E-Bay Help: Sell an Item - E-Bay Buying and Selling

Sell an Item - Getting Started

Whether you just want to make some extra cash or start a business, selling on eBay is the fun way to do it!

Here are the steps:

1. Become a registered eBay seller.
2. Sign up to accept PayPal.
3. Research your item and the rules of play.
4. Create your listing.
5. Manage your listing.
6. Wrap up with your buyer.

1. Become a registered eBay seller.

To become a seller, you:

* Provide us with a valid credit/debit card or bank account information or become ID Verified.
* Let us know how you would like to pay your seller fees.
* Make sure your Feedback profile is public.

2. Sign up to accept PayPal.
All new sellers must offer PayPal as a payment option. See Creating a Seller's Account.

Important: Including PayPal in your listing does not register you for PayPal. You need to sign up for PayPal to be registered for PayPal and receive any payments made to you through PayPal.

3. Research your item and the rules of play.
Do some research, especially about setting a starting price, listing format, and category, to list precisely and get the best price for your item. Compare your item with active and completed listings on eBay based on category, format, and selling price. Selecting a Category explains running your search and picking a category. Selecting a Selling Format tells you more about format choices.

Buyers feel more compelled to bid and buy when they know the shipping charges beforehand. Package, weigh, and measure your item so you can use calculated shipping. If this is your first time selling an item, you may be required to specify shipping. Calculating Shipping Costs tells you how to do this. Visit the eBay Shipping Center to see more ways to optimize what you offer for shipping.

Educate yourself on eBay's policies about prohibited and restricted items, as well as what's okay and what's not okay when listing and completing the sale at Knowing the Rules for Sellers.

4. Create your listing.
Depending on your item category and which listing form you use, you'll get a variety of listing options. If you're selling an item associated with a product that's in our catalog, you can add pre-filled item information to your listing description. You can sell your item auction-style or as Buy It Now. Listing upgrades like highlighting, font, and picture enhancements make your item stand out. You can even donate a portion of your sale to a cause that you choose.

To read more about the listing process and options, see Creating a Listing. Or, to get going now, start at Sell.To get there from the top of most eBay pages, click the Sell tab.

Insertion and final value fees apply to certain listings.

5. Manage your listing.
Once you've got your listing up and running, you can check in on it to see how bidding is going. You do this from the Sell section in My eBay, which comes up when you sign into your eBay account. You can also:

* Set notification preferences to let eBay know how and when you want to receive alerts or notifications.
* Set seller preferences about picture hosting, receiving payments, shipping, and more.
* Set member-to-member communication preferences to say how buyers can connect with you.
* Set general preferences for searches, My eBay preferences, and more.
* If you want to change anything in your listing, see Changing Your Listing.
* Be sure to answer any questions you receive about your listing. This will help you sell your item by establishing good rapport with potential buyers. When buyers give you positive feedback, you become a stronger seller on eBay.

And when your listing ends . . .

6. Wrap up with your buyer.

Here too, how you handle these last steps will go a long way toward your personal satisfaction and getting great feedback from your buyer.

1. Communicate with your buyer ñ When you use eBay's Checkout service and your buyer completes Checkout, eBay notifies you by email. If you don't specify shipping and payment details in your listing, the buyer can use Checkout to request this information. You can also use Checkout to send the buyer an invoice.
* If you didn't use Checkout, contact the buyer directly by email or phone.
* Important: Contact your buyer directly if you haven't heard from your buyer or received Checkout or PayPal notification within three days of your listing's end.

2. Receive payment ñ If your buyer paid with PayPal, you'll receive an email confirming payment. If you haven't registered for PayPal yet, you'll be prompted to register to accept the payment.

3. Ship the item to the buyer ñ Pack it well! Use bubble wrap or crumpled up newspaper to protect the item from shipping damage. Make sure any fragile parts of the item are well padded and located toward the center of the box if possible. Read more tips for packaging your item.

4. Leave the buyer feedback ñ eBay's Feedback system helps create a trustworthy community for everyone. Your feedback about your buyer is important information for other sellers.

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