Important eBay Selling Tips for 2023

If you're an eBay seller, then you know that there are a lot of things to think about in order to make a profit.

From setting your prices correctly, to shipping items quickly and securely, there are a lot of factors that go into being successful on eBay. 

In this blog post, we will discuss 10 tips for selling on eBay that will help you sell more items and make more money!

1. Do Good Research Before Listing

When you're selling items on eBay, it's important to do your research first, and hey, you’ve taken the first step by reading this article!

The research includes learning about what keywords to include in your listings, as well as studying your competition. SEO can help you with this process by giving you information about what people are searching for, and how you can make your listings more visible. 

It’ll also help you become a successful eBay seller by providing info such as how to set prices for items that will attract buyers and make sales, by looking at your competition.

2. Price Items Properly

When pricing your items on eBay, you need to find a balance between getting the most profit you can and remaining competitive. 

You don't want to price your items so high that no one will buy them, but you also don't want to price them so low that you don't make any money on them. 

The optimal eBay selling strategy is to tread the line between making a profit and remaining attractive to buyers,

Also, keep in mind that eBay does charge selling fees, so you’ll need to keep those in mind when setting prices.

3. Take Advantage of Free Listings

The listing fees we just mentioned can add up quickly. So it's important to make use of the free listings eBay offers each month.

eBay often awards a few sellers with additional free listings, so be sure to check your account regularly to see if you've been granted any extra slots.

The extra listings are normally presented in direct messages from eBay, but keep an eye on your emails too, and the site’s banners.

Read on for tips on how to sell more on eBay!

4. Be Careful with Free Shipping

When it comes to eBay selling, one of the most important decisions that a seller has to make is whether or not to offer free shipping.

On the one hand, it can be a very attractive proposition for buyers; on the other hand, it can eat into your profits if you're not careful. Here are a few things to consider when making your decision.

Remember: There’s no single best way to sell on eBay. Do what works for you. 

Offering free shipping can be a great way to make your listing stand out from the competition. Providing it on small inexpensive items can boost your image… However, if you're selling a heavy or large item, then free shipping might not be such a good idea.

The reason for this is because eBay charges sellers a fee based on the weight of an item, and so you could end up paying more than you expect, and possibly suffering a loss.

Speaking of packaging…

5. Ship and Package Items Well

eBay seller tips often neglect to mention that packaging items properly is of great importance. You need to ensure that your items arrive at their destination safely. You only have control over the package while it’s in your possession, so you have to cover all of your bases. 

Here are a few tips for packing your items securely.

• Use appropriate packaging - sealable containers for liquids and powders, and also make sure to use the correct size of box.
• If you're shipping a small item, then it's probably best to use a flat-rate envelope or box.
• You want to make sure you use waterproof packaging. There’s no telling if the package may be exposed to rain or other elements during the trip. A successful eBay seller needs to cover every angle.
• Use extra protection for fragile items. Most often this will be bubble wrap. It’s fairly cheap and easy to use. 
• Make sure the package can’t be discreetly opened. You want to protect against someone tampering with it on the way, which would make you look bad. Security tape is perfect. It’s threaded with string so it breaks. This way if the package arrives tampered with, your buyer will know it wasn’t you.

6. Have  A Solid Return Policy

Here’s an important piece of eBay selling advice: when selling items online, it's important to offer a return policy to your buyers.

This gives them peace of mind. 

A simple way for buyers to return an item is to print out a return label and include it in the package with the item. This will save the buyer time and money, as they will not have to pay for return shipping.

A solid return policy builds trust. It is a good start to a seller-buyer relationship.

7. Build a Good Seller Profile

Another key to having a successful eBay store is to build and maintain a good seller profile. This profile will help buyers trust you and be more likely to buy from you. It also helps if you have a good seller rating, as this will show buyers that you're an experienced and reliable seller.

There are a few things you can do to build your profile and make it as strong as possible. First, make a few purchases on eBay yourself. This will show buyers that you’re trustworthy. Who would have thought eBay selling tips would have involved buying?

Next, encourage buyer feedback. When buyers leave positive feedback, it reflects well on your profile and encourages other buyers to do business with you.

Building a good seller profile takes time and effort, but it's well worth it.

8. Maintain a Professional Profile Page

All the top eBay sales techniques involve maintaining a professional-looking profile. This is done by using good photos of items and checking the spelling and grammar of your posts. 

A solid visage and reputation will draw in more customers, and help retain them.

9. List Items at The Most Opportune Times

The best time to list your items on eBay is when most people are likely to see them. This means that you should list them at times when people are likely to be home, such as in the evening.

This is one of the big eBay secrets to selling.

However, you should also avoid weekends and celebratory holidays, as people are less likely to be looking at eBay then.

Also take care to list a few items at a time, instead of listing them all together. The eBay algorithm responds better to this, and so you’ll appear more frequently in search results.

10. Advertise Your Items On Social Media

The importance of advertising your items on social media cannot be overemphasized. Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook can help you reach a large number of potential buyers. Great advertising is part of how to be successful on eBay.

Social media platforms offer a variety of ways to target your advertisements to specific audiences. For example, you can use Instagram's filters to target users based on their location or interests.

Here again, high-quality photos will play a role.

This being said, choose a platform to target (and where your potential buyers dwell) and focus your efforts there. Don’t try to master all of them as each social media has its own marketing tricks that require a lot of time and effort to master.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve read our top 10 eBay selling tips, you know how to get started selling on eBay, and it’s time to put them into practice!

These tips will help you maximize your profits, minimize difficulties, and build a good seller profile. 

Many of these tips for selling on eBay are linked. You have to maintain a balance of factors for the best result.

Remember to take things slowly at first – start by implementing a couple of these tips and see how they work for you. 

Are there any eBay selling tips that we missed? Let us know in the comments below and we may add them to our list.