It is so easy to sell on Ebay.  You can get started by selling superfluous stuff out of your own home!  There are, however, a few things you must have to begin selling.  These include:

1.   You must have an email account.  I recommend that you use a hotmail or yahoo account so that your regular email account is not bogged down with all of your Ebay emails (you will get hundreds – everytime you list or sell something or a listing expires!).

2.  You need “name recognition” – something that will link all of your many accounts.  For example, if you specialize in old Tupperware, you could call your hotmail account “retrotupperware” as well as your Ebay selling account’s user name.  Most common names such as “crazycatlady” are already taken so think of something unique to you and your business.  It isn’t necessary that all your names be linked but it does help to “brand” you as a business, which helps your customer remember who you are!

3.  So go ahead and think of a name and make a hotmail or yahoo or gmail (google) account.  It is easy and best of all, FREE!

4.  You have to have a Paypal account.  To get a Paypal account, you have to have an email account (you just did that) and also link to a bank account, savings or checking.  You may not want to use your regular account for your Ebay business.  In fact, I would highly recommend that you get a separate bank account.  Free bank accounts are often available by agreeing to put in a minimum deposit each month (which can come from your Paypal account!)

Advantages to having a Paypal account is that you can easily buy and sell on Ebay as well as other auction sites as long as there is money in your Paypal account (if not, Paypal will take it out of your linked bank account so be aware of that).  Paypal will also send you a debit card if requested.  I use my Paypal debit card for purchases at Staples for my Ebay business.  It is easy to keep track of expenses that way.

It may take a couple of days for your Paypal account to be verified because they have to check with your bank.

5.  Set up an Ebay account with the great user name you picked out.  Remember to use something that describes your business if possible.  Stay away from negative connotations like “loser” or “satansspawn” – these may seem clever but actually turn people off.  Remember you are a business and want to project a positive self image.  Also remember that you can not use the word “ebay” in the title of your ebay user name.  Ebay will want the Paypal information and your email information as well as personal information about you.

It is not necessary to do this now, but at some point you will want to open an Ebay store.  You will not sell all of your items on auctions, unfortunately, that is true – so you will need to roll them over and put as inventory in your store.  A basic store costs about $15.00 per month and at this time, costs .03 cents to list per month so is cheap in comparison to an auction listing (.35 cents for a $9.99 item).  If you open a store, Ebay will not take the money out of your Paypal account for approximately one month so you have a month to make money and put in your Paypal account.  Like I said, I have always MADE money with Ebay every month, I have never lost money.  You will soon realize what sells and what does not sell fast.  Your store name can, of course, be linked to the rest of your names such as “Retro Tupperware Store.”

6.  Make a 3-ring notebook which has all your user names and passwords for Ebay, email, and Paypal, and any other place you buy and sell.  Call it your Ebay Notebook.  You can also use it to keep track of your monthly profits and expenses.

7.  Once your Ebay and Paypal accounts have been approved (usually a couple of days or less) – VOILA!  You are ready to sell.

8.  Just a note – if you do much buying and selling, you may want more than one Paypal account.  If there is a discrepancy with a buyer, Paypal can freeze your Paypal account.  Although this has never happened to me, there are horror stories out there of frozen Payapl accounts for weeks at a time – not too great if you depend on that money for daily living expenses.  The alternative is to have one account and be sure to deposit the money to your bank account frequently.

9.  Now you are ready to LIST IT!