Selling on ebay.

Rikki

I have just started buying on ebay and I would like to try selling. I'm looking for advice on how to start.

Advice on choosing the best way to receive payment?
How to work out postage?
Packaging?

Basically anything you think I need to know.

Contains_Mild_Peril

You can check post prices on Royal Mail's website here. Ordinary kitchen scales will do for weighing small packages to give you a rough guide - add a little for packaging and margin for error.
I use recycled packaging as much as possible. I reuse Jiffy bags in which I've received eBay items, and also scrounge bubble wrap from shops and hoard things like shoe boxes which might be useful for packing.
Paypal is a popular payment method and some customers use it as a search criterion, but you're only allowed to tick the "I accept Paypal" box when listing if you're willing to accept all Paypal payments including those made using a credit or debit card, which requires a fee-paying account to accept such payments. Unlike eBay Final Value Fees, Paypal fees are paid on the full transaction amount including p&p, so if you're selling a lot of low value items, it's probably not worth it.
I still have only a basic Paypal account, but mention in my listings that I can accept non-card-funded Paypal payments, and include the Paypal option on invoices which I send after the auction finishes.
If you think you might need a Premier Paypal account (to accept card-funded payments) you can still start with a Basic account and change to Premier if and when you need to.

Rikki

I have a paypal account linked to a card to make payments. So if I accept a payment from someone using this method I have to pay for my paypal account. Is this why some don't accept paypal from the UK?

So if I accept postal orders this is like cash and a cheque I should wait until it clears?
None-carded paypal payments are from money stored in a persons paypal account?

Sorry for appearing a little daft but I don't want to get it wrong.

Contains_Mild_Peril

Rikki wrote:

I have a paypal account linked to a card to make payments. So if I accept a payment from someone using this method I have to pay for my paypal account. Is this why some don't accept paypal from the UK?

So if I accept postal orders this is like cash and a cheque I should wait until it clears?
None-carded paypal payments are from money stored in a persons paypal account?

Yes, or sometimes from a bank account without a debit card.
Crossed postal orders (the sort normally used) are treated like cheques nowadays, due to recent changes in the system, so postal orders also take time to clear. Some customers are unaware of this and still think that POs are a faster payment method. EBay advises waiting for payment to clear before sending goods, but for Paypal payments, this is normally understood to mean clearance into your Paypal account, not into your bank account afterwards (which takes about a week, and since there's a 25p charge for each withdrawal of less than £50, you would be unlikely to withdraw money from your Paypal account after one or two small transactions). I occasionally send low value items (e.g. less than £5 inc p&p) before cheques clear to save me having to make an extra trip to the post office.

Rikki

Contains_Mild_Peril wrote:

Paypal is a popular payment method and some customers use it as a search criterion, but you're only allowed to tick the "I accept Paypal" box when listing if you're willing to accept all Paypal payments including those made using a credit or debit card, which requires a fee-paying account to accept such payments. Unlike eBay Final Value Fees, Paypal fees are paid on the full transaction amount including p&p, so if you're selling a lot of low value items, it's probably not worth it.

Is it expensive for this type account?

I'm looking to sell small and medium household items and books. Do you think I can get away with just a basic account?

Contains_Mild_Peril

Paypal fees
I've been stubbornly sticking to my Personal paypal account because I think the fees on incoming payments are a bit of a rip-off, but I still occasionally get messages saying that a customer's tried to pay using a card, in which case I refuse the payment and send the customer a message politely explaining why and asking them to use an accepted payment method.

Rikki

I see what you mean about expensive. Pity you can't mix and match.

You don't have a problem asking for alternative payment after a person has won the auction?

shellyd_3

I wish I had asked this qusetion last week before I made my first sale, of £6.00 PayPal give me the option to upgrade and I just ticked the box (silly me) I was charged 41p by paypal I'll never be rich :rolleyes: I don't suppose I can downgrade again?

Thanks Shelly

Dazza.mk_2

Another option is to give people your bank details and let them use online banking/ visit branch and pay directly into your account:-

- no need to be nervous about this, as, after all the same details (+ a copy of your signature) are on every cheque you may have sent in the past. No fees + no hassles of paying in / clearing cheques.

Dazza.mk_2

#8 you can downgrade, but only once:- If you upgrade to Premier again your stuck with that account

loulvj

Hi all,

Just to add to this beware of silly buyers using "e-cheques" through Paypal as it takes ages. I had never even heard of them until this happened to me.

Apparently buyer ticked the wrong box when paying by Paypal, the payment then took 2 weeks to clear :eek:

Particularly concerning as I was selling a large piece of furniture which had to go before I moved house...

Nothing like running you right up to the last minute!