How to sell on eBay

Why choose to sell on eBay?

eBay was one of the first digital marketplaces and launched over 20 years ago. Today it’s available in over 150 countries, with more than 100 million visitors from across the world every month. This makes it an ideal platform to introduce your products to a huge global audience. Plus, it suits everyone from first timers to full-time, established online sellers.

Get started with an eBay account

Before you create your eBay account, it’s a good idea to work out how often and how much you want to sell. Then you can choose between a personal or business account. Both types of account are free to set up, although you’ll be charged a listing fee for everything you sell.

Personal account

This is ideal if you only intend to sell the occasional item. Perfect for when you want to have a clear out of your clutter and make a bit of cash on the side. It may also suit if you’re starting a side hustle selling online, to supplement another income.

Business account

If you’re thinking about growing your side hustle or making selling your full-time job, a business account is the option to go for. And if you have an existing company, this type of account lets you use your legal business name and keep your finances separate. This can make it much easier to manage your accounting and taxes.

If you choose to become a business seller, eBay has lots of resources and helpful information in its SellerCentre.

Another benefit of an eBay business account is that you can easily link it to your online Post Office Drop & Go account, taking the hassle out of posting large numbers of parcels.

Choose what you’re going to sell

If you’re planning to run a business through an online marketplace, it pays to do your research upfront. Start by finding a niche or product category you want to sell in. Then research popular items, the strength of demand, and current market trends help you home in on your chosen area.

eBay has its own selling insights tool called Terapeak. It can help you to quickly and easily research what other sellers are offering, and how their products are performing. It can even help you improve your own listings to sell even more effectively. 

Ideas of what to sell on eBay

One of the joys of online marketplaces is the sheer breadth of choice and diversity of items you can buy and sell there. But to be really successful, it’s probably best to narrow down what you want to sell. What are your passions? The things you’re most interested are likely to drive your best sales.

• Used or vintage items: great if you have lots of things to clear out from your home. Also ask family and friends for unwanted, pre-loved items. Or visit flea markets, car boot fairs and vintage shops to source pre-owned clothing, electronics, homewares and collectables
• Brand new products: you can get these direct from wholesalers or manufacturers and become the liaison between them and their customers. This option works particularly well for electronics, fashion and handmade items
• Unique crafts: one-off or small batch products such as handmade jewellery, artwork and personalised items are another popular area with sellers and customers alike
• Rare and collectable items: online marketplaces are a great place for collectors to find those rare, must-have treasures. Consider selling antiques, rare books, period jewellery and vintage toys
• Dropshipping: this is an increasingly lucrative way to sell and is very popular with online sellers. You partner directly with suppliers to make the sales, but they hold the inventory of the items you’re selling. This means you don’t have to find storage space or worry about processing and posting once you’ve made a sale. When a sale’s completed, the product’s shipped directly from the supplier to the buyer

Making the most of your sales

You’ve made the decision of what to sell, so how best to market your products? Here are a few tips to make your sales as successful as possible.

Optimise your listings

• Make product descriptions clear: List each item’s key features or benefits in clear, concise language, and check for any spelling or grammatical errors before posting
• Use high-quality imagery: Try to take your photos in good lighting conditions and against a neutral background. You can add up to 24 photos per listing, perfect for showing multiple angles
• List each item’s condition accurately: Depending on the category your product comes under, you’ll have a choice of item conditions to select from. You can find more information on eBay’s help pages
• Select your shipping: Choose the option that best suits what you’re sending. Be clear with buyers any extra postage costs you’re expecting them to pay. Or offer free postage and packing as an added incentive to buy. There’s lots more information on postage options in eBay’s customer service pages

Offer a great shopping experience

Set realistic prices: This applies to both your products and postage fees. Research your competitors to see the level of pricing they use for items similar those you’re selling

• Choose how you’ll sell: Consider whether to use an auction-style or fixed-price listing. Auctions can create a sense of urgency to bid. Fixed-price listings let customers know exactly what they’ll be paying upfront
• Always give the highest levels of service: Reply to customer enquiries and questions promptly and professionally. Give as much information as you can. Be as accurate as possible. Positive reviews will help you to build a strong seller reputation and encourage repeat and new customers alike
• Set up shop: If your sales are soaring, consider setting up an eBay Shop. There’s a monthly subscription fee, but it means you can personalise your online presence. This can help your customers find you more easily and grow your business at the same time

Perfect your posting

You’ve made a successful sale, now it’s time to post your product to your customer. There are lots of options out there to choose from, including through Post Office.

Whether you’re sending within the UK or internationally, our Parcels Online cost calculator can help you easily work out your postage charges. You can even pay upfront and drop off items for sending in branch whenever it’s convenient.

If you’re posting regularly or in bulk, it might be worth setting up a Drop & Go account. This free service lets you drop parcels off in branch and go. No waiting at the counter, scanning, weighing or adding postage labels. You just drop your items, go, and they’re processed that day with the postage charged to your account. You can sign up online or while you’re in a Post Office branch. Read our handy guide on how to get started.