If you have wanted to sell on eBay but never started because you thought it was too complicated, you are not alone. This article will smooth the way and help show you just how easy it really is. Even though eBay gives you all of the instructions, you sometimes have to click through to many different pages to the full information, and this can make the process seem more confusing than it really is. You can start learning how to sell by going to pages.ebay.com/help/sell/selling-basics.html. However, in this article, I’m going to show you the steps and what to expect.

Setting up a seller account is has seven basic steps, and these steps are listed at pages.ebay.com/help/sell/sell-getstarted.html. The absolute first step is to register an eBay account. This is your basic buyer account. Once you do that, the second step is to create your seller account, and then you sign up with PayPal. After that you are ready to research your products, though if you already know what you want to sell you can ignore that step. From there you create your auction listing (or listings). You must also track or manage your auctions (which you do from My eBay), and then when you item sells, you must conclude your auction by contacting your buyer.

If you are not already registered with eBay, then the first step for you is to register. There are two register links on the eBay Home page. In the middle of the page there is a grey Register box, and at the top, in tiny, red letters is another link. Proceed to the next page, and eBay will ask you for your name and address, telephone number, email address, and will ask you to create a username and password. If you are planning to do eBay as a business, you may want to consider making your user name similar to your business name. The rest of the process is clearly laid out and will give you an account.

Seller account creation is your next step and also easy to do. You can find the eBay instructions at pages.ebay.com/help/sell/seller_account.html. What you need to know is that to create your account you must verify who you are, and eBay does this by using your credit card and/or debit card information. You can also use a bank account to verify your I.D. as well. Verifying your bank account, if you choose to do so, does not mean that eBay will deduct funds from your account. In order for that to occur, you must give eBay specific authorization. Once you start the process, you complete a few well defined steps that leave no room for confusion. You can find the seller account page at cgi4.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?SellerSignIn.

The next step after your seller account is creating a PayPal account. PayPal also lays out this process in a clear manner. To begin, you go to Paypal.com and click the New User button on the right under the sign-in box. This will take you to a page with three large boxes. The first box is marked “Personal;” the second box is marked “Premier;” and the third box is marked “Business.” In order to sell on eBay and collect money through PayPal, you must choose either Premier or Business. The choice is yours; however, if you are planning to sell on eBay as a business, I’d suggest clicking on “Business.” If you are just selling as a hobby or on a casual basis, click on Premier. You can always upgrade for free at a later time. After you click “Business,” the next page requires you choose a “Payment Solution.” You will see a drop-down menu giving you various options to choose from. You need to choose either Website Payments Standard or PayPal for you eBay Business. Either one will do and they take you to the same next page. Click Continue and you will go to the next page for Business Account Setup. Fill in the information as well as you can (you can always change answers later) and continue with the remaining steps. That is all there is to it.

Now is the time to determine what product or products you want to sell. If you already know, then skip to the next step on creating your auction listing. You may ask, “How do I do product research?” There isn’t any way for me adequately explain in a single paragraph, but you should start by browsing through auctions in product categories of interest to you and find out what is selling and for how much. You should also look at eBay Pulse, which will show you what is popular in each of the product categories. You can also check out eBay Groups and research the categories of groups and what people talk about. Once you have decided upon a product, you are ready to create your auction listing.

It is now time to create your listing. Click the Sell menu choice in the horizontal menu in the upper right hand portion of the home page. Then click the big, green “List Your Item” button and sign in. Next, choose your category. If this is your first time, you can browse the categories to which would best suit your item. You will then be asked to provide details about your item. The kind of information requested will depend in part on what category you choose. You will also be able to upload images of your product, and if your item matches a product in the eBay catalog, you will be offered a generic image of the item to use as a thumbnail image for your listing. However, you don’t have to use an eBay image; you always have the option of using your own pictures and thumbnails.

Once your item sells and you have received payment, you must contact your buyer immediately to confirm receipt of payment and to confirm how and when you will ship the item and when it should arrive. If you do not receive payment after 3 days, contact the buyer directly to remind him or her to pay so you can ship their item. And that, in a nutshell, is the overview of the eBay selling process. More details will follow in future articles.

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Tags: Auctions, ebay, ebay seller account, how to sell on ebay