How to sell property on eBay

Many of us are not naturally comfortable with selling or negotiating, and even the very word "salesman" can make us uneasy.  eBay is a wonderful, low-risk way for us to exchange things we no longer want for things that we do want.  We can even receive money for something that we no longer want.
In this article, I share how I exchange things I don't want (a piece of land, for example) for something that I do want.  For example, I can trade my old metal ferris wheel toy for money.

Here are the basic steps to exchanging your property for money using eBay.

I. Prepare yourself to help eBay market your property.
A. Write the fullest possible description.  For land, you can include the legal description from the county tax assessor office.  Some counties have it online but for others you may need to look through large ledger books)
For other items, include:
date of manufacture,
place of manufacture,
composition (metal, plastic, paper, etc.),
warranty or guarantee in place,
unique characteristics or identifying marks,
physical description of color, size, shape, weight, design, etc.

B. Take many photos of the item to be sold, from many viewpoints.  The background should be simple and non-distracting. Higher resolution settings may give better results.
1. For small items, they can be placed on a light and solid-colored bedsheet draped in such a way that only plain color shows up in every viewpoint.  
2. Use extra light from lamps or flashlights to fully illuminate every part.  Taking photographs in the direct sun usually does not work well because it makes too much contrast between the darker colored parts and the lighter parts.
3. If the item is large, as in a car or motorcycle or house or land, it is more challenging.  So, plan your photo taking in advance.  What are the main points about your property that a potential owner may want to see?
Distance viewpoints to show as much of the item and its surroundings as possible.  Photograph the whole car or motorcycle or house. Show the house from an attractive angle, with a nice view in the background.  If there is not a nice environment to include in the photo, then take a photo with the house filling the photo, with a minimum of space around the house.  
4. Set the camera on a stable surface if you cannot hold the camera completely still while taking photos.  I use the built-in timer in my camera, and set the camera on a block or post or cartop so that I do not jiggle the camera.
5. Take photos of the front, back, top, bottom, inside, outside, and every other possible angle so that viewers on the eBay can feel that they have seen everything and that there are no hidden surprises.  
6. Include close-up photos of damaged places or bad aspects as well.  The buyer must not receive something less than what you promised.  "Under-promise and over-deliver,"  and always give a better deal than the buyer was expecting.
7. Why?  Because you are rated on eBay, given feedback, from every person who deals with you on eBay.  eBay keeps those opinions from those you deal with.  If you deceive one person one time, that bad feedback score will stay with you a long time, in public view, and may keep buyers from feeling confident with you.  Buyers gain confidence when they see that your eBay ratings show you as a responsible and reliable seller and buyer.  They want to feel that you will be honest with them.
8. Go through your photos and edit them to choose the best photos that are most representative of the item you are selling.  Check that there are no distracting items in any of the best photos, such as trees blocking the view of the front door of your house, or reflections of the sun messing up the view of the front of your car, or carpet patterns that distract from the photo of your book.  Either retake the photo in a better time and place, or use an image editor, as little as possible, to get a better photo.  Remember, you want to show the item in the best possible way, but without giving a wrong impression.
9. Label (Save As...) your photos so that you will know what they are when you use them in your advertisement.  For a house, you could label them as, Frontview, leftsideview, rearview, masterbedroom, kitchenleftside, etc.  
10. See eBays tutorial on using photos at http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/photo_tutorial.html.
11. Put all your photos you wish to use into a single subdirectory (folder) on your computer.  I create a new subdirectory for each item I sell, labelling it with the name of my item.  For example, "FerrisWheel."  Write down the name of that folder.


C. Research thoroughly on eBay how similar items are described and listed and photographed.  
1. Find all title words, subtitle words, categories, sales price, Classified or Auction listings, number of bids, and number of viewers.
2. Use the eBay search box setting of "all categories", and also choose the  "Completed items" word in the left menu column.  
3. Study how items similar to yours that sold for the highest prices were described and listed, compared with similar items that sold for lower prices.  Some items receive higher prices only because the description was more complete and accurate.  

D. Write your text to be used for the listing on eBay.  
1. Open a text editor or word processor, create a new document, give it a name and save it.  Start describing your item.  
2. Begin with the title and subtitle.  The title is limited to 55 characters and the subtitle is similar. Title is not a full sentence; it contains the most important words that eBay visitors would use to find your listing.  For example, the title on my last item sold was "ferris wheel chein wind-up toy."  Those words came from my study of titles used by the highest-selling items similar to my own item."
3. The description box has a huge space allocated for a description of your item.  Write in newspaper style, with the most important sentence first, to attract readers to read the first paragraph.  
The rest of the text description contains enough information so that viewers will know everything about the item for sale.  Well, not necessarily everything, but enough to know the item very well and to be certain that all their questions have been answered, and that your item is exactly what they have been wanting to buy.  
Your writing should focus on the benefits to the buyer, not only a list of facts about the item.  So that buyers are not misled, I give itemize problems, defects, and similar issues so that buyers will be comfortable.  I also provide detailed solutions that could remedy the problems, and, if possible, sources and prices of solutions.  All of that will give buyers increased confidence in buying and giving you a high feedback rating.
4. Save your description frequently to make sure that you do not lose any ideas that you had while you were writing.


E. Plan Your Pricing.
See: http://pages.ebay.com/sell/top10tips.html
1. The most tricky part of placing an eBay ad is deciding how to price your item.  You want to get as much money as possible, but to be sure that you get something and are not ignored because your price is too high.  By looking through the listing of completed eBay auctions of similar or identical items, you can see what would be the approximate range of prices.  You can hope to get a price in the middle of the range of prices received, unless your item is  very, very special, more valuable than the other items, or you offer extra benefits to the prospective buyers that other sellers did not provide. If you must have a certain minimum price or else you will not sell the item, then you can set a Reserve Price.  If no one bids more than that Reserve Price, then your item will not be sold. On the other hand, getting some money may be better than getting no money at all.

2. There are many ways to sell your item.  You can sell it for all cash. You can sell it in partial payments over time, with or without charging interest on the unpaid balance.  You can sell it with a down payment sold by auction and the balance of the purchase price fixed.   You can rent out the item. You can rent out the item with an option to buy.
Real estate can also be sold or rented in these different ways, and there are strategic reasons why you may want to choose one manner over another.  Remember that if you sell for an all-cash auction, you may be disappointed in how many people bid on your item.

3. Some eBay items are sold with shipping included for free, while others focus on the item itself and let the US Postal Service decide the shipping price, based on weight and handling method.  You can include handling and insurance in the item cost, or bill for them separately. Look at the total amount your buyer would have to pay and make it easy for them to choose you. My suggestion is to be careful that the total amount for item + handling + insurance + shipping does not add up to where potential buyers will compare your item with others and will go with a cheaper source.

4. eBay needs to be paid for helping you to sell your item, so they will earn money from the listing (Insertion Fee), or a processing (Notice Fee), or a combination of the two.  For details on eBay pricing, see: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/questions/what-fees.html.

5. Real estate listings often have an Insertion Price from $35.00 to $300.00, according to the type and value of the property.  The Notice Fee for some properties is free, and for others it may be $35.00.
For more information on eBay real estate listing fees, see: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/realestatefees.html

6. Some items may earn your more money if they are listed as "Classified" instead of "Auction."  Classified items are sold at a fixed price; auction means that there is bidding for the item.

7. I always include several notices about my expectations. Here are samples:
Bidding
Please email to us all questions before bidding.  Do not bid and then expect to have time to ask questions about the item before paying your winning bid amount.  If you bid, you must be prepared to pay quickly.  If you are not comfortable with paying in the ways and amounts specified, then please do not bid.  If your bid wins, you must pay. Think ahead.
If you might place a bid and then hesitate because you think you may have made a mistake, then please, do not bid on this auction.
This auction is for serious bidders only.  We will litigate against non-paying auction winners.  Ask all questions before bidding.
b. Seller is not responsible for transit & delivery time.
All sales are final, unless there is proof of mislabeling or false information.
Payment from North America is due within 4 Business days by Paypal or money order.  All sales are final.


II. Placing the advertisement.
A. On the internet, go to http://www.eBay.com.  
If you have an account, click on the words, "Sign In."   Go to Point B, below.
1. If you do not have an account, click on "Register."
2. eBay will ask for your name, address, phone number and email address. Type the correct information into the boxes for each.
3. Then you are asked to create (type into the blank boxes) an eBay user ID and password. There are many eBay users, so it may take you a while to find a suitable userID that is not already used by someone else.  Once you have chosen your userID, write it down on two pieces of paper, and next to the userID, write your password. Most eBay users have far more problems because they forget their userID and password than they ever will have with someone using their account without permission.  (Keep the pieces of paper in two safe places, but so that you can find them in a hurry when you need them.)
You will also be asked for a secret question (what street did you grow up on, what is the name of your first school, etc.).  This is in case you forget your password, eBay staff can give you your password.
The last question is about your age.  eBay restricts sale or viewing of some items on the basis of age.
You read the User Agreement and Privacy Policy to understand what are the rights and obligations of both eBay and you, as user on eBay.  Click the box, "I agree that....".
 Click "Register" and you are now an eBay member!
At the main eBay homepage, signin using your new userID and password.


B.  To sell an item, click on the word "Sell" in the upper right corner.  

1.  "List your item for Sale. Enter 3-5 words about your item."
Type into the blank box words that are the most important descriptors of your item.  For example, my last sale was for "Ferris wheel Chein wind-up toy."  These are five words-- not a sentence.  
Click the words, "Start Selling."
You may be asked to sign in again.

2.  You are now at the page labeled, "Create your listing."
a. "Create a descriptive title for your item."  Copy into the blank box the title for your item that you wrote previously.  You may use up to 55 characters, but they are not in a complete sentence.  Type the words most commonly used in the title of other items with completed sales at the highest prices.

b. "Select the category that best describes your item."
You may get a few suggested categories that would match your item.  You can pay for as many categories as you wish, but you are allowed one category as part of your basic listing service.  The main point is to choose a category where potential buyers will be searching, not where you want to post it.  
Click in the small circle or box in front of the category that you think would be help you to find a buyer for your item.

c.  "Bring your item to life with pictures."
"Click Add a photo and select the photo that you want to upload."
Click in the leftmost picture of a camera or the "Add a photo" box underneath it.
A "pop-up box" will come over the eBay webpage, asking you to "Add a photo."
Click on the "Browse" word and you should be led to the files directory on your own computer.  
Go to the subdirectory where you stored the photos of the item you plan to sell.  For example, I put my photos in a subdirectory labelled, "Ferris Wheel."  
Find the name of the subdirectory where your photos are stored in the left menu column and click on that subdirectory.  The contents of that subdirectory will appear in the window. Choose the first (and most important) photo of the item you want to sell.
The name of the photo and the computer "pathname" to it will appear in the selection box.  Click on "Upload." Wait until the photo appears in the first box under "Click Add a photo and select the photo you want to upload.
Click on another "Add a photo" box to add more photos and repeat the process until you have all the necessary photos added.  
Again, consider if paying an extra $0.15 for an additional photo might, indeed, bring more viewers to your listing and might influence them to buy your item instead of that from another person.  

d.  "Describe the item you're selling."
Navigate back to the text editor or word processor and Select, and then copy the text description of your item.
You can use some formatting in your listing, both here and after you, later, "Save and Preview" your listing.   You will be offered tools that allow you to customize borders, frames, colors, sizes of text, etc.  Some extra services may cost extra money.  You think through if paying an extra $1.00 in advertising help might make you more money.  Your study of completed auctions should help you see what was the difference between the higher and lower prices received.  In the description, include your expectations as far as payment, pre-bid communications, etc.

e.  "Set a price and shipping details."
Three options are offered.  
1. First, what price to use as your starting price for the auction.  If you start at $0.99, you save a few cents in your auction fees.  
2. Second, choose the length that you want your auction to run. Your choices are 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days.  I usually start my auctions on Thursday evening so that they will run over two weekends, including Sundays.  Traditionally, more eBay shopping takes place during the weekend.  You pay more for a longer auction period.
3. Third, you can set a "Buy It Now" price for your item.  This means that if someone wants your item and finds your "Buy It Now" price reasonable, they can pay it right then without having to wait for the auction to end.  This is where your research of the completed sales price of similar items will come in handy.  I knew that most ferris wheels similar to mine had usually sold for between $150 and $250.  I could have chosen a "Buy It Now" price of $175.00, and probably could have sold it within a few days, if the right buyers happened to be looking on eBay while my item was listed.  
4. "Shipping destination Service."  You are offered a wide range of options on how you prefer to ship items that someone buys from you.  If your item is small, you may use a regular mail service, if it is large, you may need to use a parcel service, especially if your item is valuable or has time-sensitive components."  If you sell land or houses, ignore this option.

f. "Decide how you'd like to be paid."
I use PayPal most of the time because it is an electronic funds transfer, is guaranteed, and gives both buyer and seller an immediate receipt and proof of payment.  I even use Paypal for payments on real estate (even for rental payments).  It is fast and reliable.  If you choose the Paypal option, you will be asked to create an account if you do not already have one set up.  
You can accept other forms of payment if appropriate.

I also put my payment requirements into the text description to be sure that the buyer sees my expectations several times.

At the bottom of the page will appear an estimate of how much your listing will cost for you to post it on the eBay site.  

g. "Save and preview your listing."  This is to save and review your listing, and is not a commitment to list your item at this time.  
This first lists all of your item listing details, including fees.
Scroll down and you will see each portion of your listing.  You can edit any choice, and then you can exit if you are not ready to post the listing at this time, or you click "List your item."  If you exit, when you return, click on the link "Sell" at the top of the eBay page and you should see your item description listed.

When you click "List your item,"  you promise to pay eBay for your listing (eBay prefers that you use eBay to pay them for your listing fees.)