I`m living off Ebay here is how

View PDF | Print View
by: Garry Hudson
Total views: 33
Word Count: 395
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 Time: 6:35 AM
0 comments

I`m living off Ebay here is how

It is entirely possible to make a living from Ebay and many people do just that. The site uses two methods of selling: auction and Buy It Now. Many people choose to sell goods at auction which is the same as a real life auction. An item is uploaded to the site and people place bids. Buy It Now means a seller lists an item with a set price and, when someone decides to buy, they "click" and the item is theirs.

For a beginner it is advisable to build up good Feedback which is Ebay's way of letting other people know how reliable you are. The best way to achieve feedback is to BUY something from the site and pay immediately. Then the person you've bought from will give you good feedback. Do this a few times until your feedback is about 10 and then other people looking at your listings will start to trust you. Then you can think about selling something. Go onto the Ebay site and follow the simple instructions on how to sell. You will need good photos. These are vital in making a sale. You will also need to set a price at which to start your item. Be realistic. For example, if you are selling something second hand you can normally expect to get about a third of what you paid for it as a rule of thumb.

If you want to make a living from Ebay you will have to decide what you are going to sell. Spend as much time as you can look at other people's sites, particularly Ebay shops. You will see what sells and for how much. Once you have decided what to sell you will need to source your goods and set up a payment system using Ebay's own ecommerce client called PayPal. This is secure and allows people to pay you and for you to pay them as a buyer. Ebay's fees work out at roughly 10% of your selling price and PayPal takes roughly another 5%. Altogether you can expect about 20% of your selling price to be taken, which is similar to real life auctions. Do not be put off as things may seem difficult at first but with perseverance you could become one of Ebay's top sellers.

About the Author

Garry Hudson works for Baines and Ernst and writes about all thing financial related