eBay 
Presented by Del Hendrix

  1. Introduction
  2. Sign up for PayPal.
  3. eBay Seller (Garage Sale)
  4. eBay Power Seller (Business Seller)
  5. eBay Etiquette
  6. Planning for eBay Selling
  7. Using "My eBay"
  8. Questions & Answers







eBay Etiquette

  • Always leave positive feedback when the experience is positive. You can leave feedback from the item page, "My eBay" or go to The Feedback Forum
  • e-mail buyer or "Send Invoice" with details as soon as possible after end of auction and no later than 3 business days after the end of auction.
  • e-mail buyer when payment is received.
  • Ship item the next business day when online payments, money orders or bank checks are received.
  • Ship item when personal check clears but hold no longer than 10 days after receipt of check. I ususally ship inexpensive items the next time I go to the post office.
  • e-mail buyer when item has been shipped. You can combine with payment notification message.
  • e-mail seller with payment intentions within 3 days of end of auction.
  • e-mail seller when payment has been sent. PayPal will do that for you.
  • e-mail seller when item is received or leave feedback or make arrangements to collect insurance or return the item.













Items you need for selling

  • Postal scale - 5 lbs
  • Postal scale - over 5 lbs - You don't need this if items are rarely over 5 pounds. You can take it to the PO and weigh it before you e-mail the buyer with costs.
  • Scissors
  • Box cutter
  • Knife
  • Packaging materials
    • Never buy supplies at the Post Office (too expensive) but there are some items you may want to order online HERE
    • Clear packaging tape with dispenser
    • Boxes (Never throw a box away than can be used or modified to use). Buy boxes at Box Stop in Walnut Creek (cheaper than Office Depot, Staples, Office Max). Have your neighbors/family give you boxes they are throwing away.
    • Bubble wrap. (Tip - Use rubber bands to secure bubble wrap. Tape makes it hard to open without a knife.)
    • Styrofoam popcorn.
    • Craft paper
    • Tissue paper
    • Scotch tape
    • Carpenter's glue - I turn boxes inside out and glue them back together when the outside is completely covered with stickers and writing.
    • Soft pack envelopes
    • 9X12 manila envelopes
  • Useful Postal forms and UPS forms
  • Printer paper















Managing your eBay selling activities.

  • Category for item (Very important for some items, e.g., collectibles). Search for similar items to determine category if it isn't obvious to you.
  • Item Title Description
    • Title acronym tips:
      • MIB - Mint in Box
      • MIP - Mint in Package
      • LE - Limited Edition
      • HTF - Hard to Find
      • Ret - Retired (No longer made)
    • Space in title is limited to 55 characters.
    • Search words in title & description (Bidder may search only in title)
  • Pictures - Not all items need a picture
    • Develop film and scan it in is a pain.
    • Have pictures put on a CD. Time consuming but better
    • Digital Camera - If you don't have one, get one.
      • Fast turnaround
      • An adequate digital camera is quite cheap now.
    • Do you want to manage a web site? FTP commands vs a pay for play program, e.g., CuteFTP
    • Can you add HTML to display the picture? You get 1 field to display a web site picture, but you can put all the pictures you want into your HTML description. I have used it and it is not hard. Put the following between LT and GT <> with your website and picture name:
      img src="http://www.isp.com/picture.jpg"       You can put it anywhere in the description.
    • Do you want to edit multiple photos into one? I use Adobe Photodeluxe for that purpose. It cost me about $50 and is very handy. There are also some free editing programs with limited features.
    • Keep an eye on your pictures. If they are too large, they discourage the "just-looking" buyers who have a dial connection. Those with cable or DSL don't care.
    • Can you live with 1 picture managed by eBay? You can add up to 5 more pictures for $0.15 per pic.
  • Details and status of Selling activity (Spreadsheet)
    • Sold items
    • Items that do not sell (relist?)
    • Insurance Invoices (PayPal will allow you to print an invoice. If you get a check or Money Order you will have to create your own invoice.)
    • Payments - Checks, Money Orders, Online, International
    • Online selling costs, e.g., Listing fee, Final Value Fee, PayPal fee, plus any eBay feature fees.
  • Seller Central






    e-Mail
    1. e-Mail with eBay.
      1. New item listed
      2. End of Auction
      3. "Sent Invoice" copy.
      4. Buyer asking for checkout update
    2. e-Mail with customers
      1. Respond promptly to questions. Buyer's typically do not know your e-mail ID. They ask the question using a link in the item. You may choose to answer their question with a direct response or use a link to eBay for answering. If you use the eBay approach, you may opt to have your answer added to your item description.
      2. e-mail winning bidder when auction ends with total costs, your address, payment options and return policy. Optionally, use eBay Checkout which is easier for new users.
      3. e-mail buyer when payment is received and let him know when the item will be shipped.
      4. e-mail buyer when item is shipped.
        • leave positive feedback
      5. e-mail buyer if you do not hear from him.
        • after 7 days post a non-paying bidder alert Alert
        • after 7 more days ask for a final value credit request Credit
        • If there are other bidders, you may choose to offer the item for sale to the second highest bidder.
        • leave negative feedback if you are so inclined. You can leave feedback from the item page or go to The Feedback Forum











    Tips.

    • If it isn't fun, don't waste your time with inexpensive items. Just donate them or trash them, BUT, remember, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Maybe it has value you don't understand and a few people are willing to bid for it.
    • Research - Knowledge is power. Search completed items. Use google.com. Find out what price others are asking for the same thing. Read descriptions and you might find some provenance on things you want to sell but know nothing about. The more provenance you can put into your description, the better. (Dates, manufacturer's name, country of origin, where you bought the item, the original cost in the year you bought it and how the item was used.)
    • Don't pay for optional services if you aren't a power seller or business.
    • Check your e-mail as often as you can. Many potential bidders may ask a question and your answer might sell your item or sell it at a higher price.
    • e-mail - ISP's have problems and lose e-mail, your e-mails get lost in all the SPAM, many people don't check their e-mail every day, take holidays, get sick, etc.
    • Be very careful what you say, especially to people with English as a second language. Use simple sentences. Never use a sentence when a word will do. Be courteous & businesslike. Don't try to be overly friendly or unfriendly.
    • Don't leave negative feedback unless you know there is a valid reason. In my opinion no response or failure to pay are not good reasons. I assume they are telling the truth in their e-mails and I also assume they have dropped out of sight for a good reason. If I see they are still bidding after failing to pay me, I might give them a negative feedback, but I have never had that case.
    • Set up your procedures and try not to vary from them.
    • Don't charge for packaging if you are reusing packaging materials. I never charge, but I would if I always used new materials.
    • Combine items into a single auction to save listing and selling fees, also time. Also, you can use larger boxes and save your smaller boxes.
    • Make sure that each item that has been packed is distinctly marked with the item number and description. I use post-its and quickly learned to scotch tape them to the package.
    • I never pack an item until I have a bid. If someone e-mails and asks for shipping charges, I give them a best estimate.
    • I recommend use of Checkout and "Send Invoice". If you want to set up your own e-mail, create a model for the e-mail to buyer at end of auction. Paste it into your e-mail and edit it adding Item #, Description and total costs including price, shipping and insurance. Everything else should be canned information, e.g., your mailing address, return policy, insurance (optional or required), payment options (personal check, money orders, bank checks, PayPal, BidPay, etc.) and anything else you want to add.
    • Never type anything you can cut and paste. Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V, Ctrl-X for windows that do not have Edit copy, paste & cut functions.
      • The only time I key in an address label is when I have to get it from the return address or check.
      • A printed label is a major help for packages to reach their destination. I have never had an item fail to reach its destination. Hand written labels are the bane of the post office. 9 digit ZIP codes help also.
    • Click Here for postal rates and calculations
    • Click Here for UPS rates and calculations
    • Print Domestic Postal Rates and Fees (simplified) click here
    • I offer optional insurance on every item. I take no responsibility for uninsured items if they are lost or broken. Because of good packing (my wife does a great job), I have never had an item damaged in transit.
    • If the buyer is unhappy with an item, insured or not, I give them a full refund, including shipping costs, if they return it. My return policy is, "If you are dissatisfied with your purchase for any reason, you may return it with no questions within 10 days of receipt". I have had 2 items returned out of 1100+.
    • Have a separate e-mail address for eBay. It keeps your business e-mail separated from your personal e-mail. Use this e-mail address for PayPal also. DO NOT USE THE SAME PASSWORD FOR PayPal THAT YOU USE FOR eBay. Watch out for viruses from your buyers. Use a Virus protection program. Never open an attachment from a buyer. I have done so and, fortunately, Norton caught it for me as I keep my virus files up to date.