PREPARING YOUR ITEM FOR SALE:
1. FIND all parts, pieces, manuals, etc. to ITEM
2. CLEAN Item meticulously as if you were going to buy the ITEM
3. WEIGH the ITEM, AFTER packaging it. Over estimate weight on scale by 1-2 lbs & add an overestimated # of lbs for the packaging you will use. By over estimating you cover the price of packaging materials, time to package, and time spent shipping. Measure the item's height, width, & length in the box it will be shipped in. In some situations you may want to simply charge the buyer actual shipping, however, this can delay the transaction.
4. RESEARCH prices of ITEM on the items manufacturer's site, retail internet sites, AMAZON, HALF.com, uBID and on eBay. Make sure to check the items that HAVE SOLD on eBay or other auction you plan to list your item.
a. While researching prices on the sites above, copy & paste prices, description, features, sales pitches and ideas into a temporary NotePad on your desktop. This will be used when you write your final ITEM DESCRIPTION.
b. While on eBay, write down or print a rough idea of supply & demand
5. TAKE PICTURE of ITEM: It is crucial to take the best picture possible. Make it excellent, keeping in mind the following:
a. Make sure the Item and its features are the main focus & stand out, with accessories being the secondary focus. Make sure not to "hide" the primary Item(s) and try not to hide other accessories. Sometimes it is necessary to put more than one picture on eBay, however, there is an additional charge to do so.
b. Try different arrangements and angles, in addition to a straight-on view. Pay attention to the height of the camera also, i.e. don't be too "flat" or too "high.
c. Take several pictures while you have your item set up and arranged. It saves you time by not going back to the item a second time for pictures.
6. TRANSFER ITEM PICTURES from camera to computer using SanDisk or other device/method.
7. VIEW ITEM PICTURES
a. Delete all obviously BAD pictures
b. Create an eBay Pictures Folder, Copy and Paste a couple of the BEST pictures into that folder. Remember, your item may not sell the first time, so it is a good idea to have alternate pictures saved for possible future use.
c. While you're at it, create another NotePad entitled eBay Info, to save specific information you will use for every item you sell. Information like terms & conditions of your sale, after-the-sale email info, PayPal referral links, etc.
8. MOVE ITEM PICTURES to a photo editing program like Adobe PhotoDeluxe
In your editing program, clip any necessary background clutter, reduce the size of the picture (limiting the size to under about 700Kb if possible), touch up any obvious flaws, adjust contrast and brightness, and then save the final picture as a .jpeg or .gif with a simple, short, descriptive name in your eBay Folder created earlier.
PRIOR TO ENTERING an auction itme listing program such as Turbo Lister :
Gather the following information:
1. PRICE OF ITEM determined by your research
2. Determine ITEM SHIPPING CHARGE using the following guidelines:
a. Enter the ISHIP web site
b. Go to Calculate Postage
c. Choose the proper package size by wieght
d. Enter the going from zip code and use a going to zip code (like 04047 or 33323 if shiiping from the west coast)
e. Enter weight (determined by weighing procedures above)
f. Enter any special characteristics
g. Use the 8 day ground price calculated & add a handling charge based on difficulty to package, time to package, cost of packaging, & time to ship. These may vary from item to item and resources available to the buyer.
3. Determine ITEM PRICING STRATEGY. i.e. minimum start, reserve, etc. It is usually best start at a low price, without a reserve, to get bidders interested in your item. If initially priced too high, potential bidders may not even look at your item, even if that price is fair and less than you expect to receive.
LIST YOUR ITEM using an Auction Item Listing Program such as Turbo Lister
Following the instructions in the program, keep the following in mind:
1. Enter ITEM TITLE information, paying attention to describing the item as it will be searched for in eBay by potential bidders. REMEMBER, IF THE BIDDER CAN'T FIND YOUR ITEM, YOU WON'T SELL IT. There are also very savy shoppers out there that know the mistakes seller's make in entering titles. They find these mistakes and many times have very little competition on mis-titled items. Also, make sure the item title stands out by adjusting size of text, bold, etc.
2. Write ITEM TEXT using descriptions, features, & sales techniques to get the buyer to bid on & purchase your item Today. It is critical that your item description is accurate. Make sure the condition of your item is properly described. Remember to use what you have in the NotePad you have reduced previously.
Finally, use accurate, creative writing to "SELL IT"!
3. Upload ITEM PICTURE to the internet following the instructions in Turbo Lister. The picture size is usually 500 x 300 but can be adjusted based on previewing, size of picture, & size of picture file.
5. If not all ready done, create another NotePad entitled eBay Info, to save specific information you will use for every item you sell. Information like terms & conditions of your sale, after-the-sale email info, PayPal referral links, etc.
6. Enter ITEM TERMS & CONDITIONS using the information gathered above and info in your eBay NotePad.
7. Enter your web site url if you have one a web site
8. At any point during this process, you can preview your item as it will appear on eBay. Make corrections and adjustments as necessary.
9. Do a FINAL ITEM PREVIEW keeping in mind that items can be changed even after putting the item up for auction. See instructions on eBay if you discover a change is necessary.
10 At the bottom of preview page, select save in Non-Secure area. SAVE ITEM DESCRIPTION in Turbo Lister using EXACTLY the same Item Picture Name. Therefore, you will now have the same name in your eBay Pics Folder in your computer, the uploaded picture on the internet, & in Turbo Lister.
SET UP A PayPal ACCOUNT: You should have a way for buyers to use their credit cards and pay for their item quickly. Make sure and set up the automatic PayPal logo entry in your account so when your item goes up on eBay, the PayPal logo goes up to let bidders know you accept it.
READY FOR PUTTING YOUR ITEM UP FOR SALE ON eBay:
TIMING is usually important! For example, you want your item's auction to end at a reasonable time on the days most bidders are on the internet. A "rule-of-thumb" is to place the item up for auction on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday during the evening hours. This is only a guideline, with some items, timing is not as important.
1. Bring up your Item in Turbo Lister program that you have saved
2. Click Preview and make any final improvements
3. After final proofing and changes click Preview again
4. Go to menu options at bottom of your Item Preview and choose GO DIRECTLY TO eBay with DESCRIPTION
5. Enter all necessary eBay information, such as price, conditions of sale, etc.
6. Carefully review and verify entries and submit
7. Print the first page of your item for reference
FOR EXAMPLES, SEE THE ITEMS WE CURRENTLY HAVE UP FOR AUCTION. (If there is nothing up today, check back. Items are constantly going up and being sold on List A and List B)
FOLLOW UP:
AFTER THE SALE OR NO-SALE:
No Sale:
1. Check supply & demand for item on eBay
2. Re-evaluate your sales price
3. Re-calculate your shipping/handling/packaging charges if necessary
4. Put the item back on eBay on a Sun, Mon, or Tuesday PM within 30 days at no charge
ITEM SOLD:
1. Congratulate yourself, you actually WON!
2. When you receive the eBay Sales Confirmation email, send an email to the "winning" bidderASAP that contains the ALL the information below.
3. Cut and Paste the bidder's email address, the standard "congratulations", "how to pay for your item" email statement for the winning bidder you have created in your eBay Info folder, cut & paste the item description & item number from the confirmation email into the email, and enter the correct prices for Total & Shipping.
4. Cut and Paste your referral PayPal url into the email.
5. Double & Triple check your email to the buyer for Correct Prices & Correct PayPal Info
6. Email the buyer (winning bidder)
7. Wait for a response from the buyer that indicates how they will pay for the item
8. After receiving payment in full. Package the item very carefully and double check the address it is to be shipped to.
9. Ship the item to buyer ASAP
10. Send a final email to the buyer notifying buyer of date shipped, how it was shipped (UPS 8 day ground), and cut & paste feedback statement from your eBay Folder into email. If the buyer emails back wanting to know when, exactly, the item will be there, provide a tracking number.
