Beginner's Guide to Selling on eBid

The first thing you need to know about selling on eBid is, of course, "what's it going to cost me?" The answer is... less than you expect! eBid offers a range of account types, with subscriptions running for a variety of periods, from weekly to lifetime. To avoid any danger of this going out-of-date, or of me transcribing fees incorrectly, I'll link you to the appropriate pages on their help section. When you're first signing up there's a couple of things that are worth emphasising, as they do occasionally get missed. 1. Subscriptions are recurring payments, and they keep running until you holler stop! That's easy to do via your "my eBid" section, but don't forget to stop it if you do decide it's not for you. 2. Basic listing is free for seller plus, but that doesn't include the extras - these are listed with costs every time you put something up for sale, but still people miss it, so watch those extras.

So, the registration FAQ gives you all the details about different account subscriptions, starting and stopping etc and can be found here.

The table of charges for listing, extras etc, explains all the fees (and they appear again when you go through the listing process) and it can be found here.

Right, that's all the numbers you need, what else is important?

Google Shopping

One of the strong selling points of eBid is it's almost instantaneous upload of items to Google shopping. eBid says that as long as your item qualifies, it will be uploaded soon after listing, thus making it visible to a massive customer base outside eBid. "Qualifies" is generally given as "has a Buy Now price, has at least a day left to run"... but you do need to be aware that Google rules make it a little more fussy than that. Google only has a Shopping base for the US, UK and Germany. So only those eBid items are uploaded. If you're in France Update: Google Shopping has now added France, so those items should be loading now (or if not now, soon) or Australia, for example, eBid cannot upload your items to Google. Google won't take them. If your items are of an adult nature they won't be uploaded either. And Google also appears to have a selection of trigger words that cause them to refuse items, for example anything smoking-related. So if you sell collectible cigarette packs, don't expect them to show on Google Shopping.

So, now you know all that - how do you get started?

What are the steps to successful selling on eBid?

1. Register for a selling account. Use the links above to compare prices and services and make your choice carefully. My personal preference is for seller plus lifetime, since this is a one-off payment (currently on special offer) and reduces your repeat fees considerably.
2. Choose your ID with care. You can only have one, and it's going to be your "brand". There are two ways to go with this: an ID that expresses who you are - your name, or activity - such as "janesmith" or "homeknitter", for example, or one that describes what you are going to sell, such as "cheapkidsclothes" or "greatdvds". The advantage of the former over the latter, is that you can sell anything without it looking out of place, the advantage of the latter is that it reinforces your expertise in that area. The choice is yours! Pick something easily read, easily remembered, and short enough to fit on marketing materials!
3. Read the help pages, read the forums, read the instructions as you go along. eBid does not work in exactly the same way as other places, and if you assume you know everything before you start, you'll trip.
4. Try a few listings first. Even if you've done your homework, it's easy enough to misunderstand something new, and you might as well check as you go, rather than face the job of editing a few hundred dodgy listings.
5. Be patient. Things don't move as quickly on eBid as they do in the top sites, there are fewer buyers, it's less well known. That's why it's such a great deal, and that's why you have to be prepared to do some of the marketing yourself.
6. Tell people. Help spread the word. You can't just list and sit back with this one, you'll need to make sure you've done your best to get your listings "out there".
7. Read all the tips and tricks - the forums are packed with great advice, much of which has been hived off into support web sites, squidoo lenses etc.
8. Watch your "my eBid summary" so you know when bids come in, sales are made etc. Sales notices and questions should be sent to you by email, but you never know when a spam-trap or a gremlin is going to strike, so check in regularly.
9. Make it as simple as possible for people to buy from you. Set your postage rates, take all the payment methods you are comfortable with, provide all the information your buyer might need.
10. And most importantly... enjoy it.

You can start exploring eBid now from this link - you don't have to complete the registration form immediately if you don't want to, it's just there for you when you do!

Remember to include a slip of paper or leaflet in all your packages of sales made elsewhere, directing your customers to your new eBid location. If you bring them across with you, you'll make more money per sale by saving on fees.

One of eBid's unique selling points is its Buddy system. Users are automatically enrolled in a loyalty system that gains them Buddy points for certain actions: receiving positive feedback, enrolling a friend, etc. You are given a Buddy link to send to friends and customers, and if people join via that link you gain points in your Buddy account. These points can then be used to bid on Buddy Auctions. These are special auctions run by eBid itself, for which you can only use points not cash. Auctions range from stationery, through clothing, up to high-tech gadgets, printers, telescopes and all sorts. You can see the current Buddy auctions at this link.

Update: eBid's current favourite Buddy Auction item is a Kindle, they've given away several already and there's usually one listed at any time. So if you've been wanting one this could be your route in. I got mine this way and I love it.

This lens was last checked/updated by Kim Andrews (bykimbo) on 23 May 2012.