| Visual Guide to the Simple Selling Form | |
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Many join eBay with the intention of selling only to find the process more difficult or confusing than they'd imagined. It doesn't, however, have to be that way. If you've joined eBay and PayPal already and are ready to begin selling, use this step-by-step guide to eBay's "simple" version of the selling form to help get you started as an eBay seller.
Step 1: Open the eBay selling page
At the top of any eBay page, perform the following steps:
- Move your mouse pointer over the "Sell" button at the upper-right of the page (item A), but don't click yet.
- When the pop-up menu appears, click on the "Sell an item" link (item B).
Step 2: Start the eBay selling form
When the selling page appears, click on the "Start selling" button near the center of the page (circled).
Step 3: Tell eBay what you're planning to sell
eBay begins the selling process by asking you to name the item you're planning to sell, so that eBay can help you to select the correct shopping category for it. Type the make and model or most general name of the item you're planning to sell into the text box (item A) and click on the "Search" button (item B). Examples of the kinds of things that might go into this box include:
- "blackberry pearl phone"
- "titanic dvd"
- "men's levi's jeans"
- "collectible blue chinese vase"
Step 4: Choose a category for your item
Once you click "Search," eBay shows you a list of the categories that it thinks might apply to what you plan to sell (item A). If what you plan to sell belongs to any of these categories, select the one that is the best fit by checking the box next to it. If none of them apply, click the "Browse categories" tab (item B) to browse through a complete list of eBay's categories. If you have recently sold another similar item and want to re-use the category you chose then, click the "Recently used categories" tab (item C) and check a category in that list.
Once you've selected a category for the item you plan to sell, click the "Continue" button to proceed with your item listing (item D).
Step 5: Specify details about your item
Depending on the type of item you're selling, eBay may show you one or several forms asking you to specify details about your item. If you wish to do this, you can choose options from the presented lists (item A) describing things like size or gender (in the case of clothing or shoes), capacity, speed, or other features (in the case of electronics items), and so on.
If you're new to selling, simply click the "Skip this step" link (item B) to proceed to the next step in the selling process without specifying these kinds of details directly.
Step 6: Choose your selling form if necessary
After you specify item details or click the "Skip this step" link, you'll be shown the eBay selling form you've most recently used. There are two selling forms on eBay: a simple form and an advanced form. The remainder of this article describes the simple form. If you see another, more complex form instead, click the "Switch to simple form" link at the upper-right of the page (circled) to switch to the simple form before proceeding.
Once you've reached the simple selling form, it's time to really get into the nuts and bolts of selling your item on eBay.
Next page > Complete the Simple Selling Form > Page 1, 2
