Over 163 million people visited eBay in March 2010 (Nielsen.com). That makes eBay the fifth most visited website globally. While you probably don’t want to make your living off of eBay, it’s the largest pool of potential buyers on the internet, and a useful way to earn a little money. Learn how to get started.

DECIDING WHAT TO SELL
Collectables are the most popular items on eBay by category. They represent 17% of all eBay sales. Coming in second is Clothing/Shoe/Accessories at 11% and Entertainment at 11%. Find out the details at popular.ebay.com and pulse.ebay.com.

Still not sure about what to sell? Search amazon.com for product research. Amazon.com includes a Sales Ranking in the Product Details section. This incorporates current and historical sales data to indicate a product’s popularity. In the Amazon rating system, the lower the number the higher the sales.

PRICING YOUR ITEM

Press the “Sell an Item” link at the top right menu on eBay.com to get started. The What’s it Worth section helps you determine the average price for your item.

Need more detailed information? Use the advanced search to find all listings that have completed. (Under the Search Including section, check the Completed Listings box. Results include both sold and unsold listings including their prices.

I’ve sold textbooks, and DVD’s. Textbooks in their most recent addition are popular. Pick a time around the beginning of the quarter. I listed 3 textbooks a week before the University of California schools were about to start and sold the books with out any problem.

LISTING AN ITEM ON EBAY

How do you make your used product sound good and still be honest about the items condition? Here are a few descriptive terms that are useful:

• Good condition with some wear.
• Shows signs of wear.
• The edges of the cover are slightly curling.
• No highlighting. No markings.
• Book comes without a book jacket.
• DVD has been watched only once.

SHIPPING YOUR ITEM
One key to success on eBay – Keep your shipping costs down. USPS media mail provides an economical option for sending DVDs, CDs and books. Just buy your packing material in bulk.
Ebay and PayPal prints online shipping labels for USPS priority mail flat rate packages. There is a slight discount for online transaction. Payment comes out of the PayPal account automatically. It’s easy and fast. USPS include tracking with their online orders through PayPal.

Be careful though. Sometimes the flat rate can be more expensive than using Priority Mail by weight.