There are four easy ways to research previously sold items:

• Completed Listings filter within a search
• Completed Listings Hub
• Completed Listings in Advanced Search
• eBay Pulse

Start low
A fundamental principle of the auction process is to create excitement around your item, which in turn develops into a bidding frenzy among buyers, resulting in excess returns for you.

Getting that first bid is critical, as other buyers are generally more likely to jump in if they see there are already bids on an item. To do this, many sellers prefer to set an opening bid below what the item is actually worth. This can jumpstart bidding activity, and ultimately produce a higher selling price.

Using a Reserve price
If not used properly, a reserve price on your item can often result in the same problems as an excessively high opening bid. Buyers will often lose interest in an item if they place a bid and find it doesn't meet the reserve. Because they do not know the reserve price, they may assume the seller is simply asking too much for the item. They may then move on to similar items that they feel they have a more realistic chance of winning.

To prevent this from happening, you may want to list your item with "No Reserve". Items sold with "No Reserve" typically attract more buyer interest, as buyers know that they will actually win the item if they are the highest bidder. In addition, statistics show that items listed without a reserve usually sell for more than comparable items listed with a reserve.

To minimise potential downside risk, most savvy sellers will search completed listings for similar items to gauge historical pricing and potential returns before setting their opening bid. You can then set your minimum starting bid slightly below this price, with "No Reserve", and still get the benefit of quickly stimulating interest from buyers and jump-starting bid activity.

Many buyers enjoy the thrill and excitement of auction-style listings. Others like the immediate gratification of "Buy It Now". When you use just one format, you only reach a subset of eBay's total buying population. Plus, some formats perform better than others, depending on how they are used.

• Is the product you are selling a commodity?
  Consider listing it at a straight Fixed Price, following a review of comparable items to determine current market value. Fixed Price allows you to sell immediately, at the price you want, and in multiple quantities!
• Want the Buyer to decide how to end the sale?
  Use an Auction listing with the "Buy It Now" feature.
• Have a unique or hard-to-find item?
  Auction style listings are a great way to maximise the final sales price.

Don't be afraid to experiment with the listing formats you use. You'll quickly find which ones work best for your products. Learn more about the different selling formats available on eBay.

When considering any online purchase, there are certain "friction points" that may positively or negatively impact a buyer's decision to buy and how much they are willing to spend. These friction points can range from understanding exactly what is being sold, to questions about shipping and payment, to the level of trust in you as a seller.

Effective merchandising on eBay can minimise many of these friction points, leading to higher sales and profitability. A few of the areas where such merchandising can ease transactional friction include:

• Item Title
• Item Description
• Photos
• View Item Page
• My World Page

Offering payment choices makes your listing more appealing, and most sellers offer more than one option. However, not all payment methods provide the same value to inspire buyer confidence. It’s important to consider the buyer’s perspective when selecting typical payment options.

Buyers’ questions about payment methods include:

• Is it traceable and is there proof of payment?
• Is it fast and convenient?
• How secure is it?
• What is the liability coverage in case something goes wrong?

Payment methods used by eBay sellers include:

• PayPal : The preferred payment method for most eBay buyers and sellers. PayPal enables you to send payments quickly and securely online using a credit card or bank account. Learn more.
• Merchant account credit card : You can set up eBay Checkout to take credit card payments and require buyers to provide their credit card information.
• Personal checks / Money orders / Cashiers checks : These methods are traceable to a particular mailing address, but most sellers wait for the funds to clear before they send the item to the buyer.
• Escrow : For high-priced items, eBay recommends eBay's approved escrow service, https://www.escrow.com/.

Important Note : eBay does not recommend cash or cash wire transfers such as Western Union or MoneyGram as a payment method.

For a comparison of payment methods from a buyer’s perspective, see About Payment Methods.

Make sure you clearly spell out your shipping terms, return policy, warranty services and other terms and conditions in your listing description. The more customer-friendly your policies, the more you will be able to convert potential buyers into customers.

Shipping Terms
Here are a few shipping tips to make your item more attractive to buyers:

• Bundle shipping into your item price and advertise "Free Shipping" in your title and description.
• Offer a flat rate to a specified area (eg: US$20 to anywhere within Asia).
• Embed a shipping calculator directly in your listing if shipping is a variable based on the buyer's location.
• Offer package tracking, especially for higher-priced items, so you and your buyer can track the shipment status of your item

Return Policy
Having a return policy increases buyer confidence. Research shows that 21% of non-buyers cite “lack of return policy” as the reason they buy elsewhere. (eBay Consumer Research, July, 2005).

Warranty Services
You can now give buyers assurance and peace of mind by offering them a standard warranty or extended warranty on electronics and computer items via the Warranty Services program. The best part is that for every warranty sold on one of your items, you earn a cash bonus!