Countless articles and posts have been produced about selling on Ebay. Some glamourize it with how so many have become rich selling thousands of items on the auction website. While this is completely true, it isn't necassarily easy to replicate these results. BUT, it is possible to easily make a small side income by selling on the site.

I'm going to go over a couple tips and pointers here to have a successful start selling on the online mega-auction website here.

Number 1. Look around the house first. This is often heard when discussing how easy it is to get started selling on Ebay. True as it is, don't think of the website as an online rummage sale. After you have come up with a list of stuff you are considering selling online, go on Ebay and do a search for your items that you plan on selling. If you find what you plan on selling or something at least very similar to it, look to see what kind of demand or interest there is in the item. One thing you have to remember about Ebay is if you do find something to list and sell on Ebay, there is no gaurantee that someone is going to buy it. And if you do decide to sell it, the only gaurantee is that Ebay will be taking it's listing fee out of your pocket book. Granted, the fee isn't very large for low priced items, but a few low priced listing that don't sell do add up, and put you worse off then if you hadn't listed them. Lesson: Do your research on your items before you list them.

Number 2. Having been selling on ebay since early 2000, I have learned that feedback is everything on Ebay. While it wasn't the only thing I looked at when buying from someone, if someone had a rating below 99% I did tend to look for someone else to buy from. And if you want to sell on Ebay, you want a 100% rating. The only way to do this is by being honest and highlighting ALL of the flaws of the items you are selling. Don't gloss over them, and certainly don't fail to mention them altogether. And honestly, showcasing your items defects is actually quite a great selling technique on the auction site. I've found when i've taken detailed pictures of my items short comings, they often end with more bidders then if I was selling something in flawless condition (maybe because i always start the price lower on less then perfect items). Lesson: People appreciate honesty. And on ebay that's everything to being successful on the site.

Number 3. The last point I want to make is one that I think is often overlooked. After you've listed and sold your item on Ebay, you now have to get it where it's going. And unless you are so gratuitous as to send it pro bono, you are going to have to set a price on your auction dedicated specifically to shipping. This is where it gets tricky. What you charge for shipping will directly affect what people are willing to bid on your item. Go too low on your shipping price, and the shipping cost comes out of your profit on the winning bid amount. Go too high and you won't have too many if any bids on your item. This is where a visit to your local post office will yield you large dividends. Different sizes and weights on packages obviously incur different shipping prices. And if you are wondering why you shouldn't just offer free shipping on everything you sell, I'll tell you why you should reconsider the notion. The final amount your item sells for is charged a final value fee on Ebay. This is in ADDITION to the fee the charge you to list your item. The price you set for shipping is not assessed as part of the final value fee and that saves you from paying the difference if you had chosen to go the route of free shipping. Lesson: You have to accurately guage your shipping costs to find what is fair to charge buyers to keep them happy, and to keep the most money in your pocket.

These are a few of the things I've learned about selling on Ebay, and some lessons unfortunately are learned the hard way. Use this knowledge to help you from making the mistakes I and thousands of others have made. Now go find something to sell!

If you enjoyed this article, you can read related articles for tools and tips on how you can make money right from home at LawsMoney.com!