Selling on eBay

Introduction

This page is designed to show you how or your charity you can make money selling things on eBay. The page is written to be suitable for every-one, so it may include advice and information which is not appropriate for your organisation or your situation.

That said, we hope then you or the people in your organisation find it of benefit - especially if you are thinking about using eBay to sell goods or merchandise for your charity or animal welfare group or organisation.

Who knows, you might even have a bit of fun selling all that old "stuff" from the attic; and then donating the proceeds to your local favourite good cause!

Who is actually Selling?

You need to decide is who is actually selling the goods, and you need to be very careful that you describe the seller properly.

If your charity is actually trading on eBay, then you will need to state the legally-correct name (such as the actual name of the charity or any trading company which is part of the charity). You should also get your charity listed in eBay's special charities section too.

If a legally appointed officer of the charity is selling the goods, they need to make it clear that they are selling goods in their legal capacity for and on behalf of the charity. Your description might then include wording such as "I am selling these goods in my capacity as Chairperson of LandChester Badger Group. The goods are being sold for and on behalf of the charity; and any surpluses will be paid to the charity.  For more details please contact, LandChester Badger Group on Telephone 01234 - 567 890".

If you are selling goods in some voluntary capacity, you will need to make clear the mechanism by which you are associated with the charity. For example, "I am selling these goods in my capacity as the Administrative Officer of LandChester Badger Group. I am selling these goods on behalf of the LandChester Badger Group, with their full knowledge and permission. For more details please contact, LandChester Badger Group on Telephone 01234 - 567 890."

In doing this you are making it clear to people the extent to which the charity is directly involved.

Getting Set Up on eBay

The first thing you need to do is to Register with eBay. This means that you provide eBay with your name, address and email address, and they verify that you are a real person at a real address. Note that eBay keep your details totally confidential, unless you agree to them releasing them to another person (such as the person who you are selling to or buying from).

You will also need to create an "eBay User ID". This is a shorthand term by which people on eBay will know who you are. 

Some people have unusual User IDs (such as "Meerkat69"). 

Other people try and get some variation of their name (such as "JohnSmith49735").

If you are selling things for an organisation, you should try and get a User ID which reflects the name of that organisation too (for example "LandChesterBadgers"). It is possible to change your User ID at a later date, but for about a month or so eBay show a special icon to show that you have changed your name.

eBay will then send you an email message which you need to reply to, to confirm that you are the person you say you are.

Set up a Sellers Account

Once you have decided on the proper form of words, you will need to set up a "Sellers" account at eBay. This is very simple too.

As well as confirming the name and address you have when you first registered, you also need to provide details such as Bank Details and so on. These are needed so that eBay can make any payments direct to your bank account (if that's what you want). 

Note that your bank details are not supplied to people who buy from you (unless you provide them with the details yourself).

You can also allow people to make payments by using a Credit Card. This is very simple to arrange too, as PayPal (part of the eBay organisation) deal with ALL the confidential and secure stuff. You do not need to go to the trouble of setting up complicated contracts with high-street banks; as PayPal sort it all out very cheaply indeed.

We would recommend that you DO allow people to make payments by Credit Card; as this allows people to do easy things (like Buy-It-Now) and pay straight away. For a proportion of people, payment by cheque through the post is a pain; so they will always opt for the credit card option first.

Note that your credit card details are not supplied to people who you buy from you (unless you provide them with the details yourself). If you buy on a credit card, you pay the money direct to PayPal (part of eBay). PayPal then make a separate payment to the seller. In this way the seller, can not get the buyers credit card details.

Deciding What to Sell

If you already do your own charity merchandising, then this may well be a great way to start.

Selling packs of Christmas cards, greetings cards, Calendars, bookmarks, notepads would be easy to start with; as they are cheap and easy to post.

You might also be able to sell special "Donation Packs", with a mixed "lucky-bag" of merchandise in exchange for a decent donation to the charity

If you wanted to target new members who live and breathe on the internet, you could even sell an "Annual Membership pack"!

Also, you could also have an "Appeal" for members to donate top-quality ornaments, books and other valuable items for sale. If a local school are learning about "Business", this might be a useful way in which to get children involved writing descriptions for donated items, and helping them to get pictures ready for the eBay sales.

For some examples of items which have been sold on eBay, please see the Examples page.

Summary of How to Sell on eBay

1.	Register on eBay.co.uk
	Registering on eBay is easy and free - use the link at the top of this page to access the eBay web site.
2.	Fill out the Sell Your Item form. Here are some of the sections you'll find:
		Choose a Selling Format
		You can choose to run a traditional auction (where multiple bidders keep bidding to increase the price over the space of a few days), or you can do a Buy-It-Now (i.e. a fixed price to buy the item immediately).
		Select a Category
		Explore eBay categories to help you choose the best place to list your item. Try searching for similar items and see where they are listed. It really pays to get this right, as a lot of people look only in those few categories which interest them.
		Write a Title
		Be clear, complete, and descriptive. Your title should include words buyers would search for when looking for your item.
		Use descriptive keywords that clearly convey what you are selling.
		Include your item's brand name, artist, designer or other labels bidders will recognise.
		State exactly what your item is, even if your title repeats the category name.
		Think of words bidders might use to search for your item and include relevant terms and words.
		Bidders don't search for words like "wow" or "look" so avoid them.
		Browse similar Completed Items to see which titles drew high bids in the past.
		Item Description
		Here's your chance to really describe and promote your item.
		Be clear and complete, of course. But you can also be creative, telling the history of your item or listing uses for it.
		Remember to give dimensions and sizes and weights, brand-names and compatibility.
		If an item is past its "Best Before" date then say by how much, and how important this is.
		If items (like baby-clothes, designer-wear or toys) have been stored in a smoke-free home, then say so.
		Be honest about any defects or restrictions on use. In our experience, honestly-labelled items still sell very well, even if there are a few defects.
		Be honest too about whether the item is working or not. Things like non-working obsolete mechanical equipment are often sold as "Non-working, Fit for Spares ONLY".
		Some buyers may not have the same knowledge and experience of a product that you have. Accordingly, you may need to explain abbreviations - especially where they might cause problems.
		Remember that the potential buyer will buy the item on the basis or what you say in your description, so remember to include ALL the pertinent details.
		Add Pictures
		Show off your item with vivid pictures (it's easier if you have a small digital camera to take some pictures, although a desktop scanner can work OK too sometimes).
		Pricing and Duration
		How long do you want your auction to run?
		How many items are you selling?
		What will your starting price be?  If our experience it's usually (but not always) better to start with a low starting price to encourage multiple bidders.
		Would you like to use a reserve price or sell with Buy It Now?
		Try and make sure your auction finishes: EITHER  in the mid afternoon (so office workers can bid at the last minute), OR  in the mid-evening (so people can bid once East Enders has finished) AND avoid dates such as Bank Holidays, big sporting events and major events (Glastonbury, etc)
		Item Location
		It's as simple as saying roughly where you are - and it helps people near you find your item.  It's also vital if you want the buyer to collect the item (not recommended unless it's something truly enormous, like an AGA cooker).
		Increase Your Item's Visibility
		Explore the many promotional options that can help your item stand out from the crowd, but be aware that eBay will make extra listing charges for multiple photos, multiple categories and fancy page designs.
		Enter Payment and Postage Information
		How will you accept payment from your buyer when your auction ends?
		Where will you post your item (countries, etc) and who will pay?
		The more you fill out here now, the easier the end of your auction will be.
3.	Review and submit your listing.
		Now you'll see a preview of your listing and a summary of its details. Look this over VERY carefully. If you're satisfied and finished, submit your listing.
4.	Now your listing will begin!
		Once your item has been included in the eBay database, you will be able to see the items you are selling in the "Selling" part of your "Home" eBay page. Your "Home" page makes it very easy to see what you have bid for, what you have bought and what you have sold. We are being honest when we say that we always use this page to manage ALL our all our eBay dealings, as it far more efficient than making notes on bits of paper.
		And when your listing ends…
5.	Communicate with your buyer.
		You should contact the buyer directly using email once the listing is over to arrange postage and payment; AND to thank them for buying.
		Important: You should contact the buyer directly if you have not heard from the buyer or the buyer has not completed Checkout within 3 business days of your listing's end.
6.	Post the item to the buyer.
		Pack it up well. You don't want damage in transit to create problems for you and your buyer.
7.	Leave the buyer feedback.
		eBay's feedback system helps create a trustworthy community for everyone. Your feedback about your buyer is important information for other sellers!
		Ideally, you want to have 100% positive feedback as a seller, and buy from people who have very good levels of feedback too.

eBay (and other) Fees

Generally, eBay's fees provide very, very good value for money. Normally cheaper than adverts in the local newspaper (and with with many more readers); and a lot cheaper than traditional auction houses; we reckon that our combined eBay and PayPal fees have averaged out at about 5.5% of the value of the items we have sold.

In other words, we reckon that for every £100 worth of stuff we sell, we pay eBay/PayPal about £5.50 in fees.

Now that's a lot cheaper than renting a table at a car-boot sale!

Pricing

When selling an item, it is as well to have a good idea to know how much people are likely to pay for it. You can get a good idea, if you do an Advanced Search through eBay's database for items just like the one you are selling; but look only for "Completed Items Only".

You can then use these as a guide to set your own "Starting Price" or "Reserve Price".

Remember that setting too high a starting price will deter buyers. A perfect auction is probably one with a fairly low starting price to encourage lots of buyers to start bidding against one another.

If you really do want to set a minimum sale price, then you can set a secret Reserve. If no-one bids more than the reserve, then the item is not sold. In this way you can always be sure you don't make a loss on a valuable item.

Some sellers also make an additional charge, to buyers who pay using credit cards. To avoid ambiguity, it's better if your description says something along the lines of:

• EITHER:
  "No extra fees if you pay through PayPal"
• OR:
  "PayPal buyers, please add 30pence, plus 3% of Total"

Dispatch

Remember to say that:

• "Items will be dispatched promptly, as soon as payment is actually received. Normally, we will post items paid for on PayPal within 24 hours. Otherwise, we wait for cheques to clear before we dispatch items".

Delivery

Try to provide an accurate or estimated price for delivery within the UK. This is especially important for books, which can work out a LOT heavier than people think (and therefore more costly to post).

Be VERY clear what the delivery charges are actually for. Is it Second Class post, First Class post, Parcel Post or whatever?

Is the delivery insured by the Post Office (in case of loss or damage)?

Are you (the seller) financially liable if the item is lost or damaged in the post or it is the buyer? Always allow the buyer the chance to pay for additional Insurance from the Post Office.

If you are willing to post the item abroad, then remember to say that postage outside the UK is at EXTRA COST TO BE ADVISED. Remember too that for certain types of goods or certain countries may have import taxes or duties!

Some people like to say that "Postage Charged at Actual Cost PLUS 50pence", or whatever, as this lets the buyer know they are not being ripped off for high postage fees.

We would recommend that you include a statement such as:

• "Seller is not responsible for the item once it has been dispatched. We recommend that the buyer, buys the optional extra Insurance to cover against loss or damage in the post".

Remember too that some items are too large to be sent using the normal Post Office methods and will need to be sent by a courier service instead. It is much more expensive to send items abroad by courier; and very expensive to courier things to remote areas of the UK too (like the Scottish Highlands and Islands).

Packaging

Always try and re-use packaging such as Jiffy bags. With careful use of sticky labels, you can often re-use bubble-wrap and Jiffy bags many times over. As well as helping to reduce waste, it can also help keep your packaging costs down. Bubblewrap weighs very little and protects well, so is cheaper to post than heavier corrugated boxes.

Small Print

In the above description, we have suggested a fair bit of "Small Print" for you to place on your eBay descriptions. Whilst people will read it, it is very off-putting to put it at the top of a page, so place it at the bottom of the description - i.e. after you have sold all the benefits of the item.

Friendliness

eBay is one of the friendliest web-sites we have used. We often consider buying several items, and have always got speedy replies when we have emailed asking for more information or more photos or whatever.

If there are any problems or misunderstandings, try and solve them by email, rather than by putting up negative feedback about one another.

If you run an eBay sale to support your local badger group, remember to tell us about it!

Risks

Like with any car boot sale or auction, a small number of people will be rip-off merchants. We do not accept bids from any-one who has an eBay feedback rating of less than 10 (as this tends to exclude the small-scale idiot who gets caught after a few auctions). Likewise we do not accept PayPal payments for very high value items or where some-one has an unconfirmed address. We always cross-check some-ones address with telephone or other records before we send out a high value item to them. We always use fully insured delivery methods for high-value items - even if the buyer if daft enough not to want them delivered insured.