ULTIMATE guide to buying and selling on eBay – how to make £50,000 a YEAR and little-known can of coke listing trick

The Sun

14-07-2025

FROM the can of coke trick to button super sellers always use, how many eBay buying and selling rules do you know?
We spoke to super sellers to get their tricks, whether you're keen to make some extra cash or want to find a new income, we explain.
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Sellers on eBay make on average £716 a year, according to Post Office data - but some have turned their side-hustle into a full-time business and make £1,000s a year. And you can start doing it from your sofa.
Button that speeds up listings
The key to making a listing attractive is to provide as much detail about your item as possible, and upload clear, well-lit photos.
Super eBay seller Danielle Raine, 37, who earns about £2,000 a year from selling on the site, always uses a white background.
"As a buyer myself, I wouldn't like it if there's clutter in the background, if it's on dirty carpet, or if there's feet in there," she said.
Set a price that is similar to other items - and look at what their posts look like.
Once you've found a listing with lots of detail about the item, there's a super handy trick you can do to easily lift the information and include in yours, said Holly Jay-Smith, a money saving blogger who runs the bargains blog Coupon Queen.
"Click 'Sell Similar', which fills in a lot of the details for you and gives your listing a better chance of selling because it's based on something that already worked," she said.
Once you've sold an item and it has been delivered, funds will land in your eBay account within two days after delivery is confirmed.
Then, it can take up to four days for your money to land in your bank account after you've requested a transfer from your account.
Exact time to list your items
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The eBay algorithm rewards frequent uploads, because it will push your listings to more buyers - which means your chances of bagging a sale are boosted.
So if you have five items to sell, consider spreading them out over the week, and not uploading them all in one day.
The day of the week you are uploading as well matters, said Holly.
"Sunday evenings are a really popular time for people to browse, so try to have your listing go live or end then," she said.
"Always use keywords that someone might actually search for – think like a buyer, not a seller."
The button all super sellers use
The key to building a group of loyal buyers who will return to your profile to buy in the future is to turn on the "Best Offer" option on your listing.
Instead of letting people bid on your item, this option allows buyers to directly negotiate the price with you.
Holly uses this button on her listings. "Some people just love to haggle," she said. "You stay in control, but they feel like they're getting a deal."
Buyers who think they're getting a fantastic bargain will be more likely to buy from you again.
In a hurry to sell? Check out the "Buy It Now" button.
This allows buyers to purchase your item at a fixed price. It's a great way of speeding up the process.
'I ditched my job and now I earn £50,000 a year from selling on eBay'
LUKE Warder has made so much money from re-selling on eBay that he's ditched his day job to make it a full time career.
The 30-year-old from Hertford, made £50,000 selling clothes on the auction site last year.
Four years ago he quit his job to start selling on eBay full time.
Luke shares his tips on his YouTube channel, @WardersClobber, and hosts a live podcast on the channel each Wednesday to his 1,300 subscribers.
"It became so addictive and fulfilling, and I thought I could definitely do it full time," he said.
Luke got into selling on eBay after watching YouTube videos of American re-sellers buying items from "garage sales", which is the US version of car boot sales.
He thought he could use their tactics by going to car boot sales, buying bargains, and selling them on for a profit himself.
At first he started buying items that he had a personal interest in, like gadgets, video games and golfing equipment, but realised that the best strategy was to buy clothes.
"If you know what brands and labels to look for and have in-depth knowledge, you can find some great stuff," he said.
He ALWAYS goes to car boot sales on a Sunday, which is where you get the cheapest deals compared to hunting in charity shops or on apps like Vinted or Depop.
Recent finds are a designer Brunello Cucinelli linen suit for £40. The same style suits have been sold recently for £1,000 on eBay.
He said: 'Last year I bought a Irvin sheepskin flying jacket for £20 and sold it for £600 - that was pretty cool.'
He also paid £60 for five pairs of Levi 90s jeans, which sell for between £120-£150 each on the online marketplace.
For a tenner, he bought a Chelsea football kit that he sold last week for £150.
"Sundays are the best day - the car boots are gigantic, and bigger than on Saturday," he said. "You have to get up crazy early though."
The key is to give as much information as the product as possible. Luke takes at least eight pictures of each item, including tags, and states measurements.
"Customers want to know exactly what you are buying, so if you give them all the information, it's a more seamless process," he said.
The biggest trick he has to flogging items quick is to regularly list items.
This is because the algorithm favours sellers who are listing daily, Luke says, which he thinks helps push his items to buyers.
"When I was listing two items a day, I was selling two items - now I'm listing 12 a day, and I get eight to 12 sales a day," he said.
He makes sure to deliver items as quickly as possible, which is a big selling point to buyers.
He advertises "same day dispatch" on all his items, which means that he must send the item by the end of the same day.
"For me, the most important thing is to increase your knowledge of the items you' want to buy're planning to buy to sell on," he said. "Selling is a thrill."
The can of coke trick
It's really important to give as many details as possible to sellers so they have enough information to make a judgement on whether to buy your item or not.
The more information you can provide, the better the chances are of getting a buyer to make an offer.
That's why Holly always does the "can of Coke" trick when listing items.
"If the item is something small, I usually put a can of Coke next to it so people can see the size properly," she said.
"Not everyone understands measurements, so giving that kind of visual reference helps."
It might seem silly, but it really can be the pushing point for buyers to make up their mind to make an offer, she said.
Factor in the cost of packaging, as this will eat into the profit you make.
How to turn your side-hustle into a job
Flogged all your old junk and have the eBay selling bug? You can level up and start re-selling more seriously.
To do this, start hunting through car boot sales and charity shops for bargains and re-sell them on eBay to make a profit.
Look on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook to see what the latest fashion or tech trends are. A good way to do this is to follow your favourite celebs, or influencers who post about these trends.
For example, super seller Kieran Barnett previously told The Sun that when Nicki Minaj wore Crocs on her tour, the price of these shoes increased on reselling platforms.
Look out for limited edition items, like football kits or clothing collaborations. These can often increase in value over time, as demand for these rarer items grows.
Watch out for fake items though. If you spot a dsigner t-shirt from Gucci being sold at a car boot, for example, make sure to check the quality of the item, and take pictures of stitching, tags, and details.
You can upload these pictures to special eBay reselling groups and ask other buyers if they think the items are genuine - these communities are usually more than happy to help fellow sellers out.
Which? has a good guide for spotting fake items if you're unsure.
Everyone has a "trading allowance" of £1,000 a year.
This means you can earn up to that amount from side hustles or sales without paying tax on what you have made.
However, anything earned over the trading allowance threshold will be taxed at your marginal rate.
You'll need to pay this by completing a self-assessment tax return.
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Four steps to finding bargains as a buyer
Now you know how to sell on eBay, it's worth considering our four steps to becoming a bargain buyer too.
Why location is key
If you're looking for a bigger - and usually more expensive - items like furniture, garden toys, TVs and more, there's a trick to getting the cheapest deals.
Make sure you filter the results for items listed close by to you, Holly said.
"A lot of people list big or heavy items as collection only, and most buyers won't travel for them.
"But if you're nearby, you can often grab something amazing for really cheap just because no one else wants to make the trip."
Type in the item you want to search in the search bar, then click on the "advanced" search option.
Sort your search to "nearest first", and filter the results so the item is listed within a short distance - the lowest is 10km - away from you.
For example, we spotted a three seater sofa bed from Muji listed as £414.72 on eBay, located 5 miles away from an East London postcode.
The same sofa bed from Muji being sold by a seller in Buckinghamshire though is listed as £720.
MoneySavingExpert also has a tool so you can narrow down which items are near you that are listed as "pick up only" - visit the tool here.
Your rights as a buyer or seller
GET clued up on your rights before buying or selling on eBay.
Here's what you need to know.
Buyers
Buyers are covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee (EMBG).
This means you'll be covered if your item doesn't arrive, is faulty or damaged, or isn't what was advertised.
Complain to the seller first, but if you're not offered a refund in three days, escalate your complaint to eBay.
You will be issued a refund if the seller doesn't provide a solution.
If you're not happy with the item, check the seller's return policy. Some may not accept refunds - so take this into account before buying an item.
Sellers
You must ensure that the items you sell are of good quality and are as described.
You can set your own returns policy and decide who pays for the return postage.
If the item is returned damaged, you can deduct up to 50% of the refund to cover the lost value.
Use eBay's own delivery service, or use a service like Royal Mail, to get tracked delivery service.
EBay partners with Packlink, which costs around £13.19 for a 1-2kg parcel.
When you upload valid tracking information about your item, and it is delivered as promised, you are protected if a buyer claims the item has not been received.
Take pictures of you packaging and posting the item, so you can prove that the item was sent safely.
The haggle button you NEED to use
There is an option where eBay lets you "watch" an item.
This allows you to keep track of the product you are interested in, and is a great way of indicating to a seller you are seriously considering buying.
If a seller wants a quick sale, they may come back to you with an offer if they know you are watching an item.
This means you can negotiate a cheaper deal.
Another trick is to search for unsold items that have been listed for a while and making an offer yourself by clicking the "Make Offer" option.
"Try sending the seller a polite message - they may be more than happy to accept a lower price just to get rid of the item," said Holly.
Little-known way to get items even cheaper
Did you know you can buy brand-new or refurbished items from your favourite brands from a little-known section on eBay?
This is where big brands like Dyson, Currys, Oliver Bonas and M&S flog customer returns, end-of-line stock and refurbished items at low prices.
Sometimes, the items on here are even cheaper than what is being sold by eBay sellers.
We spotted a refurbished Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner for £219.99 on the outlet store.
But a private seller is flogging one for £302.32 - nearly £100 more.
A brand new HiSense 40 inch TV is going for £151 on the outlet store - but a private seller is flogging a pre-owned version for £187.
Hunt for spelling mistakes
Sellers may make spelling mistakes when uploading their items.
This can be a fantastic opportunity for buyers to grab a bargain.
Jenny Keefe from MoneySavingExpert said: "Wrongly spelled products attract fewer bids because many people miss them."
You can use tools like Bidkit and FatFingers to see which items are being advertised on eBay with spelling mistakes in them.
We spotted a private seller who has listed a Dyson Air Wrap as DysonAirwrap" on eBay.
It's listed for £260 and is only being watched by one person - so it could be a perfect opportunity to make a lower offer and see if the seller will accept the offer.