6
Setting Up Your eBay Listings
In this chapter, we’ll enhance what you just learned in Chapter 5 and get into the actual listing and management of items on eBay. You’ll want to be sure you have thought about the following before you get into the work of creating actual listings:
▶ What photos you’ll need. You can have up to 12 for most items and up to 24 photos for eBay Motors vehicle listings.
▶ Well-considered keywords for your listing title that will attract the most buyers possible.
▶ Tracking your inventory with the optional custom label feature. (The custom label field allows you to enter information you want to track, such as your own SKU number. It’s only visible to you.)
▶ The ideal eBay category and sub-category if desired (remember there is an additional insertion fee for the secondary category).
▶ The item condition—be truthful but not overly negative.
▶ Item specifics, which vary by category. These are details about the item you’re selling, such as style, size, color, and brand. Item specifics appear at the top of your listing description.
▶ The item description.
▶ The ideal selling format for what you’re selling (auction vs. fixed price, etc.).
▶ The item starting price for an auction-style listing, or the fixed price you’d be happy to receive.
▶ Your returns policy.
▶ Packing and shipping methods and whether you’ll be shipping internationally or to U.S. customers only.
I’ll shine a light on each of these topics in more detail, and for the most part, these subject areas cover every data point you’ll be handling when you list an item on eBay. If you are simply overwhelmed with enthusiasm and want to play around with eBay’s listing form, you can access it by clicking the “Sell” link on the top of most eBay pages, and from there, click “Create listing” to begin listing an item. I’ve structured this chapter to follow the sequence of fields you will fill out when you list an item so that you can later use the book as a guide when listing.
Writing compelling eBay titles and descriptions is critical to the success of your eBay business. It involves practice and study so that you attract quality, relevant buyers. Because the eBay title uses keywords instead of sentences, your selection of words for your titles needs to be spot-on. The system has a search engine, and buyers find the merchandise that matches their keywords. I’ll be covering how to write powerful titles and descriptions that deliver results. In this section, we’ll focus on titles, and later on, I’ll discuss descriptions.
Put yourself in the shoes of the buyer and think of the keywords they might use to find your listing.
Titles are limited to 80 characters, while descriptions can be as long as is required, so don’t become cranky if you can’t fit everything you want to say in your title.
Selection of keywords for titles can be broken down into three parts: the bones, the meat, and the feathers.
OK, I’m using just a little bit of fowl humor in this chapter. The bones of an eBay title provide the absolutely essential keywords, such as the brand name, artist, or designer and a basic description of the item.
The following would be three examples of bare-bones titles:
▶ Samsung Blu-ray Player (22 characters)
▶ LeRoy Neiman Serigraph (22 characters)
▶ Chanel Messenger Bag (20 characters)
Adding meat provides item-specific information such as size, color, condition, model number, and other important searchable keywords.
Let me expand my three examples by adding some meat to their bones:
1. New Samsung BD-F7500/ZA Smart 3D Blu-ray Player with UHD 4K Upscaling (69 characters)
2. LeRoy Neiman Prima Ballerina Open Edition Serigraph (51 characters)
3. New in Box Autumn 2014 Chanel Le Boy Black Caviar Messenger Bag (63 characters)
The addition of item specifics significantly increases the possibility that a buyer will discover these items when searching eBay. You may recall from Chapter 4 that item specifics are additional information about the item that you can add when you list it. Each eBay category has unique item specifics. They elevate the titles because when a search is conducted on eBay, the displayed search results include the data within the item specifics fields. For example, if you sell a man’s suit, there is an item specific for many aspects of the suit, including material, size, color, country of tailoring, measurements, and more. The correct use of item specifics means you can avoid including that information in your title while still having the benefit of discoverability. For example, there’s no need to add the color of the suit in the title because you will add it within the item specifics.
Each of the example titles still has room left over. When research and imagination have identified every potentially relevant keyword for your listing title, you can add some feathers. Feathers are fluffy and attractive and add appeal. Plus, they help birds soar to great heights, but in the context of your eBay title, they are an exciting addition to your listing. This being said, the meat and bones must always come first and take priority. I added some feathers to our titles, and here they are:
▶ Awesome New Samsung BD-F7500/ZA Smart 3D Blu-ray Player with UHD 4K Upscaling (77 characters)
▶ Gorgeous & Vivid LeRoy Neiman Prima Ballerina Open Edition Serigraph (68 characters)
▶ Scarce & Sexy New in Box Autumn 2014 Chanel Le Boy Black Caviar Messenger Bag (77 characters)
Here are some tips you can follow when creating your own product listing titles:
▶ Be sure your title describes the product even if it repeats the category name.
▶ Titles should not contain plurals, except in situations where the product comes in pairs, such as gloves, skis, shoes, and so on. Plurals and synonyms are no longer required because eBay’s search is smart and handles this seamlessly.
▶ Avoid using punctuation, which takes up space and is not recommended. Don’t use special, foreign, or gimmicky characters.
▶ Ensure that you’re spelling correctly.
▶ Avoid using ALL CAPS, which is not elegant and is like YELLING. You may use all-caps text if appropriate, e.g., acronyms of countries, like USA, and brand names, such as IBM.
▶ Acronyms are to be avoided are abbreviations and contractions.
▶ Keyword spamming is not allowed, so your title must describe the actual product and not refer to competitive brands or include promotional text or irrelevant search terms that are intended only to increase “hits.”
▶ The title may not contain URLs, emails, or phone numbers. You may mention a URL only if you’re selling a domain.
▶ Avoid foreign language words unless they are common and well understood or form the actual product name.
▶ Never use profane or obscene language.
You’ll discover many sellers using common acronyms. When an abbreviation is ubiquitous, it’s OK to use if it is absolutely clear and understood. Many of the acronyms of eBay yesteryear have become obsolete because of eBay’s use of item specifics, which serve the same purpose. Item specifics can be filtered upon after a buyer enters keywords into an eBay search box. MIB is Mint in Box, and NIB is New in Box. NWT describes new with tags. I’d steer clear of using these too much (after all, not every eBay buyer will know the lingo). If you can fully spell something out, you should. Some exceptions exist in certain categories. For example, in cut glass where niche collectors are likely to search an acronym and save that search to discover very specific items. For example, ABP is commonly used to identify listings for American Brilliant Period cut glass. It’s debatable if a master’s degree in acronym usage will really convert more sales. Common sense works well for me.
Expanding on my earlier comment about keyword spamming compels me to mention some exceptions to the use of brand names. While you may never add the word Tiffany to a listing offering a Chanel necklace, if you’re selling a generic brand smartphone cable, you may identify all brands that are compatible with it. This eBay rule is quite liberal. If you assembled Coke cans into a cool model airplane, you could certainly mention the Coke brand in your title and description. When listing something that’s fully compatible and functional with a brand-name product, be sure to add the keywords “Compatible With,” “Fits,” or “For.”
Here are three examples:
1. New Toner Compatible With HP LaserJet 1018 Printer MFC
2. New Multi-Media AM/FM Radio CD & DVD Player Fits BMW 5 Series Cars
3. New Pur Brand F4PC6C1 Filter For Maytag UKF8001 and 4396395 Refrigerator
While colorful adjectives describing your product are great, give attention to the essential keywords before adding them into your title. I used to recommend against the use of adjectives in titles, but after title limits were expanded from 55 to 80 characters, I changed my mind and practices.
One of the delights of the Harry Potter books is the enchanted hat that once belonged to Godric Gryffindor and sorts students into houses at Hogwarts. Sorting your products into the correct eBay category doesn’t require magic, just a bit of thought and experience. In Chapter 5, I shared my thoughts on category selection, but I have a few more remarks about this process here.
Any time you begin a listing, the form asks if you’d like to use a UPC, ISBN, ePID, part number, or product name and (after entering identifiable information) the catalog can search and find what it believes are products that may match yours. If yours is exactly the same as what’s presented at this step, then selecting from the eBay catalog will also relieve you of having to select a category. You can browse the category structure if you’re brave—the number is thousands and thousands. Recently used categories are also presented. If you don’t use the eBay catalog, as you enter your listing title, eBay will deploy artificial intelligence to suggest possible categories. Quite often they are correct, but many times they are not. Being extra careful about category selection will improve sales.
Save yourself time and money by using the “variations” option available in select eBay categories. By using variations, you are given the ability to sell different items that are very similar or closely related in one combined listing. This is particularly useful and relevant if you sell new goods with different styles, sizes, colors, etc. The obvious product would be clothing because you have many different sizes in the same style and color. Perhaps you sell a fragrance in three sizes or a fishing hat in ten different colors. Variations are available only on fixed-price listings, and I should point out that the listing type can be changed at any time while adding a new listing on eBay.
Making a single listing with variations saves typing. When an eBayer discovers your cool hand-carved wood keychain, they’ll be able to buy it in oak, cherry, maple, ebony, birch, or basswood—all from the very same listing. It’s convenient and saves the buyer from having to look at a bunch of other listings. When they’d like to buy a bunch of cool stocking stuffers, everything they need is in your one listing. Each member of the family receives something different. Listings with variations allow you to track inventory for the items so that you’re not caught short.
Subject to change, here’s the list of eBay categories that currently support variations:
▶ Art
▶ Baby
▶ Business & Industrial
▶ Cameras & Photo
▶ Cell Phones & Accessories
▶ Clothing, Shoes, & Accessories
▶ Collectibles
▶ Computers/Tablets & Networking
▶ Consumer Electronics
▶ Crafts
▶ Dolls & Bears
▶ DVDs & Movies
▶ Entertainment Memorabilia
▶ Everything Else
▶ Health & Beauty
▶ Home & Garden
▶ Jewelry & Watches
▶ Music
▶ Musical Instruments & Gear
▶ Pet Supplies
▶ Sporting Goods
▶ Sports Mem, Cards, & Fan Shop
▶ Toys & Hobbies
▶ Travel
▶ Video Games & Consoles
Within variations, you can specify size, color, style, and material. eBay allows each listing to have five variation details and up to 60 values for each of those details. Save big money on insertion fees. The price for each variation can be different, but the payment and shipping options must be the same across all variations. Each separate variation supports 12 complimentary photos. Be sure to verify your stock when listing and relisting. If the items you offer on eBay are also offered in your retail store or online elsewhere, either consider a multichannel selling tool (not covered in this book for many reasons), or be really organized and use Excel or a ledger for tracking inventory levels. This can be a daunting task.
New is new. If what you are selling is new, there’s no need to spell out the condition. The Books category has five condition levels, which are: brand new, like new, very good, good, and acceptable. Grading old vinyl records is more art than science. I stopped offering opinions about record sleeves after being scolded more than a few times by diehard collectors who apparently know their stuff. Tires can be new, retreaded, used, and damaged—all are acceptable eBay condition descriptions.
When listing, you’ll be asked to include the condition in your product listing. Anything but new warrants an explanation, and there’s an additional box for that. Some categories require you to mention condition, and some do not. Antiques generally do not require you to select a condition because they are, by default, never new. You can sell “new old stock” aka unused vintage or antique items; however, eBay does not require you to clarify the condition on these items.
There’s a balance between being honest and being painful. If the photos do a wonderful job of showing the condition, you can provide a brief and honestly-worded account of the condition as an enhancement. If the toaster oven doesn’t heat up, you’ll need to mention it because photos don’t explain a crucial detail like that. The point is to set reasonable expectations about the item’s condition. Under-promise and over-deliver. That’s much better than having to deal with a claim and unfavorable feedback. How you word things makes a difference. Rather than saying, “The vase has issues and is scratched up all over the base and is not in perfect condition,” you can say, “Wonderful condition considering it’s over 100 years old. There is notable wear to the base of the vase from years of use. However, you’ll never notice this because it’s only on the bottom.” Think like a salesperson and talk up the positive aspect of what you’re selling. The QR code in Figure 6–1 will help you define item condition by category.
FIGURE 6–1: Item Condition by Category
The item specifics are a series of fields you’ll be asked to fill in for your listing. In many categories, these are mandatory fields such as brand names for clothing or electronics. You simply cannot proceed with the listing until you accurately answer the required item specifics questions. There are optional item specifics you can elect to enter that improve your probability of being discovered during an eBay search. The item specifics you enter are displayed at the top of your item description, and they clarify what you’re selling and improve buyer confidence. Fill in as many item specifics as you can answer. Some products warrant loads of item-specific information, such as car parts. Other items, however, need fewer, such as jewelry. Figures 6–2 and 6–3, each on page 95, are a couple of examples of the quantity of item specifics warranted based on the item in question.
FIGURE 6–2: Sample Item Specifics for a Replacement Ford F150 Steering Wheel
FIGURE 6–3: Sample Item Specifics for a Sterling Silver and Diamond Pendant
To maximize the benefits of using item specifics, remember two key points. First, refine and clarify your listing by telling buyers more about your items within the item specifics. This understanding increases and improves discoverability during searches. Then, provide all the item-specific information you can answer and be sure to use eBay’s recommended items specifics.
The description is a stage where you need to deliver your best performance. It’s romance or substance and typically a little of both. Writing eBay descriptions can be artsy or technical but should rarely become long and clunky. You’re telling a very short story with the emphasis on short. Can there be exceptions? Of course there can! A scientist searching for used laboratory testing equipment might expect (and would probably appreciate) a thorough explanation of the device’s condition and function—something that might require a high word count. While eBay includes titles in searches, the product description is only added to the search if the eBay member asks that the description be included. This additional search capability requires the buyer to tick off the additional box, “Include description,” which only appears after the initial search. It is so tiny, you’ll miss it if you blink. Seasoned buyers are expert at searching descriptions, so include helpful keywords here that you weren’t able to fit in your item’s title.
Tailor your descriptions to what you sell. To help jumpstart the process of creating a product description, I’ve summarized products into these key categories:
▶ Aspirational
▶ Luxury
▶ Collectible
▶ Commodity
▶ Necessity
▶ Your Voice
From the street bazaar to Rodeo Drive, merchants must communicate with their customers in a unique way, depending on the circumstances. Oftentimes, the type of merchandise being sold determines the style of communication.
An aspirational product speaks to an audience that wishes to own it but the supply is scarce, and the potential number of individuals who can afford it is small. These are products that appear inside the pages of fashion magazines and are represented by gorgeous models. Aspirational products are jewelry, fragrances, apparel, accessories, eyewear, or footwear. I’d also consider a Ferrari an aspirational product, and you certainly can find them on eBay.
Here is an example of an aspirational product, and its proper description:
Title: Hermes Birkin 40cm Clemence Vert Leather Palladium Hardware “O” Stamp Bag Purse
Description: You’re anything but the typical. You’re graceful, in charge, and living life … beautifully. You deserve to carry a handbag that tells the world who, what, and where you are … in your life. This Hermes is not only authentic, but it’s in mint condition.
• 11-½” high × 9” deep × 16” wide
• Genuine leather in sweet tones of green with muted gray
• Silver-tone hardware—lock and key
• The original dust bag is intact
• Unconditional money-back guarantee within 30 days of receipt
This approach caters to a consumer who aspires to—but probably never actually achieves—the fashion, beauty, and physical ideals this purse represents. Aspirational fantasies drive these buyers to purchase these products. An aspirational brand and its products bring premium prices. A product that’s truly aspirational in nature should not require Best Offer or endless haggling to place it into the customer’s hands.
A luxury (or upmarket) product may be aspirational, but the marketing strategy speaks more to the ego than emotion. The approach may feel similar, but think about products like expensive watches, designer baby strollers, crystal-studded phone cases, and products that are functional but designed for a wealthier audience.
Sharp sellers position aspirational and luxury goods with a lexicon that evokes a strong response and engages shoppers with their messaging.
Here is an example of a luxury item along with a description that befits it:
Title: New Patek Philippe Man’s Watch Model 3940P Platinum Perpetual Calendar
Description: It’s flawless, handsome, and rugged in solid platinum with a genuine crocodile leather band. It’s brand new and in the original box. A statement of your success and functional as a dress or casual timepiece. Luxury all the way.
• Mechanical: Automatic
• Display: Analog
• Model Number: 3940P-011
• Gender: Man’s
• Features date, day, and moon phase
• Water-resistant to 25M
• 33mm across the face
• 9” long including the band
• Accompanied by the original store receipt for a doubt-free transaction
• Returns permitted within 30 days if unopened in the original package; no returns permitted if opened and used
All warranties provided by the manufacturer must be claimed through them. For confirmation of authenticity, the serial number is 84751402.
At first glance, the luxury goods category feels aspiration, but it is quite different. The luxury goods industry is steadily growing—catering to wealthy (but not wealthy elite) audiences. Luxury goods are available widely and at mass retailers, while aspirational brands are generally sold in high-end boutiques and appointment-only stores.
Collectible buyers are interesting. They are endlessly knowledgeable. They can be very price sensitive. Many are bargain hunters, but even the biggest miser of a stamp collector will pony up their last cent to acquire a mint condition 1930 Graf Zeppelin U.S. postage stamp. They are not swayed by flowery language, and you will find that crafting a listing for collectible item buyers provides a stark contrast to listings designed for aspirational and luxury products. Focus on the item specifics and condition.
Here is an example of a collectible item and its fitting description:
Title: Antique ABP American Brilliant Period Stoppered Cut Glass Cruet
Description: This fine cruet is a true period piece, not a reproduction. It is made from a heavy blank. Rings with life when gently finger-tapped. Excellent condition. I don’t speak of terms like “near mint” with true antique ABP glass, but the condition is remarkable, and I see no evidence of repairs or restoration of any kind.
• Net weight: 15.72 oz
• Height with stopper 7” exactly, without it measures 5–¼”
• The base is 2-¾” in diameter
• The neck has an outer diameter of 1-½”
• There is a 1mm × 2mm nick on the base, and I have provided a photo with a ruler for confirmation
• No heat checks, cracks, or chips of any other kind were observed
• 30-day total satisfaction money-back guarantee with free return shipping
Collectors seek out and acquire items they believe will help them form a greater understanding and deeper appreciation for those collectibles. Their craving is greatest when they perceive that their acquisition will create an increased synergistic value when combined with other similar items (e.g., being able to complete set of trading cards, collector plates, figurines, and so forth). Collectors are not easily “sold,” have high standards, and admire sellers with high integrity.
Commodity items have a relatively clear and predictable price and are offered by many sellers. Fierce competition also means lower margins. You’ll have to differentiate yourself to be seen among the vast ocean of sellers. While a commodity does not have to be a necessity, the buyer is price shopping and comparing carefully. That eBayer is looking for a killer deal on the latest generation Xbox for a teenager’s birthday present. She knows what she wants and how much she’ll pay. A wordy description is a turn-off. Seconds count because she’s in a hurry and barely reading the description. Seller feedback, item condition, and returns policy matter more than a romantic explanation of the features and benefits. You’re selling brands and explaining what’s in the box. Measurements are far less important than a sealed package.
Here is an example of a commodity item and its respective description:
Title: New Basics Polaroid Z340 Instant Digital Color Camera with ZINK
Description: Polaroid’s Z340 is an instant color digital camera that outputs photos immediately with ZINK (Zero Ink) technology. Pictures are captured and printed immediately without a computer or ink cartridge. The internal software adds delightful borders that personalize your printed memories. It even offers editing software for corrections in real-time.
• Polaroid part number: 0815361015675
• SD card slot
• Prints 3” × 4” photographs
• 14 megapixels for sharpness
• 2.7” high-resolution LCD viewer
• Product dimensions: 4.9” × 3” × 5.5”
• Requires four AA batteries, which are included
• Factory U.S. warranty offered directly from Polaroid
• I am an authorized dealer and will provide you with a purchase receipt for peace-of-mind returns allowed within 30 days if the seal is not broken.
Commodity buyers seek no-nonsense sellers and competitive terms. It is very challenging to compete in the sale of basic, undifferentiated, commodity items. While service and support is always crucial, the commodity customer makes purchase decisions based on price. Market leaders are generally the best on cost in this field—the most efficient, low-price sellers win the day here.
Necessity buyers are practically twins with commodity customers. The difference is that they’re filling a need. While all of the other types of customers are probably good with waiting until they win an auction, necessity buyers prefer fixed-price listings that can be had today. They have no time or patience for extra words or auctions. Tell them how large or small, the color, and the condition. Keep it direct and simple: The make and model number. They know all the brands, and while they are open to buying what they need in a compatible product, brand names rule and generally are the keywords being searched. They need that printer ink this second, the truck tire now, and that showerhead yesterday.
Here is an example of a necessity item and a description that would appeal to its buyers:
Title: New 15-Count Gillette Mach3 Base Cartridges
Description: If you’re new to the Mach3, it is Gillette’s tried-and-true triple-blade technology for a super-close shave and no bumps or redness.
• Three high-definition blades for glide and comfort
• Flexible comfort guard with five-micro fins
• Lubricating indicator strip tells you when it’s time for a replacement
• I ship to the U.S. only
• All product is fresh, sealed, and completely genuine
• There are 15 razor cartridges in this listing, all sold together for one price
• Free 1.5 oz Gillette series sensitive shaving gel
• No returns on personal care products
Have you ever paid too much for a product (such as batteries) because you simply had to have it immediately? A necessity buyer is looking for speedy shipping and a reputable seller. There’s no margin for error. Everything must align perfectly with what they require.
As with all writing, practice makes perfect, and over time, you’ll discover your writing “voice.” It’s in there, just let it out. Start typing. There’s no right way to do what you love. Here are some of my recommendations when describing your items:
▶ Place the most important details first and cover them right away
▶ Talk about condition again—particularly crucial if the eBay category you’re using does not require a condition to be mentioned
▶ Provide dimensions in inches—feel free to also include metric (just for fun, type “convert one inch to centimeters” directly into a Google search box and see what comes up)
▶ Provide sizes for rings, clothing, shoes, and anything with a size aspect
▶ Include the brand name again in the description for clarity
▶ Provide the make and model when appropriate
▶ Identify materials (e.g., is it genuine leather or faux leather?)
▶ Explain the color even if it’s clear from your photos
▶ Mention any flaws
▶ Cover provenance and age
▶ Point out the features
▶ State the country of manufacture when known
▶ Talk about what will be included and what won’t (a lost power cord may not hurt you that badly since they are usually cheap to buy on eBay, so mention it)
▶ Talk about international shipping
▶ Leave out irrelevant information
▶ Be completely truthful but never negative
▶ Discuss returns options if you allow them
▶ Don’t include links or email addresses—unless the link merely points to a product manual or a non-commercial web page with specifications about the item
▶ Give yourself limits—while eBay may not limit the length of your description, you certainly should keep things brief, relevant, and to-the-point
▶ Provide a backstory for collectible items where possible, but not fiction, and mention certificates of authenticity because they might just seal the deal
tip
While a Pulitzer may not be in your immediate future, write comfortably and be faithful to your own voice. Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and consider what you’d deem important when making the same purchase. Put that in your listing, and packages will be flying out the door in no time.
At this point in your eBay listing journey, you’ll be faced with a couple of key decisions. As you may recall, the topics in this chapter flow in a particular sequence to mirror the data fields you’ll be faced with when adding your listing. Now is the time to select your format and set your item pricing. You recall we discussed selling formats in-depth within Chapter 1. Let’s examine some scenarios and decide which format to use: the “when” and “why” of eBay selling formats. I’ll mention my preferred selling format and suggested fixed- or starting-price strategy for each of the listing examples I provided earlier in this chapter.
Hermes Birkin 40cm Clemence Vert Leather Palladium Hardware “O” Stamp Bag Purse
This purse has a value that’s well-known; however, there is still an opportunity for the price to climb. Inventory is limited, and the brand is elite. My recommendations are:
▶ Format: auction-style.
▶ Starting price: very close to the fair market value, protecting your investment while leaving an opportunity for the price to increase.
▶ Duration: either seven or ten days.
▶ Shipping: make it free since the shipping is trivial as compared to the value of the item, and it will be discoverable when buyers look for free shipping listings
▶ If your listing is not successful, try relisting it one more time using the same starting price.
▶ If two auction-style listings don’t result in a sale, try converting to a fixed-price listing with the Make Offer feature enabled to allow buyers to haggle with you on the price.
New Patek Philippe Men’s Watch Model 3940P Platinum Perpetual Calendar
▶ Format: auction-style.
▶ Starting price: very close to the fair market value.
▶ Duration: either seven or ten days.
▶ Shipping: make it free.
▶ If your listing is not successful, try relisting it one more time using the same starting price.
▶ If two auction-style listings don’t result in a sale, try converting to a fixed-price listing with the make offer feature enabled to allow buyers to haggle with you on the price.
Antique ABP American Brilliant Period Stoppered Cut Glass Cruet
▶ Format: auction-style.
▶ Starting price: very close to the fair market value. However, for antique glass, fair market value is merely an opinion, and the starting price depends on condition, the pattern of the piece, the current buyer tastes in the marketplace, and many unknown factors—be careful and conservative. After all, there should be no hurry selling it. Start high, and work your way down if needed.
▶ Duration: either seven or ten days.
▶ Shipping: charge actual shipping. Antique buyers are a different breed and realize you have to jack up prices to offer free shipping anyway.
▶ If your listing is not successful, try relisting it one more time using the same starting price.
▶ If two auction-style listings don’t result in a sale, try converting to a fixed-price listing with the make offer features enabled to allow buyers to haggle with you on the price.
Antique items are hard to value and can sit for months or years before the right buyer comes along. Don’t let your valuable antique walk off for a song. Be patient, and the right buyer will come along and pay a fair price.
New Basics Polaroid Z340 Instant Digital Color Camera with ZINK
▶ Format: fixed price with the make offer feature enabled, and it’s OK to list multiples within the same listing.
▶ Price: fair market value and not the lowest price from your research.
▶ Duration: Good ’til Canceled.
▶ Shipping: start off charging shipping, and if it doesn’t move out in a month or so, change it to free shipping.
▶ Continue to check market pricing every month and adjust the fixed price to match your research.
When selling new and widely available goods, be mindful of price. Being overly comfortable about your decisions can result in losing money on your investment if you are purchasing wholesale to resell on eBay. Prices on commodity goods can fall very quickly. Margins on these items are small, but if you sell quickly, any profit is better than a loss. Mark your calendar to remind yourself to review for marking down prices.
New 15-Count Gillette Mach3 Base Cartridges
▶ Format: fixed price, no need to enable make offer. If the buyer needs it, they need it. It’s OK to add multiple items to the listing.
▶ Price: fair market value and not the lowest price from your research.
▶ Duration: Good ’til Canceled.
▶ Shipping: start off charging shipping, and if it doesn’t move out in a month or so, change it to free shipping.
▶ Continue to check market pricing every month and adjust the fixed price to match your research.
Let’s address some other eBay listing formats, particularly eBay Motors vehicles listings and classified ads. eBay Motors parts listings are constructed in the same way as the rest of eBay and should be priced in a similar way as I recommended earlier. However, selling vehicles is different. eBay Motors vehicle listings cover cars, trucks, motorcycles, powersports vehicles, boats, planes, and other vehicles and trailers. Here are some pricing tips:
▶ Start all collectible, rare, and vintage vehicles and parts as auction-style, and set the starting price squarely at fair market value. This allows a rise but inoculates you from disappointing low-bid results.
▶ List late-model vehicles and parts at fair market price using fixed-price listings with the make offer feature enabled to allow a little haggling.
▶ Turn off the make offer feature on brand new vehicles and parts. If no sale occurs, you can add that in later, allowing new vehicles to benefit from market buzz and the newness factor to sell it for you.
tip
I recommend launching “new-to-eBay” merchandise at least twice in the auction-style format before either moving it to the fixed price format or dropping the starting price. Remember that eBay has nearly two hundred million active buyers. Like any retail shop, you sometimes have to wait until the right customer walks by (or browses virtually by in this case).
If you discover a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO in your uncle’s barn, you’d best hightail it to Sotheby’s and let them handle the sale. The last one they sold fetched $48.4 million. eBay is an otherwise fantastic venue for valuable vehicles—not so much for junkers and derelict low-value wrecks.
Remember in Chapter 5, I essentially discouraged you from using eBay classified ads? I discouraged you for the simple reason that there are ways to post classified ads in your local area for free, such as Nextdoor, Craigslist, and so many others. When you use eBay Classifieds, the deal is done off-eBay, and you’ll be responsible for your own safe trading, handling money, and avoiding scams and charlatans. An employee at my company had her funds stolen by a grifter in a fake rental ad scam. For off-eBay deals, work with cash or irrevocable money transfers such as PayPal personal transfer. When paying with PayPal using the item or service payment option, the buyer can later dispute and reverse the charge, which is not possible with the “sending to a friend” feature. As far as pricing your classified ad, you can always drop your price if needed. However, it is much more difficult when you raise prices. People use eBay’s watch feature to monitor eBay listings, and eBay alerts them to price changes on the items they’re watching.
I’ve spent a lot of time on formats and pricing because it’s important. This is your money, and I do not want you to lose any of your money. I want you to make more money.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any magic beans that will assist you with growing your eBay garden. eBay is so global now there’s little we can predict about market fluctuations, and no book can provide indelible advice about listing duration and the best time to end your eBay listing. The size of the eBay audience has exploded. This is good for you and me, to say the least; however, the old rules are dead. There are buyers in every time zone. If you offer cross-border shipping, and you should, then the listing end date and time is less relevant today than in years past. Time zones aren’t the only things that make listing duration somewhat of a nonissue.
There is also the role of the savvy shopper who knows how to get their bid in automatically at the last minute to assure a win. The smart eBayer uses non-eBay tools to snipe and win auctions at the last second. These fabulous robotic bidding tools automatically place bids for you at the very last possible moment before the auction ends, as little as a few seconds before the bids are over. This gives other bidders literally no time to react to your bid. The sniping program I’ve been using since 2001 is AuctionStealer.
For the moment, stick to seven-day auction-style listings and Good ’til Cancelled fixed-price listings. Play with durations when you get bored and need something to do. I so rarely use shorter durations than seven-day listings. The ten-day auction-style format would make sense for the sale of something spectacular; however, I rarely use the duration.
I remain endlessly amused by the nature of people’s relationship with money. If I see a good price for something I want, I buy it. I never argue or haggle. If I consider the price too high, I pass on it. There are many people who haggle and argue even the most reasonable price for something they want. I find that sort of negotiating unfair to the merchant. It is one of the reasons eBay’s Make Offer feature is so wonderful. An eBay seller can engage in a meaningful negotiation with a potential buyer while silently turning down any offers that don’t rise to a level high enough for you to be bothered to receive notification of the lowball offer.
The Best Offer checkbox will be visible on the eBay listing form. It’s pretty easy to miss, and you should become very familiar with it. Enabling the best offer option places a Make Offer button on your listing. That’s all well and good, but you don’t want your time wasted with ridiculous offers. The best offer feature is configurable so you can set a lower limit, which allows eBay to silently reject the offer. How convenient. It’s a white knight against indecent proposals. No more annoying emails with 1 cent offers on your Tiffany and Company Schlumberger peridot and ruby brooch. This feature also permits you to set the upper limit price at which eBay will automatically accept the eBayer’s offer.
Listing scheduling is free if you don’t subscribe to an eBay store and is a nifty feature on the eBay listing form that enables you to schedule the precise start (and end) date and time of your eBay listing. That’s super handy. When you prepare and launch a scheduled listing, it is sent into an inactive pending state until the start time passes, at which time the listing launches. A scheduled eBay launch is not quite as exciting as watching a SpaceX lift off the platform, but the feature is certainly helpful in a number of ways. While eBay is really global, most of your customers will be in the U.S., and scheduling your listing on high-traffic days is smart. Try ending your listings on various dates and times to see what works for you. While not a hard-and-fast rule, I generally end auction-style listings between the hours of noon and bedtime EST on Sundays.
If you simply can’t wait until Sunday, you could also stagger the ending time of your auctions so that customers can bid on multiple items. Bidders love to snipe bids, so staggering your end times by a few minutes gives them time to bid on multiple items ending the same day.
Your scheduled listings are visible only to you until the start time passes. You aren’t charged an insertion fee if you cancel the scheduled listing before it goes live. Before you drive yourself crazy sweating bullets over the decision to schedule or not to schedule your listing, let me say a few final words: I am all about the data. I spent time looking at the closing price of popular consumer products on eBay. In earnest, I could not find any evidence to suggest that final auction prices were better when an item ended on any particular day. In fact, I simply scratched my head after conducting the research and have nothing valuable to share from the exercise except that there seems to be no good answer or pattern to follow. Experiment and do what works best for you.
Sunday has been widely held to be the best day to end an auction. Arguments include this being the day of the week someone is going to be at home in front of their computer. Avoid ending your listings on holidays and review my other views on scheduled listings in Chapter 1 when you sit down to make listings.
You’ll occasionally come across an eBay listing where the bidders’ identities are hidden, and this is known as a private listing. Private listings have been around a long time and allow sellers a free way to prevent prying eyes from peeking at the identities of their customers. In the Wild West days of eBay, you could see the complete user ID of any eBay bidder on a listing. Not anymore. You can see a partially-concealed eBay ID, which when clicked allows you to view the bidder’s feedback and 30-day bid history. Select sellers prefer not to allow even that much data in the hands of competitors and tick the checkbox to make their eBay listing private. I discussed private listings in Chapter 1 and alluded to the fact that you could simply make all your eBay listings private. I see no issue with that. Since bids are hidden, the private listing feature makes it impossible for the public to link a specific eBay listing to a specific eBayer. Here are a few things to know about private listings:
▶ The option should be used when sensitive goods are involved, such as products in the adult or medical categories.
▶ Use the feature for gift-giving season or if you’re selling goods that are likely to be given as gifts (gifts need to be a surprise, right?).
▶ You can use it when selling to other eBayers or online merchants who would be much happier if their curious customers didn’t know how much they paid for something they’re reselling.
▶ While eBay IDs are not displayed, the feedback comments members leave for each other on private listings is public—be careful what you say when leaving feedback so that you’re not revealing what was purchased.
It’s not unusual for a spouse or family member to peruse a loved one’s eBay account to see what they’re buying. A private listing would maintain the secret! Sellers of wholesale and sensitive merchandise should always add privacy to their listings to encourage more business from customers who value that privacy.
At this point on the eBay listing form, you’ll happen upon a feature that permits you to become an instant hero. Tax-exempt organizations that are formally recognized by the Internal Revenue Service may register with PayPal Giving Fund, which places them on the eBay for Charity registry. You may assign 10 percent to 100 percent of your successful eBay sale to the eBay-approved nonprofit of your choice. This is a wonderful benefit to the organizations that receive these funds, and it’s a simple way to help your favorite organizations fundraise. Don’t see your local civic group on the list? Your Girl Scout troop is missing? Encourage them to register so that you can donate at will and give them the financial leg up they need.
Any eBayer can donate through eBay for Charity; however, if your eBay account is used solely for fundraising on behalf of an eBay for Charity-listed organization, you can associate your eBay user ID with that specific nonprofit. All sales associated with a direct selling eBay for Charity account will be considered direct sales of the nonprofit, bypassing the need for those funds to be routed through PayPal Giving Fund for disbursement. Community sellers can give as little as 10 percent (1 percent for eBay Motors vehicle listings). You can’t list eBay for Charity items in the Adult Only or Real Estate categories.
There’s more great news when using eBay for Charity. Sellers are charged the same insertion and final value fees for eBay for Charity listings; however, you’ll receive a fee credit for the insertion fee and final value fee that is prorated to the percentage you agreed to donate. Donate 50 percent and receive a 50 percent credit back on the combined insertion fee and final value fee. You’ll still pay for upgrades and PayPal fees.
You’ll have to let eBay know what forms of payment you accept for your item. You’ll want to register for a PayPal account and allow eBayers to make purchases using PayPal. It’s as simple as checking the PayPal box and entering your PayPal registered email address. PayPal allows customers to purchase from you using a PayPal balance or any major credit card. Buyers don’t have to register for PayPal to pay you through PayPal, though. They can simply enter their card information and check out. If they have a PayPal account, eBay will remember their PayPal details to facilitate rapid checkout.
You aren’t required to accept PayPal on eBay. You can inform buyers that they will need to complete their payment offline. You’ll have a space to explain your payment requirements. Unless you sell vehicles or other items for pickup only, or perhaps high-end merchandise like antiques, you’ll need to offer PayPal as your method of payment. That’s what customers are used to, and that’s what they prefer on eBay. If you stubbornly insist on trying to go against convention, hand this book to a friend and give up on eBay selling. It won’t work for you. Heinrich in Hamburg isn’t going to fly in to pick up his winnings, and Heinrich is going to insist on payment with PayPal, or he’ll pass on your sweet deal.
Few payment methods will elevate buyer confidence as well as PayPal. Always put yourself in the shoes of your customer when selecting payment methods for your listing. Convenience, proof of payment, traceability, security, and chargeback protection are all important to eBayers. Scan the QR code in Figure 6–4 to view eBay’s Accepted Payments Policy.
FIGURE 6–4: eBay’s Accepted Payments Policy
When you’re selling on eBay, you are solely responsible for compliance with tax laws. Based on tax laws in effect, sales taxes are calculated, collected, and paid directly by eBay to many states. Some states have not mandated this practice yet, and if you’re in one of these jurisdictions, you’ll need to check what’s required. If you are expected to charge and collect sales tax, this is the point at which you’d let eBay know the percentage to charge the buyer. You are then responsible for forwarding these sales taxes to the government within the time frame they require.
I started my company in 1988, way before eBay was born. I learned long ago that virtually every government agency is very helpful in explaining to you how you can pay them. Your best source of advice regarding taxes is the tax agency themselves. Give them a call or visit their nearest office for help staying in compliance. Large companies can afford to hire big-time tax attorneys. If you’re just getting started, ring up the tax expert nearest you about staying compliant.
USPS offers tracking service on virtually everything, and parcels usually arrive in good shape. While loss or damage is rare, any insurance claim is paid quickly. FedEx offers low-cost and reliable ground service at prices even lower than UPS. eBay customers appreciate low-cost, fast shipping.
eBay has partnered with USPS and FedEx to offer an excellent variety of choices for shipping. You can always ship with whoever you want and there are other carriers, such as DHL and UPS. Timely upload of tracking information is a requirement for staying in good graces with eBay. The tracking must show delivery within the time frame specified on the eBay listing, which eBay calculates based on the method of shipping you select.
You can offer up to four domestic and four international shipping options. Be warned—if you don’t offer cross-border trading, you will be leaving money on the table for most shippable items.
In 2019, 71 percent of my eBay sales were from U.S. customers and 29 percent were international. The percentage of international business has been rising over the years. Are you convinced?
Here are my basic recommendations for domestic shipping options (we’ll dig more deeply into the intricacies of shipping in Chapter 9):
▶ Offer local pick-up only when the item is so heavy and shipping is cost-prohibitive that no one would want it shipped.
▶ Ship items one pound and under using USPS First Class Package—it’s low-cost, has tracking, and allows insurance (one to three business days for delivery).
▶ Send items four pounds or less that are dimensionally small using USPS Priority Mail (one to three business days), and if an item is light and bulky, you’ll need to check which carrier offers better rates for that item.
▶ Use FedEx Ground or FedEx Home Delivery for items more than 4 pounds (one to five business days).
▶ Send very heavy items by truck—check with https://www.freightquote.com/ to compare rates from multiple carriers as well as their promised delivery speed.
▶ Anything with a very high value should be sent fully insured.
▶ Low-value items do not require insurance—use your own judgment by asking yourself if you can afford to refund the money and eat the loss.
If you need to provide international shipping, take note of these tips:
▶ Offer worldwide shipping with the understanding that some countries have more reliable postal systems than others (P.S. buy insurance).
▶ For all low-value, cross-border shipments four pounds or less, use First Class Package International Service (delivery speed varies greatly by country).
▶ For shipments more than four pounds, use Priority Mail International (six to ten days).
▶ Buy insurance for cross-border shipments unless you self-insure and can accept a percentage of lost or stolen parcels.
▶ Ship Priority Mail Express International if delivery must occur faster.
▶ For very heavy shipments, consult FedEx or UPS for assistance before offering to sell it on eBay.
tip
First Class Package service is limited to mail up to 13 ounces except when buying your shipping label from a USPS preferred partner such as eBay, in which case you can send items weighing up to 15.9 ounces. This is a great benefit of using eBay shipping.
Virtually all of the parcels leaving my company are handled by USPS. An occasional big box has to be sent via FedEx Ground or FedEx Home Delivery because it’s cheaper that way. By weight, most carriers are competitive on rates. Dimensional weight, aka volumetric weight or DIM weight, is a pricing technique for commercial freight transport (including courier and postal services), which uses an estimated weight that is calculated from the length, width, and height of a package. When adding your listing, you’ll need to consider the box size before proceeding, or you may feel the sting of an additional bill from eBay when the carrier calculates and charges for dimensional weight.
eBay’s Global Shipping Program
While shipping cross-border has become quite simplified, many eBayers still retain fears relating to the additional paperwork and potential complications that arise from shipping internationally. Remember that nearly one in three of my boxes are going to another country. If you have reservations about shipping internationally on your own time and dime (see my tips above), eBay has you covered. The Global Shipping Program provides a concierge service. You ship the box to a U.S. address, and eBay takes the remainder of the responsibility from that point forward. They manage the international shipping and customs process entirely for you. To have eBay manage this for you, simply enable the Global Shipping Program checkbox at the time you list. Here are some program benefits:
▶ All eBay Money Back Guarantee issues will be closed in your favor if an item is lost, broken, or stolen during shipment.
▶ You’ll never suffer a seller performance hit for lost, broken, or stolen items.
▶ When you offer free domestic shipping to the eBay Global Shipping Program facility, you automatically receive 5 stars for shipping costs on the detailed seller rating.
▶ Your detailed seller rating will be 5 stars for shipping time if you send the item the same business day or one business day later, add the tracking number within one day of payment, and the package arrives at eBay’s facility within four business days.
▶ You’ll receive real-time email updates at every point along the way, from the time eBay receives the merchandise until the day it’s delivered to the customer.
I think eBay’s Global Shipping Program is great. I think dry cleaners are great, too. Valet parking is also wonderful. There’s definitely an audience for concierge-level services. I rarely use dry cleaners; I almost never valet park my car, and I never use the eBay Global Shipping Program. Why? Because everything they can do, I can do. The paperwork needed for a cross-border shipment is very minimal, and I can fill it out on eBay’s shipping label form in a few seconds. The most compelling reason not to use the Global Shipping Program is the cost. There are two costs: additional fees eBay charges to the buyer because the seller used the Global Shipping Program—the buyer, not the seller, pays the fees; then, there are lost sales on low-dollar-value items because a potential buyer looks at the estimated cost of shipping plus eBay’s Global Shipping Program fees and decides not to complete the purchase (I’m not guessing—they message me and say so).
If you choose to use eBay’s Global Shipping Program, be aware of the costs and implications. Depending on your type of business, this could make or break you. Figure 6–5 is another QR code that you can scan for more information on the program.
FIGURE 6–5: eBay’s Global Shipping Program
In Chapter 3, you’ll recall the toolbox essentials you’ll need to keep your eBay enterprise alive. In my list, I included: packing supplies, a postal-compliant shipping scale, and a $1 tailor’s tape measure. Without actually boxing up your item, place the box you’ll use to send it plus the item on the scale. Be sure to tare the scale (set it to zero) at the start of every workday. You’re seeking the estimate of packed weight. Bubble wrap, tissue, a label, and tape will add a teensy-weensy bit of additional mass, but not enough to make much of a difference. Jot down the weight.
Grab the tailor’s tape and measure the length, depth, and height of the box. There’s no need to assemble it, you can simply measure it flat ensuring you’re placing the tape on the correct edges for each measurement. Now enter the weight and dimensions into the eBay listing form. This data will be used to quote actual shipping costs to potential customers. The shipping methods can be changed by revising your listing; however, the weight and dimensions should never change. After the sale, eBay allows you to pay for and print a shipping label using the USPS or FedEx option(s) you selected earlier. If you ship with UPS, DHL, or any other carrier, eBay can quote the rate, but you’ll need to print the label some other way and manually enter the tracking information into the eBay system to stay compliant.
You’ll now come across a listing form option that allows you to exclude the regions or countries you won’t ship to. When you run into just one too many lost or delayed parcels to a particular country, you can boycott sending to that location. You can even ban an entire continent. Wow, this is some serious international intrigue! If all your shipments are sent via FedEx, you can ban post office boxes. This tool is highly flexible and can be configured perlisting. You generally want as many potential buyers as possible; however, some products simply cannot be shipped to certain countries. Maybe civil unrest is disrupting shipments; military mail is taking longer than you’d like, or freight to Alaska is cost-prohibitive on your free-shipping listings. There is an endless number of possibilities, and here you can adapt to the needs of your business as situations change.
The item location field is usually a one-and-done sort of thing. You enter your zip code, and away you go. It changes when you move. You’ll love the sameness of this field. But what happens when Aunt Marie in Massapequa learns how to iMessage pictures to you, and in her excitement, she realizes that you’re an eBay guru, and she wants to spend more e-time with you? Now you’re listing her Fenton glass collection on eBay, and because Aunt Marie is a stickler for packing carefully, you’re simply thrilled when she offers to ship everything herself. The only thing is, you’re all the way in Houston. Be sure for her listings you enter her zip code and city in the item location fields. This ensures accurate shipping cost calculation and shipping lead time. A misstep here, and you’ll find yourself flagged for an eBay defect when the shipment arrives past the estimated delivery date. Worse yet, you’ll lose money on shipping because what you collected falls short of what you paid the carrier. When product sourcing and drop-shipping, enter the distribution center city and postal code for your wholesale supplier into the location field when listing the item.
I was joking about shattered Ming vases in Chapter 3, and now I’d like to share the sobering reality with you about Ming vases: They are rare. Real ones are very rare. When you sell your Ming, it’ll be a gorgeous unicorn in the forest; breathing will stop, and every living thing will start to stare. It’s hard to get lost on eBay with super rare objects. That listing will be viewed, shared, and re-shared. Bidders will watch the listing, and that Ming vase will be a celebrity.
If you aren’t fortunate enough to be selling rarities, you may want to dig into your profit margin to buy VIP placement on eBay. Any eBayer in good standing can use the eBay Promoted Listings option to pay for improved discoverability. You’re only billed the additional cost of a promoted listing if the buyer clicks on the listing and purchases it within 30 days. You set a percentage of the item selling price for the placement fee. eBay recommends a percentage based on machine learning and artificial intelligence so that you’re paying just the right amount—not too much and not too little. You even get analytics to let you know how the listing is performing. If you have a high margin or lots of inventory for the same item in a multiple-item listing, you’ll want to take advantage of this feature. I use it and love it.
Volume Discounts, aka Bulk Pricing
If you have a warehouse full of what you’re selling, why not offer a little volume pricing? The last customizable aspect of your listing is volume discounts. You can offer three levels of discounts and extend a 1 percent to 80 percent price reduction for those discounts based on multiple items added to the cart by your customer during the same transaction.
If what you sell is readily replenished, offer your most generous discount. The more you sell, the better your buyer power will become with your wholesale supplier. If you’re selling 100 rare old beer trays you found in Oma Marie’s barn, you’ll want to skip the volume discounts.
At this point in the listing form, you’ll be able to view the eBay insertion fees and list the item, preview the listing (recommended for eBay newbies), then save the listing as a draft or cancel.
Congratulations! You’ve just walked through the process of preparing and launching an eBay listing. If this all seems daunting, hang in there. The great news is that many of the fields on this form remember your previously entered values so that you don’t have to keep re-keying the information. As you list more, you’ll become more confident in what you’re doing and more proficient in adding new items. You are on your way to becoming an eBay mogul!
I’d like to encourage you to re-read Chapters 5 and 6. They are meaty chapters and contain considerable knowledge that will reap you substantial profits when the principles are applied. Hopefully, you’re really excited about the prospect of making a ton of money selling on eBay, and you’re already scheming up a list of things to photograph today. I hope so. In the next chapter, I’ll cover the management of your eBay listings.