by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Jack Kaplan, an instructor for
Continuing Education at UNM,
made $825 from his first sale on
the online auction Web site eBay.
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He received a 5 percent commission
for selling his friend's
motorcycle for about $16,000, he
said.
"I got that much money for a
total of four hours of work," he
said. "That includes taking pictures,
making the ads and talking
to the buyer."
Kaplan gave a presentation
called "Understanding Buying and
Selling on eBay" at the Continuing
Education Conference Center on
Wednesday. About 80 people attended
the event.
Here are some of Kaplan's tips
for using eBay:
1. Check feedback other users
have posted about buyers and
sellers. Doing so helps protect
you from fraud. Anything over 98
percent positive indicates a reliable
user.
2. Never wire or send cash.
3. Do not ship an item until the
payment has cleared.
4. Document all transactions.
Keep receipts, shipping documents
and all other paperwork.
5. Check how much similar
items are selling for and price accordingly.
Some popular items
include all-terrain vehicles, computers
and cameras.
6. New users should make several
purchases to get good feedback
before trying to sell anything.
"There must be something
you want or need to buy that you
can find on eBay," Kaplan said.
7. Start out selling cheap items
that are easy to pack and ship.
8. Use appropriate keywords
in your auction's title. Nobody
searches for "must see" or "fantastic
item."
9. Be aware of restricted items,
such as license plates less than
five years old, wild goose eggs and
used underwear.
10. At least 80 percent of the
ad should be a description of the
product. Keep fine print about
shipping and refund policies to a
minimum.
