Section 129. Start the Sell Form and Choose a Category

129. Start the Sell Form and Choose a Category

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

127 Determine Your Selling Price and Estimate Your Selling Fees

128 About the eBay Sell Your Item Page

SEE ALSO

130 Write the Title and Description

131 Format Your Description with eBay's HTML Editor

132 Choose Pricing, Duration, and Location

134 Add Pictures to Your Auction

136 Set Payment and Shipping Options

You've done your preparation and are finally ready to sell your first item on eBay. The first step, and in some ways the most important step, is to create a title and choose a category. You can easily overlook the importance of this step, and you might be tempted to rush through it quickly. But it's worth your while to spend some time doing this because, if you choose the wrong category or don't write a descriptive title, no one will ever find your auction and it's unlikely anyone will bid on it.

1.	Get to the Sell Your Item Form To get to the Sell Your Item form, click the Sell button at the top of any eBay page. If you want help before filling out the form, click the Learn How to Sell link. You can also get live help by chatting with an eBay customer service representative by clicking the Live Help button.
2.	Choose Your Selling Format The first step in filling out the Sell Your Item form is to choose the kind of auction you want to create. You have four choices: Sell Item at Online Auction This is the most common type of auction. It lets you create an auction in which people bid on your item. If you want, you can use the Buy It Now option, which allows people to bid or buy the item at a fixed price you set. Sell at a Fixed Price In this type of auction, there is no bidding. Buyers purchase your item(s) at a fixed price you set. (This is the format you choose if you want to sell something using the Buy It Now feature.) Sell In Store Inventory Select this option if you have an eBay store and want to sell items in it. For more information, see Chapter 23, Starting an eBay Business . Advertise Your Real Estate Select this option if you're selling real estate. When you've chosen your selling format, click the Continue button at the bottom of the page.
3.	Choose Your Main Category The Main Category is the top-level category under which your auction will be listedthe categories people see on the left side of the main eBay page. Scroll through the list and click the main category that most closely matches the item you want to sell. 129. Start the Sell Form and Choose a Category
4.	Choose Your Subcategories When you choose the main category, a list of subcategories appears in the box next to the main category list box. Select the subcategory that most closely matches your item. NOTE You'll notice that some subcategories have small arrows next to them, whereas others don't. If a subcategory has an arrow next to it, that means there are further subcategories below it from which you must choose. If no arrow appears, you've reached the lowest level of subcategory and that is where your item will be listed. Further subcategories might appear in boxes on the page. Continue to select subcategories until you reach the final, most specific one.
5.	Get Help Choosing a Subcategory Selecting the right category and subcategories can be more difficult than it appearsat the subcategory level in particular, it's not always obvious which option you should choose. eBay can give you suggestions for which subcategory to choose. In the Find Suggested Categories section of the Sell Your Item form, enter keywords that describe the item you want to sell and click Find . A page appears that gives you several suggestions for which subcategory to choose. Click the radio button next to the one you want to use and click Save .
6.	Choose a Second Subcategory You can pay extra to have your item listed in two subcategories instead of one. This doubles its exposure and makes it more likely to get bids. Your insertion fee and most listing upgrade fees are doubled . But your final value fee does not change (the final value fee is the same as if you had listed the item in a single category). To choose a second subcategory, select it from the Choose a Second Category section at the bottom of the Sell Your Item form. When you're done, click the Continue button. You are brought to the Title & Description page, as described in 130 Write the Title and Description .