My first experience with Ebay was three years ago. I learned a valuable lesson in exactly how Ebay works in order to sell and maximize your profits. After scouring the closets and finding all of the clothes my kids had outgrown I thought this was a good way to make some piggie bank money. I think the whole idea of consigning their old clothes seemed more like a job with a small return. Also with consigning the timing was never right in terms of bringing in clothes for the right season.
As a novice I photographed multiple shots of the clothing, shoes and outerwear. After uploading the multiple pictures and finally selling my items did I learn of the Ebay commission. I quickly realized that uploading multiple pictures is not necessary depending on the item because you are charged for each additional picture uploaded(first picture is FREE). Also you are charged a fee for each item listed and then there is the Ebay percentage on the final sale price. I was totally shocked when I received my Ebay invoice calculated for all of my final items.
Kids outgrow clothes each season so I went through their clothes bin and found some of my son’s old items. This time I elected to do an auction style sale, where I start the bidding at a specific price and this is FREE! I also only uploaded one photo which is FREE. Ebay allows up to 50 auction style items for FREE! and the percentage( for up to my max on items) is lower than a normal listing.
One item I tried to list is my wedding gown, however it is still in the box preserved by the dry cleaners. It is difficult to consign a 13 year old wedding gown so I will have to remove it from the box to show each individual item preserved. Ebay is all about the visual connection for the seller. The box includes the beaded wedding gown, money pouch, gloves, veil and train. There may be a creative soul out there who can reconstruct a masterpiece. Also estimating adequate postage is important which means your auction price (anticipated) or selling price must include a fair assessment of postage. Postage is a challenge as buyers are found across the United States. It’s best to estimate high to be safe rather than sorry. In order to gain the most in profit you have to take into account postage plus your Ebay percentage.
Happy Shopping or Selling on Ebay! It took me a minute but I think I have the hang of it now!