How difficult is it to set up auctions on eBay?

[RTSDaddy2]

My wife has some stuff she wants to sell - things our daughter has outgrown and / or that my wife no longer has a use for.  She was asking me this morning, and I told her a paypal account wouldn't hurt, but that as far as I knew it wasn't a big deal to set up and run an auction on that thing....but I thought I'd ask here to be sure.  Thanks ahead for any input / suggestions you can give us!

[shmokes]

Just go to Ebay and Paypal and set up accounts.  They walk you through everything.  Only ship to Paypal verified addresses to avoid scam.

[somunny]

Only ship to Paypal verified addresses to avoid scam.

Good advice but you're still not protected unless you employ some form of delivery confirmation/package tracking.

[tommy]

Don't over do your auction at the start. Try not to buy into all their crap about bold letters and all the extra options that may look good when starting to list your items. After a while all those charges add up and eat away into your profits. Try to give ebay the least amount you can for letting you list your items.

[leapinlew]

Don't over do your auction at the start. Try not to buy into all their crap about bold letters and all the extra options that may look good when starting to list your items. After a while all those charges add up and eat away into your profits. Try to give ebay the least amount you can for letting you list your items.

This is good advice.

All you need is paypal and Ebay. Don't even mess with accepting personal checks/cash/etc.

[DaveMMR]

I've sold a number of things through eBay and I've [knock on wood] never had a problem with it. 

Besides what's already been said, here's some pointers based on what I've come across as both a buyer and a seller:

• Make sure you are description is thorough, but not overly long.  A paragraph is good.  Stick to talking about the item and don't go off on a tangent.
• Take a couple of good pics.  If you know basic HTML, you can upload your pictures to a host (e.g. Photobucket) and link to them in your description without eBay charging you.  However, I think eBay allows one free pic and then it's cheap for additional pics.
• Try to start the item at a low price so you'll get more views.  And don't panic if you have no bidders for a while, everyone likes to "Bid Snipe".
• For 35 cents, the gallery is a good investment.  A picture is added to the search listing and prospective buyers can see at a glance what the item looks like.
• Avoid getting too creative with the fonts.  Standard sized text and some occasional bold/larger text for headers is fine, but I've seen auctions where people treat eBay like a Myspace page.  And need I say that animated GIFs are a no-no?
• Pre-weigh your package before listing and don't charge more than acceptable for shipping (a buck or two over actual cost is fine for packaging materials).  Some people charge ridiculous amounts as a way of "fee-avoidance" (especially when the item is had for much, much cheaper than expected).  Some people will balk at this in their feedback and if you get way too greedy, eBay can take disciplinary action.
• Outline your return, payment and shipping policies up front so there's no confusion.  If the buyer wants to send a check, hold the item until it clears.
• Be kind and leave feedback as soon as possible.  It helps build your rep.

There are dozens of places and books you can read to get more advice, but these are some basics off the top of my head.  Good luck and have fun!

[Jouster]

I wouldn't even bother...it is way too difficult for the average person to do anything on eBay.  You can tell that by seeing the incredibly lower number of auctions that actually place there.

Jouster

[boykster]

I wouldn't even bother...it is way too difficult for the average person to do anything on eBay.  You can tell that by seeing the incredibly lower number of auctions that actually place there.

Jouster

might as well just stop breathing while you at it, life is so complicated after all.....

ebay is ridiculously simple to use, and it THE auction site to sell stuff.  You don't need to have a flashy listing to sell your stuff, as ppl in this thread have stated, keep it simple, descriptive, and have fun.

[somunny]

I've sold a number of things through eBay and I've [knock on wood] never had a problem with it. 

Besides what's already been said, here's some pointers based on what I've come across as both a buyer and a seller:

• Make sure you are description is thorough, but not overly long.  A paragraph is good.  Stick to talking about the item and don't go off on a tangent.
• Take a couple of good pics.  If you know basic HTML, you can upload your pictures to a host (e.g. Photobucket) and link to them in your description without eBay charging you.  However, I think eBay allows one free pic and then it's cheap for additional pics.
• Try to start the item at a low price so you'll get more views.  And don't panic if you have no bidders for a while, everyone likes to "Bid Snipe".
• For 35 cents, the gallery is a good investment.  A picture is added to the search listing and prospective buyers can see at a glance what the item looks like.
• Avoid getting too creative with the fonts.  Standard sized text and some occasional bold/larger text for headers is fine, but I've seen auctions where people treat eBay like a Myspace page.  And need I say that animated GIFs are a no-no?
• Pre-weigh your package before listing and don't charge more than acceptable for shipping (a buck or two over actual cost is fine for packaging materials).  Some people charge ridiculous amounts as a way of "fee-avoidance" (especially when the item is had for much, much cheaper than expected).  Some people will balk at this in their feedback and if you get way too greedy, eBay can take disciplinary action.
• Outline your return, payment and shipping policies up front so there's no confusion.  If the buyer wants to send a check, hold the item until it clears.
• Be kind and leave feedback as soon as possible.  It helps build your rep.

I agree with everything except the final bullet.  It may be the *right* thing to do, but it isn't the *smart* thing to do.  As someone who has sold several hundred items on ebay, I can attest that the possibility of receiving a retaliatory negative is the only thing that has kept an impatient (or just plain A-hole) buyer from leaving me a negative because they think the package should have arrived sooner than it did.  Sometimes the Post Office loses track of stuff.  It happens!  Make sure you have your tracking numbers and keep the buyer posted if such a situation should arise.

The other thing you run into are buyers that simply do not leave feedback.  Either they're not on ebay that frequently or they just don't give a hang.  I ran across a bidder who had a 60+ rating but had never left a single feedback in return.  IMO, these people have no business being on ebay.  Not much you can do about 'em though.

[shmokes]

Last October I won an auction for a bee costume.  Three days after I won the auction the seller emailed me saying that she did not have the item.  She refunded me the money, but it was now too late for me to order a bee costume from somewhere else and get it in time for Halloween.  I left negative feedback, and I got negative feedback in return, in spite of the fact that I had paypaled her the money within about 30 seconds of the auction closing.  She then sent me an email saying that if I cancelled her negative feedback she would cancel mine.  I told her to go ---fudgesicle--- herself, that I would rather have the negative feedback then let her get away with ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- like that.  If there's one thing about Ebay that I absolutely hate, it's the fees.  But a close second is the feedback system.  There is absolutely no oversight.  There's no department that I can report behavior like this to.  This lady should not be allowed to do business on Ebay.  Irritating.  It's the first and only negative feedback I've ever had.

[leapinlew]

Last October I won an auction for a bee costume.  Three days after I won the auction the seller emailed me saying that she did not have the item. 

I bet that stung...

[Havok]

Last October I won an auction for a bee costume.  Three days after I won the auction the seller emailed me saying that she did not have the item. 

I bet that stung...

 

Yeah, the one thing that pisses me off about ebay feedback is the seller holding hostage their feedback - once the item is bought and paid for, they should have to leave feedback. Their portion of the sale is done, they have nothing else to do, so leave the damn feedback on the transaction... Ebay has started to head in the right direction - now you can leave "detailed" feedback on a purchase, and the seller has no idea what you left in that part, just a positive or negative. That's a start. The other thing they should do is to force a seller to leave feedback after a purchase has been verified by a winning bidder.

I leave feedback for every purchase and sale I do on ebay, but I only get about 60% feedback from the other party. Punks!

[missioncontrol]

The feedback system is efffed up.... I feel once a seller receives your money then they should leave feedback and the buyer in turn gives feedback one they receive the product. Most sellers will not leave feedback until the buyer leaves theirs sellers use this as a tactic to ensure they get good feedback by keeping your feedback hostage. I will not leave feedback for a seller who doesn't leave feedback stating they received my part of the deal.

[Jouster]

I wouldn't even bother...it is way too difficult for the average person to do anything on eBay.  You can tell that by seeing the incredibly lower number of auctions that actually place there.

Jouster

might as well just stop breathing while you at it, life is so complicated after all.....

ebay is ridiculously simple to use, and it THE auction site to sell stuff.  You don't need to have a flashy listing to sell your stuff, as ppl in this thread have stated, keep it simple, descriptive, and have fun.

Wow...think I might have been joking (just a tad)?? ??

Jouster

[hypernova]

Yeah, the one thing that pisses me off about ebay feedback is the seller holding hostage their feedback - once the item is bought and paid for, they should have to leave feedback. Their portion of the sale is done, they have nothing else to do, so leave the damn feedback on the transaction... Ebay has started to head in the right direction - now you can leave "detailed" feedback on a purchase, and the seller has no idea what you left in that part, just a positive or negative. That's a start. The other thing they should do is to force a seller to leave feedback after a purchase has been verified by a winning bidder.

I leave feedback for every purchase and sale I do on ebay, but I only get about 60% feedback from the other party. Punks!

That portion of the sale is NOT done.  I do the same exact thing.  I'll explain why furthur down.  When I sell things, I will never leave a buyer feedback until I've gotten it first.

I ran across a bidder who had a 60+ rating but had never left a single feedback in return.

I've had one or two of those as well.  Hell, I still have one pending for about 6 weeks now.  This is just one minor reason not to leave feedback first when selling.  Those people who never leave feedback are always buyers.  Very rarely, if ever, are they sellers.

But a close second is the feedback system.  There is absolutely no oversight.

Agreed.  Let me tell you how I obtained my one and only negative feedback, and the BIGGEST reason not to leave feedback first when selling:

I sold a Game n Watch.  I uploaded a picture of the front of the unit.  In the description, I said it WORKED correctly and had two new batteries that were opened to make sure the item worked.  I had no picture of the back of the unit, nor did I say anything else about it.  That was it.
Some guy in Sweden bought it.  I shipped it.  Few days later, I look in my ebay, and notice my feedback went down!  Checked the feedback, and this is what the guy writes:

Wrongfully declared product with lots of deficiancies (no serial number etc.)

I never said it had a serial number!  Nothing!  This dickwad obviously (after checking his bidding history) confused my auction with someone else's, and realized he was the dumbfuck, gave me negative feedback.  I think he realized HE was in error, but needed to compensate for his stupidity, and gave me a - feedback, especially because he NEVER even tried contacting me afterwards.  HE KNEW HE ---fouled up beyond all recognition--- UP AND BLAMED ME!!!  He had no case, and decided to screw me over in the process.

Can you tell that experience really pisses me off every time I think about it?

Needless to say, my NUMEROUS attempts to contact ebay's feedback dept has yielded no results.  Even explaining my concrete case does nothing.  They don't care.

Moral of the story?  The transaction's NEVER over until the buyer receives the item, and gave you feedback.  That way you KNOW that they fully understood the auction and its terms.

I'll be damned before I start giving positive feedback to an incompetent, illiterate buyer who can't read 100 words of text and comprehend it correctly.

If there's one thing about Ebay that I absolutely hate, it's the fees.

Quite frankly, I wish they'd starting hitting the sellers who charge exhorbitant shipping fees to bypass the regular fees.

[DaveMMR]

I've sold a number of things through eBay and I've [knock on wood] never had a problem with it. 

Besides what's already been said, here's some pointers based on what I've come across as both a buyer and a seller:

• Make sure you are description is thorough, but not overly long.  A paragraph is good.  Stick to talking about the item and don't go off on a tangent.
• Take a couple of good pics.  If you know basic HTML, you can upload your pictures to a host (e.g. Photobucket) and link to them in your description without eBay charging you.  However, I think eBay allows one free pic and then it's cheap for additional pics.
• Try to start the item at a low price so you'll get more views.  And don't panic if you have no bidders for a while, everyone likes to "Bid Snipe".
• For 35 cents, the gallery is a good investment.  A picture is added to the search listing and prospective buyers can see at a glance what the item looks like.
• Avoid getting too creative with the fonts.  Standard sized text and some occasional bold/larger text for headers is fine, but I've seen auctions where people treat eBay like a Myspace page.  And need I say that animated GIFs are a no-no?
• Pre-weigh your package before listing and don't charge more than acceptable for shipping (a buck or two over actual cost is fine for packaging materials).  Some people charge ridiculous amounts as a way of "fee-avoidance" (especially when the item is had for much, much cheaper than expected).  Some people will balk at this in their feedback and if you get way too greedy, eBay can take disciplinary action.
• Outline your return, payment and shipping policies up front so there's no confusion.  If the buyer wants to send a check, hold the item until it clears.
• Be kind and leave feedback as soon as possible.  It helps build your rep.

I agree with everything except the final bullet.  It may be the *right* thing to do, but it isn't the *smart* thing to do.  As someone who has sold several hundred items on ebay, I can attest that the possibility of receiving a retaliatory negative is the only thing that has kept an impatient (or just plain A-hole) buyer from leaving me a negative because they think the package should have arrived sooner than it did.  Sometimes the Post Office loses track of stuff.  It happens!  Make sure you have your tracking numbers and keep the buyer posted if such a situation should arise.

The other thing you run into are buyers that simply do not leave feedback.  Either they're not on ebay that frequently or they just don't give a hang.  I ran across a bidder who had a 60+ rating but had never left a single feedback in return.  IMO, these people have no business being on ebay.  Not much you can do about 'em though.

I actually do agree with you.  I simplified it because I was in a hurry and also because I was being optimistic.  But yeah, I'll say that, to be safe, you don't leave positive feedback until you receive positive feedback (leave a note in your description saying that's your policy). 

I'll add that I don't follow that rule religiously, however, since I'm not a "power" seller and most, if not all, of the buyers I have dealt with have been honest.  I'm sure that if and when I get burned, I'll change my rules.  However, I usually leave them once payment clears if a buyer has a pretty good track record. 

Don't let feedback keep you up at night though, RTSDaddy.  You can leave an explanation. I've seen some negatives that have "explanations" I was satisfied with when I see that the feedback is overwhelmingly positive.  Most buyers and sellers (at least the ones you'd want to deal with) know the difference between a legitimate complaint and someone who's just being a jerk.  If you find yourself in this position, the main thing to do is relax and write your side of the story in proper English with facts. 

Quite frankly, I wish they'd starting hitting the sellers who charge exhorbitant shipping fees to bypass the regular fees.

I agree.  There's nothing wrong with the fees (they are quite fair, IMO).  But people who make their money in shipping fees are actually ruining for those who play by the rules because eBay can and will raise rates to compensate.  They can't catch everyone.

[Havok]

That portion of the sale is NOT done.  I do the same exact thing.  I'll explain why furthur down.  When I sell things, I will never leave a buyer feedback until I've gotten it first.

So you're one of the punks!

 

It is done from your side, your reasoning seems to be because you got burned by a moron. So, with your system, how would that situation have changed? Lost on the chance for retalitory feedback, which isn't valid anyways? You will still have a negative on your account. It's easy to start a new account if you are a buyer. Did you really hurt him with a retalitory feedback? I think not... If you really want to tell the world what a bonehead he is, you can still leave a reply to your original feedback...

Moral of the story?  The transaction's NEVER over until the buyer receives the item, and gave you feedback.  That way you KNOW that they fully understood the auction and its terms.

The bid is the contract, and it is fulfilled with payment. Done. Once you receive payment and ship the item, your part of the contract is fulfilled. Done. Time to leave feedback.

I'll be damned before I start giving positive feedback to an incompetent, illiterate buyer who can't read 100 words of text and comprehend it correctly.

For this reason, among others, I don't sell to anyone outside the US...

Note to self: when buying from Hypernova, don't leave feedback...

 

[missioncontrol]

note to self... don't buy from Hypernova

sorry dude, but I feel once the buyer sends you the money the buyer did their part. The feedback is to let people know the buyer pays for items he promises to buy. Once the buyer receives their item then they leave feedback stating the item was sent and as described. If you got burnt by a bad buyer who couldn't read your description then you shouldn't penalize all buyers.

I have bought many things through ebay, but less than half the sellers bothered giving me feedback. Those who haven't, I leave no feedback for and DO NOT buy items from them again. If I know a seller won't follow the proper feedback procedures, I won't buy from them either.

[Samstag]

Immediate payment is no guarantee the seller isn't going to get screwed out of his money.  When you use a credit card to pay, a buyer can cancel the payment after receiving the item.  I hear enough horror stories about this happening that I avoid selling on Ebay and can totally understand when a seller doesn't leave feedback for me until after I've left feedback.

Feedback isn't very important to me.  I don't have much (around 125 maybe), but it's plenty to show I'm a trustworty buyer or seller.  A seller with 10,000 points is no better than one with 20 in my book.  Before I decide to buy from a seller I'm only concerned with the text in the feedback, not the numbers.

[missioncontrol]

A++++++ awesome post will read again

[Samstag]

A++++++ awesome post will read again

Heh.  Yeah those aren't very useful, but If you dig through a few pages of someone's feedback you can often find information to make a decision one way or another.  When I see positive feedback with hints of problems rather than a glowing recomendation, I see it as a neutral or negative from someone who didn't want retailiation.  And when I see negatives from someone who didn't seem to undertsand what they were purchasing, I don't consider it a strike against the seller.

I've bought some really expensive stuff on Ebay.  The only time I've ever been burned was on a small-ticket item from a previously good seller that I'd actually had several good transactions with before.

[boykster]

If I'm the seller, I leave feedback as soon as their payment is "good".

If I'm the buyer, I wait until I receive the item and am satisfied with it.

If a buyer retaliates because he's a 'tard or on a mission because he's mad, who cares.  I have zero negatives in my feedback, and while its not that high (125), a random negative here and there won't really dent my "rep". 

 

[RTSDaddy2]

I have to admit, I haven't been here in a couple of days, so I'm just now seeing the comments.  THANK YOU! This will help my wife tremendously as we move forward.