I have sold beaded jewelry, loose beads, and silver charms and chains through on-line auctions. It seems like an easy way to make money, and compared to art shows, I believe it is. However, it does take a good chunk of your time. This is the first in a series of articles about selling using on-line auctions.
Getting Started
The first step seems obvious, but it is very important. You need to become familiar with various auction sites. I had my best luck on Ebay. It is the first and largest of all the auction sites. It is also huge. I recommend going there first, but also check out other sites. Use a search engine like Google.com to find other auction sites.
When you first visit a site, go to the sellers’ area and find out their requirements and if you can meet them For example many sites require you to give a credit card number in order to register as a seller. Is that something you are okay with? If not, then look for sites that don't require that. Also, find out the fees you will be charged. This will probably have to be added to the cost of our merchandise.
After you find a site (or 2) you like, examine the various features they offer. Become familiar with their categories and think about where your merchandise might fit best. In my own experience, it seemed the fewer items available in a category, the less traffic it got. You’d think it would be harder to sell in a category where there’s a of competition, but I usually did better there.
The next step you need to take is to check out the competition. What are they selling? How are their prices? What do they charge for shipping? Do they take checks, money orders, credit cards?
After exploring a few auction sites, finding out seller requirements, familiarizing yourself with the sites you like best, and then checking out the competition, you should then register with the site or sites you want to sell on. It make take up to 24 hours to become registered.
You are the best judge of which auction site fits your needs best. So make sure you spend some time exploring them.
