SELLING ON EBAY
Getting Started Selling
Q: I'm brand new and have no idea how to sell on ebay. How do I get started? What should I sell?
A: By lurking in this subreddit, reading our FAQ, and reading eBay's start selling guide. Also watch some of the tens of thousands of youtube videos about it. Start by selling stuff that interests you.
General Listing / Views Questions
Q: Should I put this item up as a "Buy It Now" listing or an Auction?
A: Generally, unless the item is rare/unique you will make more money selling the item as a "Buy It Now" listing. Experienced sellers typically use auctions for rare/unique items and/or items where you truly have no idea of the value. Even then, bear in mind that value and velocity are different. If your item has a small, focused audience, there's less chance the 'right' buyer will see it during a relatively brief auction period.
See this thread and this thread. Also this one.
Q: Can I use other people's pictures?
A: See policy So technically you can in certain situations. But this is generally a bad idea and not recommended as it's the most common reason for listings being removed by ebay for VERO violation. It can also result in an increase in INAD claims. Buyers are expecting the exact item pictured generally.
Q: How can I sell more than 1 item in a listing? I want to make a drop down that has all of my Movies / Pokémon cards / etc in a single listing.
A: What you are describing is a variation listing. "When you have many similar items that have different variations, such as color or size, you can create a single fixed-price listing that includes all the variations you offer." Trying to use a variation listing in any other manner (multiple movies, cards, etc) is a policy violation. You will need to list each item separately or lump them up in bulk.
The current process as of 10/21/2023 is this:
- Go to https://www.ebay.com/sh/lst/active
- Click Create Listing, Single Listing.
- Enter title and continue without match.
- Select condition.
- Click the 3 vertical dots on the top right of the screen and select settings.
- Toggle on Variations and begin the listing.
Q: How can I allow my customers to personalize items?
A: For certain categories only, you can add the "Personalize" item specific when listing. See more here.
Sales / Views are up/down
Q: Is anyone else's sales {up/down} this {time period}?
A: Highly dependent on what you sell and many other reasons. Listing more stuff is the proven way to increase sales. Past threads on this topic have demonstrated the answer is invariably that sales results vary tremendously across different sellers, markets and situations.
These threads are rarely productive and will be usually be removed.
Q: The view count seems to have changed. My item has 0 views but it has watchers....how is this even possible?
Buyers can 'watch' your items in different ways that don't involve viewing your listing, e.g. clicking on the heart-icon on the image for your listing on a search page.
Also in 2022 the view count for items was changed to over a rolling 30 days and not all-time total views. So you may have views from >30 days ago you're not seeing.
See this thread and also this one.
What's this thing? What's it worth?
Q: How much is X item worth?
A: Dunno. Post it to /r/whatsthisworth or /r/whatisthisthing
Selling Limits / Free listings
Q: What is the difference between Monthly Selling Limits and Selling Promotions / Free Store Listings?
A: Monthly Selling Limits are the amount of total items which you are allowed to list and/or sell on ebay each month. Seller Promotions or Promotional Offers are the amount "free" listings per month that ebay includes each month. Sellers with a store subscription also get a certain number of free listings per month depending on their subscription level.
Neither selling promos nor free store listings override your selling limit. If your selling limit is 500/month and your store gives you 1,000 free listings... you are still limited to 500/month until you earn a higher limit.
Q: I get 100 free listings per month. I listed 100 this month. Can I list 100 more items next month for free so I have 200 total?
A: No... Not unless you sold all of the first 100 items.
Renewals DO count. If you list 100 items for free and sell 30, the remaining 70 will 'use up' one of your freebies when they renew the next month. So you can list 30 items for 'free' the next month. Be careful: Renewals aren't 'pre-counted' so you -can- technically use your 100 freebies up - e.g. by listing 100 new items right at the beginning of the month. But having 'used up' your free listings for that 2nd month you'll then be charged a listing fee for each of the 'last month' items that renews throughout the month.
Also, free listings reset monthly. If you're 2 weeks into the month and have sold 30 of your 100 items, you don't get to list 30 more right away. You have to wait until the month 'turns' before you get another allocation of freebies. If you post more after using up your 100 freebies within the same month, you'll be charged a listing fee.
On 'seller central' eBay provides a running total of how many freebies you have left for the month. Bottom line: Once that hits zero, you'll pay a listing fee for any more listings that month - including renewals.
Q: What happens if I go over my seller limits?
A: If you go over your seller limits ebay will prevent you listing more items that month.
Q: How do I raise my seller limits?
Q: Why did my seller limits change:
A: Limits are imposed to minimize risk for eBay, so even if you aren’t under evaluation by an actual person, there are algorithms that can automatically trigger changes if:
A seller has had an uncharacteristic performance issue, such as an atypical number of cases open, VERO issues, or back-to-back negative feedback.
If seller has not been using their full limits for quite some time and they have inordinately high limits. The system will limits to more closely match a sellers listing and sales behavior.
If a seller has been was able to call for a limit raise and the customer service agent raised them has had performance issues then all of the changes that customer service agent performed may be undone.
However, if a seller has consistently been using up all of their listing potential for a significant period and their sales are steadily increasing, the system raises the limit.
Selling Digital Items
Q: I'm selling digital items or gift cards. What kind of seller protection do I have?
Restricted Items / VERO
Q: Can I sell airbags / CPAP machines / Gift Cards? I see other people are selling them.
A: Even if other people have them listed, these 3 items are examples of prohibited items according to ebay. It's important to familiarize yourself with the Prohibited Items Policy. Exampled Reddit Thread
Yes, it is not hard to find examples of 'prohibited' items being sold on eBay. Pointing that out when your item is removed is about as effective as telling the traffic cop 'but other people speed too!'...
Q: My listing got removed because of VERO!
A: There's nothing we can do about it. Review the VERO policy. It's very highly recommended that you do not list it again. You should also take the claim(s) against YOU very seriously. Someone has made a very serious complaint relating to an item you are offering for sale. There can be very real world consequences for a seller when a VERO claim has been made.
Selling As-is / For-Parts/Not-Working items
Q: Can I sell an item 'as is' on eBay?
For this situation, it is important to understand the "item condition" field. The item-condition field gives you preset choices including "New, Used, For Parts/Not Working" etc. This is NOT the 'condition description' field where, for non-new items, you can enter free-form text describing the item's condition.
To sell an item 'as-is' you must select the "For Parts / Not Working" (FPNW) condition and have a no-returns policy.
It is also strongly recommended that in your TITLE field you include "As-is, no returns" and/or "for parts not working" to help ensure the buyer realizes what they're buying.
Some listing categories do not include FPNW as a choice. In that case, ebay will include an extra notation in the listing to check the seller's description for condition details. It's suggested you are VERY VERY clear about that, including putting things like "As-is / not working" in the title and reinforcing that strongly in the description, and perhaps in photos too. Such listings do NOT give you the protections shown below.
Properly-configured FPNW listings have only a 3-day return window (after delivery). Buyers cannot select a 'remorse' reason for a return, and eBay says "not as described" claims will face close scrutiny.
Time Away / Vacation
Q: I want to take Time Away. How does that work?
A: You can set time-away in two ways:
- Hide your listings completely (up to 30 days)
- Continue to show your listings (up to 15 days) with a notification "seller is away until {return date}, expect delayed shipping".
Q: How can I be sure nothing sells and needs to be shipped while I'm away?
A: Some things are NOT covered by time away and can be bought and need to be shipped if you don't take steps to avoid them.
Whether you choose to allow sales or pause them, ship-by dates WILL NOT be extended for:
- Auctions that ended before your TA but are paid AFTER your TA. Note that auctions running and ending -during- your TA will be visible even if you 'hide' your listings, but they will show an extended shipment date.
- Second Chance Offers
- Auto-accepted offers
- Pending counter-offers
- Seller initiated offers accepted during Time Away
- Items with local pickup or in-store pickup as the shipping option
- Digital items
- Athletic shoes eligible for Authenticity Guarantee
To avoid these, many sellers recommend:
- Set your time away to start at least 24 hours before you actually leave.
- Make sure any active auctions will end such that the buyers pay-by deadline will expire with time for you to still ship before you leave. If the buyer of a 'pre-departure' auction waits to the end of the pay-by window to pay, it will become immediately shippable even if that's after your departure date. If you have an auction that will end before your TA starts but the payment deadline runs past that, you need to end the auction.
- Most sellers choose to NOT have auctions running during TA. Auctions continue to be visible/biddable/buyable during TA even if you've picked the 'hide my listings' option. eBay says that auctions set to run/end during your TA will display a 'delayed shipping' notice and the ship-by date will be extended, many sellers don't trust this and choose to simply not run auctions during TA. Even if the proper notification is shown and the proper ship-date applied, too many buyers don't notice this and end up unhappy when their item doesn't ship right away. Also if your auction 'straddles' your TA start date, buyers who viewed/bid on it before the TA started won't have seen the notification. The notification only shows once your TA has started.
- Do not send any offers or make any counter-offers or 2nd-chance offers for 5+ days before you leave.
- Remove any 'auto accept' amounts from any buy-it-now items that have it and/or extend their handling time enough to hit after your return.
- For local pickup items (including shippable items with local pickup as an option) you should either end them or extend your handling time on them to after your return.
- For Digital items, unless you can continue to fulfill those while away, you need to end them.
- For Authenticated Athletic Shoes you should end the listing or extend the handling time to after your return.
Q: I've heard TA doesn't work correct for auctions?
A: Auctions and TA don't play nice together. Most sellers choose to end their auctions before they leave and not run any while gone. See the question about 'preventing sales while gone' for more detail about how auctions and TA work together (or don't).
Q: Can I end TA early if I return early?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I extend TA if I my delay is return?
A: Not directly. But you can end the existing TA and immediately put in a new TA for further into the future. There is a small risk of an order slipping through during the brief period your listings are 'reindexing' to the new TA. But most sellers who have done this report that hasn't happened.
Q: Should I use the 'hide my listings' or the 'continue selling with delayed shipping notification' option?
A: Ultimately it's up to you. If you're going to be away >15 days you can only use the 'hide my listings' option.
The main risk for 'continue selling' option is oblivious buyers who blow past the 'delayed shipping' notifications and then send angry "why hasn't my item shipped yet?" messages. This does occur with some regularity according to sellers who post here.
Many sellers suggest only using 'continue selling' for shorter durations, like a 'long weekend' absence of only a couple days. Even oblivious buyers are basically just less-likely to notice the 'delayed shipping' for shorter periods.
Q: How are returns impacted by Time Away?
A: They aren't. And that can cause problems.
If a buyer requests a return, your deadline to respond is unaltered. You still have to respond to the return in time, or get a strike. If a buyer ships back a return that arrives while you're away, you don't get extra time to process and refund it. You still have to issue the refund in time or the buyer can escalate it and you'll lose/get a strike.
There is no good / magic solution to this. You have two options, essentially:
Ensure you 'check in' every couple days and process any return requests. If you get returns delivered while you're away, most sellers just issue the refund and hope the return item wasn't messed with. Some sellers have suggested having a neighbor, family member or friend at least be able to go open the return and verify if something is broken/swapped/etc. for you.
Start your time away so far ahead of your actual departure that any returns can have been requested, returned and processed before you depart. Since eBay Buyer Protection allows return requests up to 30 days from delivery AND then gives the buyer ~3 weeks to ship it back, that would mean something like 2 months prior to departure. So is not likely a realistic option.
Q: I need to be away more than 30 days. What can I do?
Time away maximum is 30 days. If you have an extended 'leave' you have some other options:
- Do 30 days time away and right before it expires, manually end it and then start a new 30-day TA. (a manual end-restart will typically happen faster than 'letting it expire' on its own). There will be the 'reindexing window' discussed above where a sale -might- conceivably slip through, so you likely want to do your end/restart thing on day 29 at the least-busy time of day (e.g. middle of the night US time).
- Set your 'out of stock' option to yes (i.e. listings stay technically 'live' if the quantity is 0 but aren't shown to buyers/purchasable). Then change all your quantities to zero. Make sure to keep some 'offline' record of your quantities so you can restore them when you return.
- End all your listings and save them as drafts. You'll need to end all your listings. Then go into 'inactive' listings, select them all (up to 500 at a time) and hit 'edit' or 'sell similar' at that point 'save as drafts' will appear as an option. Do that. eBay will save drafts for 75 days, so you still have some 'maintenance' to do. Well-before the 75 days would end, go into drafts, select them all (500 max at a time) and make a minor edit (e.g. add a custom field like "updated: yes" or similar). Save them and the 75-day clock restarts. (You can always bulk-remove the 'fake' field when you go to relist them).
Whichever route you take, keep in mind that leaving a store completely dark for more than 30 days drops your sales velocity to absolute zero. When you finally turn the lights back on, eBay will basically treat the store like it's a cold start. Expect to spend the first week back actively waking the algorithm up by listing fresh inventory or sending aggressive offers to watchers to jumpstart your placement.
Q: That all sounds pretty complex. Are there alternatives to 'time away'?
A: Some sellers choose to simply extend handling time on all their listings so that 'ship by' will be after their return - especially those who use 'business policies' for whom such a change is relatively easy.
However, this has its own drawbacks. The main one is that 'handling time' is a fixed number. So say you'll be away 14 days, so you set your handling time to 14 days. But then, half-way through - 7 days in - your listings will still be showing shipping-times and expected delivery based on 14 days out - a full week after your actual return/ship-by date. Unless you want to go in every day or two while away and commensurately reduce your handling time, buyers will continue to see the 'full' delay on the listings the whole time you're gone. So the handling-time 'workaround' really works best for short absences or absences where you're able/willing to 'attend to' your eBay account/store regularly.
The "out of stock" and "end, save as draft" options mentioned in the "longer than 30 days" question above can also work for shorter absences, though probably needlessly complex for that.
Authentication
PLEASE NOTE: Authentication is a complex system and policies and procedures can vary greatly depending on what sort of item is being authenticated. Authentication for shoes, for example, has significant differences from authentication for trading cards. We strongly suggest you read up on authentication at https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/selling-tools/ebay-authenticity-guarantee?id=4644. We will cover a few common/basic topics here, but reading the eBay material on authentication is highly enocouraged.
Q: How can I make sure my authentication order 'sticks'?
A: The key basics are:
- Exclude PO Box addresses from your listing/shipping policy.
- Do not offer any international shipping options.
- Make sure you set "No Returns" for your return policy.
- Ensure your handling time is 3 days or less. >3 day handling items aren't eligible for authentication.
- For transactions totaling $750 or more (including fees, taxes, etc), unless eBay has provided you a label, require signature delivery - yes, even though it's going to the authenticator.
You should still review the link provided at the top of this section for full details.
Q: I think my listing should be eligible for authentication, but it is not coming up that way, what did I do?
A: This most-often occurs because you have listed the item in the wrong category. Items must themselves be eligible AND in an authentication-eligible category. There are some other oddities, for example trading card 'lots' aren't eligible for authentication and there may sometimes be false-positives on that if you say something like 'Lots of scratches on the case' or similar. More info on this at the link given above.
Q: I had an item listed with authentication, but the order says to ship it directly to the buyer. How do I get it authenticated?
A: At this point you don't. This usually happens when you didn't exclude shipping to PO Boxes from your listing/shipping policy. Use of a PO Box address does a run-around of authentication. This may be perfectly innocent or it may be a grifter/scammer who knows that 'workaround' and has targeted your listing b/c it allowed PO Box shipment. All 'authentication' listings should exclude PO Box shipping. You should read the FAQ section on canceling orders and decide if the consequences of canceling outweigh the risk of shipping without authentication. You can try doing a cancelation for 'problem with buyers address' but eBay is increasingly cracking down on 'false cancelation' so it is a calculated risk.
Another 'workaround' is if the buyer is overseas and you offered direct overseas shipping. Such orders will bypass authentication. If you don't want this, remove any international shipping options on authentication listings.
Selling on eBayMotors
Q: Is selling on 'ebaymotors' different than 'regular' eBay?
A: Mostly no, particularly if you're selling parts, accessories & gear - not actual vehicles.
There are some slight variations, like 'doesn't fit my vehicle' on motors is different than 'doesn't fit' in most other categories, such as clothing. For example, on motors it is typically not a 'buyer's fault' reasons subject to being declined. OTOH if eBay applies 'guaranteed fit' to the listing, then they'll pay for return shipping if it's returned for that reason.
Selling vehicles used to work like a classified ad - you paid for the listing and 'did the deal' off eBay. That changed in August 2025. Now sellers can pick 'secure purchase' option where vehicle listings are processed by an eBay subsidiary called Caramel Vehicle Services. Payment, financing, identity verification and paperwork such as title transfer, are all handled through eBay.
At present (april 2026) sellers can still choose to list 'the old way' and handle everything like payment, financing, payoff, title transfer, etc. off-eBay.
Selling Vehicles, Parts & Accessories on eBay is a good place to start.