The joys (and frustrations) of eBay

I've been selling items on eBay on and off for the last 8 years. In the last year or so, I've properly got in to it and it's been my most productive year yet in terms of sales. I've also bought a few items from eBay for the first time ever, although I definitely do more selling than buying at the moment.

I thought I'd list some pros and cons of both selling and buying on eBay for my readers. I've also got some tips for those who are thinking about starting out, along with my personal buying and selling rules.



What's great about eBay?  

• The eBay app is fantastic and makes listing and re-listing very simple. Gone are the days when I had to photograph all my items then laboriously sit and list every item on my laptop. The app is also great for buyers and easily lets you keep track of items you're watching and those you've placed bids on. 
• My eBay obsession means that I'm regularly de-cluttering my wardrobe. I have a pretty strict 'one in, one out' policy when it comes to new clothes and bags, and selling items on eBay helps me to enforce that. 
• The integration between eBay and PayPal is seamless, so you never have to worry about how buyers are going to pay you or how you're going to pay for items you've won. Once you've linked both accounts, all the work is done for you. 
• Although eBay is generally known as the place to go for pre-owned bargains, you can also buy new items from well known brands at hugely discounted prices. For those of you who are nervous about buying used items, this can be a good place to start. 
• The majority of sellers offer 'click and collect' as a delivery option which is very convenient when you can't get parcels delivered to work and don't want to keep knocking on your neighbours' doors when you get home. 
• The most obvious benefit is the extra cash, which you can then use to buy the new things you've made room for! For example, a couple of months ago, I had a really good month on eBay so I bought myself a beautiful Kate Spade bag. It was guilt-free spending as it was bought entirely out of my eBay profits, and everyone knows that guilt-free spending is the best kind.
  
  
  
  
  

What makes me want to tear my hair out? 

• Although the app is fantastic on the whole, it does have its drawbacks. There are some things you still have to do from the desktop site on your laptop such as checking your account balance so that you know how much your monthly eBay invoice is going to be, opening an unpaid item case, and reporting buyers. Hopefully one day it'll be a full-service app!
• Time wasters who bid for your item then don't bother to pay for it are the bane of my life. And, most frustratingly of all, you can't give negative feedback to buyers so it feels as if they're never shown up for their actions. 
• Between eBay and PayPal, fees for sellers are quite steep. eBay will charge a 10% final value fee for every item you sell, and PayPal will slap on 3.4% plus 20p on top of that. Don't forget that eBay will also take 10% of your postage charges, so make sure you allow for that so that you don't end up out of pocket. 
• eBay can sometimes feel like a second job. Photographing your items, listing them, packing them up and taking them to the post office takes up a LOT of time, as well as making sure items are re-listed correctly if they don't sell.

Weighing up the pros and cons, I think eBay is definitely worth the effort in the long run. However, I have set myself some selling and buying rules to make sure I don't go overboard. Rules control the fun! 

• I never ever sell items that were bought for me as a gift. I'd feel terrible if I made a profit from a gift that someone had put a lot of thought into, and it suddenly wouldn't feel like guilt-free spending any more.
• I regularly review my eBay pile and move things to my charity shop bag if they've been listed for a few months and still haven't had any interest. This means I'm still contributing towards good causes as well as making some extra money for myself.  
• Whenever I withdraw my 'winnings' from PayPal, I put the money into a separate account. This means I can keep track of what I've made on eBay and it doesn't get swallowed up in my regular account. When I want to make a big purchase specifically out of my eBay funds, I'll move the money back into my current account to cover it. 
• I never buy anything from anyone who's got less than 100% feedback. This is probably a bit harsh, but I'd prefer to have as much confidence in the seller as possible.
• I refuse to get drawn in to bidding wars which often end up with the buyer paying way more for an item than they initially planned. If I really want an item, I'll bid when the auction hasn't got long left and will set my maximum bid while I'm at it. My maximum bid will be the very top end of what I'm willing to pay for that particular item. If someone else beats my maximum bid before the action ends, I bow out. 

Do you agree with my pros and cons? Have you got any tips to share with me? Let me know!