You may be sitting on a fortune and not even realize it! Maybe you inherited several things from a relative and have no idea what to do with them, or even if they are worth anything. Maybe you bought an item or two from a tag sale because it looked valuable or old. You might have a box or two stuffed with odds and ends from another era, vintage clothing, or even more up to date merchandise you want to get rid of. Before you load up your car for a trip to the local landfill, stop. Head to eBay to take a look at what items similar to yours may be listed, and the prices being asked. You never know-you may really have something of value.

You are not going to know, however, unless you use eBay price research tools to find out all you can about what you have. Something that may appear to have a high value may be quite a disappointment, and yet, an item that doesn’t look like anything special may be worth a fortune to another bidder. This is why it is so important to do the research before you attempt to list an item you may have and are wondering about. EBay bidders worldwide are always looking for that ‘deal’ on something they need or want, and of course, the better your pricing, the more apt you are able to be to sell it. It’s not hard to sell on eBay, but the whole object of listing something is to get what it is actually worth, or close to it.

Novice sellers tend to leap right in to selling as soon as they sign up for an eBay account. They have no idea that there are several things they need to learn before becoming anywhere near successful, and are often left disillusioned when their merchandise fails to sell, or they have had to let it go for far less than what it is actually worth. This happens when someone doesn’t take the time to learn about how eBay works, the selling points that are very important to attracting the attention of interested bidders, and exactly when to list. It makes a big difference on the day you begin and also when your listing is finished. Everyone knows that there are many more bidders during the weekend, so try to start and end on one of these days.

You are also going to have to know that you have options and choices to make before you list anything on eBay. You should be aware of the fact that a lot of people sit back and “watch” an item they are interested in, and only place their bid during the last few minutes of the auction, so don’t be disappointed if there is no action during the first few days. They do this in an attempt to grab the item at the lowest possible price, or to avoid letting anyone else know they are interested, thus starting what is called a “bidding war,” potentially driving the price higher. Of course, this is good news for you should this happen, and depending on how many bidders are determined to “win” the item, you may end up with a nice tidy sum.

Be careful about the amount you will charge for shipping a particular item. Large merchandise can cost you more than you made if you offer free shipping, so always use the calculator available on eBay to ensure that you won’t be losing money in the long run. Free shipping is usually applied when the items are small and light and won’t cost you all that much, but the idea of something free is always an incentive to bidders. If the tips and tricks to successful selling only confuse you more, or you don’t have the time to figure it all out, consider using eBay Research tools to assist you. Check online for the websites that offer this service, but know also that unless you go to get4it.com, you will be paying a monthly fee to the site. Terapeak, for example, may be a familiar name to you, but they do charge up to $34.95 each month. Get4it.com offers all this and more totally free of charge, so why spend money when you don’t have to? The object of selling on eBay is to make money, not pay someone to teach you how.

Author's Bio: 

At Get4it we understand how difficult it is to answer the four most important questions any eBay seller can ask. Our FREE eBay Research tools can help you answer these questions and many more.