So You Want to Sell Stuff on eBay…

September 2008

Most of us have plenty of items around the house that we’d like to sell on eBay. Items we know we won’t use again, but are too valuable to give away or throw away. And we know there’s someone out there looking for “it” and we just need to find that person. I’ve been selling on eBay for nine years. Today, the process is friendly, quick, and efficient.

For each item you’d like to sell, you need to write a description, come up with an tantalizing title, and upload a photo. This takes time and organization. Ebay offers a free software program called Turbo Lister that helps save time when creating auctions. To download the program, click Site Map on eBay’s main page, then Turbo Lister. The program allows you to create an auction template, and then duplicate it each time you want to list a new item. That way, you don’t have to retype lots of info; just change the title, description, and price for each new auction. Also, Turbo Lister stores every auction you write, so if you want to re-list an unsold item at a later time, your work is already done. Turbo Lister also has pre-filled information for most books, movies, and CDs. You simply enter the UPC or ISBN and write a line or two about the condition of your item.

Getting paid has been simplified over the years. Most buyers use Paypal to pay for auction purchases. Once you start making sales, you can dump money from Paypal into your bank account whenever you want. Paypal offers seller protection as long as you mail the item with a tracking number to a verified address.

So, go take a picture of the item you want to sell. Upload the picture to your computer and crop the image so it’s about postcard size. Then go to eBay to create an account. Download Turbo Lister, and then click New to create a new item. Fill in the form with a title and description, and enter the selling price. Estimate a shipping charge. The usps.com website can help here. Shipping rates are given for any entered weight. Next, save your listing and then click Add to Upload. Finally, go to the upload page and click Upload All. Your auction will now be posted on eBay. You can find all your active auctions on eBay by clicking My eBay.

My explanation here is only an outline to help you get started. As with any skill, there are many details you’ll learn along the way. But get started. You’ll earn cash, clear out unused items, and make buyers happy by giving them the “it” they’ve been searching for.