Posts Tagged ‘Sell Your Item form’

Dear eBay Queen:

I made a resolution last year to buy all my Christmas gifts locally OR on eBay.  I have found it very easy for me to do, and it has really saved me lots of time. I’ve bought five things so far off of eBay, and I haven’t had any problems.  My husband told me that SOMETHING bad is going to happen if I don’t know the right way to buy on there!  Here I thought I was doing it just fine!   I don’t have a whole lot of time left to buy gifts, and I have at least 10 more to buy.  Could you give me some pointers to appease my husband and help me finish my Christmas shopping?

Tina, Emporia, KS

Dear Tina:

Congratulations on the great buys!  Here are a few tips to make sure your buys are problem free on eBay!

·         Check the seller’s feedback. What kind of negative and neutral feedback have they received?  Is all the feedback saying the same thing? If so, there could be a problem.  What type of response does the seller have for these feedbacks? Does the seller’s defense sound reasonable? Sometimes new members who buy items on eBay are paranoid and they leave a negative feedback in a rush so make sure if the seller has defended themselves in a reasonable manner. If there are too many complaints of the same nature, then it is probably true.

·         Ask the seller a question before bidding on the item. I always like to ask the seller a question if I am uncomfortable with their feedback, or if they have low feedback numbers.  All good sellers will reply promptly to questions.

·         When in doubt, call them. If you are buying something expensive, you can ask for the contact information of the seller at http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQtZvbQQsofindtypeZ9.  You will have to login to your eBay account and send a request. You can get the seller’s address and phone number. In doing this, your address and phone number will also be emailed to the seller.

·         Check description of the item. Read the item description carefully.  Is there any damage? Does the color match the picture?  Is it a complete set?  Make sure your questions about the item are answered before you bid.  

·         Refund Policy.  eBay requires a seller to have refund policy.  Make sure your seller’s refund policy is in line with your comfort level for this transaction.

·         Always pay with PayPal. This will insure if you have a problem it will be resolved fairly.

Dear eBay Queen:

I haven’t sold on eBay in almost four years.   I’ve decided to start selling again. I’ve sold 2 items so far, and they went out of the country!  One went to Japan, the other item to Spain.  The good news is I have 3 items with bids and several watchers on the rest of my items!

Since returning to eBay, I seem to have a lot of questions.  I hope you can help me answer them.

·         When do you find the best day to end is?  What about the best time to end them?

·         I can’t seem to find a way to add insurance after the sale. I’ve looked everywhere on eBay, and I even sent a question in.  I haven’t received an answer.

·         I’ve always used the SYI or Sell Your Item Form. Is there a more simple way to list items quickly? 

 Thank you for your help. 

 Christina, Topeka, KS

Dear Christina:

Welcome back to eBay, and congratulations on the sales!  eBay has made lots of changes over the last three years.  One of the best places to read about these changes is on eBay.  Check out the eBay announcement board,  http://announcements.ebay.com/.  There you will find he current announcements and in the archives all of the stuff that happened while you were away.

·         I personally like to end my items on Sunday in the evening or Monday in the afternoon.  I know that many times it depends on what you sell.  I have a friend that sells vintage clothing and she likes to end her items on Friday night.  Terrapeak (http://www.terrapeak.com ) has a tool that will help you pick the best day to end an item based on it’s category.

·         eBay no longer allows a seller to charge insurance.  The best way to handle this is to build it into the price of the item. 

·         The Sell Your Item form is a great way to list.  If you are looking for something that is more automated, you might want to look into TurboLister, or Blackthorne Basic.

Welcome back to eBay!

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 220700684710 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page): Sometimes you think you’ve seen it all, then you visit eBay. Check out the Danbury Mint Poodle Dog Christmas Tree SOLD $1,027.00 http://cgi.ebay.com/Danbury-Mint-Poodle-Christmas-Tree-/130458904360  

Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com