I hardly pretend to have all the answers but truly experience is still the best teacher and with over 10,000 positive feedbacks I believe I've learned a few lessons.   First of all, use eBay, by which I mean set up your My eBay pages as they are the best guide to all your activities, be it buying and/or selling.  Also, before you list an item check for any guides on the subject of your item and also simply search for similar items being sold.  I deal almost entirely in collectibles but  some ideas are universal.  Too often I'll see a new seller offering an item which he says is rare and yet similar items may appear daily on eBay.  That's not rare.  Also, understandably the new seller wants to protect him or herself by placing a reserve and by starting the bidding at a high amount.  First of all, reserves put off many buyers, as do high opening bids.  In nearly all, if not all, cases, items on eBay will usually reach for maximum value assuming they are described and pictured adequately.   Describe fully but also as honestly as possible.  Those who deceive are usually caught at it.  I deal in vintage photographs to a large extent and I am constantly amazed at the misuse of terms and the lack of basic knowledge - all of which is readily available on eBay.  And whether using a camera or a scanner  show as much of your item as possible.  Remember that you are trying to convey information to the buyer.  For example, if selling a photo album tell the buyer an approximate number of the photos in the album.  Using such terms as "tons" of photos is not only uninformative it is also totally misleading.  My response is usually how many photos in a ton and how many tons?  Or even saying "hundreds" is also misleading.  In simple terms,  give the buyer the facts as you would want to know them.   If there is a defect tell the buyer, don't take the position that if the buyer does not ask about something he then cannot complain later.  Believe me, he or she will and rightly so.  But  finally always remember that the resources are available on eBay, through reviews, guides and  discussion rooms.  Make the most of this help, which is free, and  it  will pay off in better prices for your items.