Ebay and other online auction places are a great way for you to make some money! One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Research what sells and then go find it at a yard sale – cheap. Or clean out your house today.

Read more to find out how to sell on online auctions.

Start making money on Online Auctions Today with these FREE E-books

Ebay Sellers Guide (pdf file)

Ebay Buyers Guide (pdf file)

Build a Profitable Online Auction Business with eBay

What you need:

• An eBay ID

• Items to sell

• Digital camera

• eBay listing fees

• PayPal or other payment processor

One of the easiest ways to make money online is by selling all your unused stuff at the world’s largest marketplace. Namely, eBay.com!

Chances are you have items in and around your house right now that could easily bring in $100… $200… $300… or more. These items might include children’s and adult clothes, books, CDs, DVDs, toys, games, electronics, exercise equipment, antiques, collectibles and so on. Even cars, furniture, RVs and other large items are sold for a profit on eBay every day. Why not get your share of the cash and clean out some clutter at the same time?

It’s easy to get started selling on eBay. When you visit the site, you’ll need to create an ID unless you already have one from purchases you’ve made. The same ID works for both selling and buying. Keep in mind that your ID is what people will know you by. Make it something memorable that speaks to what you sell or who you are.

Decide what you want to sell and get out your digital camera. Take several crisp, clear photos of every item you plan to sell. You may want to group some items instead of selling them individually. For instance, kids clothes sell really well in batches of 10-15 pieces, as do books and magazines, DVDs and other smaller items.

Write a descriptive, eye-catching title including as many keywords about your item as you can. Space is limited so be creative but give a good description.

Next write a longer ad page that includes details about the item, any flaws it may have, shipping information, payment options and expectations, your return policy, etc. This is where the “rubber meets the road” so be as detailed and specific as you can.

If you have more than one auction going at a time, and you’re willing to combine shipping to save the buyer money, state that on the auction page. If you ship only USPS Priority Mail or media mail (for books and magazines), include that as well.

The more information you give, the more informed a decision the buyer can make, and the more likely you are to get top dollar for your wares!

Include the photos you took in your listing and select the best one as a display on the auction search results page. You may want to add a few extra features to your listing such as a bold heading or featured auction listing. These will cost slightly more than a standard listing, but could draw more attention to your auction. The choice is yours.

Set a starting price. This should be the minimum amount you’re willing to take for each item. Keep in mind that you’ll be competing with millions of sellers for your customer’s cash so set your prices low to start with for the best results. But don’t settle for a price you can’t afford or won’t be satisfied with! Seller’s regret is worse than buyer’s regret any day.

Decide whether or not you want to offer a “Buy Now” price. If you do, the auction will end if someone is willing to pay that amount. This should be the ideal price you want for the item if you choose to offer it.

Once your item is listed, wrap it and prepare it for shipping. Don’t seal the package yet if you plan to offer combined shipping, but have it ready to go. Include any company literature you want to send the buyer such as a catalog of other wares, or promotional materials.

As soon as you receive notice the auction is complete, send the buyer an email saying thank you and letting him know what the final price with shipping will be. This is when the buyer should inform you they have other auctions with you if they want combined shipping. If you don’t hear from them within three days, email them another friendly reminder, but give them about seven business days to make payment.

After payment is received, seal the package and get it in the mail ASAP–within two days at the most. You want to build a good reputation as a fast shipper and someone who follows through on their auctions.

If there is an issue such as a damaged shipment, complaint about the product or anything else, deal with it promptly. Go out of your way to satisfy your customer, even if you have to bite your tongue to do it! Remember that the customer may not always be right, but it’s best to let him think he is.

If the buyer backs out or never submits payment, relist the item and start over. Also file a complaint against that buyer with eBay and post negative feedback on their ID. You don’t want to do this until you are 100 percent sure they’re not going to pay, but once it’s obvious they’ve flaked, you need to tell others so they’re not put in the same position.

Deal with all aspects of customer service in as professional a manner as possible, regardless of how the customer behaves. Your online reputation is at stake. Let the customer worry about his own.

As soon as the transaction is complete, leave feedback for your buyer. Give the shipment time to arrive, then email the buyer to confirm receipt and ask him to leave feedback for you as well. Most buyers will, though some won’t. That’s okay. Continue to run your eBay business in a professional manner and your online reputation will grow.

eBay is a simple enough business to run that anyone–even those with little computer skills–can quickly earn money selling stuff out of their garage or basement.

But be careful… when you get that email saying “SOLD!” from the world’s largest marketplace and you know you’ve made cash, you may be hit with auction fever! You’ll know you have it when you start looking at clearance merchandise and yard sale items with an eye for what they could bring on eBay.

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