Unique Tips for Selling Your Items on eBay

EBay continues to be the number one auction site for those buying and selling their treasures online. Many books have been written on the subject of selling on eBay, but there are several lesser-known tactics that can drive your sales even higher.

Start 99% of your eBay auctions for $0.01. eBay makes money by charging sellers both a front-end and back-end transaction fee. The fees are based on the item's beginning price and final selling price. No sense paying more in fees just to start your item off at a higher price. I've found that $0.01 auctions tend to generate more interest up front and create a lot of "watchers." These watchers will monitor the item throughout the selling process and come back near the end of the auction to bid. It's tempting to set the starting price closer to what you would like to actually get paid, but I've found this method to be both costly and largely ineffective. One disclaimer: If you are selling a high-priced item you may want to consider a higher starting price, and/or setting a reserve price.

List your items at the end of the day. Most people peruse eBay auctions later in the day, so consider listing your items in the evening to get maximum exposure near the end of the auction. Consider the various time zones - ending your auction too early may not allow those on the west coast enough time to get home, have dinner and fire up eBay to see your listing. Listing items around 10:00p.m. EST has always worked well for me.

Time your auction to end on a weekend. eBay auctions ending on a weekend tend to generate more interest, and therefore higher selling prices. If you are using the most popular 3-day auction (and I recommend you do) list your item on a Wednesday or Thursday evening so that it will end over the weekend.