Jim 'Griff' Griffith

Learning to Sell – The First Few Steps
by Jim 'Griff' Griffith
eBay Staff Member

Q: I just started selling on eBay and I would like to do well. Do you have any tips or tricks?  

A:  I sure do! In fact, I have so many eBay selling tips and tricks that if I listed them all here, your head might explode! In the interest of brevity (and an unexploded cranium), here are seven simple starting steps to selling success:

1. Get to know the eBay site.
   It costs nothing to do so! Start at the eBay Home Page and click your way through various sections of eBay. Use the extremely handy eBay Navigation Bar on the top of any eBay page to easily access the different areas of the site.
2. Put yourself in a buyer's shoes.
   If you haven't done so already, consider bidding on or purchasing a few things. This will help you get a feel for the transaction process from the buyer's perspective. As a seller, it's important that you fully understand, from first hand experience, the steps a buyer goes through in searching out and bidding on eBay items.
3. Research other sellers' strategies.
   Determine what items you are going to sell and then search eBay for listings offering similar items. This will help you understand several things. For example, you will better understand your future competition from other sellers. You'll understand what some are doing right to garner high bid numbers and amounts. You'll also get a feel for what some sellers are doing wrong, when you see that their listings have only a few, if any, bids and that they have many completed items that are unsold.
4. Go through eBay's educational materials.
   Visit eBay's Learning Center and take the various selling tours and tutorials. They're free!
5. Attend an eBay University seminar.
   Try to attend an eBay University seminar in your area. Spend a day learning from eBay experts in a city near you.
6. Participate in an online workshop.
   Visit our Community Workshop area. We regularly hold online workshops on a variety of eBay-related topics. If you're unable to attend a workshop, you can read through the workshop archives.
7. Ask for tips from the eBay Community.
   Some of the best help and answers come from eBay's vibrant Community. You'll be surprised at how many experienced members will reach out to you on our discussion boards or the Answer Center. There are thousands of sellers who post there regularly. They freely share their tips and strategies for successful selling on eBay.

Regards,
Griff