Selling Tips: First Time Ticket Sellers

• Include the word "tickets"
• Number of tickets
• Artist/team name(s)
• Event date and location
• Seat vicinity or unique features

Item Subtitle

Listing Subtitles (an optional $0.50 listing feature) provide an excellent opportunity to offer ticket information (such as seat location and added values like free parking) that you otherwise wouldn't have included in the Listing Title.


Item Specifics

When you sell your tickets, make sure to fill out the Item Specifics so that your tickets are findable by buyers who use the Tickets Product Finder. Item Specifics for Tickets include: "Event Type", "Venue State", "Venue City", "Venue Name","Number of Tickets", "Section", "Row" and "Date".


Pricing

Having the right pricing strategy is key to your success, as you want to make sure that you sell your tickets and don't get stuck having to unload them at the last minute.  The first thing to do is review the completed items to get a feel for the market clearing prices for your tickets from completed transactions over the past 14 days.

Next, make sure you start your item at LOWER than market clearing prices as you want to get multiple bids on your tickets to maximize the end price.  Best practice is to set your opening bid no higher than 60% - 75% of what the fair market values are for your tickets -- and it's best to start them at $9.99 thereby creating the most bidding velocity on your tickets.  Finally it's best to NOT use a Reserve Price, as reserve prices tend to mute bidding interest by buyers.

Timing

Generally it's best to use a 7-day listing that ends on a Monday, Sunday or Tuesday (eBay's biggest days).  Make sure that the auction ends during normal hours (late afternoon and early evening is good) to maximize the last minute bidding frenzy.  Also, make sure you give yourself time between the end of the listing and the actual event to complete the transaction, collect payment, and deliver your tickets.  Buyers will be afraid of cutting it too close, and will not bid on your tickets if they close very near the actual event.

Item Description

Item descriptions for Tickets should be clear, clean and concise.

Event Details

• Event title (artist, team, game, race)
• Event date and time
• Event venue location and venue name
• Number of tickets
• Seat location (section and row)
• Unique information about seats (together, front row, obstructed views, parking included, club access, aisle seats)
• Include a venue seating map and/or sightline picture. When you populate the "Venue Name" field in Item Specifics during the listing process, a venue map will automatically be linked into your listing. If the venue where your event is taking place is not included in Item Specifics (rare), consider adding a venue seating map photo from another source.  3rd party providers such as Seat Data also offer sightline photos that eBay buyers find very useful when reviewing listings.

Payment

Accept PayPal. Most buyers are PayPal enabled and it is critical that you accept PayPal payments in order to have the smoothest and fastest transaction. Also, if you qualify, offer PayPal Buyer Protection  (qualified purchases now covered up to $1000) in your listings as it increases buyer confidence.

In your listing, be sure to specify:

• Payment methods you accept (PayPal, Credit Card, Money Order, etc). Note that instant cash money services like Western Union and MoneyGram are not permitted on eBay as detailed in the Safe Payments  policy.
• Amount of time buyer has to make payment

Shipping

• Types of shipping methods you offer
  • Offer standard shipping and overnight shipping options at different prices
• Shipping costs (be as specific as possible)
  • Don't overcharge for shipping. Fair prices for shipping a pair of tickets are:
    • Standard (US Mail): $3.00
    • Overnight (UPS, FedEx): $15.00