Start Selling on eBay for the New Year

Three resources to help you begin your eBay selling career

So Christmas has come and gone and you're waiting for the inevitable bills to arrive—and wondering once again whether selling on eBay might be a good idea. In fact, you're thinking you might make it a New Year's resolution of sorts to at least get a start on eBay, enough to generate a little extra cash to handle the Christmas expenses. You're enthusiastic enough, in fact, but you don't know where to start.

Look no further; here are three great resources to help get you started.

eBay University's “Selling Basics” Video

Sometimes it might seem to beginners as though one well-made instructional film about eBay could replace a hundred of the many and varied books, articles, and news stories about eBay that are scattered around the real and virtual worlds.

If you're wishing that you could get your hands on just such a video, you're in luck. eBay University hosts a free video called Selling Basics that's designed to help absolute eBay newbies to get started, step-by-step, by learning from the experts. If you've had it with articles and books that encourage you to get started on eBay, give this video a try and see if it helps you to get into gear.

Visit the “What to Sell House”

Having trouble figuring out just what it is you're going to sell on eBay? You're not alone; it's a common question. Have no fear—you don't need to turn yourself into a retail store or a large business operation just to sell on eBay. In fact, you're probably already surrounded by basic household items you can sell today.

Still, if you're really having trouble coming up with ideas, a few hints might help you to see your immediate environment in a new light. eBay offers a free tool to gendly nudge you with just these kinds of hints. Visit the eBay What to Sell House for a room-by-room guide to the sorts of things that you might already have around the house that could generate cash for you on eBay.

Complete the Sell Your Item Tutorial

Once you feel as though you're ready to step through the selling process on an actual computer screen, consider completing the eBay University Sell Your Item Tutorial. The tutorial walks you through the entire selling process, from the planning and research stages (which aren't as scary as they sound) to the posting of your listing. To use the tutorial, simply click on the left and right navigation arrows near the bottom of the page to move from step to step.

Then, move on to the match After the Listing Ends Tutorial which will walk you through the process by which transactions are carried out once someone has bought your item.

Ready, Set, Go!

Once you've taken advantage of the tutorial and introductory resources above, it's time to move on and actually do it, step-by-step—go online, list an item for sale, and complete a transaction to turn items you already have on hand into extra revenue.