So you have decided to clean out that attic or garage and
start selling on Ebay.com or Amazon.com. Here are some tips to get more people
to see your items for sale.
· Always use the UPC code to list your item. This
will insure that you have the right edition of the book, record, game, etc. If
there is no UPC code be as descriptive as possible.
·
Take pictures. Ebay.com now allows you to take
as many pictures for free. Take advantage of this. It will allow your buyers to
fully see the condition of the item.
·
Research what your item is worth. What did
recent items sell for? Guide are good, but always remember: an item is only
worth what people are willing to pay.
·
Write a detailed description. I will be the
first to admit that I often only use the item specifics that ebay has via the
UPC code. Here is a recent item I sold:
What is wrong with this listing? Well for
one, I don’t list the titles of Damon Runyon stories included. Adding a
detailed description lets the person searching for a specific story search not
only the titles but descriptions. I had three pictures which was good but I
should have probably at the very least added a picture of the table of
contents.
Also, please note that Ebay.com does not have
as vast of a database of products that amazon.com has. I have noticed with the
older books, ebay.com only will have the more recent editions, whereas
amazon.com has most if not all the editions, which it makes a customer more
likely to find the exact thing they are looking for. Also when searching on
amazon.com for Damon Runyon and you find the book you are looking for, when you
click on it, all the new and used books of just that book are shown. On
ebay.com you may get other books mixed in.
As for fees: I pay 15% of the total
on amazon.com plus .99 cents per item sold. I can list as many things as I want
for free. If I think I am going to sell more than 35 items, I can pay a flat
fee of $35 for unlimited items. On
ebay.com they charge me 10% of what I sell but I have to pay 6% to paypal.com
who processes my payments. I get 50 free listings a month on ebay.com but they
often have specials like 100,000 free listings for the next few days.I do get a better deal overall with
amazon.com but I stick with ebay.com because all the more exposure. Plus on
amazon.com paperbacks often are listed for a penny, whereas on ebay they are
more fair market value.
Which one is better to sell items on ebay or amazon? I usually buy books on amazon, but like you stated before with owning a kiddle all of my books are electronic, except college ones. Joanna
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the book. I think on older collectibles ebay can get you more money because on amazon there are usually more copies available so it drives the price down. I sell video games more on amazon and usually for more money. So that's why I sell on both.
ReplyDeleteHi Colleen, I love your blog, what a cool and different topic to write about! I also very much enjoyed reading your bio. Isn't it amazing at how sometimes what seems like a setback in life turns out in the end to be a blessing in disguise! Your husband gave you such good advice, it shows in your writing that you truly enjoy your passion. I wish you good luck in one day being able to focus on your business full time, hang in there! You will do it!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Anne!
DeleteColleen, these are some great tips! I keep telling myself that instead of cleaning out the garage and having a long drawn out garage sale, that I should try to sell somethings online first. I have only sold maybe one or two things on Amazon but I was interested in what become a full fledged seller looked like when spring comes.
ReplyDeleteThank you for these helpful tips, I will use them in the future! Best of luck breaking into the costume jewelry business!
Thanks Melissa! And good luck to you selling online.
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