5.25% of the initial $25.00 ($1.31), plus 2.75% of the remaining closing value balance ($25.01 to $1,000.00)

Over $1,000.01

5.25% of the initial $25.00 ($1.31), plus 2.75% of the initial $25.00 - $1,000.00 ($26.81), plus 1.50% of the remaining closing value balance ($1,000.01 - closing value)

Find Stuff to Sell That People Will Buy

Now, eBay is not full of the normal crap people could and would sell from the comfort of their own driveway. Yes, people out there would buy some crazy things, but it is best to stick with something that you know will sell (e.g. electronic equipment, collectables, DVDs, books, cell phones, designer anything, etc.). Most would recommend leaving old clothes at the Salvation Army or another charity (unless it is designer… the odds of it selling are slim to none). The majority of these items should be in good to semi-good condition, preferably still working/wearable.

Setting the Price

Here is where one must be reasonable. It is not logical that someone will buy your used and partially scratched camera for close to what YOU paid when it was new. Mark down the item to a respectable price. When you go about listing the price, you have three options:

1. List the price at $0.99 and see where it goes during the seven-day auction (there is also the option of a three-day auction… but it isn’t worth it. Do the full seven days). Please note that in this scenario, whatever price it is sold at is the amount you will receive. You may not back out (well, it is not like they would arrest you, but eBay will make difficult for you to sell again).

2. List the price at what you wish to sell it for. For example, the used and partially scratched camera could be listed at $20.

3. Put a reserve price on the item. When you please a reserve price on an item, it will list the starting price low ($0.99); however, you may set the price (secretly) at the price you need to sell it at. Essentially you can make it so that is the reserve price doesn’t get met by the bidders, you do not have to sell the item.

Option 1 is the best chance for selling your item successfully. While you would be taking a risk that your item wouldn’t sell for much, it is the best option from a buyer’s perspective. If a buyer sees that there is a reserve price, he or she may be hesitant to bid, since they wouldn’t know how high they would need to go to meet the reserve. Also, with option 2, if the price is set so high to begin with, it is unlikely that you will receive many, if any, bids (especially if the price is too high). Bottom line, if the item sells for a very cheap price, it probably wasn’t worth much to begin with.