The top 5 things not to do on eBay

When you are starting your eBay business it is good to know not only what you should be doing but also the major mistakes that you should avoid.  Prevention is always better and easier than trying to fix a problem later on.  Here are some tips on what to avoid doing when creating your eBay listing:

1.  Avoid putting phrases like "All sales are final" or "No returns allowed" in your listing.  You want to focus on customer service which includes giving a refund for a returned product if the buyer is not happy.  Unhappy customers will usually give negative feedback so try to make their purchasing experience as good as you can.

2.  Avoid unrealistic shipping prices.  There is nothing worse than finding a great bargain price for an item that you want and then finding out that the seller is making up for the low price by charging an outrageous shipping and handling fee.  Be realistic with your shipping prices.  If you want to be safe then just indicate that you only charge actual shipping.  This is especially good when shipping internationally or even to Alaska where shipping prices are dramatically different than the rest of the United States.

3.  Avoid anything in your listing that is unclear or misleading.  Feedback on eBay is how buyers rate a particular seller.  If someone is buying a product on eBay they are more likely to buy from someone that has excellent feedback than someone who has had a lot of complaints.  Most complaints are caused by misunderstandings in the listing.  One of the biggest mistakes again relates to the shipping pricing.  Some eBay sellers offer a flat fee for their product and then when it comes time to ship the product they find out that the shipping fee is actually much more than what they put in their listing.  It is usually better to keep your original shipping pricing than to go back to the buyer and try to get more money out of them for the added shipping expense.  You may lose a little money on the item but that is usually better than receiving negative feedback from the buyer.

4.  Avoid pictures that are blurry or that do not allow the buyer a good look at your item.  Especially avoid creating a listing that has no picture at all!  Good pictures will sell your product.  Bad pictures will make everyone avoid your listing because they don't know what they are getting.  Use good lighting, good contrast, and make sure the picture isn't too busy.

5.  Avoid putting irrelevant or negative information in your listing.  You want your listing to be professional and easy to read.  Adding information that doesn't pertain to the product being listed or telling stories about a bad experience you had with other products is not going to help you sell your product.  When people are confused they do not purchase.