Who sells on ebay?

[Tidy Max]

Right im starting to sell stuff on ebay, possibly opening a shop.

Any of you have any tips for a beginner? returns policies etc?

thanks!

[AlexW]

What are you selling? I wouldnt bother starting a shop unless you plan to list lots and lots of items continualy.

Only thing i can suggest is make sure you use commen sence, after all its internet selling, its worse and selling on places like this due to not knowing your buyers at all.

As for returns, just stat that if it is somthing you only have one of, make it sold as seen, but decirbe it well. If your selling in bulk, i would think its best to check each one before sending, if its cheap, ask if the buyer wants a refund or replace, expensive goods i would be more cautious.

OH and know your item that your selling. Check what other people are selling them for, find out postage and remember to include packing.

[Tidy Max]

products will be continual, the ebay shop is through the company i work for, so i will have a never ending list of items, we empty night clubs continually so its mainly speakers amps and equalisers, but we will run packages etc as we get offers through our own suppliers, thanks AW (or A dub as i refer to you in my head lol)

[Welsh Dan]

As far as return policies go, its best to read up on the law, in particular remote sales.

[Pistol Pete]

Ebay can be a fcuking nightmare at times. A mate did have a shop, www.streamtuning.co.uk (http://www.streamtuning.co.uk) now closed. Knocked it on the head because fed up of the grief.

I sell and buy on ebay and have only had one bad deal. Keep your customers happy, i.e good communication, fair pricing with regards to your items and p+p charges.

If your planning on setting up a shop, as said, read up abit about it first. IF you get into a stick situation, be good to be genned up first.

Good luck.

[Tidy Max]

cool, well ive jsut written up a returns/postage policy which seems to comply with the law and also covers our backs too!

also one of the bosses has a law degree so no shortage of legal advice lol which is ALWAYS handy, thanks for the advice chaps :)

[Shaun_O'Donnell]

One thing to remember is that a buyer cannot recieve negative feedback should you wish to retaliate to someone leaving you bad feedback for whatever reason - therefore communication is vital throughout the transaction. Cover your ar$e at every oportunity. Good postage options helps sell stuff. I hate listings for collection only, you reduce your field of buyer doing this.

[hendrix]

I was considering trying to turn a profit selling stuff from the pound shop lmao

[Jack]

I always add a disclaimer/T&Cs at the bottom which states things like I cannot be held responsible for loss or damage caused during delivery. No returns, items sold as seen (although I am a private seller, not a business). UK bidders only, will not ship item over seas etc etc (a few occasions I have opened up to European ebayers, but only took paypal and researched postage to places like france and Germany beforehand). I would like a private buyer to have some form of terms and conditions, for a shop I would expect to see it.

Having said all that, I've only once had to sort out a refund for an item lost in post and did it without question. I kept the receipt of postage, so claimed the money back from Royal Mail and send the buyer a refund. So always keep proof of posting for all items.

Also, communication is key. Email the buyer to thank them for their purchase, and email them again when you have dispatched the item. Bear in mind ebayers ARE impatient, so try to post things asap. Also its worth offering postal insurance and a range of postage options (I always offer at least std parcels/first class AND special delivery), obviously premium postal services costing more. I've never had anyone go for anything but the cheapest option though. At least it covers your back if an item is late/damaged/lost in post. On an aside, I sold a few things close to Christmas last year and stressed in my ad that if the buyer wanted guaranteed delivery for Christmas, they should use the special delivery next day option. Still, nobody did lol

Final advice, spend time making a decent, easy to read and plain HTML template, and use this on all your listings. Listing items in a clear and concise way, with links to larger pictures, is a must IMO. I've back away from bidding on items that have crap listings - if the seller can't be ****d to make a decent advert, why should I be ****d to buy from them (and that inludes ones that use the crappy templates that ebay have)? Listings that have 2 or 3 lines of description then 500 lines about the shop and ways to pay are also a big no no in my book.


[edit] Final +1 advice, look back at stuff you've bought. Why did you buy it? Look at feedback you've given - for what reason did you give it? Use your own experience as a buyer to shape yourself as a seller.

[Mike]

eBay shops are a mare chap! Ive ran/owned 2 in the last 4 years, and its a funking pain in the @Ss!!

Now eBay have changed there polices i will continue as a private seller as its far easier! As said, customer service IS the key!! Keep your buyers happy, fair postage costs, nice clear pictures, and clealy inform potential customers about all aspects of said item in the item description bit.

People on eBay expect something for nothing, so they'll jump at an oppurtunity to try and get a refund on the blag! So be prepared for customers like that!!

[Tidy Max]

im on the ball lads :) already done my disclaimer and got the negative feedback sorted, thanks :)

to hendrix, profit from the pound shop/tkmaxx ftw lol

cheers rj a wealth of useful advice as usual! got a pile of stuff here to sell just need to bring in my digi cam, one of my mates is a web designer for a multinational company, so he can crank out the html for me, everytime ive made one something has gone oddly wrong and ive never known why (overlapping images etc) i shall see, thanks lads

[Tidy Max]

our postage is a 10quid next day service which includes packing and handling and anything up to 25KG

[Ben]

I was considering trying to turn a profit selling stuff from the pound shop lmao

I want royalties!!!

The one tip i can give you when coming to sell on ebay is...

DONT!

[meritlover]

make sure you declare any extra income on your tax return, and follow your local goverments guidelines on what to declare and what to pay. capital gains tax etc....

as having a buisness and extra income that isnt declared is ilegal