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My way eBay

   OK, decision made. You're going to flog some bits on eBay. Grab a coffee, settle in and get ready for the longest short blog post in the world. Because here are a few (few? Ha!) of my thoughts based on lots of experience. I've sold a lot on eBay: house clearances, which I did for a number of years, generate a lot of eBay material. 
   If you've already got an account, I'm going to assume it's at 100%, because if not, you have a problem. Everyone is allowed a mistake or two, but negative feedback lasts a year and is a severe dent in your credibility. Best avoided, in my view. If you have negatives, I would suggest a new account.
   If you're new, set up your account sooner rather than later, and sign up for PayPal too. Then, my tip is buy yourself four or five (inexpensive) items to get the feedbacks. Buy each item from a different trader though: if all your purchases go through a single person you will only get one feedback score. It doesn't matter what you buy, but as a tip you're going to need postage materials, tapes, envelopes, jiffy bags, bubble wrap etc. Once you've got an account and feedback is rolling in, make protecting that feedback your Number One priority. Its really important, and doing that will make sure you give buyers the right experience and so your credibility will grow.
   Let's get on with it. First things first. Photographs. They are the most important part of the whole process, so its worth taking time to get them right. You can add up to 12 free pictures on a listing, and I would use as many of those as you can. At a minimum you need front, both sides, back and bottom of the item. Make the pictures are well-lit, in-focus and - top tip - uncluttered. Especially with small stuff: ceramics, jewellery etc. If you have access to a light tent and spots, then use them, but if not, consider pinning up a sheet. Whatever you do, use a plain background, and keep it as crease free as possible. Don't forget to set your camera's White Balance appropriately and please, please take it steady so the shots are sharp and clear. Look for marks on the item; signatures, hallmarks, makers marks and so on, and get a vital and sharp close-up of those. If you go for the white sheet option, you may need to open up the +/- exposure compensator by a whole stop.
   My advice with furniture is to also have it isolated standing in as plain a background as possible and always include some shots with empty drawers and cupboards open. I once saw a picture of a nice haberdashery shop counter that someone was selling that was spilling over with their socks, pants, bras etc. I reckon that cost them about £200. All for five minutes work. The eBay picture uploader will (usually) resize your pictures. You can even do some direct editing with it.  
   If the item you are selling has a problem; chips, a crack, a split in the wood, always, always include a picture of this. Never hide imperfections. 

   Pictures ready? Great. Now you need to get to the "Sell Your Item" page and select the category. Use the 'search' function if you are not sure. eBay categories can be a bit, er, wacky, so you may not feel its exactly right, but in my opinion the vast majority of people search eBay on keywords, not by trawling through categories, so don't sweat the choice too much. 
   Next is the headline. Keep it simple and honest. Don't embellish it with things like WOW!, L@@K! or 'Bargain' or anything. And never ever put New in unless the item is brand new, and if it is why are you here?! Do include a simple factual statement of what the item is, and condition; VGC, for example, or "for repair/restoration". Think too about what search or keywords people will use to find your item. If you are not sure, try few practice searches on eBay to see what works. The headline is vital to being found, so its needs to be factual, not flowery. I don't recommend sub-headings. They are an expensive option and can soon add up if you several lots to sell. I don't think they have much impact either.
   Under Condition, click Used. Then add a few words; I suggest one overall comment along the lines of "very good antique condition" or "well used vintage" or "for repair/restoration", "Needs a complete rewire, otherwise excellent" etc. and then refer them to the pictures and description.
   In the description be simple, brief and honest. Tell them what it is, who made it and when, if you know. Always add the date if you can. A bit of research will pay dividends. Always be completely honest about condition. Mention any imperfections. Don't ignore them, and don't miss them either. Give your item a fingertip going over, never rely just on your eyes, and be critical. Mention chips and how big they are, cracks and how long they are, discolouration, bangs dings dents breaks splits etc. The lot. And refer buyers to the photograph of the imperfection, if relevant. 
   Add the dimensions: ring sizes, height of jugs and pots, diameter of plates, measure everything. Perhaps you included a picture with a ruler, nonetheless repeat the dimensions in the description. And I always think its a good idea to include the weight (not for furniture). Don't forget to itemise the number of drawers, shelves (and are they adjustable) etc. Add as much detail as you can, as succinctly as you can. Don't go overboard with fonts and colours and things. Stick to one font that's easy to read, use a bit of bold if you have to, but much more will end up looking like a child let loose with a wax crayon and wallpaper. A mess. 
   Now we come onto price. Auction or Buy It Now? Some people do BIN for 30 days, then send stuff to auction if it doesn't sell. BIN is more expensive than listing for auction, but it can lead to a higher selling price. Decide if you are going to accept Best Offers. If you do, I recommend also filling in the auto-reject box. Saves a lot of hassle.
   If you opt for auction, then I really would be inclined to start at 99p. eBay is for bargain hunters and a low start encourages people. Start it at too high a price and you simply put people off. Its an odd thing because often the 99p start will quickly end up higher than your starting price would have been, but it's psychology and therefore a complete mystery. 
   Next is length of listing for auctions your choice is seven or 10 days? And do you start it immediately or schedule it? There is a rumour that if you finish an item on Sunday evening it does better than any other time. I was religious about that for ages, but I've given it up recently, mainly because the shop (now a closed and empty shop) is shut on a Monday/Tuesday and so I can't pack the item up and post it off until Wed/Thurs. I advise quick despatch: same day or next day. Makes buyers very happy. Anyway, if you go for the Sunday finish, start it on Thursday evening and list it for 10 days. Costs 5p I think, but if the rumours are right, should get you more than that in the final selling price. I do think its important to have items visible over two weekends. Do check for bank holidays and things. The calendar Gods put them in specifically to ruin your eBay sale. Avoid school half-terms and the shorter holidays. Adults don't buy antiques when the kids are around.  
   And now postage? Royal Mail? Efficient, but frighteningly expensive. MyHermes have a bad rep, but I've never had an issue, and they will pick up from you, plus it has the added advantage of tracking. There's Yodel too. In my opinion, always send your stuff (worth more than a couple of quid) out by a tracked service. That puts paid to the “didn't receive it” brigade. For bigger stuff its going to be a courier or collect. Never ever forget the 10% eBay add to postage charges on everything except collection and courier.
   One recent introduction is the eBay global shipping programme. I like it and use to for overseas shipping. If you don't and want to add your own prices don't forget its more to ship to Australia than to Austria. Here's a good site for calculating overseas costs: Seajays 
   Always, always review your listing, edit it down and down again, and check it for typos and so on. Finally, when you are happy list it and sit back and watch the viewings and watchers grow. If, towards the end, you have a good number of watchers and its still stuck on 99p don't worry, it usually happens in the last few minutes. Hopefully most of your stuff will sell well and you'll be happy. But not all of it will. Sometimes you just have to take the hit. Its called dealing.

2019: Since I wrote these blog entries, Facebook seems to have crawled up the selling order: some people swear by it. iam not one, but recognise that its a growing marketplace and of course free to list. Considering Ebay costs the same a a bricks and mortar saleroom, I can only see facebook growing, especially as they invent their own currency and their version of PayPal. Expect fees one day too.
   And prices have changed: the scheduling option is now a rip-off 12p as eBay try to manipulate their sellers behaviour.

I'd love to hear your experiences: what works and what doesn't - at either Facebook or Twitter - click the buttons below to go straight to my pages

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