amitymamaThe Attachment Parenting Community

qtkitty · 06-16-2004, 09:39 PM

I would like to sell some items on Ebay, but it really makes me quite nervious. I am not computer illiterate in fact far from it, however the whole idea of money going back and forth on ebay and pay pal and auctions .. just unnerves me.

I have been watching like items to mine on ebay and watched for what items are selling better and what types of things they are doing to promote their items. What their pages look like and what their desciptions are like. I have noticed that people who have finished looking pages, clear pictures, and defined and detailed but simple descriptions actually are selling the best on ebay.

The background of it all gives me the problem.. i don't exactly understand all the things they jabber on about in the information they give and not to mention that its a LOT of information. Right now i do not have a credit card or a bank account ( i had some one steal my checks so i had to close it and *lol* right now there is no use in opening a new one when i dont have enough money to save up *lol* ) We have BellSouth DSL and i can get my own Email address on there.

How can i set myself up so that i can ebay and paypal ?

And then after i am set up .. how do i go about setting up rules for auctions.. and shipping and other things that i could be missing that i am not noticing ..

* paniced look*

I need some helpful people who are avid ebayers and paypallers that understand the ins and outs to help me so i know i am not goofing something up. Because ebaying will be the perfect oppertunity for me to make some money by selling things.

Kimmyboo · 06-16-2004, 11:00 PM

You can sell on eBay and accept Money orders so you don't have to worry about cashing checks or the buyer sending cash(at their own risk of course, which you can write in the auction). Me, personally, I accept both funded and cc payments. But my case is totally different than yours, i have a bank account and have everything set up. What I do recommend is when it comes time for you to sell(and i know what you're selling and you better lmk when you put stuff up lol) definetly put that you will ship to US only! I occassionally will ship to Canada if the buyer pays any extra fees. I won't ship to anywhere else but US and Canada. Also, let them know payment is due by xx amount of days( I put 7 business days on my auctions usually). I add in their little invoice i send to please contact me within 3 days of the auction end so i know how they will be paying. Oh yeah another important thing..... If I were you I would put in that you only accept US Money Orders. When i first started on eBay years ago I bought this Hello Kitty cd holder from a lady in Canada and she said International MO's only and I didnt know the difference and sent her a Dairy Mart MO and she gave me a little hassle but it was my fault and she let it slide since it was only for $2. Now this was my very first eBay purchase ever too.

I have been selling on eBay for a long time now and i don't remember if you need to enter in a bank account in order to sell or not. Maybe someone else can add that in. It's been like 3-4 years now so I dont know. Sorry!

I know you need one if you don't have a main ISP like AOL, Cox, etc(not something like hotmail or yahoo). I think I remember you saying you have a main one but just had to have Kevin make up a name for you on there. That'll work for you. You just can't use your hotmail one without putting up a cc or bank account. I hope this helps some. I probably make no sense cuz i'm tired but if you have any more questions IM me and maybe I can help!

Forgot to add ..... with PayPal I think you need a bank account.

qtkitty · 06-17-2004, 01:40 AM

You just rattle things off like nothing .. *lol* i can tell you have been doing ebay for a long time * pokes yah * i will definately tell yah when i got stuff for sale and i will definately be asking lots of Q's hehehe

kerc · 06-18-2004, 10:31 AM

some things some people thing are important, by no means an inclusive list and bear in mind that what one person wants another doesn't care about-

what is the condition of the item?
do you have pets?
do you smoke in your home?
when to do ship? (i say only 2 days a week, some people can ship any day)
what are your choices in shipping? (fed ex, usps, etc.)
do you combine shipping on multiple purchases (someone might want one thing, but think about buying another if they only pay shipping once).
name brands?
sizes?
if you're selling adult clothes -- a lot of people have asked me for measurements -- inseams, chest measurement, how long are the
sleeves.
make your payment/communication requirements clear in the auction -- ex: you expect prompt payment within 7 days via money order or you will relist the item.

I'd say if you're going to sell some stuff, be prepared to be on the internet briefly every day. People might have questions for you and like it if you can answer them quickly.

hth!

qtkitty · 06-18-2004, 10:28 PM

WOW thats a lot of information * nods*

J3 · 06-22-2004, 01:05 PM

Hey did you get your paypal set up?
It is super easy. LMK if you need a referral for the free $5 start up (or are they still doing that)
Once you start ebaying it is real easy. Problems come up that people post here, true but for the most part ebay transactions go smoothly. Those ones people don't post about much.

qtkitty · 06-23-2004, 08:45 AM

I found that Kevin had set up one a while back for some transactions .. and i used it for some surveys .. i actually got 3 bucks in it .. WOOHOOO !!!

Now i just need to set up ebay

choleblack · 06-23-2004, 12:23 PM

here's my only tip.

http://www.robshelp.com/

a free auction designer site. Relly great because it saves you from paying e-bay to use their designs & gives you that nice finished look that so many auctions use. you just cut and paste the code it gives you & viola, fancy looking auction.

I use turbo lister because I like to do all my descriptions off line & only go on-line to put them on e-bay. I just cut and paste a template into turbo lister and go through and change the information that is different for each item. I do this a lot with books. For the things that I am making & selling, I just change the picture & the rest of the information stays the same.

HTH

Chole

qtkitty · 06-23-2004, 01:43 PM

WOW thanks *G*