You’ve sourced your items and now you’re ready to start selling. You know what you have paid for them but now you want to get the best possible price. Where do you start?

The first thing to do is to check out the eBay completed listings area. This will give you instant information on the prices items similar to yours have made on the site. Check out several listings and make notes of the different prices. Why has one item made a good price and another has sold for less than you’ve paid for yours?

Read through the item descriptions and compare them. Has the better priced item been described in a fuller way, did the seller offer more relevant information? Check out the carriage fees, the way the item was sent out and how soon the buyer expected to receive it. Some of this information may not be listed but check out as much as you can.

Have a look at the images of the items. Are they clear and taken in a good light, showing off the item to full advantage? How many images were used in the listing? On eBay the first image is included in the basic listing price subsequent images are each charged seperately. Did the items with extra images do better than ones with the basic image? Were the extra images necessary? Did they show something important that the original photograph didn’t capture? Sometimes extra images are essential to show the item especially if there is a flaw or some damage that needs to be highlighted.

Check out items still listed. Are there many bids on these items? Which items are doing better; ones with a reserve or with a low starting price? How long are the auctions for these items? What are the images like? Read through the descriptions. Are they relevant and do they give the buyer the maximum information without being too wordy?

Take notes as you go. Keep thinking how you could improve on the listing. Could you make the description more relevant? Could you upload a better photo?

Always remember that you are trying to make the most profit you can from your items. No matter how many items you list, it always pays to do your research. Even if you list the same type of items all the time, it is important to watch what is happening with other sellers.

This is your marketplace and there is a wealth of information on the eBay site to help you achieve your goals. Make good use of this free resource.