How to sell
Listing an item takes one form. The main decision is the sale format; the rest is describing the item honestly and choosing prices and duration. You need an account that an administrator has verified, and you must own the item or be entitled to sell it.
Your monthly allowance
Each plan allows a number of new listings per calendar month: Free 5, Basic 15, Pro unlimited; a relist counts as a new listing. The Sell page shows how many you have left this month, and Pricing explains how to move to Basic or Pro. Buying is never limited.
Choosing the format
| Format | Best when | You set |
|---|---|---|
| Rising-bid auction | demand is uncertain and you want the market to find the price | start price, optional hidden reserve, duration or exact end, soft close on or off, optional Buy Now price, optional offers |
| Dutch auction | you want a quick sale, or have several identical units | start price, drop amount, interval between drops, floor price, quantity (the first acceptance fixes the price for the rest) |
| Fixed price | you know the price, or sell several units over time | price, quantity, whether offers are accepted (with optional auto-accept / auto-decline thresholds) |
Filling in the listing
- Title and description. Say what it is, its make and model, age, size and anything a buyer would ask. The title is what people search for; the description is where you earn trust.
- Category. Pick the most specific subcategory: members who follow it see your listing in their feed.
- Condition and location. Describe wear and defects plainly; state where the item ships from.
- Photos. Add photo links, one per line; the first one is the cover shown in search results.
- Prices. A low start price attracts bidders; a hidden reserve protects you from selling below your minimum. A Buy Now price lets an eager buyer end the auction early.
- Timing. Set the duration in days (7 by default) or an exact end time, and optionally a scheduled start. End times are shown to every visitor in their own time zone.
- Publish. The listing goes live (or waits for its scheduled start) and appears in its category, in search and in the feeds of members who follow the category.
While the listing runs
- Descriptive fields lock once the first bid or sale is made, so buyers can rely on what they read.
- Lower the reserve at any time if bidding stalls below it; bidders see the change at once.
- Answer offers within 48 hours: accept, decline or counter (a counter is valid 24 hours). Auto-accept and auto-decline thresholds answer for you.
- Send an offer yourself to someone watching the listing when you would rather sell now at a price you both like (on a listing that accepts offers; on an auction only before the first bid); it waits 24 hours for an answer.
- Cancel a listing before it has bids or sales; afterwards it must run its course.
- Share the listing by e-mail with people who might be interested (up to 5 addresses at a time).
When it ends
With a bid at or above the reserve, the highest bidder has bought the item and a deal room opens for payment and delivery. A Dutch acceptance, a Buy Now or an accepted offer does the same at once. If an auction ends below its reserve, you can relist it in one click or send an after-sale offer to the highest bidder at a price of your choice; an auction without bids can simply be relisted. With the soft close on, an auction may end a little later than scheduled when bids arrive in the final 120 seconds; with it off ("sudden death") it ends exactly on time.
Your obligations
An auction that ends with the reserve met, an accepted offer, a Dutch acceptance and a Buy Now purchase all bind you to sell at that price. Describe items truthfully, list only what is legal to sell and what you own, and complete deals promptly: your ratings are public and follow you.