Getting Started At eBay

For anyone new to selling on eBay, there is some nervousness about what to expect.  New sellers are often worried about negative feedback or unhappy customers, or they are afraid they will mess up somewhere in the selling process.  Knowing what to expect and how to handle it will make the process much easier.

Things to Expect

- You can expect to put in time and effort.  If you want to have a successful eBay listing, you will need to include pictures in your listings, write attention-getting titles and descriptive listings, and answer buyer questions.  If you want to have a successful eBay business, you will need to do those things for every item you list.  There's also packing and shipping time to be factored in.

- Expect criticism.  You will have unhappy buyers, regardless of what you do or sell.  At some point, you will get the angry email or snide feedback.  There will also be those who criticize your items or your listings.  Some do so, seemingly, for something to do, while others are simply trying to get you to close the auction and sell to them for a lower price.

- Expect questions.  Regardless of how thorough you think your description is, someone is going to ask a question. Even if you provide detailed shipping information and a shipping rate calculator, someone will ask how much you charge to ship to them.  You will get questions about something you have already covered in the description, and questions about something you didn't think was important enough to include.

- Expect eBay to take a percentage of your selling price. There are different fees for selling on eBay, including listing fees, picture fees, buy-it-now fees and highlighting or bold title fees.  The last fee you are charged is the final value fee, which is a percentage of the total selling price.  These fees are part of doing business on eBay and apply to everyone.

How to Handle Every Situation

Regardless of whether you are dealing with an angry buyer or a bidder who didn't bother to read the entire listing, there are certain things you should always do:

- Be accurate, honest and specific in your description.  If the item has flaws, say so and be as specific as possible.  Don't say a pair of jeans has minor wear at the knees if both knees have holes approximately 2 inches in diameter.  If you are completely truthful, you do not have to fear any buyer's threats.

- Answer all questions.  Be prompt and courteous in your reply, regardless of how trivial or idiotic the question may seem.  You have the option of displaying questions and answers in your listing, so list them.  Buyers will hesitate to purchase if you are rude, but will be encouraged to buy from someone who takes the time to answer questions.  In addition, others may have the same question, so you won't need to answer more than once.

- Factor in selling fees when calculating your profit potential.

The world of eBay is not a complex one, and selling need not be complicated.  Be honest, respectful, and prompt with every customer or potential customer.  Remember to always treat buyers the same way that you expect to be treated, and you will provide excellent customer service every time.