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eBaying do's and don'ts

Selling success begins with short, sweet user name

Janet Simons, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 24, 2006 at midnight

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"That's the worst user name I've heard in my life," said eBay University's Jim Griffith, upon learning that a certain reporter had chosen the handle "Do-Wah-Diddy-Diddy- Dum-Diddy-Do."

"It's way too long. No one will ever remember it if they want to go back for another purchase," he said. "And they'll never be able to spell it right, either."

Griffith said good eBay user names are short, memorable and easy to spell.

Choosing a bad user name is only one of the many common mistakes people make as they first start to sell items on eBay.

Here are more do's and don'ts, according to Griffith and metro-area eBay instructor Terry Gehrke.

• Don't set the price too high. Before deciding to sell your item, go to the eBay site and see what similar items have been selling for. Set your minimum well below the average price to encourage interest and excitement.

• Buy a few items on eBay before you sell anything, to establish your reputation.

• Don't rush to create your listing. Take time to get a good photo, or several if your merchandise has more than one piece or needs to be seen from more than one angle. Make sure your description includes answers to any question you can anticipate from a buyer: Do you accept returns? Do you take PayPal? How much is shipping? Are you offering any guarantees?

• Choose the words in the description's headline carefully, relying heavily on "keywords." If you're selling a wedding gown, be sure the words wedding gown are in the title. Leave adjectives out of that line; save them for the description.

• Don't tackle huge items until you have some experience, but don't rule them out, either. Pool tables, construction equipment, pianos and jet planes all are sold on eBay.

• Send the money or the item as soon as the transaction is complete, then offer feedback about your experience.