How to Sell on eBay For Beginners

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eBay remains one of the most trusted online marketplaces. According to Chargeflow, they have over 130 million active buyers worldwide. Whether you’re cleaning out your home or building a side hustle, eBay connects you with buyers far beyond your local area. That old gaming console, sneakers, or collectible you thought no one wanted? Someone, somewhere, will pay good money for it.

I’ve personally flipped tons of items that I almost tossed out, including old shoes and board games. Those items both sold within a week for more than I expected. This is why eBay works: it turns everyday items into cash.

In this article, we will go over how to sell on eBay for beginners.

How to Sell on eBay for Beginners

Get Started

You want to sell on eBay, but you still need to take action. It’s time to make a move. Signing up is straightforward. Head to eBay’s website and choose between:

• Personal account: Perfect if you’re selling casually or testing the waters
• Business account: Best if you want to scale and sell frequently

Big 2025 update: PayPal is no longer required. eBay now manages payments directly, which means faster payouts and fewer steps to get your money.

Side-hustle tip: Verify your account and link your bank before your first sale. Buyers trust verified accounts, and it ensures you don’t run into delays when cashing out.

Step 2: Decide What to Sell

Next, you have to decide what you want to sell. There are thousands of things that you can sell. I tell people to start with what they know. If you know shoes, start with shoes. I know sports, so I started selling sports-related items. 

Here’s a quick list of categories that usually sell well:

• Electronics: Phones, laptops, headphones, smartwatches
• Sneakers & Apparel: Athletic shoes (Nike, Hoka One), jerseys, Shirts
• Collectibles & Memorabilia: Sports cards, action figures, bobbleheads

Before listing, check Sold Listings on eBay. This tool shows you what similar items have actually sold for, which helps you price competitively.

Side-hustle tip: Trends matter. Seasonal items, like Halloween costumes or winter gear, can sell faster than general items. Also, keep an eye on pop culture trends; sometimes, even small collectibles tied to a trending show or event can sell quickly.

Step 3: Create Your First Listing

Your listing is the difference between you selling your item and having a competitor get the sale. A well-crafted listing can make all the difference. Here’s what to focus on:

Title

Include keywords buyers actually search for, including the brand name, model, color, and size. Keep it clear and concise.

Description

Tell the truth about the condition, flaws, and authenticity of the item. Include measurements or serial numbers if relevant.

Photos

Make sure that you have good lighting, a clean background, and multiple angles. Highlight any imperfections to avoid returns. eBay allows up to 24 photos. For most of my listings, I include 12-14 images.

I use my cell phone light or the lights in the house when I’m taking pictures. If you reach the next level, you can use a lightbox like the one in the highlighted link. It will help your pictures look more professional.

Auction or Buy it Now

The next step is to decide how to sell your item. Do you want to list it as an auction, or do you want to sell it for a fixed price (Buy it Now)?

If you list your item as an auction, people can bid on it. It can sometimes lead to higher sales. The highest bidder wins the thing. Auctions can have durations of 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days.

With a Buy it Now listing, you set the price. The person can then buy it without bidding. Buy it Now listings are listed for 30 days. If the item doesn’t sell, it will be automatically relisted for another 30 days.

Most of my items are Buy it Now. I like getting my money sooner rather than later.

Before setting a price for your listings, check the listings to see what your items are selling for. Below are a few pictures that can show you how to do that. The example that I used was Air Jordan IV sneakers.

I typed “Air Jordan IV” in the search bar.

Next, you can click on sold items and you can see what the items have sold for.

As you can see, most of those Jordans sold for over 100 bucks. You can compare any item this way. Once you do that, you gauge your starting price.

Want a printable version of this checklist? Grab the free PDF at the end of this guide—it’s perfect for keeping your eBay side hustle organized!

Step 4: Know Your Fees

Understanding eBay fees is very important for keeping your side hustle profitable.

• Final Value Fees: A percentage of your total sale, including shipping
• Insertion Fees: Small fee for listing items beyond your free monthly quota
• Shipping Costs: Decide whether you’ll offer free shipping or have the buyer pay

Example: Selling a $50 item with $6 shipping could cost about $6 in final value fees. Factor this into your pricing so you don’t end up losing money.

Step 5: Shipping & Packaging

This is where a lot of eBay sellers get frustrated. Hell, I used to get frustrated a lot with shipping, too. When it comes to shipping, you have three options. You can offer free shipping, charge a flat shipping rate, or calculate the shipping. If you are a beginner, I suggest you ship everything at a flat rate. You can find more information about this on the USPS website.

Suppose you plan to calculate shipping research, and you get a scale. In the past, I used to estimate some of my shipping prices. That was not an intelligent thing to do. I lost money on several occasions. Below is a scale that is similar to the one that I have.

Shipping boxes can be hard to come by if you don’t know where to look. You can get some from the post office for free. Believe it or not, you don’t have to go to a physical location. You can order them online at the USPS website. You can also purchase them from a store like Walmart. I get most of the boxes I ship shoes and bobbleheads from there.

Step 6: Customer Service & Feedback

Great customer service builds trust and repeat buyers. Try to respond to questions and concerns quickly. Positive reviews increase visibility and encourage future purchases.

Step 7: Scaling Beyond the First Sale

Once you’ve sold a few items, it’s time to grow your side hustle.

• Seller Hub: Track views, sales trends, and performance metrics
• Inventory sourcing: Thrift stores, garage sales, clearance racks, and wholesale lots

I hope this post on how to sell on eBay for beginners answers some of your questions. If you need specific help, please join my Facebook group, My Money Chronicles, Inner Circle. We talk about eBay in there all the time.

This post is a beginner’s guide to eBay. You may need more info. I recently recorded a webinar titled eBay for Starters. In the 30-minute webinar, I go into more detail on how to sell on eBay for beginners. The webinar is free. Go here to view it today.

Download Your Free eBay Side Hustle Checklist.

Below, I have a few more eBay resources for you.

eBay Resources

Boxes

I get a lot of my boxes that I use for shipping at the Post Office. They don’t always have the correct size. If I need a different size box, I usually get it somewhere else. You can purchase them from a store or order them from Amazon. Below is a good pack of boxes.

Bubble Wrap

You will need to get some bubble wrap if you sell specific items like mugs or glass. Here is some bubble wrap that is priced reasonably.

Tape

Tape comes in handy. You can never have enough of it. Here is an example of the shipping tape that I use.

For more ways to earn extra income, check out my full Side Hustle Guide.