How to make money online easily with ebay (I made $500 from junk!)

Everyone loves making extra money.

Particularly making money at home with junk you no longer want or need!

I mean what’s not to love right?

Recently I de-cluttered my whole house, and you can read all about that here. But the de-cluttering left me with a huge amount of stuff I no longer needed. (Like I’m talking multiple carloads of stuff…)

Luckily my Mom is a bit of an expert at selling on eBay and she not only agreed to sell my clutter for cash, but also wrote this guide on how to make some serious dollar selling your own junk on eBay!

But before I hand you overdo her let’s just run through some figures so you can an idea of how much extra money you can make!

Amount made in total:  £1,130  (that’s $1,480)

Amount made per week: £100 (so she made over $120 each week!)

So to recap she made over $120 dollars each week, from home, just selling stuff we didn’t want anymore, working less hours than your standard part-time job!

Would you say no to an extra $520 each month?

I mean sure you aren’t going to be buying any supercars on that amount of money, but this is a realistic example of what you truly can make on eBay. No get rich scams and outrageous claims here, just an amount that pretty much anyone with stuff to sell can make!

Want to find out to make extra money selling on eBay, then read on!

SELLING ON EBAY, TOP TIPS FROM A TOP SELLER

So you have a few items you no longer want or need. You could just chuck them away (although that isn’t great for the environment), you could donate them to charity, or there is a third option; sell them online and make some extra cash!

If the third option sounds appealing then read on.

Now there are many websites you can sell things online on. I personally recommend eBay mainly because you have protection* and because people seem willing to spend slightly more on eBay than other sites like Craigslist or Gumtree.

*Both buyer and seller protection is really important and because eBay has been around for so many years now they really have got it covered. For example if someone ‘buys’ your item but doesn’t transfer the money, you can open up a case in eBay and eBay will basically sort it out for you, or allow you to relist the item. So you don’t have spent loads of time and energy on a no show!

Selling on eBay is not complicated but there are certain unwritten rules you should follow to ensure your items sell for the highest price possible!

Of course there are actual written rules as well, which eBay will highlight for you when you set up an account. But these unwritten rules and tips that I will be going through will help you maximize your profits and make selling on eBay as easy as pie.

So let’s get started with this guide so I can share with you my best selling tips!

1) IS THE ITEM ACTUALLY WORTH SELLING?

This is the first think you need to know, I know it sounds obvious but it’s probably the biggest mistake made!

People often waste time and money listing items on eBay that just aren’t worth selling, so look at your items and consider whether you would buy it? Is it desirable and in reasonable condition, no rips or stains, that sort of thing.

If the item was very inexpensive on the high street the chances are it wont sell, but you could group items like this together as a ‘job lot’ as everyone loves a mix bag of bargains!

Well-known makes and labels are good, they don’t have to be haute couture but quality counts and brands that people recognize always do well.

2) PHOTOS ARE EVERYTHING!

If your photos are rubbish no one is going to want it!

If your item is grubby then wash it, plus creased up clothes look like an old dish rag so get that iron out! Trust me this is vital prep to getting a good photo!

Take time to arrange the item as attractively as possible, preferably in daylight so you don’t need a flash.

Make sure the color in your photos is true, a flash can make navy blue look dirty grey, which will either means no one wants to buy your item, or they buy it because they like the dirty grey color (???) and then want a refund when it arrives and its actually navy blue!

When taking photos make sure you include:

• The whole item (front view) and use this as your main photo
• Back and side views if relevant
• Brand motifs e.g. the tick on Nike
• Labels to prove the brand or desirable fabric (like cashmere or silk)
• Close-ups of details that don’t show up in main photo e.g. fabric pattern, anything quirky or unusual
• Plus, always include photos of defects like holes, dents, fraying, repairs and very worn areas and refer to these in your description. Buyers appreciate honesty and you definitely don’t want negative feedback from buyers as this will affect your seller score and may stop people buying from you in future!

3) TAKE TIME WITH YOUR TITLE AND DESCRIPTION

The item title (header line) is SO important.

(Just like with blogging, you need a great title to entice people to click and buy!)

If you want the best exposure to potential buyer’s searches, this header line MUST include as much info as possible in the few characters available.

So include the brand, brief description, size, and maybe a little taster.

For example: Howies 100% organic soft cotton jeans size 14 ethically made.

Your tasters here are ‘organic’ ‘soft’ and ‘ethically made’.

You want people to want to find out more about your item, so make it desirable!

Then the item description (or narrative) is your opportunity to really sell your item. You can repeat the info from the header line in more detail.  If you think it’s beautiful, warm, unusual, artisan, handmade, only been worn a couple of times; whatever wonderful thing you can come up with then say it!

Sometimes putting something a little personal in helps like ‘I really love this jacket, but sadly I will never be a size 10 again, but I did use to feel awesome in it when I went out in the evenings!’

This helps people imagine owning it and what it would be like in their life.

4) PRICE YOUR ITEM RIGHT!

There is no point in listing an item for a stupidly high price in the hope someone might buy it. Yes there are crazy stories of people buying stuff like brussel sprouts for $3,000 but it’s unlikely to happen with that leather bag you just listed for $300 when you only paid $100 for it…

Always look at similar items that are already listed to get an idea of what prices you should list things at and ALWAYS check to see if people are actually bidding on them.

If no one is actually buying the items at that price then you are better off to list them at a lower price that way someone will buy them.

EBay, and other different selling sites, will have many selling options for you to consider and select, like do you want a fixed price or an auction type sale, how long you want your listing to run for, how do you want to receive your money, will you accept returns, how quickly will you send out sold items?

Make sure you understand the various options and if not then hit help and select the subject you are struggling with.

So make sure you’re realistic with the start price (if your going for auction). After checking what similar items are on eBay for, put a start price at the minimum you would be happy to receive.

But don’t forget that eBay will probably take a commission and if you use a payment method like Paypal they will too! Plus you will also need packaging materials to send the items so take this into account too when you are pricing.

You can buy ‘easy seal’ plastic mailing bags in various sizes inexpensively and/or save bubble wrap, padded bags and small, sturdy boxes for mailing different items.

Just make sure any packing you use is sensible and all items are packed as you would wish to receive things.

5) CAREFULLY CONSIDER DELIVERY OPTIONS

Take time to consider the various delivery option details on eBay, there will be lots of info available for the different delivery options like post or couriers.

Also you need to consider whether you are happy to mail items internationally or only within your own country? Are you okay with people coming to your house to collect bulky items in person?

Set your delivery cost realistically according to the method for that item, see what other sellers are charging and consider including something for packaging (as briefly spoke about earlier) and driving to the mailing/couriers office.

Don’t undercharge on delivery as it can really eat into profit!

6) IF YOU ENJOY ONLINE SELLING IT MAY BECOME A LITTLE ADDICTIVE

So when you’ve exhausted your own wardrobes, cupboards, loft and garage why not tell friends and family what you are doing to earn extra cash and if they have stuff they no longer want would they let you take it.

It always amazes me how happy people are to get rid of stuff that’s cluttering up their home, especially if it means they don’t have to make much effort to dispose of it.

Why not offer to help them de-clutter; my personal tip is to take a look at Marie Kondo’s book, her de-cluttering methods will blow your mind AND provide stacks of stuff to sell online.

So there you have it guys, some amazing tips to help you make some extra dollar selling your old stuff on eBay.

It’s so easy and the perfect side hustle to clear out your home and make extra cash!

If you have any questions please free to ask away in the comments!