5 Things To Know Before You Sell Hudson Valley Treasures On eBay

Have you been thinking about selling some of your treasures online? Maybe you have been using a marketplace, or one of those fancy websites, but what do you need to know about selling on eBay?

Everything here is based on my experience, using an online store. Overall, I think that the consumer or customer has a better experience when using eBay. Is that true for every seller? Only you can decide.

What should you know about selling your treasures on eBay?

Probably the first thing to know is that not only can you do an auction style item (sale) you can also do a "good till sold" type of listing. The "good-till-sold" is a good option if you know that you want a specific price for an item. You can also make the item available to people who want to make an offer. Then you can set the item up to not accept offers below a certain amount. I have a lot of items listed like this. You can just let them sit there on sale and then the item refreshes every 30 days. When they do sell, you get an email telling you to mail it out.

What is the most important part of your eBay listing?

The most important part of the listing is the photos and the description. Photos will help the buyer see the item as it is, if there are any flaws, or issues. Remember to take the time to put that information in the listing as well. If someone asks you a question, add those questions and the answers to the listing, that info might help sell the item.

Should you include shipping fees in the sale price or charge for shipping?

That is a tough question. Most people like to see the listing price, be the price that they are charged. As a person, who wants to sell items that are usually low in price, shipping almost always costs more than the money from the sale of the item. It's a tough spot to be in, especially since your 'bottom line' involves shipping. eBay does give you a look at how much USPS, UPS, and FedEx will charge you based on the weight and the size of the package, and the prices are less than if you were to take it to a place and ship it, but still, when you realize how much it costs to ship, you might not want to sell things this way.

Should you accept returns? Who pays for return shipping if you do?

Again, this is up to you. If you take pictures and write an accurate description, then you might not need to accept returns, as you will need to compensate the buyer for the return. (Yikes).

The last thing you should know, eBay will take a portion of your sale, depending on the item, and the selling price of the item, they will take a certain percentage. So if you sell an item for $100, you loose say 13% and then you have to pay for shipping? You are going to net about $75. So is it worth it?