Since the beginning of eBay (mid-90s), I’ve consistently gotten MUCH higher prices for items I sell online than I expect, sometimes as high as 50% above the market rate.

I list things differently than most. I follow two principles that I think can apply to selling anything. 👇

Principle 1 that seems to work for selling on eBay (or anywhere else): Let Them Know You’re A Human

When I’m buying anything, the most important thing to me is trust. Reviews do little more than check a box for me (â­‘â­‘â­‘â­‘â­‘ A+++++ SELLER). I’d much rather hear an authentic voice.

Letting Them Know You’re A Human means that you convey who you really are, even exposing faults e.g. “I have two kids under the age of 3 so I might take a couple days to ship. Apologies in advance.” I instantly trust this seller 10x more than a listing that says “FAST SHIPPING!”

Principle 2 that seems to work for selling on eBay (or anywhere else): Convey That You Care About What You’re Selling More Than They Do

This is also about trust. As someone selling a thing, you know much more about it than the buyer does. Convey your true feelings about it!

Restaurant servers take note (I can speak on this because I’ve waited on 1000s of tables): If a customer asks if they should order this or that, THEY WANT YOUR EXPERT OPINION. “Well, it depends what you’re in the mood for” is not an answer.

I’m in the mood for your expert opinion.

Often, a buyer is excited to buy but they have doubts and fears and they just need to ask “Should I really buy this? I REALLY THINK I WANT IT, SHOULD I?” You know the answer. Be honest with them. Address caveats and drawbacks as enthusiastically as features and benefits.

This runs counter to the way most sellers talk. They focus on representing only the rosy stuff and say things like YOU CAN TRUST ME BECAUSE which is inherently untrustworthy.

Know the questions people have and be generous with your knowledge.

Another benefit of selling things this way is that you might make a friend. That someone is buying your thing is a good indicator that you share interests. I’m still in touch with people I’ve bought things from or sold things to years later.

You could sum up these principles for selling things online as “sell it like you would to a friend.”

I think these principles carry over to sharing ideas and even online behavior generally. “How would you say this to a friend?” This has me thinking about @visakanv’s work.

I’m going to experiment with getting even MORE human with how I list stuff to sell: I’ll record little videos about each item. Listing things can feel like such a chore so maybe this will make it fun?

I’ll call them Farewell Reviews and post them unceremoniously.