This Guide is a quick lesson in the basics of selling on Ebay and identifying the mistakes you can avoid without learning them the hard way.

1. Start with no longer needed items around your house. I have sold such items from a Kitchen sink (which is how I got started on Ebay - through a bet with a friend), to my digital camera when I got a new one. Pick something with a brand name and model on it. Lets use a Nikon Coolpix 2500.

2. Find the "search" box at the top of the Ebay page. See the small words "Advanced Search" to the right? Click on that and an expanded search window will open up. Type in "Nikon Coopix 2500" in the search box and then CHECK THE BOX THAT SAYS "Completed Items Only" then click the "Search" button. About a zillion items will appear which have sold related to the camera. Dont't worry, keep reading. Look to the upper left hand column and you will see that most of them are "Accesories", but below that "Digital Cameras" will be a seperate category. Click on that line/link. That will reduce down the 'sold comps' (just like a real estate agent does) for the actual camera. The day I wrote this guide only 11 items were in that category with prices from $46 down to $.54 for two broken one being sold for parts. Disregard that sale (duh).

3. So, you can now see that the item in question (Nikon Coolpix 2500) sold between $15.51 and $46.01. ONLY THE GREEN NUMBERS SHOW ACTUAL SOLD ITEMS. The ones with prices in red did NOT sell. Ignore those. You want to know what the item actually sold for recently. Next, open up those sold listings and read what was included (look at the pictures for the same info). Note the highest sold prices has manuals, accessories, a bushel basket of goodies. The lower sold comps did not; they had just a working camera. Note that there were both bid auction sales and "Buy it Now" sale prices. My advice is to average the prices for the Buy It Now items. Trying to set up bid auctions with a reserve price (unless you don't really want a couple of bucks for the item) is just too complicated for beginners. SELL WITH "BUY IT NOW" LISTINGS AT FIRST.

4. In the sold comps there were two Buy It Now sales. One for $30 and one for $28. That tells you that the Nikon Coolpix 2500 is worth about $30 on Ebay as a stand alone item without a ton of accessories (which you can usually sell seperately under a second auction for nearly as much as the item in many cases).

5. Using the information you have gathered above, it might be a good idea to list your Nikon Coolpix 2500 for $30 and if it doesn't sell in a few days, lower the price to $28. Many people looking for a particular something or other will quickly purchase a "Buy It Now" auction instead of waiting several days for an auction (which they might nor win) for an aucxtion to end. They "WANT IT NOW".

6. You might be wondering "How do I write a good listing that will sell? Two ways, LEARN HOW TO USE MICROSOFT FRONT PAGE to create .html files (probably too much for a newbie on Ebay), or simply suse the "LISTING DESIGNER" feature of the listing page, writing simple, clear, descriptive text describing your item. You might say, "Gently used, Nikon Coolpix 2500 Digital camera"  adding "Works fine, but i just got a new digital camera and no longer need this one". Or something to that effect. You might offer it "as-is", or "guaranteed no DOA". As-is means no warranty and guaranteed no DOA means you are guranteeing it to work upon delivery without further guarantees. Or you might choose to not mention any guarantees. Your call.

7. Take YOUR OWN pictures of your actual item and upload it during the listing process. DO NOT STEAL OTHER EBAYER'S PICTURES. Ebay frowns upon that big time. Besides, pictures on Ebay are the "intellectualy property" of those who post them. Be nice, get yourself a digital camera and take pictures of the ACTUAL ITEM you are trying to sell. Those types of pictures, I have found, work better anyway. It tells a prosepctive buyer that you are a normal person just trying to sell surplus stuff.

8. Once you have sold your item, SHIP IT IMMEDIATELY using Priority Mail (unless it weighs more than 10 lbs - then ship it by UPS). They will get the item in 2-3 days anywhere in the country and be VERY happy campers. That is how you get good positive feedback (assuming you were honest about the condition of the item sold).

9. More on Priority Mail. There are now TWO (2) SIZES of FLAT RATE priority mail boxes. Those boxes have weight limits of 70 lbs at a fixed price. As of the writing of this Guide, the small size (11 x 8.5 x 5.5 inches) required postage of $8.95 while the larger size (12 x 12 x 5.5 inches) for $12.95. That, for many items weighing over 3 lbs. is less expensive than UPS Ground or Priority Mail. Small, light items can go in the other FREE Priority Mail boxes where shipping distance and weight determine the postage.

By the way, go to the USPS web site and order yourself some FREE priority Mail boxes if ytou plan to do some selling on Ebay. You can also order them through Ebay, but good luck trying to find that link if you are a newbie. Just get them from the Postal Service FREE.

10. After your items sells, and you have shipped it, PAY YOUR EBAY FEES IMMEDIATELY. If you wait until the end of the month you may have a ton of fees to pay because you have sdold more than you imagined you would. Keep your Ebay fees balance at zero. Trust me, as a Platinum Level PowerSeller it is less painful that way. Paying a huge Ebay bill at the end of the month is no fun.

I hope these tips have been helpful to you. If so, please VOTE so in the area at the bottom of this Guide.