As briefly and succinctly as possible, I want to offer some of the best things I have ever learned from experimenting and practicing the craft of selling on eBay.  I confess that I stand on the shoulders of giants in the many things I have learned from eBayers who took the time to point out errors, problems or a better way to eBay.  I have also had to experiment and learn constantly to remain ahead and to grow on eBay.  Just as eBay changes radically year to year – a seller MUST keep up and change too! 

The following is my list of the greatest Lessons Learned for me as an eBay seller in the areas of sourcing, selling, shipping and customer care.

SOURCING:

-  When just starting out, begin with selling household items you no longer need or want.  The value of the learning and the lessons will be incalculable and the risk will be non-existant.  From taking this approach you will learn how to sell, what to charge, how to write ads, how to describe the item and condition, what customer care is and how to get the most out of it, etc.  Start small, build feedback and lessons learned while considering or attempting to make it a business.  Trust me – overnight eBay millionaires are the stuff of fairy tales.

-  Drop shipper lists make the sellers of those lists money - NOT YOU.  You must find your sources  on your own, through discovery or legitimate networks of fellow collectors or enthusiasts.  A great place to start these days is at a "bricks and mortar store that is in the final throes of going out of business.  The markdowns are fabulous and your customer base for reselling at a higher price across America or around the world is HUGE.  Remember, not every store is available in every community in the US or the world.

-  Buying, selling and trading as a collector is where eBay has a strong following.  If you are a magazine, memorabilia or other collector, chances are you began eBaying to feed your collection.  If you have something you are passionate about, there is no better approach than to move your passion from a hobby to a business on eBay.  Take your time, build your feedback and your following.  As was said in the movie “Field of Dreams,”  “If you build it, they will come….”  Many eBayers will tell you they have been practicing a lifetime for what they do on eBay.  It simply happened by taking their passion “commercial.”

SELLING:

-  It takes time and a great reputation to build a sales business on eBay.  If it is the only job you have, and you can work on it 7 days a week (almost 365 days a year) unfettered, you can probably have a pretty good business established in a couple of very busy years.  If, on the other hand, you do it sensibly, while living a life and building toward your goals over time (while keeping your day job and learning as you go), you will risk less, enjoy it more, understand it better and be more successful long term.  Too many people go into it with no holds barred sinking into sickening debt quickly and unecessarily.  They risk spectacularly (and unnecessarily) which results in loosing spectacularly and unnecessarily too (too often taking the family down with them).  They do this simply because they hang on to a childish dream of “easy money” and “overnight eBay millionaires.”  These fairy tales, when acted upon, are damaging and are the real internet “dream killers.”  Sadly, when you believe in internet fairy tales and have a family – you can destroy the lives of others and your marriages too.

-  Use Turbolister2.  It’s free from eBay and you might as well get started using it early.  If you do evolve your eBay hobby into a business, it will be critical that you be able to write and upload listings fast.  Listing through the guided process directly into eBay on the site is good to learn in the beginning - but it is slow.  As soon as you have the tutorial mastered, download and begin using Turbolister2.  If you understand spread sheets and/or how to use Lotus, Access or Excel you have a head start on understanding Turbolister2. In any case there are excellent Guides to print out and use to understand and use Turbolister2 effectively.

-  Make an ad template to assure that all pertinent information appears in every one of your ads, regardless of what you are selling.  Keep the information upbeat and positive (See my “Who Wants to Buy from a Sourpuss?  NOT ME!” Guide).  Critical elements for every ad should include: Payment types accepted; time limit expectations concerning payment; return policy, expected shipping time and shipping options (i.e. first class or media mail, combined shipping etc.).  I have a philosophy that the critical stuff should be up front, but I also add in my sources and other information the buyer might be interested to know.  I find that people stop reading when they have enough information.  If they want to know more, it is there for them to explore.

-  Feedback:  Leave feedback for your buyers only after they leave it first for you OR leave feedback on the 55th to 59th day after the sale.  If you do not follow this important rule of thumb you leave yourself open to those who would rather complain then to contact you first before leaving negative feedback.  It seems that when feedback is out there hanging, people are far more likely to obey the eBay guidelines and policies and contact the seller before leaving negative or neutral feedback.  It is highly unlikely that a buyer will allow removal of bad feedback – especially if he or she has already received a positive from you (there is absolutely no incentive).  I try to leave feedback for all my buyers eventually even if they don’t leave it for me.  To do so, I work the “Awaiting Feedback” list two ways.  I go through it and leave feedback for all those who have left it for me first and then go to the end of the list and leave it for sales that about to expire on the list (i.e. those that are day 55-59 from the point of sale.  This way, I do what I believe is morally right in thanking my beloved customers with feedback but I wait until I am probably well insulated from spurious or mean spirited negatives.

-  More on Feedback:  The more feedback you have that is positive (and the higher the overall rating you achieve), the less expensive your store, fixed price and auction listings are.  It is also true that the more positives you have, the more you sell.  Some of this is derived by eBay’s placement of your listings, some by a loyal and returning customer base and some by customers drawn to sellers that are demonstrably trustworthy.  It is that simple!  It is for these reasons that you work hard and go the furthest mile to maintain your good name and reputation on eBay over the long term.  I do not advocate starting over with a new eBay name and feedback number unless there is simply no other option (i.e. you are too much in the hole and sell too infrequently).  It takes a long, long time to accumulate high positive feedback numbers, cost reductions and the larger number of sales that come with the high numbers.  So, it pays BIG to keep it together and keep working toward the high numbers.

-  Return Policy.  Frankly, if a buyer pays with PayPal and/or a credit card and they have a problem with their merchandise and make a complaint to PayPal or the Credit Card – you will be accepting the merchandise back and making a refund whether your ad stated as much or not.  PayPal and Credit Cards do this because they freeze your funds while they ask you both to make clear what happened.  Then PayPal and/or the credit card makes a decision (usually on the side of the buyer).  So, when it comes to your Return Policy – I recommend that you actually have a positive Satisfaction Guaranteed Return Policy. However, whatever your policy is, make the terms of your sale crystal clear.  If your ads are accurate and your merchandise good, your sales will go up to the degree that it really is worth your while to accept something back once in awhile due to buyer’s remorse or a poor fit.  Trying to enforce an absolute “All Sales Final” policy sets you up for a great deal of pressure and unnecessary stress. 

-  Problem customers and non-paying bidders.  If you sell on eBay you will get problem people and non paying bidders occasionally.  You will cut down on 90% of the problem folks by making sure the bottom left side of the Turbolister2 Template is clicked to state that anyone with -1 Feedback is blocked from bidding on your auctions.  When it comes to problem customers it pays to remember that no one is perfect.  I promise that if you sell a lot of things or for a long time -- there are going to be times when, after a sale, you can’t find the item, broke it packaging it or have another problem that prevents your service from being “100% Perfect.”  So, your approach to everyone (even pains in the butt) should be kind, understanding and beneficent.  Stick to the facts and use eBay’s processes for dealing with them first.  Once all of that is done, quietly block this particular customer forevermore from your site.  You do this in your “Block or Pre-Approve Buyers” area (Go to Seller Resources Page and it will be on the left in the first few options). It makes absolutely no sense at all to waste time on and single problem customer more than once in a lifetime and blocking problem customers assures you will only deal with them once.

-  Although eBay is forcing all of us to accept only PayPal - Accept ALL forms of payment if asked.  It is remarkably short sighted to turn down ANY form of payment – EVER.  That contradicts every principle of business ownership that I know -- money is GOOD, no money is BAD.  I literally accept all forms of payment and have even been known to barter for things I wanted on eBay too.  Think outside the box – all ways – every day!   I used to hold checks until they cleared but after a few years I came to understand it to be unecessarily punitive to my customers.  This was especially true when I was actually getting more money when they sent a check (since no PayPal fees were deducted from it) that I ought to try trusting.  Now, if my customer is a returning buyer with a positive record, and the item is valued at less than $25.00 -- I receive the check and ship same day.  I have never had a problem in more than 5 years!  My customers are consistently pleased with the speed of delivery and come back again and again.

-   Deal and Ship worldwide.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the BILLIONS of people in the world as your potential customers trumps the millions found in the US.  Less well understood is that foreign buyers are more often willing to bid up an item to get it than US buyers are (we’re spoiled and the mall is often "next door").  The customs paperwork (especially on packages that weight 4 pounds or less) is so easy it is amazing.  You can even design and print your own special, cut-apart labels that allow most of the customs slip information to be filled out by simply cutting and pasting addresses to a blank paper on the computer, print it and then physically cut and then glue the information in place on the customs label.  I do this because it is fast, easy and assures that the foreign name and address information is spelled correctly because it is cut and pasted into the label template.

-  Adding junk HTML to ads does NOT get you more referrals long term.  Sorry, but my experience with the bloggers who have found web sites that want to piggy back links into your ads in return for referring people to you is generally crap and costs you long term.  After falling for the “FREE REFERRALS” scam a couple of times, I have had a really hard time getting rid of all the HTML in my ads because it was crystal clear to me after awhile that it worked counter productively.  That is, my ads must have be showing up unusually low (if at all) in any item search because of the gobs of HTML these links brought with them.  I experimented with taking the junk HTML out, and like a miracle each of the items that had been around a long time soon sold.  So BE CAREFUL of “FREE” regarding anything on the web (and I mean ANYTHING).  There is no “FREE” on the Internet – the links come with disruptive HTML, Cookies, or Spyware – the only reason that the system is developed and free is to be a vehicle for malware.  While the “Free Showcases” look nice, they may cause you big problems down the road.  If your intent is to sell your item, stick to good ads, search engine optimization principles, accurate information and excellent pictures.  You really will be MUCH further ahead!

-  Understand Internet Security principles and use them.  Have and use virus protection and wireless encryption.  If you do not know what these terms mean – find out and fix your set up accordingly.  Understand the scams and scammers out there are looking for people who naively believe they are bullet proof against web scams.  So, do what it takes to avoid and report scammers and their spoofs when you see them.  Each internet victim was a potential customer that we may loose if they get scammed.  Protect yourself, then share what you know (see my guides) -- then help and advise others along the way.

SHIPPING

-  Get a scale so you can weigh and ship packages yourself.  I bought mine at the Post Office for about $30.00 and it is great for up to 10 pounds.  I got a bigger mechanical scale (used) on eBay for the rare packages I sell that are heavier than 10 pounds.  The scales don’t cost much and the convenience is out of this world – especially for eBayers who do it all on their own. 

-  Get free shipping materials from your shipper.  I love the US Postal Service.  In addition to supplying fast, reliable service with a smile, they also provide many sizes of boxes, labels and tape free if you ship Priority Mail (I usually do).  I am told UPS also supplies shipping materials.  You can also find free boxes at a local grocery store if you need larger boxes or ship parcel post and you can often get free packing peanuts and even bubble wrap from your local furniture stores or other specialty stores at your local mall.

-  Recycle shipping materials.  If you buy from eBay get a larger box and save all your shipping peanuts, air packs and bubble wrap to recycle in your own shipments.  Keep at least some newspaper to assure that the box inside a larger box doesn’t rattle around during shipping.  It’s FREE and good for Mother Earth!

-  If you plan to sell an unusually shaped, delicate, heavy or extremely fragile item, measure it and collect the packing materials necessary for it before listing the item.  If the item is really fragile or delicate, use the “box inside another box” method of shipping.  Running around trying to pull together shipping materials for an unusual item after the item is sold is a waste of time.  Doing it slap dash might result in poorer than normal packing and damage to the item in transit.  I learned this trying to ship antique rocking horses and they were both a costly and time consuming nightmare to ship. 

-  Use PayPal and eBay’s partnership with UPS and US Postal Service (“Click and Ship”) to print your own postage (it uses funds drawn directly from your PayPal account).  Delivery Confirmation is FREE if you ship Priority Mail and is only 18 cents if you ship First Class or Media Mail.  Delivery Confirmation purchased in person at the post office costs $0.55 per package (net savings of 37 cents per package for First Class mail and 55 cents per package for Priority Mail.  Oh, and you do not need to buy expensive self stick labels to use the online postage.  Just  print the labels on 8.5 by 11 inch (standard) printer paper, cut them in half retaining your receipt.  Glue the label on the box using school glue (2 bottles for $1.00 at the Dollar Store) – DONE and DUSTED as they say.  If you send 100 packages a month that saves $55.00 a month on delivery confirmations!!  Don’t use Delivery Confirmation at all?  DO READ ON…

- If you get customers who claim they never received your package (even if only a couple of times a year) it is generally because they DID receive the package, but know that delivery is not trackable by the way you mailed it, and are dishonest enough to demand their money back while keeping your item.  There are many unscrupulous people out there scamming new sellers as a hobby.  I was had at least 4 times before I figured out that I have to protect myself.  If you do not confirm delivery, you are with no proof you sent the item and no proof they received it either.  If they paid with PayPal and they claim they never received the package, you will refund their money and have lost your item too because you can prove nothing.  As discussed previously in this article, you will be forced to refund and you are out the item AND your money!  Yep – you heard me – they got the item and want their money back too because they know you can’t prove you sent it.  The worst part is that you have to give it to them if you cannot produce documentation that you mailed the item.  I had this happen at least 4 times a year until I started printing my own labels with delivery confirmation.  Then, as if a miracle had occurred, it has happened only once in the four years since that time.  The single lost package in the last few years did have delivery confirmation on the package proving I shipped it.  However, since the Post Office was unable to locate the package and the lady had not elected to take postal insurance -- SHE had to eat the loss, not me.  It is important to note however, I did give her an extreme discount on her next purchase because I wanted to keep her as a customer long term by sharing the loss with her.

-  USPS and UPS will pick up your packages at your home for FREE!  Log on to USPS.COM or UPS.COM for "Carrier Pick Up" details.

CUSTOMER CARE

-  Condition is subjective (in the eye of the beholder) and no one gets it right 100% of the time.  However, if an item is damaged, say so.  If you are selling an item with accessories (or that should have accessories) be clear what comes with the item and what does not.  I have a complete explanation in my ads of what I mean by the terms I use, too.  I really want my customer to have the opportunity to have a full understanding of what they are buying -- before they buy it.  If there is damage, try to include a picture of the damage you have described.  Customers don’t like to be disappointed (nor would you).  So write your ads in such a way as to avoid customer disappointment (and possible negative and neutral feedback that too often comes with it.).

-  Leaving Feedback.  My philosophy (tried and true) on feedback is stated above.  It is so critical to eBaying as both a buyer and a seller that I have also written a complete guide on it too.  A main point in terms of customer care is to stick to the facts and stay away from childish, slanderous or outright nasty accusations.  They reflect on the author far more than on the intended target.  I believe it is far better to walk away from leaving neutral or negative feedback and just moving on.  If you have been selling a long time with a high incidence of positive feedback, a single negative once in awhile will hurt you very little and for a very very short time. 

-  eBay and PayPal are structured as any customer oriented business ought to be “the customer is always right.”  If you are new to the world of business you might find that hard to understand.  However, almost any “bricks and mortar" business owner will tell you that it is that way one runs a successful business and it will always remain that way.  The “why” is simple.  The customer has a choice in where he or she spends hard earned money – most business owners will do what it takes to assure Mr. and Mrs. America spend their money with them.  Assuring the customer is right does not mean a seller who does things right is always set up to be the fall guy – it simply means that the seller is expected to prove they have done what is expected of a business owner on behalf of a customer.  Customers are the center of the Universe to a business.  Without them, (even the difficult ones), you would not be selling on eBay at all.  Always try to remember that, even when it is difficult to do so.

-  Relationships are more than Buyer and Seller over time!  A “Customer base” is not simply buying and selling – it is in the relationships you make online with real people.  Along with the community-based reputation established by feedback, you are building direct relationships with individuals.  Someone who appreciates the quality or brand names you sell is very likely to be interested in bidding in your other auctions or shopping in your store.  So, having an “About Me” page and more fulsome information in your ads discussing your sources, selling philosophy, collecting habits draws people in.  Nothing binds more than sharing what you and your customers share in interests.  Although you may never meet in person, be responsive, chatty, caring and friendly along with accurate and informative.  Such communication often leads to finding out what else this customer is looking for that you may have waiting to be listed or you will have a ready customer for the item if you come across it later.  By investing your time in people (even if it is across a keyboard), you can make a friend and a lifelong customer at the same time. 

-  If you don’t know something – search the eBay Guides and read, read, read.  The more you understand, the higher the profit and the greater the sales.  Learning (especially when it is FREE) is a great investment of your time and energy.  Read a guide that was helpful but you have more questions?  Ask the author questions.  I generally invite people to drop a line if the Guide helped them or if they have questions, and they often do.   I am gratified to know that the lessons I learned can help others.  I think it is progress when we don’t all have to make each mistake individually.   I also know full well that many eBayers helped and advised me in the early years.  So my Guides are dedicated to those terrific men and women who helped me when asked.

Happy eBaying!  Please stop by my sales Pepper120851 and store (The Write Place Ladies Clothing) for real bargains everyday.