How does selling work?

[jordan_467]

So someone buys your thing, sends you money and their address then you go down to the post office and send it? Is that how it works on Ebay? 

[jonatjonatjonat]

Assuming you are a private seller, what happens (in most cases now) is…

- buyer purchases your item

- eBay store the funds in a balance

- the customer will buy a postage label from eBay which eBay will supply to you

- it will either be Evri or Royal Mail

- you post it

- once delivered you’ll have your funds available to withdraw within two working days

[the_book_seekers]

Have the monetary holds for private sellers been dropped following simple delivery?

[the_book_seekers]

ebay would like you to think that selling is that easy, but there are plenty of pitfalls to be aware of.  There have been some recent changes to be aware of, particularly Simple Delivery - ebay's new, soon to be compulsory delivery service. At the moment it is anything but simple.

[jordan_467]

You need a printer or can i simply write the address on the package?

[subminman]

If it is simple delivery you either use a printer to print the postage label ebay sent to you or you take a qr code to a post office or an evri office where they will print the label.   If you are not using Simple Delivery then you could buy your own postage label or even stick stamps on the parcel.

[jordan_467]

ahhhhhhhhh

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"So someone buys your thing, sends you money and their address then you go down to the post office and send it? Is that how it works on Ebay?"

Hard to believe that it used to be exactly that simple.

It’s now called Simple Delivery.  It’s extremely complicated. 

This link gives a brief overview (600 words):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/simple-delivery?id=5575#se...

You can find more detail here (2600 words):  (but ignore where it says "You can find the cost of the label by going to the Postage labels” because you can’t - the link leads to a blank page.  I've no idea where the postage label information is hidden)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/simple-delivery?id=5575#se...

This is how Ebay tells you how to pack your item (500 words):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/labels-packaging-tips/packing-sold-items?id=4156

The seller terms & conditions are here (2900 words):

https://pages.ebay.co.uk/shipping/delivery/seller-terms/

For ebay’s list of prohibited and restricted items, see here (780 words, excluding the click-through text for each of the 73 items on the list):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/prohibited-restricted-items?id=4207

This article details the fees ebay charge (1500 words, excluding the text on the linked pages):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/fees-private-sellers?id=4822

There is one other article you particularly need to know about because it may affect the price you put on your item. The selling price of each item is now loaded with Buyers Protection Fee (BPF).  Here is ebay’s article on “Buyer Protection - information for sellers” (1080 words):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/selling/pricing-items/buyer-protection-information-sellers?id=55...

There are plenty more articles about selling on ebay (eg "Getting paid for items you've sold", "Managing returns, missing items and refunds for sellers” etc)  but 9000 words or so about Simple Delivery and BPF is probably a good starter.

HTH, and if you've any more questions, there are usually plenty of people around to answer.  The mentors (aka "the pinks") usually - but not exclusively - give the most reliable answers. 

[zed1015]

That's how it used to be but now Ebay have introduced "Simple Delivery " amongst other pointless changes that have muddied the waters and it's now a very awkward site to sell from with restricted postage options that you have limited contol over and it's also much easier for scammers to take advantage of with the biased returns policies .

Personally i would shut the door on ebay as quickly as you have opened it.

If you view the other threads in the community forum and also the thousands of negative reviews on Ebays Trust pilot you will see the vast amount of long time sellers now leaving Ebay because of this..

[insidethe93]

Insert "screaming" at various stages. I've read enough posts on the discussion boards!

But seriously, if the OP's a new seller, I hope the selling takes off. It can feel like a steep learning curve, but hopefully short.

Given that private sellers seem to have recently left eBay in numbers, it's good to see new sellers coming in.

[jckl1957]

You are not that far off.

Someone buys your thing.

They pay Ebay.

Ebay provide a label or a QR code for you to send the item.

You post it.

48 hours after tracking shows delivery, Ebay pay the money into your bank account.

There are processes to follow - you will need a smartphone (for QR codes) or a printer.  You will need to register your bank account.

I have been selling on Ebay for 20 years and it's a bit more complicated than it used to be but so are most aspects of life!

Maybe lots of sellers are leaving but that means less competition.  I would say, if you have stuff to sell, give Ebay a go.

[insidethe93]

Many now long-standing successful sellers probably felt the same when they began.

Best of luck to you.

[the_book_seekers]

You haven't mentioned what you're going to be selling. Whatever it is, the school of thought is to start small, build up some completed sales and not to list high ticket items straight away. There have been many threads where new sellers have started high, attracted the attention of ebay's security systems and found their accounts temporarily/permanently suspended.