PLEASE VOTE ON THIS GUIDE, WE NEED EBAY TO SEE HOW WELL GUIDES WORK.

When I first decided to start with ebay, it was real easy. I set up an account, and started buying anything and everything. I loved it. But this guide is going to give all you new ebayers the opportunity to possibly answer some questions prior to getting too heavily involved and making mistakes.

We are going to start with Selling. Some basic rules, ways to make the experience more enjoyable, and also some tips to help improve your sales. If you follow my simple guidelines? You will become an instant success on ebay.

We had an actual storefront. The cost of leasing, employees, workers compensation was eating us alive on a month to month basis. Heres the basics and the simplicity to a successful selling career on ebay. And trust me, we have made our fair share of mistakes to know how to avoid them now.

SELLING

1. Make sure you describe your item clearly. Pictures of the item are always a plus. Ebay will give you the first picture free.

2. Its always a good idea go ahead and package the item after you have it listed. You should do this just unless you are selling multiple items. Heres why you would want to avoid that scenario. If a customer makes multiple purchases of items you have listed, you can package all them together and discount the combined shipping. Customers will give you a higher rating if you look after them by not taking advantage of over charging them.

3. Ship quickly. Nobody likes to wait. Its the same concept in anything. Even if you go to the grocery store, the longer you wait in a line, the more aggravated you get.

4. Be fair on shipping charges. If it costs $3 to ship an item, dont charge the customer $10. You will surely get a low rating from the customer once they get the item, not to mention the fact your item probably will not sell.

5. Package your item well. Customers do not want to get damaged items. It leads to nothing but trouble and complaints.

ALL OF THE ABOVE THINGS CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOU. HERES WHY

When your rating drops, so does ebays willingness to help you succeed. If you have a lowered rating because of customer feedback, ebay will promote the sellers with higher ratings first. You can always check this by clicking on the tab in your MY EBAY page that says ACCOUNT. From there, you scroll down the page until you reach a link that says.....Visit sellers dashboard.

It will tell you exactly where you stand, and your ratings.

If by chance, your rating does go down, its always a good idea to sell a few items fairly cheap and inexpensive. Everybody loves getting a bargain.

6. If you are unsure of an item that you are selling, there are plenty of resources within ebay to check. Some items that cannot be sold on ebay for example are copied media and audio. Those can quickly cost you your selling account and be restricted from selling.

7. Communicate with your customers. If you get a message from them through ebay, respond quickly. Its important to maintain and establish good customer relations. If a customer had a good experience from you, there is a good liklihood the will purchase from you again.

It is really as simple as that. If you follow those simple selling rules, you will surely become a success.

BUYING

1. Research what you are buying. Make sure that you read the wording correctly. Weve all heard the nightmare stories of how somebody bought a cell phone on ebay, and all they got in the mail was a picture of it. Its real important to read what you are buying.

2. Read the sellers feedback. Keep in mind a seller cant be perfect, but they should not have complaint after complaint. That should be a good indication of a 'buyer beware'. No matter how good it looks at that point, it probably isnt a deal.

3. Dont be afraid to email the seller and ask questions. Its just as important to them that you are happy, so if they are a good seller, they will respond to you promptly.

4. Never, and I mean never, let a seller convince you to pay outside of ebay. You will not be protected by Ebays buyer protection program, and could just end up losing your money. Ive seen times where buyers that have good relations with their sellers work out 'deals' to make the deal happen.

In conclusion, these are all the tips you will need as a buyer and seller to make your adventures on Ebay a success. Now if you could take a minute and vote our guide, it will be ever so much appreciated. Should you ever have a question, concern, or any other problem, we are always here to help out other Ebayers any way we can. Feel free to contact us through Ebay at any time.