5 eBay Features Every New Seller Should Consider Using

The go-to marketplace for sports trading cards and collectible card games, eBay is committed to enhancing both the buyer and seller experiences, especially for those who are new to the platform. For that reason, Sports Card Investor has partnered with eBay for a series of articles and videos that address a number of topics that are integral to positive selling experiences.

It may seem like everyone on eBay is an expert, but that’s far from the case. Each seller started with their first auction. There was some trial. There were more than a few errors. If this is your first time selling something on the site, though, we’d like to keep any mishaps to a minimum. Here are a few things you should know about the marketplace that may not be obvious that will help your initial sale (and any future ones) go as smoothly as possible.

Create an eBay listing using these tips and tricks for an easy and effective selling experience.

Provide Free Shipping

Have you seen the meme of rapper Lil’ Wayne where the top picture is of him smiling as he’s making a $500 online purchase, but the bottom image is him grimacing at the thought of paying $5.99 for shipping? We might chuckle at the thought, but there’s definitely something to buyers being more open to purchasing something if there’s little or no shipping cost involved.

USPS first-class packages generally cost between $3-4 for domestic shipping. Now, if you’re selling a low-dollar baseball card (say, under $10), you could conceivably have a purchase where half of the total is going to shipping. Buyers won’t like that. If you don’t want the person to pass over your auction, offer free shipping on low-dollar cards or use eBay’s standard envelope. This service offers tracked shipping under a dollar for cards valued at $20 or less 

Use Best Offer

Even if you have a specific price in your head for the card you’re selling, we advise you to turn on the “Best Offer” option, giving potential buyers the chance to negotiate a price with you. While going this route may not get you the top dollar you sought, this method could result in the card moving much faster than if you were unwilling to entertain other offers.

Promote Your Listing

Ever wondered how that PSA 10 1990 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. card showed up at the bottom of your screen when you were looking at a 1989 Donruss Randy Johnson a day earlier? The seller probably paid to promote the listing to increase the card’s visibility and their chances of finding the right buyer. If you promote this way and the card finds a buyer, the nominal fee charged at the end of the sale will prove more than worth it.

Adjust Photo Quality

The initial pictures that you take and upload of your card should be a clean, honest depiction of your item (see this earlier eBay story for specific photo-taking tips), but if your images need some additional help, you can find it in the photo-editing section of the auction-building page. Many times just a few brightness and contrasting tweaks make a world of difference for your pictures. But whatever you do, don’t go overboard with the effects. Accentuate the card, but don’t be misleading.

Get/Leave Feedback

The backbone of eBay is trust. The strongest way to build it is with feedback. After you make a purchase or sell a card, leave honest comments about your experience. Sellers with ratings below 99% are often cause for concern as multiple buyers have likely had issues with the person in the past. If you have a not-so-good experience that isn’t resolved (or a great one that goes without a hitch), leave feedback because that’s the only way to make the marketplace safer and more trustworthy for everyone.

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