Brief Summary
Starting to sell on eBay can be safer and quicker if you immediately consider key factors: rating, competitive analysis, shipping, returns, platform rules, and financial calculations. This article gathers 10 practical tips to help avoid fraud, increase sales, and not lose money at the start.
Who This Article Is For
- For beginners who want to start selling on eBay without typical mistakes.
- For sellers looking for a clear model of shipping, returns, and rating management.
- For small e-commerce businesses and resellers who want to increase sales through Best Offer and promotions.
Key Takeaway
To successfully sell on eBay, beginners need to: avoid starting with a zero rating, study competitors’ prices, plan shipping and returns in advance, know VeRO restrictions, use Best Offer and promotions, conduct short campaigns, and monitor all fees and expenses.
Tip № 1: Don't start selling with a zero rating
One of the problems is that scammers immediately target you. They try to get you to contact them via email or phone from the platform to carry out transactions, through which they can scam you using some payment system, such as PayPal, Cash App, Venmo, or something else. Usually, they ask you to write to them, call, or email. They choose new sellers because they look at your feedback rating, and someone with zero reviews or just one or two is their main target because they know you don’t use eBay very often and may not be familiar with it.
Buy a few items for 99 cents or $1.99 with free shipping. After all, you can buy five items for nine or ten dollars, right? And you’ll have five to ten stars, just to boost your rating. Scammers are usually not smart enough to realize that your stars are not based on sales. Generally, they see these five, six, ten stars and leave you alone.
Additionally, when you want to sell an item, you’ll have a better chance of attracting buyers. So always start by buying reviews – this does not violate eBay’s terms.
Tip №2: Analyze competitors' sales statistics
Always conduct research and find out why one item is sold at a very high price, while another could be sold a little cheaper. This will save you headaches, mistakes, and losing money in the future. Always understand what the average market value of your product is. Learn to search for sold items, as well as check active listings to see what the competition is like. I’m not saying you need to discount and chase prices, but you also need to understand what active competition you will face.
Tip No.3: Prepare for item forwarding
Number three is something I believe everyone should learn before starting to sell on any platform, especially on eBay, because we know that Posh apparently cares about this, Mercari has options, and on eBay, you need to know how to ship your items. Shipping is what you need to learn immediately because it will help you save money.
Western Bid offers you the cheapest and fastest shipping from Ukraine. This will help you leave your most successful competitors far behind.
Tip No. 4: Accepting returns from customers
You need to learn how to accept returns. Amazon is the largest seller, making the most sales, with more millionaires and the most successful sellers because they accept returns without issues. On eBay, there is a bit more flexibility, but overall on eBay, if you are a seller, you will accept returns. There is no way around it, especially if your buyer is informed or experienced. There is now a “Return not accepted” button, and it can help in some situations, but I assure you – if you choose this button, you will be shooting yourself in the foot. You will have people who will simply pass by because many people who use eBay are afraid to buy without the possibility of returning, especially beginners. It scares them, and they move on to other sellers. So accept returns.
I recommend new sellers start with eBay buyer pays, so in case of a mistake, if buyers change their mind or buy the wrong color, they will pay for return shipping out of their pocket. The only reason you would have to pay for a product return is if you made a mistake, lied about it, or something like that, and you deserve to pay for it if you did so.
In the future, you can reach free returns if you participate in the Top-rated seller plus program, discounts, free returns, protection, etc. But I always recommend beginner sellers to return items at the buyer’s expense as a starting point, then work further from there.
Tip №5: Learn about the Vero program on eBay
Learn about items that are constantly removed from sale due to copyright violations. On eBay, there is no concept of “closed” or “restricted” items like on Amazon, but there are definitely items that you will have issues with on eBay.
Tip №6 - Best Offer
I would strongly recommend sellers to offer potential buyers a Best Offer. Depending on the category you operate in, it might not work, but for most categories, I believe, in 95% of cases, Best Offer will significantly increase your sales. Clothing, footwear, jewelry, video games, gaming consoles, electronics, even mobile phones and tablets, laptops, and MacBooks. All of these are excellent items to make Best Offers on. You can set an appropriate price, give yourself some flexibility, ensure you’ve correctly set the total price and shipping cost, and Best Offer truly gives you an advantage over other sellers. Best Offer is really a very useful feature. I’ve been using it for many years, and it only benefits us.
Tip #7: Use promotion
Promoted listings for beginners are a way for eBay to push your listing higher and show it to more people. You pay for advertising only if the buyer purchases your item. Therefore, you agree to pay eBay a certain percentage, they promote the listing, and if it sells, you pay an additional promotion fee. If it doesn’t sell, you pay nothing. So it’s really great, no risk during promotion. The minimum you can offer is two percent, meaning you will pay an extra two percent. So if you sell, for example, an item for twenty dollars, the additional two percent would be 40 cents, right? I think that if you just set two percent or even two and a half percent, or three percent across the entire store, you’ll save money and still make more sales. You can turn it on and off at your own will and discretion.
Tip №8 - Host short sales and promotions
Everyone loves sales, and eBay is no exception. Imagine yourself as a buyer when browsing your store, especially when it comes to old items, slow-moving items, or products that may have been sitting in the warehouse for a long time or on which you’ve spent too much money. If you’re trying to move these inventory items, hold a sale. It’s called the “Markdown Manager”. You can give discounts of 10%, 15%, 20% — whatever you like. I usually run sales for three days. If you tell someone: “Hey, my sales run for a month,” they might say, “Oh, I can come back anytime.” But you know how it is when you see car dealer ads, and they say: only this weekend, a five thousand dollar discount on all trucks and cars.
The same goes for eBay buyers. If you hold a sale on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and say, “Weekend sale, 20% off everything,” they will visit your store on the weekend, and you will make sales. You can hold another sale from Monday to Wednesday or from Monday to Friday.
Tip №9 - Don't skimp on equipment
Buy a thermal printer. Get yourself something that can print delivery labels quickly, easily, and affordably. The thermal printer doesn’t use ink or toner. Trust me, it’s worth it. You’re going to love it. You’ll thank me later.
Tip #10 - Create a financial plan
Make sure you understand what you’re paying commissions for. Make sure you haven’t missed anything, such as accidentally clicking the bold button and paying three or four dollars for it. Make sure eBay hasn’t accidentally charged you double. Make sure your store fee is correct. Make sure you understand all of this — it’s very important so you know how profitable your business is. You need to know exactly when you’ll set the price for your items and when you’ll list them for sale, how much you’ll end up paying, whether it’s a promotion fee, a final value fee, or a tax, whatever it is. And then you’ll be able to run your business more effectively.
What a beginner needs to start selling on eBay
| Stage | What is needed | Why it is needed |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | Initial reviews and basic trust in the account | To reduce the risk of scams and increase buyer trust |
| Analytics | Checking sold and active listings | To understand demand, pricing, and competition |
| Shipping | Calculating rates, packing, logistics | To avoid losing money on shipping |
| Returns | Clear policy for buyers | To increase trust and avoid losing sales |
| VeRO | Checking goods for rights violations risk | To avoid listing removals |
| Promotion | Best Offer, promoted listings, sales | To increase visibility and sales |
| Finance | Accounting for commissions, expenses, and margins | To sell profitably, not break even |
Key eBay Selling Rules for Beginners
- Do not direct buyers outside the platform — it increases the risk of fraud.
- Don’t set prices randomly — base them on sold items and active competitors.
- Don’t delay logistics — shipping impacts profit and ratings.
- Avoid frightening buyers with strict return policies — especially at the start.
- Don’t ignore commissions — actual profitability is more important than gross revenue.
The biggest mistake a beginner on eBay makes is thinking that simply listing a product is enough. In reality, sales start with trust, proper shipping, returns, price analytics, and cost control.
Frequently Asked Questions about Selling on eBay
Can you start selling on eBay with a zero rating?
Technically yes, but the article explicitly advises against starting with a zero rating, as new accounts are more often targeted by scammers and evoke less trust among buyers.
How to determine the right price for a product on eBay?
You need to analyze competitors’ sold products and active listings to see the average market price and actual competition.
Why is delivery so important for sellers on eBay?
Because incorrect delivery calculation eats into profit. In the article, delivery is called one of the key skills to master before starting sales.
What is VeRO on eBay?
This is a program related to violations of intellectual property rights. Before selling, it is necessary to check whether the product belongs to categories that are often removed from the platform.
Why does a beginner need a financial plan?
To control commissions, promotion costs, delivery, and the actual profitability of each sale.
Want to start selling on eBay more safely?
Start with proper logistics, a clear return policy, and accurate financial calculations even before the first listing. This will help you avoid common beginner mistakes and reach stable sales faster.
