This guide will explain what to include in a cell phone listing on Ebay.  It explains what information you need, as well as a standard format to use for your listing. It can be used as a great way to attract more people to your product.

NOTE: This guide is more about what to include in your listing, rather than how to use the Ebay website.  If you are looking for help in selling your product, read this guide.  If you need help using Ebay.com to sell something, then either use another guide, or refer to Ebay's help system.
NOTE: This guide has not yet been completely proof-read, now is it entirely complete.  Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, concerns, or corrections. 

Obviously, you need to set up an Ebay account for selling.  This is not something that I will be able to assist you with.  I would recommend you refer to Ebay's help files before continuing in this guide:
Ebay's Help for Seller
Once that is complete, continue reading this guide.

Of course, the first step is to ensure that your phone is actually worth something, and that it will sell.  After you find you phones brand and model (paragraph below this), you may want to search the current Ebay listings for your phone.  If you see that there are listings that end with no bids, then you may want to reconsider selling your phone on Ebay (mind you, even if there are 12 hours left with no bids, it is possible for it to sell for over $100USD, trust me, I have seen it).  Remember that your listing will cost a minimum of 20 cents (USD) in addition to any other options you choose when listing, as well as further charges from Ebay (refer to the above help link for more information on Ebay's listing charges).  Keep in mind that there are re-listing fees if your phone does not sell the first time around, and that you may end up losing money if you are not careful.  Once you ensure that you can sell your phone, however, continue on reading.

The next step is to find out what model your cellphone is.  In almost all cases, you'll see two brands on your phone: A network provider and a manufacturer.  You need the manufacturer, a simple way to find out which is the one you want is simply by looking at your cellphone bill - the bill is going to have your network's name on it, so if your bill says something like Cingular, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc, and your phone says Motorola and Cingular on it, your phone is made by Motorola (as obvious as this may sound to some people, many people seem to not know this, so I have to point it).  Now to get the model.  Your phone definitely says it somewhere, its just a question of where.  Look on around on the phone first without taking anything off, and see if you see any letter/number combinations (or just letters/just numbers).  For example "V600, V500, PEBL, RAZR, 3125".  There are many more possibilities, and chances are yours will be none of the ones I listed, but once you find something like those, skip the next sentence and move on.  If you can't find it without opening anything up, you'll probably have to remove the battery on your phone, this I will not be able to instruct you to do as it is risky; I would now recommend that you refer to your phone's manual (where you may also find your phone's model), or call technical support from either your service provider or cellphone manufacturer.

Now that you know your phone's model, you'll need to obtain some information about your phone.  This can usually be done very easily.  Many time you can go to a search engine of your choice (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc) and type in the brand, followed by the model.  For example: Motorola V600.  You may be thinking that your manufacturer's website is the best, but that is not always the case.  I recommend using a website that provides a chart about the features for the phone.  For example: Phonescoop, Mobiledia, and GSMArena do this, and are the website I recommend you use if they have your phone in their database.  If they do not, then gather up as much information you can from as many websites as you can.  Remember, you want to at least sound like you know about the product you are selling!  The one piece of information that you will not be able to get from any of these website, however, that is vitally important to your cell phone listing, is whether or not your phone is unlocked.  What does this mean?  An unlocked phone is compatible with any network, and is much easier for a buyer to switch to their purchased phone once they get it.  If your phone is locked, it means that the phone will work on any network of the same type.  This is mainly only a concern for GSM phones to the best of my knowledge.  For example, if you are selling a T-Mobile phone that is locked, in order for a buyer using Cingular to use the phone on his network, he would have to unlock the phone, which usually costs money, and would discourage people from buying your phone.  I recommend that you try to get the phone unlocked before selling.

Next determine how you would like the seller to pay.  The generally preferred payment method is PayPal.  PayPal offers a decent security level for both parties, and is a commonly acceptable method amongst buyers as they know it is secure.  I personally recommend no other method, although an Ebay representative once told me that Escrow.com is a good alternative, and in my research, I have come to a personal conclusion that it seems to be an ideally safe method, although it does seem to be very expensive.  Money order is also an option, however, it does not provide the buyer much security, and is not preferred amongst many sellers (although some do because they don't feel comfortable entered their credit card number online).  If they send you a check, cash it before you send the product.  Ensure that you have collected all money and that there is no way for them to get the money back without your consent before shipping.  Methods to avoid: Western Union and other Wire Transfer services.  These are used very commonly by scammers, and will likely discourage many people from buying from you.  If you choose to accept PayPal and Money Order, you should be safe to sell.  (Remember to set up your PayPal account BEFORE listing your item to ensure that everything flows smoothly.)

Finally, a very important step, is to determine how you want to ship your product.  The best way is to offer your buyer options.  Most buyers understand that the cost of shipping will be inversely proportional to the arrival time.  In other words, the more they pay, the shorter the wait, the less they pay, the longer it will take to arrive.  Offer the cheapest (probably ground) and the most expensive (probably first class, overnight), as well as shipping insurance.  This gives the buyer the option to make sure they get their product very quickly if they need, or simply pay the cheapest price.  Also, I recommend charging the actual shipping price.  When you charge a flat rate, as many sellers do, your risking paying too much, or charging the buyer too much, and could end up causing dissatisfaction on either end.  Charging the actual shipping price is fair, and works out nicely.  You may also choose to pay for shipping yourself, and this generally attracts more potential buyers, however, may end become a very costly option.

Now is when I recommend pulling up a word processor (Microsoft Word, Notepad, docs.google.com, etc) and typing the listing out there.  Here is what to include:
(NOTE: Ebay's listing supports HTML, see this page: HTML Tips for some coding tips.)

Product Brand and Model (Example: Motorola V600)
Then you should include some information about the specific product you are selling.  Here are some questions to answer:
-What condition is the phone in?
-Is there any significant damage on the phone? (noticeable scratches, dents, etc)
-Is the phone working?
-Is the phone unlocked? (as looked up before)
-How old is the phone?
-Why are you selling the phone? (Did something happen to it? are you getting/did you get a new phone? ..this is an actually very important question for buyers to look at)
-What accessories are you including with the phone? (Charger, battery, data cable, etc.. - if no charger, you should probably state "no charger included")
-How much did you use the phone?
-What did you think of the phone? (Did you enjoy your use of it?  You may want to say something along the lines of "Call quality was great, but I was not satisfied with the camera and MP3 playing features..." etc..)
-Include some of the key features of the phone in this section of your listing.  People would like to take a quick glance at exactly what they would be buying.
Following these questions, using those websites with all of your phone's information that were mentioned earlier.  Here is where you should include at a minimum, the following:
-Brands and model, once again
-Network (type and bands - type should be CDMA, PCS, GSM, etc; bands are 850, 900, 1900, etc)
-Original Release date of the phone (if the website you are at says it)
-Size and weight of the phone
-Screen(s) (What size is the screen? Resolution - 176x220, 320x240, etc; How many colors 64k, 262k, etc; if it is a flip phone, is there an external screen? What are details of that screen?)
-Ringtone capabilities (polyphonic, MP3, etc)
-Phonebook capacity (number of phone numbers it can hold)
-Total internal memory (if known)
-Data (does it support data transfer? What network types? (HSDPDA, WiFi, 3G, GPRS, etc)
-Wireless (WiFi, Bluetooth, IR, etc)
-Computer Connectivity (USB, proprietary, etc)
-Messaging (MMS, SMS, Instant Messengers, etc)
-Camera (does it have one? How many megapixels? - this may be VGA, 1MP, 1.3MP, etc)
-Other features (Games, java, headset, mp3 player, etc)
Once you give all that, you have completed the hard part.  Now it is time to give information on how the buyer will be able to get the phone.  Although this information is provided on other parts of Ebay, Buyers like to hear about the payments and shipping from the seller.  Here's what to say:
-What payment methods are you going to accept? (PayPal, Money Order, etc)
-Will you ship worldwide? (a very commonly asked question from buyers to seller, so decide if you want to sell to oversea buyers.  Remember, this can be risky)
-How much is shipping? (will you be charging the actual cost of shipping, or a flat rate? If you are charging the actual cost, be prepared to answer to people asking how much shipping will be to their zip code or country)
-How will you be shipping it? (UPS, FedEx, USPS, first class, ground, air, overnight, etc)
-Do you offer shipping insurance? How much?
-Will you accept returns? (a policy of only if it is not as described is a generally acceptable policy here, although many people allow 3 days for people to change their mind after they get it)
-In the case of a return, who will pay for shipping?

Once you have completed this, save the file, then go to the Ebay website and click the big "Sell" button on the top.  There you will have to fill out some information for your account, and then how you wish to sell your product.  If you are unsure of what they are asking, I recommend referring to the above help page (top of guide).  When you get to the field for your listing's body, simply copy and paste from your document.

Now you should be done and have a good listing for you cell phone that will attract buyers and provide them with the information they need, as well as make you seem knowledgeable about the product you are selling.



Below are some questions and answers that I have been asked overtime, or that I think people may be wondering:
Q:I have an existing contract with ATT wireless, but I want a new phone. can I purchase a new phone on ebay, add it to my existing plan, keep the same phone number, and then sell my old phone on ebay? thank you so much for your help!
A: Yes, part of the beauty of the GSM network, which ATT uses, is that it uses a SIM card.  In fact, you do not even need to tell ATT that you got a new phone or transfer any lines.  You simply take the SIM card out of your current phone (usually under the battery) and place it in your new phone!  It will still have all your service features that you normally would have, and will continue to use your existing plan without any modifications.  NOTE: Data plans are a little different in some cases.  The iPhone, Blackberrys, Smartphones, Windows Mobile phones, and select few others have a specifically required data plan.  All voice plans are fully compatible to other phones though.
This will remove all service associations with the old phone, and transfer them to your new phone. 
The above applies to users of GSM networks such as ATT and T-Mobile.
For those with Verizon or other non-GSM networks, you will need to call your service provider and transfer you plan to your new phone first.

Q: I am selling a GSM, Nextel or other SIM card based cell phone, and do not know if I should include the SIM card when I sell my phone.  Can you help me?
A: It is normally best that you do not include your SIM card when selling your cell phone.  The main purpose for your SIM card is to provide your phone with network data in order for it to operate on the cell phone network that you have. Overtime they added the ability to store phonebook information and other data to them, but they still do their main function of store network data. However, SIM cards are one time use only. In that, I mean if you set up a plan on one card, then cancel that plan, you'll need a new SIM card (happened to my brother). So when you get a new phone, you can simply put your current SIM card in your new phone, and sell the old one, where whoever buys it from you, will then insert his/her card (an advantage of GSM networks over CDMA; or Cingular/T-Mobile vs. Verizon).

Q: Can I sell my phone's service with my phone?
A: In most cases, yes.  However, I would recommend you call your service provider before doing so to ensure they will transfer your account.  Remember that if your contract has already expired, you may already be able to cancel your plan free of charge.

Q: I have another question not listed here, how do I get answers?
A: Feel free to ask me questions pertaining to this guide by clicking my username, then clicking the "Contact Member" button.  If you have questions about the forms needed to sell your product on the Ebay website, I recommend you contact Ebay with the help link above, as I will be of little assistance there.