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lprovenNot a lot to it, really... But you have to be willing to do some legwork:
* ACCURATELY ID and describe the machine - exact model number, amount of RAM (this means IDing old SIMMs using Google and arithmetic etc.), IDing hard disk(s), hyperlinking to online descriptions of the model, and describe yours, in good English, precisely describing colour/damage/chips etc.
* If it's working, test it, and say you did.
* If it's not, describe the problem if you know, provide links to repair instructions.
* Take lots of photos. Use them. Inside and out. I have my smartphone on Dropbox so by the time I go to my PC, the pix are synched across.
* Be willing to go find packaging - I scour grocers etc for boxes, Freecycle for bubble-wrap etc.
* Know how to pack well - not just toss in a random box, reinforce the box with tape before filling, wrap the item in multiple layers of padding, then bag it, then more padding, then locate in the middle of an oversized box with solid padding around it so it can't move or settle; then very securely tape up the box.
* Use couriers not the post office - I find Collect+ handy in the UK and Fastlane's price-comparison site for international shipping.
* You need to do worldwide shipping. This may mean paying fees to list internationally.
* You need to buy some scales and a tape measure so you can weigh stuff.
* Don't use reserves. List at 1p. Be willing to sell at 1p if you're unlucky. Add a few quid to the P&P so you make _something_ on it if necessary.
I've received disastrously packed stuff from loser idiots who think throwing it in a box and posting it is enough.
I've seen so many auctions with no description or not enough, or outright lies.
Take Paypal. Accept the fees. Don't quibble.
Collect-only stuff doesn't sell.
Be prepared that not everything will sell and be prepared to sell for nothing so it doesn't go in a skip. I sometimes have to do all the legwork for a 1p item.
Some buyers will expect you to make a loss for the privilege of sending it to them. Ebay users are as close to mindless as human beings get. You have to deal with it.
When I started, it took an hour to prep a decent listing. Now it takes me 10min. Practice makes perfect.
* ACCURATELY ID and describe the machine - exact model number, amount of RAM (this means IDing old SIMMs using Google and arithmetic etc.), IDing hard disk(s), hyperlinking to online descriptions of the model, and describe yours, in good English, precisely describing colour/damage/chips etc.
* If it's working, test it, and say you did.
* If it's not, describe the problem if you know, provide links to repair instructions.
* Take lots of photos. Use them. Inside and out. I have my smartphone on Dropbox so by the time I go to my PC, the pix are synched across.
* Be willing to go find packaging - I scour grocers etc for boxes, Freecycle for bubble-wrap etc.
* Know how to pack well - not just toss in a random box, reinforce the box with tape before filling, wrap the item in multiple layers of padding, then bag it, then more padding, then locate in the middle of an oversized box with solid padding around it so it can't move or settle; then very securely tape up the box.
* Use couriers not the post office - I find Collect+ handy in the UK and Fastlane's price-comparison site for international shipping.
* You need to do worldwide shipping. This may mean paying fees to list internationally.
* You need to buy some scales and a tape measure so you can weigh stuff.
* Don't use reserves. List at 1p. Be willing to sell at 1p if you're unlucky. Add a few quid to the P&P so you make _something_ on it if necessary.
I've received disastrously packed stuff from loser idiots who think throwing it in a box and posting it is enough.
I've seen so many auctions with no description or not enough, or outright lies.
Take Paypal. Accept the fees. Don't quibble.
Collect-only stuff doesn't sell.
Be prepared that not everything will sell and be prepared to sell for nothing so it doesn't go in a skip. I sometimes have to do all the legwork for a 1p item.
Some buyers will expect you to make a loss for the privilege of sending it to them. Ebay users are as close to mindless as human beings get. You have to deal with it.
When I started, it took an hour to prep a decent listing. Now it takes me 10min. Practice makes perfect.
