It is very easy for a new seller to get caught up in the excitement of selling and not pay attention to the costs involved in selling. Before deciding whether to sell an item on eBay, and what to sell it for (i.e. reserve or Dutch auction price), you need to understand all the costs involved.

First of all there is the “listing fee.” There is also a “selling fee” that will be set by what price the item actually sells for. There may be a fee to process a Billpoint, PayPal or credit card sale. If you use an auction management service such as Andale or AuctionWorks then you have their fees. Don’t forget shipping, and the cost of the shipping materials. Read the rest of this entry »

The saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” is never more true than with on-line auctions. Not having a photo of your item will greatly reduce your bids, and lead to unprofitable or unsuccessful auctions. Not only must you have a photograph of what you are selling, the photo must be accurate and revealing.

It is not necessary to be a professional photographer. Ebay bidders understand that most sellers are taking snapshots of the products they sell. But, your photo should be clear, and show the product as completely as possible. Here are some tips for good photos: Read the rest of this entry »

Q: Tanner,

I am new to selling on eBay and I wanted to know if I should accept personal checks as payment for my auctions? What do you think?

Thanks,
Terry G.

A: The danger in accepting personal checks comes from having the check bounce after you have mailed out the item.

The best way to get around this problem is to clearly state in your item description that you will not ship the item until the check clears, usually 7-10 days. This works well for most sellers.

However last year I accepted a personal check for payment on an item, and after the check cleared I mailed the item out. Then a month later Read the rest of this entry »

Ingredients: Cardboard Box (21″x25″x3), a razor knife, 4 clothespins, Sheets of matte construction paper (28″x22″ in as many different colors as you’d like), a wall or chair. Power tools needed: none.

The “Seamless” holds a special place in the world of product photography. When you see magazine shots of mouth-watering Godiva chocolates, Gucci purses or even babies playing with Goodyear Tires, the pictures are almost invariably shot on a seamless background.

The Seamless eliminates the hard shadows that are created where the vertical part of the background meets the horizontal part, essentially, where the wall meets the floor. These shadows can be distracting, and divert attention from the most important thing in the photograph: The Product.

Madison Avenue is in the business of getting you to buy things, and so are online auction sellers.

If you’ve had professional photography experience, then you know how expensive the equipment can be. I have a friend who is a professional photographer and I asked him how I could create a “Hollywood” effect on a “beer belly” budget. What really matters is the end result: how your pictures look. Read the rest of this entry »