E-bay noob

Ive never sold or bought anything off of E-bay before, but recently decided it was about time to sell some games I'm done with off for a decent price.
Anyway, the faq that are up on the main site seem pretty helpful,but I know a lot of you here have good experience using E-bay.Is their anything I should know or any advice you guys have to impart so I can avoid getting 'ebaypwnt'?Is there another advice website you all know about that I should read up on?

And ,am I wasting my time even putting anything up, seeing as I have like no feedback and am new. Who the hell is going to buy from a new guy? At worst, I fear people may try to take advantage of my noobness and screw me over.

Oh, and wtf is up with having to input a checking account number to open a selling account. Why do they need that info for?

My first suggestion is to get Paypal, and get Verified+confirmed. People are WAY more likely to buy from you if you offer secure Paypal, and at least two other payment options (concealed cash, postal/cashier money orders, personal check). Publicly give your e-mail address so they can contact you and always be prompt with everything.

For descriptions, too much is a better way to go. Point out all flaws and be specific, and offer any information you have. Pictures of the game, disc, and any flaw points are helpful. Be very clear on what you're selling and nobody will get pissy about false descriptions.

For shipping, I use USPS flat rate ($3.85, holds 2-3 games) because it eliminates any guessing and whiney buyers about exaggerated costs. Make sure you detail info about international shipping, if you wanna offer it, and insurance information. eBay itself has a lot of USPS info about printing labels and stuff through them, it might be helpful.

In general, don't be too freaked out about the lack of feedback. Make sure you're really clear, and you won't have any problems. Pictures and verified Paypal let the bidders know you're serious.

Best of luck.

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Originally posted by Jetman
Oh, and wtf is up with having to input a checking account number to open a selling account. Why do they need that info for?

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It's so "ebay noobs" like yourself can't go round ripping people off. If you receive a cheque for $50, then don't send, as you could easily do, then ebay have absolutely nothing to try and track you down on.

As for not getting ripped off yourself, just use paypal. It doesn't cost much; it will only start costing you significant money after like $50 or so anyway. If you receive a cheque, then wait for it to clear before sending.

As for being worried about being a new guy, it won't be a problem. I see things like video cameras on ebay being put up by people with no rating, and people bid all the same. I bought my video camera myself off someone with no reputation.

[EDIT] I started posting before Nomi had replied, sorry for the repeats there.

Thanks for the tips, Nomi. Its much appreciated. Adding every detail about the game was what I had planned. Seems like there are always a lot of generic auction descriptions up,and I think people would feel safer about bidding if I was upfront about every aspect of what I was selling.

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Originally Posted by burky

It's so "ebay noobs" like yourself can't go round ripping people off. If you receive a cheque for $50, then don't send, as you could easily do, then ebay have absolutely nothing to try and track you down on.

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Yeah, that makes sense . I assumed that they could track you down just as easily with a credit card #. And I need to hook up a Paypal account as well , I guess. Have been putting it off for a while but now's as good a time as ever to get one, I suppose.

Thanks guys.

Does paypal send money direct towards your checking account? If so, are ebay fees/costs already deducted so I don't have to do any file work?

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Originally Posted by voltz

Does paypal send money direct towards your checking account? If so, are ebay fees/costs already deducted so I don't have to do any file work?

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I need to read up on the whole Paypal thing, but I think all of the E-bay fees are charged to your credit card.

You can pay by anything. Check, cash, Paypal (what I use for EVERYTHING).

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Originally Posted by voltz

Does paypal send money direct towards your checking account? If so, are ebay fees/costs already deducted so I don't have to do any file work?

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You have to manually send money from your PayPal to your checking account. They dont have no schedule for you to do it. As for eBay fees, they will send you an invoice (new cycle for billing is on the 15th of each month). You can either send check or money to pay for your bill or you can use paypal or credit to pay (these have automatic recurring charges, in other words, they will automatically charge your card/PP account if you select this option).

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Originally Posted by Jetman

Ive never sold or bought anything off of E-bay before, but recently decided it was about time to sell some games I'm done with off for a decent price.
Anyway, the faq that are up on the main site seem pretty helpful,but I know a lot of you here have good experience using E-bay.Is their anything I should know or any advice you guys have to impart so I can avoid getting 'ebaypwnt'?Is there another advice website you all know about that I should read up on?

And ,am I wasting my time even putting anything up, seeing as I have like no feedback and am new. Who the hell is going to buy from a new guy? At worst, I fear people may try to take advantage of my noobness and screw me over.

Oh, and wtf is up with having to input a checking account number to open a selling account. Why do they need that info for?

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I'm probably going to repeat whatever Nomi and burky might have said but..

1. Lots of description and be as detail as possible. Give every detail such as flaws, scratches, cracks, if its been tested, etc.

2. Title of the auction is also VERY IMPORTANT. You need to be creative with it. Put keywords or common words in the title so that way, it can expand the search when someone is searching for the product. An example would be like "GameBoy Game Boy". Do not do something like this.. "NEW GameBoy Game Boy Super Mario Game". If you look, you have the word "Game" down twice. There is no need for it. Those extra 4 letters could be used for something else such as Cart, RARE or something else.

3. Having little to no ratings isnt good. Just like you trying to not get ripped off, so is the buyer. Yes, you'll get bids, but it wont be as much as if a seller like me with 645 positive feedbacks would get. The higher the feedbacks, the more the buyer will feel comfortable and the price will be a little more. BUt as time goes by and you sell more and more..you'll do better.

4. Yes, open up a PayPal account. Most buyers prefer this as its easier and more convenient. Enter your CC and bank account to become VERIFIED. THis will help you be eligible for Sellers Protection. You also have to factor in how much you would be selling each month. A Personal account only allows a certain amount of payment each month and you cant accept credit cards. With Premier account, you can accept any payment whether its bank account, instant (from PP account) or credit card. Also there is no limit as to how much you can receive each month.

5. Do a search as to how much your game might go for. If you know it will go for alot, no point in starting it at like $30.00 or whatever. You'll just be putting the money towards the $2-3 fee (not worth it). Start it off at like 1¢-$9.99 (25-35¢). The higher the starting price, the less bidders and it scares them away. The lower the price, the more bidders will look and bid.

If you want some ideas, you can check my previous auctions - http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...=3&completed=1

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Now do debit cards work as well?

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Originally Posted by voltz

Now do debit cards work as well?

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Yes. They'll take anything so as long money comes from it. HAHA