14 May 2014

Ebay Tips & Tricks Part II

eBay packaging essentials and ideas
BE RESOURCEFUL
Oh I do not miss how much the teachers loved throwing that word around in high school. Of course the whole aim is minimising your selling costs in order to make profit therefore finding ways you can get your packaging supplies for free is a real bonus. Remember to always keep stocked up on things such as sellotape, various sized envelopes, postage paper, sticky labels etc. I'm lucky enough to have a mam who works in an office therefore she can usually get me the majority of my materials for free, have a think about whether you know anyone who works in a similar environment. It's also a great idea to reuse packaging from things you've received, things like padded envelopes, boxes, bubble wrap and tissue paper can definitely come in handy. If something you'd like to keep already has a label on it, just cover it with sticky labels.

BE NICE
If you have a 100% feedback score and a high feedback number then a buyer is way more likely to choose you over someone else with say a 75% feedback score but a lower priced item. A high feedback score all comes down to being a good human; do everything as soon as possible (replying to questions, sending payment details, leaving feedback and of course, post the item within the time stated). A nice little touch can also set your items aside from others, such as including a little note in the package saying 'thanks for buying' or 'have a nice day'. If you have the materials on hand, you may want to use some nice tissue paper to wrap nicer pieces of jewellery etc. Also, be honest. Don't try to hide any defects, even if they seem minor, as it won't look good on you when you're feedback mentions this defect that the buyer had no idea about. 

LITTLE EXTRAS
eBay has changed a lot recently in terms of what they charge for and what they don't charge for. They are now offering no insertion fees for the first 20 listings of the month and free scheduler for 20 listings every month. After that you will pay 35p per listing and 6p per schedule. You can also opt for other listing upgrades such as larger images, subtitles, adding a design theme to listing and adding a buy it now option, however these also come at a cost. Although these costs may seem small, I will never choose to go for them as although I can see how it may encourage buyers, they're just little changes that are probably going to just decrease your profit. It's not very often I'll list an item when it's going to cost me either, can you tell I'm all about saving money?

RECORD EVERYTHING
Another little quick tip; put together a table in a word document and keep everything recorded so you can keep track of how much money you're actually making. Mine includes the item, date sold, price sold for, postage charged, total, the total after Paypal fee which will be shown on the details page in Paypal after a person has paid and the actual postage cost (like I said in my previous post, I don't always get it right). Then I will subtract the actual postage from the total after Paypal fee to give me a figure for the total I have made from that sale. You may also want to include the 10% that eBay will take from you automatically every month. This page explains those annoying fees more clearly. 

BE PATIENT
My biggest piece of advice. Don't worry if there's no interest on your items first time round, or even second time round. eBay will now re-list your items three times for free if they're unsuccessful the first time which is great, it may take months for some of your items to sell as people just aren't interested and that's fine, you will get someone who is one day. 

There we have it, I've hope you've enjoyed my two eBay tips and tricks posts! P.S. you can view my eBay here.
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8 comments

  1. This is such an informative post, thanks for sharing the wisdom.

    Meg | Meghan Silva's Blog

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    1. Thank you Meghan, you're very welcome!

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  2. You have such a pretty blog design! Great post, and really helpful.. eBay is such a great place to pick up bargains xx

    Gemma // Miss Makeup Magpie

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    1. Aw thanks Gemma, it's all down to Abby from Baggle designs, I love it! So pleased you found this helpful, I agree, I never buy from there but really should start having a browse for some bargains more often! xx

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  3. Lovely tips, I'm hoping to start using ebay this summer to clear out some of my wardrobe!
    Lucia's Loves
    Giveaway:Win a Swatch watch
    x

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    1. Thank you Lucia, yeah I'm planning on having a huge wardrobe clear out this summer too, I hope you find my little tips helpful :) x

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  4. This is great advice, thank you! I'm wanting to sell some of my old clothes on ebay and just rrying to find out where to start.

    I love your blog, I've just come across it and it's so sweet :)

    littlekaatie.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. You're very welcome, I'm pleased you've found it helpful, it can be tricky to work everything out when you're first starting but you quickly learn what works best :)
      Thank you so much Katie! x

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