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Summary

Online selling places your item in front of buyers worldwide.

Selling online takes time and effort. The items must be photographed. You must write descriptions of the item (in a manner that makes it most likely to pop-up when people search.) After a sale, you have to pack and ship the item to the buyer.

The steps to take for a successful sale follow. Each of these steps are described in more detail in the other sections of this article.

Step 1. Choose the site with care. A site such as Craigslist offsite link should be considered for large difficult-to-ship items. A site such as eBay offsite link is good for commonplace items with easy-to-find resale values.
Step 2. Prepare.
Step 3. Set your financial arrangements.
Step 4. Set the bidding conditions.
Step 5. Once the auction has started, check on it frequently.
Step 6. Be professional when the auction ends.

If you don't want to do the work yourself, there are companies that will do all the work for you. For example: AuctionDrop and UPS. Leave your unpackaged items at any UPS store. AuctionDrop will handle the logistics, including photographing the items, posting the listings, answering bidders' questions and shipping to auction winners. On top of eBay's standard commission, Auction Drop charges 20% to 38% of the final sale price. Items that don't sell are returned to you at no charge. To locate the UPS store nearest you, go to: www.ups.com/content/us/en/index.jsx offsite link and click on "Locations".

NOTE: For information about selling on the internet, consider reading a book such as: How To Sell Anything On eBay… and Make a Fortune! By Dennis Prince, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2003.

Step 1. Choose The Web Site

Consider:

  • Does the site have a good reputation?
  • Does it carry the kind of items you're interested in selling?
  • What fees does the site charge? There may be a listing fee as well as a charge for each item sold.
  • What facilities does it have to help you receive payment from a winning bidder?
  • What does the site require of sellers?

A few examples of the huge online marketplace include:

A site like CraigsList offsite link should be considered for large difficult-to-ship items. (For tips about better selling on CraigsList, click here.) A site like eBay offsite link is good for commonplace items with esay-to-find resale values.

Step 2. Prepare

Do your research before listing your object.

Find out its current value. To learn how, click here.

See how other people position similar items. Think about the following:

  • The category in which your items is to be listed.
  • A Header that describes the item in a few words. When thinking about what words to use in the header/title:
    • Keep in mind that most searches on auction sites are done by titles rather than descriptions.
    • Use as many of the words people search on as possible.
    • Avoid words such as "unique" or "wonderful." They take up precious space and don't add anything of value.
  • A description of the item (preferably under 500 words).
    • If possible, appeal to collectors in your description. For instance, if you list a guitar and a particular rock star used a similar guitar, say so.
    • Be honest in your description. If the item is more flawed than you describe, buyers will be disappointed. Disappointed buyers give sellers a bad rating, which will make future sales more difficult.
  • If possible, have at least one color photograph of the item which shows the item clearly -- preferably with nothing else in the photo. If the photograph is not digital, scan it into the computer. If you don't have a scanner, a stand-alone scanner is not very expensive. Alternatively, ask a friend who has one to help or go to a copy shop which has one. The process only takes a few minutes.

Step 3. Set Your Financial Arrangements

  • See How Much Is Your Personal Property Worth to help you determine value.
  • Set shipping and handling charges. Make sure they're reasonable.
  • Determine your opening price. The lower your opening price, the more buyers you are likely to attract.
  • Consider setting a reserve -- a price below which you will not sell the item.
  • Decide on a method of payment. The site likely has a preferred method.

Step 4. Set the bidding conditions

  • Set the closing time for your auction. Set it for the time when most bidders are on-line. This is generally at lunch time or at night between 8 and midnight Eastern Time. Consider time differences when setting time.
  • Avoid ending an auction early. Many bidders wait until the last minute to bid.

Step 5. Once the auction has started, check on it frequently.

  • During the last few hours before the end of the auction, check it as often as every ten minutes in case potential buyers have questions.
  • If you sell through a site such as eBay which provides member feedback about bidders, check the information to avoid deadbeats.

Step 6. Be professional when the auction ends

  • Confirm to the winning bidder that he or she is the winner. Confirm the terms. Let the buyer know when the item will be shipped after payment clears.
  • Don't send the item until the bidder's payment clears.
  • Send the item promptly and safely packed. It's important to protect your reputation as a good seller in case you want to sell other items on the site.