New to online auctions?

Online auction sites such as eBay have revolutionised the way that some businesses trade and have given anyone with a computer the ability to buy and sell goods with the minimum of fuss. Whether you are looking to start a new business venture or simply clear out your garage or loft, this guide is designed to help ensure that you get to grips with the basics quickly and more importantly, safely.

Get educated on Ebay policies

Rely on the eBay help index for information. Everything you need to know about technical questions, eBay policies, and eBay services is there. Scan through the help index from time to time and educate yourself on all of eBay’s options and features. If you have to email eBay support with a question, don’t be shy. Ask what you want to learn about. They might take a day or two to answer, but they are very helpful and will usually send a link to where you can find the information you requested.

Research

Do your research. Before you list a particular product, spend some time researching other similar products for sale on auction sites. This will help you gauge the interest for your product and help you determine how much your product might be worth.

Pay as much attention to the writing of your eBay listing as to your pictures. For selling on eBay, you need a powerful eBay listing. And the trick to writing a strong eBay listing is to combine search engine friendly phrasing with concrete details about the product in a way that will entice people to bid on your product. Take the time to craft your eBay listing just as you would any ad.

Effective listing of your sale item

Spelling mistakes and insufficient descriptions can be the difference between an item attracting buyer interest and garnering a high price, or going for a paltry sum offered by one lone buyer. The Website's search facility favours titles that include the most information. Listing items in this specific manner allows for more exact matches. While being as specific as possible is good, don't stress over the capitalization, exclamation points and dashes--they do not affect the eBay search engine.

Photograph your item

A picture is worth a thousand words. People like to see things before they buy them so if you do not take the time to add detailed and descriptive pictures to your listing then you will put-off many potential buyers and therefore negatively effect the sale price. For successful eBay selling, make sure any products you list on eBay are accompanied by good quality photographs, make sure they are taken up close and in good light, try to add as many pictures as possible from as many angles as possible, including any damage that the item has suffered. You can list up to 12 pictures on your eBay listing free of charge.

Reserve prices and Buy it now

Sellers can set a reserve price on their listing (meaning that the item will not sell if it does not reach this price) and also a Buy it now price. eBay will charge you extra for both these options so take the time to think if they are worth it.

Many eBay shoppers prefer to buy items listed with the "Buy it now" option, because it means that the transaction can be completed and payment sent immediately, instead of having to wait until the auction closes and worrying that someone else will place a higher bid. Some shoppers also dislike bidding on auctions with reserve prices, since there is no guarantee that the item will be sold at all.

Payment options

The more payment options you offer prospective bidders, the more bidders your product will attract and the more successful your selling on eBay will be, eBay make it compulsory to offer payment via PayPal. If you do not have a PayPal account, go to their website and register, this is a quick and easy process and PayPal offers buyers and sellers piece of mind throughout the sales process although bear in mind they do take a commission from the final sale price if the buyer opts to pay this way.

Offer good customer service

It may seem obvious, but act courteously and professionally potential buyers of your goods. Provide the kind of customer service that will build your reputation and ensure you get good feedback. Answer any questions you receive about your item clearly and as quickly as possible, if I prospective buyer does not get an answer from you, they may look elsewhere. Keep the buyer informed via email, acknowledge payment, let them know their item has been dispatched, good communication is the backbone of good customer service. Selling on eBay is just like any other business; to become an eBay success, you need to follow the rules and provide the kind of customer satisfaction that will translate into increased eBay sales.

Transport and delivery options

A fundamental error that many eBay sellers make is selling large, heavy, bulky or fragile goods as ‘Local Collection Only’, dramatically reducing the number of potential bidders and therefore the sale price. You may think that a washing machine, wardrobe or even a car can not be transported around the UK in an economically viable way, but you would be wrong.

www.transport4anything.co.uk is a revolutionary new website where people can advertise their requirements free of charge to a nationwide network of logistics professionals that are looking to sell their vacant load space on the homeward leg of their journey. As these vehicles are travelling the required route regardless, they will offer to transport your goods from door to door at around 75% less than you would normally pay.

All couriers are manually validated to ensure they are reputable and hold all relevant insurance to cover your item against loss or damage in transit. As these vehicles will normally take the item direct from your door to the sellers, fragile items such as glass or wood are protected from the potential damage that can occur on overnight services moving goods from van to depot to van.

A useful cost calculator is built into the site to help you ascertain a fair price to offer and while this price is not obligatory you must remember that offering a lower price may result in no interest from couriers.

When listing your item for sale, be sure to include the following text, or words to that effect – Delivery of this item can be arranged nationwide through this site. One of our couriers will collect the item from me and deliver it directly to your door at a very reasonable price. You can get an estimate of cost by using our cost calculator,

By marketing your sale nationally rather than just locally, you can expect a much greater interest from buyers and therefore a higher sale price.

Once your item is sold, make contact with the buyer to get the delivery address details and times when someone is available to receive the goods, the more flexible you both can be the better in terms of getting the goods transported at the right price. Agree the shipping price with the buyer and then post your requirements at www.transport4anything.co.uk.

Once you have listed your goods to move, interested couriers will contact you directly by telephone or email to discuss and agree the terms, you can then assign the job to your chosen courier and record all the terms that have been agreed. You can also print off proof of collection and delivery forms, one to keep for your records and one to give to the courier to be signed upon delivery.