Selling on eBay is a great way to declutter and release cash from your unwanted items. eBay is a great way for us to declutter our home and make some extra cash. Remember that eBay sales are tax free if you are just selling on your unwanted items! I cannot believe some of the items actually selling on eBay. Here are my selling tips for eBay.

1. Look at recently sold listings

On eBay you can easily search for completed listing of items that have sold (simply click on “advanced” just to the right of the search bar, or if you are using the eBay app then you will need to filter your results to see this option). Seeing the items that have recently sold, and how much they have sold for helps you to work out what is worth selling and how much to price your items for. This is my number one selling tip for eBay for a reason!

2. Use the eBay app

If you have a smartphone or tablet then the eBay app makes listing about a hundred times easier! You can take photos with your smartphone or tablet and upload them using the app. The app gives you a chance to list straight from your phone or tablet and a time and place that is convenient to you. 

3. Use your free listings

Every month, private sellers are given 1,000 free eBay listings. You will still have to pay your final value fees (10%) and your Paypal fees, but it doesn't cost anything to list up to 1,000 items. If you choose to list for 1 or 3 days then there is a 35p fee. You can't use your free listings in Classified Ads or Property. 

4. Look out for £1 max selling fee weekends

If you are looking for motivation to sell on eBay then waiting for £1 max fee weekends is key.

eBay charge you 10% Final Value Fees on your sold items, however every fortnight or so they have a maximum £1 selling fee weekend. This means that for the duration, anything you list that sells for more than £10 you will only pay £1 in fees. 

Items don't even have to sell that weekend, they just need to be listed during this promotion. 

This can be a massive saving if you have anything over £10 to list. For example, I sold an iPhone for over £200 during one of these weekends, and I was only charged £1 fees instead of £20. An extra £19 in my pocket!

Another great thing about these weekends is that you aren't charged for short 1 day or 3 day auctions, up to 100 listings. This means that you can do a 1 day auction on a Saturday, then relist for longer on a Sunday.

You need to active the offer, it isn't applied automatically. eBay will email you about the promotion, or you will see it in My eBay>All Selling>Overview and scroll all the way down. If the offer is available to you there then you will see it. 

5. List on Thursday nights for 10 days

It is common knowledge that ending eBay auctions on a Sunday evening is the most profitable and popular time, but it wasn't until someone pointed out that listing for 10 days on a Thursday means you cover two Sunday nights that I started putting this into practice. I have to say that so far it has been brilliant, and I think it has increased my eBay sales.

6. List similar items at the same time

eBay listing is boring. Possibly the most boring task in the world. However, you can save a little bit of time by listing similar items together. It could be that you do bundles of similar items (baby clothes, clothes in the same sizes, magazines, etc) or that you list items individually, but you simply choose “sell similar item” after listing the first one. eBay will then copy things over such as the category, postage information and more – this saves load of time!

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7. Take good photos

You are allowed to include 12 photographs for free on your listings, so try to use as many as you can. Photographs showing the item from a different angle, close ups and even any damage mean that your potential buyers are getting a clear picture about your items. Make sure you have good lighting for your photos too. Some sellers invest in lighting kits or a ring light for eBay photos. 

8. Describe your items well

When you are selling an item on eBay, try to be as descriptive as possible. A “size 18 New Look dress” is fine, but you are likely to get more interest if you include measurements and the materials that make up the fabric. Think about what you would like to know about an item before purchasing it and try to include that information, bewcause I can give you all the eBay selling tips in the world, but if something isn't described well, it may not sell. . Damaged items also sell on eBay for a variety of reasons, so remember to be upfront about any damage. 

9. Relist your items

If your items don't sell first time round, or even perhaps the 5th time round, you might find yourself lucky the next time you list. Of course you need to draw a line after so many listings, but don't give up hope! You can relist your items easily on eBay, and you won't have to enter all the information again.

10. Don't suffer from eBay burnout

It is great to have goals about how many items you are going to list on eBay, but that's no good if you end up suffering from eBay burnout. Instead, set yourself realistic goals. Find a system that works for you – it could be to list something every week day in a month, or to set yourself up with a film and keep listing items until the film is over. Whatever it is, make sure that it is manageable.

11. Know your postage costs

Underestimating postage costs can quickly eat into your eBay profits, so it is important that you get these right. Don’t be put off by postage costs though, they are easier than ever to understand.

I mostly use Hermes to send my parcels, because Royal Mail will base their prices not only on the weight of your item but also the dimensions. I have been caught out in the past where an item has cost me over £13 to post. 

Hermes offer a variety of prices, most of my items cost me £2.85 to drop off at a parcelshop. 

Even better, Hermes are on Topcashback, meaning that I make some of my postage costs back in cashback – which is tax free! 

To accurately know how much your items weigh you can use some digital kitchen scales to get the job done – when buying your scales don’t forget batteries! I usually get them from Poundland but you can also get them online for a little more – Poundland is definitely cheaper!

12. Don't spend over the odds for your packaging

If you leave buying your packaging until the last minute then you could find yourself paying lots of money at the Post Office or in a supermarket. The moment you list something on eBay you can quickly buy packaging online, or even recycle your own packaging. I save lots of the jiffy bags and bubble wrap that I get sent in the post – not only does this save money but it also helps the environment.

If you do need to buy mailing bags or jiffy bags and you are buying them online, I like to get a job lot that comes with a variety of sizes. Make sure you take note of the measurements and if you don’t have a ruler to hand then I would like to introduce you to a website I visit all the time, i-ruler.

When it comes to eBay selling tips, I'd say that you should never pay over the odds for packaging!

13. Buy it now versus auctions

I like both, and both have great advantages. When I list items as “buy it now” then I usually inflate the prices a little and allow buyers to send offers on the items. Auctions have the advantage of your items sky rocketing and fetching lots more than you were expecting. I use a mixture of both, and if I need to relist an item then I might mix it up and switch a buy it now to an auction, or vice versa.

14. 99p start versus a higher start price

There is no doubt that 99p listings generate a lot of interest, but you also run the risk of your item selling for just that – 99p. I tend to only do 99p listings if I know for sure (or I am as sure as I can be) that it will get bid up. If your item sells for 99p and you have offered free postage then you will most likely be left out of pocket, so please be careful with 99p listings! However, if you list your item just £1-£2 less than someone can buy it for in a shop then it might not generate much interest. I would suggest that you are flexible and you try out different prices to see what works well for you and for the items you are selling.

15. List everything

If you have seen any of my 10 Weird Things That Sold on eBay blog posts then you will know that anything and everything sells. It could be an old VHS player (which sold for £35 plus postage), a broken pen (which sold for £12) or even a manky, dirty remote control (which sold for £24.95). Even your smelly old shoes can sell on eBay. Nothing is too weird for eBay, and one person's junk is another person's treasure. One of mf favourite selling tips for eBay is just to keep an open mind.

16. What to do when your eBay listing doesn't sell

There are only so many times that you can relist your eBay auctions before giving up. Take a look to see what else you can do when your eBay listings don't sell, including other places to try to sell your items. Gumtree is another good place to list.

17. What to do when a buyer opens a case against you

The threat of buyers opening an eBay case against you might put you off selling on eBay, but it doesn't have to. There are plenty of things you can do to protect yourself, and remember that selling on eBay comes with both buyer and seller protection.

My selling tips for eBay

I hope that my list of tried and tested list helps you. I've had genuine success with each of these! See our Paypal fees calculator for help working out your Paypal fees.

Wondering what to look for in charity shops to sell on eBay?