You may have heard hundreds of success stories about ordinary people making money out of selling their wares through eBay. But why is it that when it is your turn to try it, you end up failed? It probably has to do with committing some “sins” in selling on eBay.

Don't start your price too high – If you are selling an item that normally sells at $20 and you start the bidding at $18, chances are people will look for cheaper offers instead. Let the bidders, not you, run the price up. To solve this, start at a lowest possible price. For instance, common items can have a starting price of $1 or even lower; while uncommon items such as jewelry, designer apparel, and collectibles can start at one-third of the original price. Low starting prices gets lots of attention, traffic, and—more importantly—bids. Frequent bidding would eventually rise the prices at least as its original prices.

Don't put a reserve price – In reserve price auctions, if the final bid does not reach the seller's reserve price, the auction ends without a winner. This may provide a sense of security to the seller, but the bidders do not like reserve price auctions since they have no idea if their bid is going to be anywhere close to the reserve price. If the bidder may have no chance of getting your product, they would instead look for other offers instead.

Don't post poor pictures, or no pictures at all – It's hard to sell an item that your customers cannot examine in person. If your photos are dark, out of focus, or having a cluttered and unappealing background, they won't be much use to bidders. That is why you should provide good photos of your item at multiple angles, depending on the item that you are selling. Be sure that your camera and photo editing software are working properly.

Don't sell if you have a poor feedback rating – Doing business on eBay is all about trust between buyers and sellers. Your level of trustworthiness is determined by your feedback rating, and if it is low and littered with negative grades, your auctions will suffer from very few bids. If you are new to eBay, first spend time as a buyer. If you have received enough good feedbacks and learned the ins and outs of eBay, you can now venture to selling.

Don't charge high shipping charges – Bidders are turned off with high shipping charges, especially those that are not stated in the offer, as it is viewed as a way to pad your profits. Instead, look for a courier service that has more reasonable charges.

Don't put overly strict auction terms – Offers that put limits on just about anything, including when the seller could only ship the item, are a sure-fire way to send buyers to your competitors' auctions. Avoid setting-up very strict or unusual auction terms, and make sure your terms for bidding, paying, and shipping are clear in your listing. It is especially advisable not to place restriction on bidding if you are selling uncommon items, making your business more accessible and, eventually, more profitable.

Don't refuse PayPal – Buyers refer PayPal as a mode of payment for auctions, as they can pay with their credit card if they choose to. Aside from which, PayPal also provides a Buyer Protection program that gives a buyer up to $1000 coverage for qualified eBay purchases.