Registering with eBay: What you MUST know before you sell

Saturday 07 November 2009
by SaleHoo.com

When I first started my online business, I wasn't sure where I wanted it to go, and what I did was sign up with SaleHoo. Everything was quite easy to follow. Basically, some of the things I found very helpful was the fact that, one, it was for life, so I didn't have to pay for SaleHoo every year. It has helped me from the get-go, and its been renewed every year, so I don't have to worry about it. They give you some hot tips, some tricks, supplier suggestions, and one of the things that was very important for me was that I didn't know the difference between a drop shipper and a wholesaler. Whats right for me basically. So all I can say is that I have been extremely happy with SaleHoo, and I would recommend it to anybody. I feel that the online free resources alone are very helpful, but you can also go and discuss it with other members. You can actually give your opinion on suppliers that you have used or that you do not use, or if your not sure what type of product you want, they will help you. Each time also that I have recieved a newsletter, its been helpful. I've been reading it each time, printing it off, and re-reading it over and over again to help my business get stronger and stronger, and actually my sales have increased as well. I owe it all to my hard work and to SaleHoo as well, so thank you very much.

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In this lesson we're going to take a look at eBay's registering process and what you MUST know before you start to sell. Then, to finish off the lesson, I'll be sharing my secrets on sourcing items to sell!
Enjoy!

Registering

Before you can buy or sell anything on eBay, you need to register. To do this, go to www.ebay.com and click the register link at the very top of the page.

Or, if you are already browsing in eBay, you will find a link to register at the top of every page. Once you have registered and signed in this will disappear.

Step One: Enter Your Personal Information

Fill in your details. You will be required to enter your address, phone number and a credit card number. The credit card number is used by eBay ONLY to check that you are who you say you are. Your details will not be given out to anyone else.

Step Two: Choose Your ID and Password

Your eBay user ID is what everyone will see who deals with you. Make sure that you choose an ID that you like - after all, you will be using it from now on for all of your dealings! eBay will suggest a number of options for you, but most people like to create their own.

***Tip***

It's a good idea to create a username that is related to what you will be selling, or, one that is memorable or intriguing. Although it's unlikely to have an enormous effect on your sales, it does seem to add appeal nonetheless. Buying your golfing equipment off golfguru24 is so much more memorable than donr1783!

Your User ID must be at least 2 characters long and have a combination of letters, numbers, and certain symbols. Your User ID cannot be an email address or URL. In the past eBay did allow email addresses, but problems with email addresses being captured by spammers lead them to end this practice.

An eBay user ID must not contain profanity, neither can it contain spaces, tab characters, or @, &, ', <, or >. Consecutive underscores (--) and the word eBay (this is reserved for eBay employees) are also disallowed.

Now an ID is not entirely set in stone: you are allowed to change it, but only once every 30 days. And don't think you can use this as a way of escaping bad feedback! Your old feedback will follow you, but a 'changed ID' icon will appear alongside your new ID for 30 days.

Personally, I recommend resisting the urge to change your ID unless absolutely necessary! Although you may have perfectly legitimate reasons for doing so, it just doesn't present a good look to Users.

Once you have an ID, decide on a password and enter it twice.

As with most passwords, you shouldn't use obvious things such as your birthday, phone number or the same password as you've used for everything else. The secret is to choose a password that's memorable to you, but tricky enough to thwart any persons with nefarious intent.

Next, chose a secret question, then type the answer. This allows you to create a new password if you happen to forget your current one.

Step Three: Confirmation

Once you have entered your details, you will need to go to your email address and click the link to complete your registration.

When you have done this, you are immediately able to bid and buy. Hooray!

You also get the option of creating a Sellers account at this point too. Click on through and I'll take you through the process.

Creating a Sellers Account

To create a Sellers account from the homepage, click on Sell. If you aren't signed in, then you will have to type in your User ID and password before you can begin.

• Click the Sell Your Item tab.
• Once again, you will be asked to provide credit card details and your bank account number as authentication. eBay won't charge these accounts unless you authorize the transactions. Make sure that there is no discrepancy between your credit card information and your billing address. This could result in hold-ups down the line.
• Now specify how to pay seller fees.
• Fees are charged for listing and selling items and you need to specify how you plan to pay. If you change your mind later, you can use My eBay to change your payment method.

And now you are ready to sell!!

Check your email and you'll find one from eBay congratulating you on becoming a seller.

The Rules

I know it sounds boring, but the rules are important. eBay has some pretty strict regulations for buyers and especially sellers. And if you don't follow them, then you risk being banned from the site for good.

While most people have the best intentions, there are always some who are out to get whatever they can by whatever means. eBay's rules are to prevent you from getting shafted and ending up with no money and a substandard product.

And they also prevent damage to eBay itself through misuse and illegal practice - which could potentially ruin it for everyone. So if any of these rules rankle, just remember that they are there to protect you and to protect eBay so you can continue to enjoy the experience of trading online.

Read on, and I'll try to tell you what you need to know as quickly as possible!

The User Agreement

When you sign up for eBay you are asked to accept a User Agreement before joining.

You didn't read it? Well you certainly aren't the only one! There aren't many of us who choose to pour over a dry legal document when the thrills of buying and selling are only minutes away!

But if you want to use eBay as a way of making a nice, regular sum of money, then it's important that you get a heads up on your responsibilities. For this reason, I've summarized some of the most important info from the agreement below, just for you.

Privacy

eBay is totally committed to protecting the privacy of all their users. This is why your identity is hidden behind a User name when you sign up, and communication is only via email address between buyers and sellers.

Feedback

eBay uses a Feedback system to encourage prompt and fair trading. Every time you buy or sell an item you are invited to give feedback. The feedback that you receive can be read by anyone viewing your items.

Make sure you do everything you can to maintain a 100% positive feedback rating, although anything above 96% is still viewed as acceptable.

Identity

eBay insists on complete contact information when you join up. For auctions to run successfully your information must be accurate. And no nicknames or pseudonyms either please!

Giving credit card details is another way that eBay tries to ensure that you are who you say you are.

General Rules

• No Profanity: eBay does not tolerate offensive language. Anything offensive written by you or anyone else will result in a formal warning and suspension for serious violations. eBay does make allowances for items with obscene names however. If you are listing an item which uses an offensive word in the title, use the first letter of the word and replace the rest of the letters with asterisks.
• No Spamming: You are not, for any reason, permitted to add the email addresses of your buyers to a database and send them unsolicited information later.

Rules for Sellers

As a seller, you have some very important responsibilities that should not be taken lightly.

• No Shill Bidding: Shill bidding is when you get friends or family (or you just do it yourself) to bid on your item to drive the price higher. This is cheating. It's also illegal. Punishments can involve anything from having your auction cancelled to having the FBI on your tail.
• Buyer solicitation offsite: You cannot contact buyers and offer to sell to them outside eBay. Nor can buyers contact you and ask you to circumvent eBay and sell directly to them. For example, you cannot sell your item on eBay and then contact the lower bidders and offer it to them for a lower price later. This is not fair play and so is deeply frowned upon by eBay.
• Seller non-performance: Once you have listed an item on eBay and people start bidding, you are contractually obligated to follow through. You cannot refuse a payment from a buyer at the end of a successful sale, nor can you fail to deliver an item for which you've received payment.

***Did you know??***

Did you know that eBay is now officially listed as an addiction?

Symptoms include:

1. Bidding with increasing amounts of money to maintain excitement levels.
2. Being preoccupied with eBay. E.g. thinking about items/ going back online when you are offline.
3. Lying to friends & family to conceal the extent of your online bidding.
4. Feeling restless or irritable when attempting to cut back on bidding.
5. Making repeated, unsuccessful attempts to cut back
6. Using eBay to escape problems or stress.
7. Jeopardizing or losing a job, an important relationship, or a career opportunity because of time and money spent on eBay.
8. Committing illegal acts such as forgery, fraud, theft, or embezzlement to finance online activities.

(Note: If this is sounding uncomfortably familiar, visit http://www.netaddiction.com/resources... for more information!)

What you CAN'T sell

Before you start thinking about what you can sell, it's important to be aware of what you CAN'T sell.

Prohibited Items: You are unable to sell the following items on eBay because of legal and safety reasons.

• Alcohol
• Animals and Wildlife Products
• Firearms
• Plants and Seeds
• Tobacco
• Human remains
• Current Catalogs
• Credit Cards
• Pharmaceuticals
• Perishable Items
• Used cosmetics

Dubious Items:

The following items can be sold in some circumstances, but it's a good idea to check with eBay's guidelines first to make sure you don't inadvertently get into trouble.

• Autographed Items
• Event Tickets
• Police Items
• Used Clothing

Other stuff that is frowned upon:

• Bundled or OEM Software
• Crafts containing copyrighted images
• Unauthorized copies

This isn't a complete list, so I recommend you check it out for yourself at: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/items-ov.html BEFORE you make any important decisions about what to sell!

Selling Your First Item

Now that you're set up, it's time to sell your very first item and begin your eBay selling career!

Before you begin to worry too much about what to sell on a large scale, I suggest that you start by selling an item or two that you already own to get a feel for the process.

And don't tell me you haven't got anything to sell! Try having a look in your attic, garage, spare room, or wherever you keep all the stuff that you no longer use, packed away for the rainy day that never comes.

Have a bit of a hunt around and find something that you no longer want and can't imagine anyone else wanting either.

It could be anything.

In my case it was a big shiny disco ball that a friend gave to me for a birthday present (I was never sure whether it was meant as a joke or whether she seriously thought I would use it at my next party!).

Yours could be a blender with a broken blade, the toy that was totally cool 10 years ago but your child has long since outgrown and forgotten about, or a brightly patterned, hand-knitted scarf that you no longer wear...

Once you have selected your item, take a photograph and write an HONEST description. Start the bidding at a really low price like $0.99 to make sure it gets maximum attention (this also means it will only cost you $0.25 cents to list), and see what happens!

And remember, even if your first item is a flop, it's still a great learning experience. Now you know that old beach balls don't sell well - so you can cross that off your list of items to sell on a larger scale!

Workbook

What things should you take into consideration when choosing your User ID? Do your own research: Under what circumstances could a wine seller legitimately sell wine on eBay? Make a list of possible items to sell on eBay from around your house.

Helpful Links:

• Register on eBay: https://scgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Reg..
• eBay's list of prohibited items: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/item..
• Learn all about Auction addictions: http://www.netaddiction.com/resources/auction..

When is the premium time to end your auction? Find out in the next SaleHoo newsletter!

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