Reselling on eBay: how to start with second-hand items

Before you start

In shortCheck that this guide fits how you sell, then get the few things you need.

Worked example: one thrifted item, from shelf to sale

In shortOne made-up lamp is checked, listed and sold, with its money left and the time it took.

How to start reselling on eBay, step by step

1. Step 1 of 9: Check that reselling on eBay fits your week

   In shortCount the hours, space and cash you can give it before you buy anything to resell.

   Reselling means you sell items for more than they cost you. With used items, each one is a small project. You find it, check it, list it, ship it and record it.

   It suits people who like the hunt and can work in short blocks of time. Be honest about the work:

   • TimeEach item needs testing, cleaning, photos, a listing and a trip to ship it.
   • StorageItems wait in your home until they sell. Some wait for weeks.
   • ShippingYou need boxes, padding, a scale and a tape measure.
   • ReturnsSome buyers send items back. That costs you time and money.
   • Uneven incomeSome weeks bring many sales, and some bring none.

   Only spend money you can leave in unsold items for a while. Write down your hours per week and where the items will live.

   Result: Your hours per week, your storage space and the most you will spend on stock, written down.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Find items to resell

2. Step 2 of 9: Find items to resell

   In shortStart with things you own, then buy only items you can check on your phone first.

   Start close to home. These are the usual places to find stock:

   • Your own thingsThe cheapest way to learn. You practice listing, shipping and fees without buying stock.
   • Thrift storesPrices are low, but it can take many visits to find good items.
   • Garage, yard and estate salesYou can look closely, ask questions and often test an item on the spot.
   • Flea markets, clearance shelves and local online listingsMore choice in one place. Check sold prices on your phone before you pay.
   • Liquidation lotsBoxes or pallets of returns and extra stock. You cannot see every item first, so start small or skip them.

   Wherever you shop, pick items you can look up. A brand and model number, or a book’s ISBN, makes that quick. Learning one or two kinds of items well helps you spot good buys faster. Buy what you checked, not what you hope is worth something.

   Keep every receipt, or write down what you paid. You need it to work out your money left, and for taxes.

   Result: A short list of places to buy, and your first items with what you paid for each.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Check sold prices and fees before you buy

3. Step 3 of 9: Check sold prices and fees before you buy

   In shortLook up what the same item sold for, then work out what is left after fees and shipping.

   Look up sold prices

   1. Search eBay for the exact item, with the brand and model.
   2. In the filters, turn on Sold items. eBay shows listings that sold in about the last 90 days.
   3. Keep only sales in the same condition and with the same parts. A lamp without its shade is a different item.
   4. Skip a sold price with a line through it. It usually means the seller took a lower Best Offer, and the real price is hidden.
   5. Note each sold price and the shipping the buyer paid.

   Use sold prices, not asking prices. An asking price is what a seller hopes to get for an item still for sale. A sold price is what a buyer really paid. The eBay sold listings guide shows the search in detail.

   Then work out your money left. Start with what the buyer pays: the price and the shipping. Take away the item, eBay’s fees, the shipping label and packaging. The eBay fee calculator guide works out the fees.

   Result: For each item: its sold prices, its money left after costs, and buy or skip.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Grade the condition and check it is genuine

4. Step 4 of 9: Grade the condition and check it is genuine

   In shortChoose the eBay condition that matches the item, then photograph and describe every flaw.

   On the listing form, you choose a condition from eBay’s list. The choices depend on the category. eBay says choosing the right one is part of its selling practices policy.

   Condition	What it means
   New	Brand new, unused, unopened and undamaged, in its original packaging where there is one. Found in most categories.
   Used	Used before. It may show some cosmetic wear, but it is fully operational and works as intended. Found in most categories.
   For parts or not working	Does not work as intended. This includes items that need repair or miss essential parts. Found in electronics, business and industrial, and others.
   Pre-owned - Good	Gently used, in good condition, with a few signs of wear. Every flaw should be shown and described. Found in clothing and shoes.

   Show every flaw in a photo, and name it in the description. Say what works, what does not and what is missing. “Scratch on the base, about 1 inch” is clear. “Some wear” is not.

   A buyer can return an item that does not match your listing. That is true even when your listing says no returns.

   Result: The eBay condition for your item, a photo of each flaw and a plain list of what works and what does not.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Write the listing: photos, title and item specifics

5. Step 5 of 9: Write the listing: photos, title and item specifics

   In shortTake clear photos, write a title buyers would search, and fill in every item specific.

   • PhotosShow the whole item, the brand or model label and every flaw. Use even light and a plain background.
   • TitleUse the words a buyer would search: brand, model, type, size or color. eBay suggests using all 80 characters.
   • Item specificsThe item’s details, like brand, size and color. Fill in the required ones, and more where you can.
   • DescriptionRepeat the condition and the flaws in plain words. Say what is included.

   Does the item have a barcode number (UPC), an ISBN or a part number (MPN)? Enter it. If the item is in eBay’s catalog, eBay fills in key details for you. Pick the catalog entry for your exact version, not a similar one.

   For every check on a listing, use the eBay listing checklist.

   Result: A draft listing with clear photos, a full title, item specifics and an honest description.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Price it from sold prices in the same condition

6. Step 6 of 9: Price it from sold prices in the same condition

   In shortStart near the middle of recent sold prices in the same condition, then decide on offers.

   Go back to the sold prices from step 3. Start near the middle of them. Compare the total each buyer paid: the price plus shipping.

   A worn item does not sell for the price of a mint one. Compare only with sales in the same condition.

   Fixed price or auction?

   eBay has two main formats. Buy It Now is a fixed price. In an auction, buyers bid and so set the price. eBay says most sales now happen at a fixed price. It suggests an auction for a rare item, or when you are not sure what it is worth.

   Best Offer

   With a fixed price, you can turn on Allow offers. Buyers can then offer you less. You accept, decline or counter within 24 hours. Add a Minimum offer amount, and eBay declines lower offers for you. An Auto accept amount accepts offers at or above it.

   Before you accept an offer, work out your money left at that price. The worked example shows what a lower offer takes off.

   Result: Your price, your format and the lowest offer you will accept.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Set up shipping, pack and list

7. Step 7 of 9: Set up shipping, pack and list

   In shortPack the item, weigh and measure it, set calculated shipping and a handling time, then list.

   Pack the item first. Then weigh and measure the box. You need both numbers for the shipping cost.

   A big, light box is priced by its size. Once a box is over 1 cubic foot (1,728 cubic inches), USPS Ground Advantage works out its dimensional weight: length × width × height ÷ 139. You pay for that or the real weight, whichever is more. The free eBay shipping calculator does this sum and shows the label price for every zone.

   Box	Size	USPS counts it as
   A snug box: 14 × 10 × 10 in	1,400 cubic in	4 lb, its real weight
   A roomy box: 16 × 12 × 12 in	2,304 cubic in	16.6 lb, by size

   Long boxes cost extra too: $4.50 over 22 inches, and $10 over 30. So use the smallest box that still fits the padding. Round the weight and size up when you enter them. If they are too low, USPS can charge more after the sale. eBay shows it under shipping cost adjustments.

   With calculated shipping, eBay works out each buyer’s shipping from their location, your package and the delivery service. In the listing’s shipping section, choose Calculated: Cost varies by buyer location. Then enter the package type, size and weight.

   Set your handling time. That is the number of days from the buyer’s payment to the carrier’s first scan of your package. Pick a handling time you can always meet. Now list the item.

   When it sells, you can buy the label on eBay. In Seller Hub, open Orders and select Purchase shipping label. For most services, eBay says its label rates cost less than the post office. The tracking number goes into the order by itself.

   An eBay label also gets you paid sooner. New sellers usually get their money within 2 days of delivery with it. With a label bought elsewhere, it takes up to 7 days, and without tracking up to 31 days after payment.

   Pack it so it arrives the way you listed it: padding on every side, and fragile parts, like a lamp shade, wrapped on their own.

   Result: The box measured, shipping and handling time set, the item listed, and packing supplies ready for the sale.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Record fees, money left and taxes

8. Step 8 of 9: Record fees, money left and taxes

   In shortWrite down each item’s costs, sale and time, and know when eBay reports your sales.

   eBay has two main selling fees. The insertion fee is for creating a listing. eBay gives you up to 250 listings a month without it. The final value fee is charged when the item sells.

   A fixed price listing renews every month until it sells, and each renewal counts as a listing again. So items that wait for months use up your 250.

   For most categories, the final value fee is 13.6% of the total sale, which includes shipping and sales tax. eBay adds $0.40 per order, or $0.30 at $10 or less. Books, movies and music pay 15.3%. Check the current eBay fees first.

   eBay takes its fees out of each sale before it pays you. The rest goes to your linked checking account or debit card.

   Keep one record per item. A notebook or a spreadsheet is enough:

   • The date, the place and what you paid
   • Other costs: parts, cleaning, packaging
   • The sold price, the shipping paid, eBay’s fees and the label
   • The money left and the minutes you spent

   Write down what you paid on the day you buy it. Once a week, add up the money left and the hours. That tells you if reselling on eBay pays for your time.

   Result: A record for each item, a weekly total of money left and hours, and receipts kept for taxes.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Handle returns and grow your eBay reselling business

9. Step 9 of 9: Handle returns and grow your eBay reselling business

   In shortChoose a return policy you can keep, then grow only what your records show is working.

   In each listing, you choose a return policy: no returns, or 30 or 60 days. The buyer pays the return shipping, or you offer free returns. An honest listing is your best protection.

   Before you ship, photograph the item and any serial number. When an item comes back, compare it with those photos.

   • It came back used, damaged or missing partseBay’s returned items policy lets you take up to 50% off the refund for the lost value.
   • The buyer’s claim is falseUse “Report buyer” in the return. If eBay agrees, it removes the buyer’s negative feedback, and the return does not count in your “not as described” rate. It may also pay up to $6 of the return label.

   A very high “not as described” rate raises your eBay fees. Add each refund and any return shipping to the item’s record.

   From side income to a small business

   Grow one step at a time, based on your records:

   • Keep the kinds of items with the best money left per hour. Drop the rest.
   • Group the work: one day to buy, one to photograph and list, set times to ship.
   • Buy more stock only with money your sales already made.
   • Someone is watching an item? Send them an offer from Seller Hub’s Active listings, at least 5% below your price.
   • Item still unsold after months? Lower the price in small steps, or sell slow items together as a lot. The eBay pricing strategy guide shows how far you can go.
   • Listing more than 250 items a month? An eBay Store gives you more listings without an insertion fee. Compare its monthly cost first.
   • Every account has a monthly selling limit, and your active listings count toward it, not only sales. eBay raises it as your sales and feedback grow. Seller Hub’s Overview tab shows yours.

   Let your records decide what you buy next, not one lucky sale.

   Result: A return policy, a plan for returns that come back worse, and what to buy more of or drop.

   Mark this step as doneNext: What this cannot tell you

What this guide can and cannot tell you

In shortIt gives you a method. It cannot promise that an item sells, or what you will earn.

Common questions about reselling on eBay

How Productivo helps with reselling on eBay

In shortProductivo can list your one-off items with eBay’s conditions and keep your records. You still find and check each item.

Everything above works with eBay’s own tools. This part is about Productivo, the app behind this guide.

Guide step	What Productivo does
Step 4	Add each item by hand. The form offers the conditions eBay allows in the item’s category. A used condition needs a short note on its flaws.
Step 5	Up to 12 photos and the category’s item specifics for each item. Or bring up to 1,000 items from one CSV file. Its preview shows each row’s errors before anything is saved.
Step 7	Choose your shipping, return and payment policies before you list. List now, or at a date and time you pick, with your description template.
Step 8	Reports show sales and profit by day or by month. Its Expenses tab takes costs outside orders, like packaging or storage.

Adding items, publishing, templates and Reports are part of every plan. Productivo does not find thrift items or check their sold prices. Items you add by hand keep the price you give them. Repricing, price tracking and the Listing Optimizer’s AI work only with Amazon products. Productivo also does not know what you paid at a thrift store. Until you record that cost on the order, Reports leaves the order out of its sales and profit totals and says so.

Costs outside orders, in Productivo

The Expenses tab with example costs: packaging supplies and storage unit rent each month. Reports take them off your totals, which end on net profit.

Open the full desktop screenshot (new tab)

Productivo by business model

Pick how you sell. Each part names the steps where Productivo helps that kind of seller, and what you still do yourself.

Wholesale sellers listing liquidation pallets item by item

In shortBring a whole pallet in by CSV, each row with its own condition, then publish the lot together.

Resellers listing and shipping thrift finds and other used goods

In shortBeyond listing, Productivo gives an eBay reseller shipping alerts, each sale’s label cost and a list of unsold items.

Makers listing, shipping and keeping records for homemade items

In shortAdd each piece with its quantity and photos, list it in the Crafts design, and log materials as expenses.

Wholesale dropshippers pricing and recording supplier-shipped sales

In shortWith a supplier shipping for you, Productivo lists at your price and keeps each sale’s numbers for your records.