How to eDo It - Learn How Online Auctions Work - Become a Seller and Sell Your Items

Online auctions have blossomed into a massive open market where millions of people look for bargains on everything from trading cards to real estate. After completing a few relatively simple steps, nearly anyone can list items and have them exposed to this giant pool of potential buyers. The first step is to get registered if you do not already have an account.

• View eBay's Seller Central

Note: If you're registered as a buyer, you do not need to re-register to be a seller. Just access your account and click Sell.

Sign-up to Accept Payments

You may choose to accept payments for your sold items through the mail only, or you can register to receive electronic payments making it possible for buyers to pay instantly with a credit card or bank account.

PayPal, now owned by eBay, is the preferred payment solution for the auction-site giant. A PayPal account makes it possible for buyers to send you money electronically meaning you receive payment instantly -- and it's free for the buyer to use.

PayPal's Auction Tools make managing your listings easy. You can sign in to request a payment from the winning bidder or insert PayPal logos, buy buttons, and other graphics in your listings. Below is an example of a payment link.

There are no set up fees or monthly charges to set your account up to receive payments, only a transaction fee when you receive payment. Once you've received payment for the auction, you may transfer the money to your bank account or pay someone else online. Check out PayPal

Gather the Auction Information

Listing your item in the correct category and providing accurate and descriptive details are very important. Carefully planned listings will be found by buyer searches, eliminate many buyer questions, and help avoid any problems later.

Begin by looking at other listings for items like yours. What category are they listed in? How active are they? - (look at page-view counters and number of bids). What details are sellers providing? What seems to be the average starting and selling prices?

• View eBay's Seller Central

Once your research is complete you should have, at minimum, the following information gathered:

• Pictures (if possible ) and a detailed description

• What category the item will be listed in

• What payment types you'll accept

• What shipping method you will use

• How long you want to run the auction

If you know HTML you can use it at eBay to spice your listing up. Create the code in your editor and paste it when you list the item. Don't know HTML? There are free online courses here.

Decide on a Selling Format

There are several ways you can list items on eBay. Note: You may pay eBay for the listing fees described below by mailing a check or money order, Electronic Funds Transfer from your bank account, or by credit card.

Classic eBay Auction - List your item and sell to the highest bidder. There are several options presented when using this format such as Buy It Now, setting a reserve price, and selling multiple quantities of the same item. There are four fees that will be associated with your listing. There is an insertion fee (starting at 30¢ - maximum of $3.30 except motor vehicles and real estate), a final value fee (based on the final selling price - 5.25% thru $25, 2.75% thru $1000, and 1.5% on amount over $1000), listing upgrade fees (several option for calling attention to your listing - from 50¢ for bold letters to $99 for being featured on the home page) and PayPal fees if you chose to use online payments.

Fixed Price Auction - You set the price on the item(s) and buyers purchase right away, no bidding or waiting for the auction to end. The fees for using this format the same as the classic format above.

Advertise Real Estate - This advertisement format, which is for those who want to get as many potential buyer contacts as possible, allows you to list your property and asking price for 30 or 90 days. Instead of bidding, interested buyers fill out a contact form and their information is sent to you. The listing fees range from $100 - $300 and there is no final value fee.

List Your Item

Before you begin the listing process you should first make sure your item is allowed and that you are within the site's listing policies. These terms may be viewed in the eBay's Help section under Seller Guide.

The listing process is initiated by clicking the sell button, which is located at the top of each page. You may be prompted for your login and password, submit these and you are presented the Choose Selling Format Screen. Select the format you'd like to use in selling your item and the category selection form appears. Take care to select the category that is best for your item. You may list your item in a second category, but extra charges will apply.

Next is to create a title and description for your item. Here, use as many descriptive keywords as possible - words that potential buyers will use to search for items like yours, such as: brand name, manufacturer, size, color, title, author, etc. Details regarding shipping and payment terms may also be included. You may add simple HTML tags to your listing description to spice it up a little.

The next step is to add a photo to your listing and specify the auction duration, item price, item location, and added listing visibility options. Use caution when filling in the form - some services are free, some are not.

Entering Shipping and Payment details is next. Specify the payment types you accept and who will pay for shipping. You may enter the shipping costs and details now or choose to specify them later. Giving concise details will prevent confusion and errors later.

Review your listing and submit. You may access your account to see how the auction is going.

• View eBay's Seller Central

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