Ah yes, the holidays are upon us in full throttle once again, and the super deals at retailers across the nation are really tempting us to empty our wallets. But, seeing as how we don’t actually have an unlimited fountain of cash spewing out of our back pockets, we figure it would be best to sell some of our old wares to make room for the new.
The holidays are a busy time, however, so instead of wasting time, sitting at the computer, watching others bid on our auctions, we’re gonna do it from our iPhones and Christmas shop all at the same time.
Getting Rolling
The first step would certainly be to obtain an eBay account. If you haven’t grabbed one yet, you can do so here.
Next up, go ahead and grab the eBay Selling app from the App Store, be it on your iPhone or through iTunes on your computer here.
Once you have your app all ready to roll on your device, you’ll probably notice a main screen sort of along the lines of something like what you see above.
Time To Sell
From the main screen, you have a few options. You can find similar items to do a little research. Not sure how much you want to sell that old cookie tin for? Then check out some similar items and do a price comparison.
Researching Items
If you’re an eBay vet, you probably know that it’s a good idea to scope out the compeition.
As the image below shows, the app gives you a few options to narrow down your research, as sometimes search results can be in the thousands. You can opt to either toggle completed listings on or off, as well as items that have already sold. You can choose the condition of the item, what kind of category, whether you want it sort by best match, as well as the price range.
The eBay app also comes equipped with a barcode scanner, so you can scan you items, like a DVD for example, to see their going rate. If you scan the barcode and find a match, the app will present the current selling price range from low to high as well as the average.
Creating That Listing
Now for the fun part: putting your item up for grabs. Similar to when you were doing some research, if your item has a barcode on it you can scan it using your iPhone’s camera. You’ll then want to make sure you title your listing.
eBay also likes to make sure you give each of your item listings a category so that it’s a lot easier for potential buyers to find your item. If you have a photo of your item, you also have the option to upload it. Sometime eBay does charge for additional photos beyond the stock photo, so keep an eye out for that.
Probably the most important part will be how you’ll describe your item. Is it used? Will you sell it as is? Is it brand-spanking new? This should be what makes your listing stand out to potential buyers.
As you scroll down further, you’ll see that you have the option to choose an auction with a Buy It Now choice for your item; or, you can skip the auction altogether and let your buyers purchase the item right away.
Finally, you can choose how long you want your auction to last, and what kind of shipping services you might want to provide. You’ll also be able to keep an eye on the status of your item, and if it’s not doing so hot you can always edit the listing.
There you have it: a great way to make a little extra cash this season, without even having to jump on the computer. If you have another way you’ve discovered to be able to sell your old stuff on your mobile device, feel free to leave your tips below for other readers!
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