post your item if the shipping and handling cost is going to eat half of your profit.

    • Step 6

      Know your seasons. Certain items will sell better during different times of the year. For instance, your pristine Gemeinhardt flute might not sell in the spring, but closer to the beginning of the school year you will have more people searching for items just like it.

    • Step 7

      Compare your item with like items being sold on eBay. If a DeWalt drill sold for over $70 and it was in excellent condition with accessories and a tool box and yours is banged up from use and has no accessories then it is NOT likely to get the same price for you.

    • Step 8

      Look for collectibles. A major item that sells on eBay are collectibles that are hard to find. Military swords from the Civil War, for instance--as long as you can prove the date of the sword--would sell well.

    • Step 9

      Compare the internal software or hardware of your item to the Like Items being sold on eBay. A good example here are Apple iPods. If you see an Apple iPod that looks like yours being sold for $150 and you miss the section where it says it has 100GB of memory space, while yours only has 5GB then you are NOT going to get the same price.
    • 2
    • Some of the items that sell with frequency are name brand guitars, iPods, palm pilots, DVDs, video game systems, name brand leather jackets or pants and camera equipment.
    • Some of the items that sell with frequency are name brand guitars, iPods, palm pilots, DVDs, video game systems, name brand leather jackets or pants and camera equipment.
    • Never post an item for a small amount of money and then try to make up for it in the shipping and handling. Outrageous shipping and handling is noticed and avoided.
    • Never post an item for a small amount of money and then try to make up for it in the shipping and handling. Outrageous shipping and handling is noticed and avoided.
       
       
     
     

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