How to Optimize Your eBay Experience

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Liberty Mutual Insurance . All opinions are 100% mine.

We’ve all been there; browsing through hundreds of items on eBay. How do you make sure you have the highest bid? Are you really getting a good deal? What kinds of items can you sell on eBay? Whether buying or selling goods, check out these simple tips on how to optimize your eBay experience.

How to Optimize Your eBay Experience

1. For quick cash, sell items around your house that you rarely use. Using eBay, list things such as old DVDs, books, clothing, toys, etc. Don’t shy away from selling weird things: old CD’s, posters, collectibles, etc. A few months ago, I was happy to find a seller selling straight train tracks for my son’s train collection. There really is a buyer for just about everything. Not to mention, this sure beats setting up for a garage sale.

2. Do your research. Be sure that you know the prices of the goods you are looking to buy and sell. Don’t automatically buy something just because it may seem like a good deal. Research some of the sold listings on eBay to get a better idea concerning price points. If selling items, make sure not to start your bid too high – you don’t want to scare away potential buyer.

3. If selling something on eBay, make sure that you take clear, bright pictures of the items. If the picture doesn’t look good, or the buyer can’t see the details, your item will most likely be skipped over. Also, before taking pictures of the item, make sure that it’s clean – you want the item looking its best.

4. Used does not always mean abused. When shopping for a particular item, don’t shy away from browsing through the “used” section. There are many quality “used” items on eBay that are in pristine condition that can save you loads of money.

5. Insure your bids with Liberty Mutual Insurance Sweepstakes. Free to enter, Liberty Mutual Insurance Bid Protection insures your bids ahead of time by giving you the chance to win your item in case you lose a bid.

Nothing is worse than losing a bid on eBay. I remember that my husband was in the market for a new tablet. Using eBay, he began placing bids on certain tablets. Unfortunately, he lost these bids at the last second.  Liberty Mutual Bid Protection Sweepstakes really would have come in handy then.

Want to receive a FREE $10 eBay gift card? Simply visit Liberty Mutual Insurance and completing a home or auto quote.

*Eligible entries are losing bids in the cars & trucks category between $15,000 and $30,000 placed by June 15, 2015, as well as any other losing bids on items in the cars and trucks or home & garden categories between $500 and $1,000 placed by September 1, 2015*

How do you optimize your eBay experience?