| Visual Guide to eBay's Selling Form (cont'd) | |
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Step 12: Enter payment details
For the vast majority of eBay sellers, PayPal will be the payment method of choice, especially since eBay no longer allows for paper forms of payment in most cases. Be sure that your correct PayPal email address appears here (box A) so that payments from buyers make it to you automatically. If your listing is a fixed-price listing or you have opted to allow Buy It Now purchases, check the "Require immediate payment" box (item B) to require immediate payment from buyers before the item is actually considered to be "sold."
Step 13: Enter shipping and handling information
Select the method and cost you'll use to determine shipping cost for your listing (item marked A). To use a flat-rate fee (same shipping cost to all buyers anywhere) for your item, choose "Flat" from the drop-down list. Otherwise, choose "Calculated" and enter size and weight details for your item. If your item is large and heavy (like a piano or a car), select "Freight" after reading more about freight shipment. Choose "No shipping" if the buyer must arrange to come and collect the item themselves. After selecting the cost calculation, select a shipping carrier from the lower drop-down list and enter an actual cost if necessary.
Next, check "Buyers can pick up the item" (box B) if you're willing to allow buyers to come to your location and collect the item if they want to do so.
Select a handling time (drop-down list C) that indicates to shoppers the amount of time you'll need after their purchase or the end of the auction listing to actually prepare the item and initiate shipment. Click the "Change" link just below the drop-down list if you want to require insurance or offer premium expedited shipping.
If you are willing to sell to international bidders, select an appropriate shipping cost option from the "International shipping" drop-down list (item D).
Finally, ensure that the location shown (item E) actually reflects the location of the item you're selling, since many buyers use such information to estimate shipping delays and to calculate use taxes for their eBay purchases.
Step 14: Set buyer requirements, tax information, and return policy
Click "Change buyer requirements" (link A) if you'd like to exclude problem buyers of various kinds from bidding on or buying your items. A popup window will be displayed that allows you to block bidders based on a number of common criteria.
If your state requires that you collect sales tax for local eBay sales, chose your state from the "Sales tax" drop-down list and enter your local rate (items marked B). Check "Also apply to shipping & handling costs" if your municipality requires that such costs be included in tax calculations.
Use the optional "Return policy" drop-down list (item C) to indicate to buyers the return policy that applies to your auction listing. If you opt to accept returns, several new options will appear allowing you to set the return period, the shipment details for returns, and other relevant return process information.
Finally, enter any additional instructions that buyers should follow when purchasing your item (box D).
Step 15: Check your fees so far and continue
With the selling form now complete, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to see eBay's initial calculation of the fees you'll incur by actually posting this listing (i.e. by actually placing your item on sale using the information you've provided so far).
Make sure that you're willing to pay the fees amount shown (figure marked A). If not, scroll back upward and remove options or photos or reduce your starting bid to try to minimize your fees.
When you're ready to post your listing, click "Continue" (button B) to proceed.
Step 16: Review eBay's suggestions
Before actually placing your item on sale, eBay will survey the listing you've assembled and offer a number of suggestions for improving it (information marked A), often including a number of listing upgrades. If after reading through eBay's suggestions you decide that you want to make additional changes, click "Edit listing" (item marked B) to return to the form and make additional changes.
Step 17: Final review before conformation
Review eBay's final assessment of the fees you'll be charged if you post this listing, including any fee multiplying effects incurred by listing an item in multiple categories. The fees that you will owe for this listing are shown in bold (item A).
Also consider any existing outstanding balance in seller fees (item B) that you already owe to eBay.
Step 18: List your item for sale
Once you've refined your listing and are satisfied with the insertion fee that you'll be expected to pay for listing it (remember, this calculation does not include final value fees), click the "List your item" button (circled) to actually place your item on sale. Once this button has been clicked, you are responsible for the fees in question and if a buyer "wins" your item by placing the highest bid or by accepting your Buy It Now price, you are legally obligated to sell the item to them at the price in question.
Congratulations!
That's all there is to it. You've now successfully listed your item for sale on eBay. Though the process may seem like a long one at first, with each successive sale you'll become more and more famililar with the process until it's like second nature to you—and then you'll be moving on to even more advanced listing tools like Turbo Lister.
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