Queen fLee

So you've signed up on Listia because you're interested in winning an auction, but you only have so many credits to bid.  Listing your own item up for auction is a great way to both earn free bonus credits as well as earning the credits from the auction.

Here are some ideas for first time sellers:

Note: For your first auction, it is recommended you list something with FREE SHIPPING, at least within your country or region.

• Books: For US auctions, a book is the best way to get your feet wet since USPS (United States Postal Service) offers low rate shipping called Media Mail. Rates for one medium sized book should cost under $3, which is reasonable, especially if you have a book that could earn you more than 500 credits.
• Postcards: Unless it's vintage or collectable, you may not get a lot but you can send this with minimal postage (1 US stamp = 44 cents atm).  Again, free shipping in your listing in encouraged.
• Gift Card: Again,light-weight and easy to ship in an envelope. Make sure it's not expired or you'll have one angry winner!
• Earrings: Most are light-weight, and can be minimally padded in a small shipping envelope
• Bookmarks: Fits in an envelope and a low-risk first auction and can be listed for free shipping without financial impact.

Research says that these things are popular in November & December:

November: aluminum foil and plastic wrap (strange, but true), HDTV and home theater items, wedding dresses

December: gift cards, tools, winter clothes and coats

Filling out the form is pretty darn easy. Concentrate on the photos and accuracy of the description.  Click here to look at the empty form: http://www.listia.com/list

Title * :  Just like ebay, choose a catchy title that uses key words to attract the most amount of traffic via search and browsing.

Category * : Right now the categories are basic on Listia. See below

Subcategory: Varies for each category. If you don't see an obvious subcategory, feel free to make your own but best to follow ebay's established categorization because many people are used to it.

Description:  Be as descriptive as possible but do not forget this specific information that potential bidders will need to know to make a comfortable bid:

1. Color, brand, year manufactured and/or published
2. Size. For clothes, post measurements if possible. 
3. Optional: Size in both imperial/US + metrics to attract buyers from other countries
4. Condition as related to the item. For books, this guide might help.
5. Any auction information (repeated so it's clear) like # of days, shipping methods, Get it Now availability, etc.
6. Optional: why you are auctioning this item.  It's a community, so people tend to like stories and are able to comment on the auction and create a healthy discussion about the item.

Photo Tips:

• Use the BEST camera you can, even if it means borrowing your friend's 4+ iphone (they have great cameras!).
• Natural daylight is best, as flash tends to wash out colors, and leaves bright spots covering the item's details
• Vertical picture first! Listia is currently formatted so that a vertical/portrait picture takes up more space on the screen as the first image, and horizontal images look smaller. So use the horizontal/landscape as the secondary picture.
• Use original photos. Even if there are numerous photos on the internet of the Pokemon keychain, post an original photo. It adds to your credibility.
• Show size. Use an additional photo of item next to a common item such as a quarter or dollar, your hand or a ruler so the potential bidder knows the exact size.
• Watermark your photos if possible. Picasa does this.

Location: Don't leave this out! If you want to remain semi-anonymous, just put your region, but you must at least put country so people know where you are shipping from. Cloaking your location will downgrade your credibility and potential bidders may skip your auction.

 

This is very important so choose wisely! There are several options so please understand each, and the commitment you are making to ship an item in your region or internationally.

1. Local Pickup only: [checkbox] Usually reserved for large items that are too expensive to ship (i.e. furniture), or if you live in a large metro area like New York City or San Francisco where there are lots of active users.  Not recommended for a first time auction unless it is one of the above circumstances.

2. Will ship to the US: [checkbox] If you are in the US, we recommend checking this box and then choosing if you will ship your item for free, or a minimal amount for the winner to pay. If you are not in the US, you must make a choice and possibly charge for shipping.

 3. Will ship internationally: [checkbox] Listia is US-centric, so this means outside of the US. You can choose which regions you will ship to. There are only a few options but as Listia changes, I expect this list to grow. Right now the options are:

• India
• Canada
• Europe
• Worldwide

Shipping Options - Free or Winner Pays

Option A. Free shipping in the US [checkbox] ***Recommended*** Since Listia is based in California, options will be US-centric.  If you are in the US, this is the highest recommended option and should gain the highest amount of interest.

Option B. Winner pays shipping, either a) FLAT RATE or b) EXACT [amount of shipping it costs you at the post office.].  For flat rate, here is a guide

Note: these are the current flat rate caps on costs for standard items, pasted below, also listed here: http://www.listia.com/rules#sh

• DVDs, CDs, VHS, Cassettes, Vinyl: max $3
• Books: max $4
• Video Games, Software, Computer Games: max $4
• Jewelry: max $6

Advanced Options: CLICK THIS BUTTON!

I'm not sure why this is advanced because the # of days for an auction is hidden in here, and this is important because it determines when you need to ship your item. This is what you see when Advanced Options is expanded:

Make a Mistake? You can update only certain parts of the auction. See below what is allowed.

According to Listia's blog [Aug 2011] you can update some information in your listing after it's been posted:

Sellers can add updates to their listing after bids have been placed. (This is only allowed if the information added is an improvement or clarification of the current information provided). Images and notes can be added to a listing and shipping options can be upgraded up to 24 hours before an auction ends. To update the listing, click the "Update" button on your auction page.

What you CAN'T update:

This feature does not allow Sellers to:

• Change any information in the original description
• Change or edit Title
• Increase Shipping Fee
• Remove images

  

Bonne chance! If you are stuck or need some help listing, you can contact me via Twitter, Facebook, or slower method, via email (fLee@fLeesmarket.com)

A lot of the same general functions exist like the reputation system, auction bidding, paypal acceptance. What's different is that you bid with credits instead of money. And there are reputation and community features that aid in getting "experience points" or make your reputation look more legit. Examples:

• Fanning a user: usually people do this when they see an auction they like, or someone they know
• Commenting: Each auction has a commenting thread that is visible to the public. These are for asking questions to seller, telling them you are watching or fanned them, etc. It's a nice touch that makes it more friendlier than ebay.
• Verification: By connecting your social networking sites, bank info and phone number, you look more like a legit person rather than a scammer.
• Earning badges: You earn badges for selling, verifying, giving feedback, winning auctions, etc. See the complete list here: http://www.listia.com/badges

I've only just joined and I wanted to experiment to see how it works over time, and build a group of Muffins/PRs on there to make it easier to post item details and track reputations.  This being, in part, the overall model of fLeesmarket to post goods available, but not house the auctions and payment process (there are already too many to choose from!).  So how does Listia.com work?

1. Sign up: http://www.listia.com/signup/920696

3. Browse to bid or "get it now" / put an item up for auction as a "seller"

4. Wait, bid, refer friends and find out ways you can earn credits

Credits are used to bid on auctions. Here are ways to earn credits from a new account:

• Watch the video tutorial
• Connect your account with Facebook and Twitter, your phone # or bank account
  
• Invite friends (referrals) and Send them gift credits
  
• Complete special offers or make a purchase
• Promote Listia on websites, blogs and forums
• List auctions & become an active user

Below is an example of how I earned my first credits. Listed under "Credit Activity"

When you sell an item, you receive the winning bidder's credits. You can also use the Special Offers section and sign up for services like Netflix, as well as purcha$e credits as seen here: http://www.listia.com/account/buy_credits. It is ~10c a credit.  

Why would you buy credits? Well, I've seen some expensive items go up for auction (example: a diamond wedding ring) and if you really want something, buying credits may be the only way to get enough credits to bid. Here is the current credit purchase offering at the time of this post.

 

Does the listing offer international shipping? Maybe. You'll need to check each listing as it depends on the seller and that auction.  Here are some examples:

 

Who should I buy from? Each user has a profile. Check each before you bid by clicking on their username.  Look for:

• 100% Seller Rating
• # of Auctions (this is a relatively new site so some may be low)
• Account Verification badges (twitter, facebook, bank account, phone number)
• # of Fans (somewhat of popularity contest but active users get more fans)
• # of Badges (based on activity)

To see what a top rated user looks like, see screenshots below or click on this profile: http://www.listia.com/profile/168799

 

Who should I NOT buy from?

• A new user that asks you to pay for shipping
• A new user that has a deal that's too good to be true
• Users who auction electronic versions (pdfs, mp3s, images, etc). These are done to get points and are not tangible items)
• Users who give vague comments about their auctions or don't answer bidder's questions

What the heck does GIN, NWT, etc mean? Good question.  GIN means "Get it Now" sort of like ebay's "Buy it Now".  There's an acronym glossary on ebay that's fairly universal with auction sites here: http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/acronyms.html

Free or to Low Cost (shipping)?

Why do sellers ship for free? To earn points, make a listing more enticing or just because they have a few extra $ to spare.  As a seller, if you decide not to charge for shipping, there are caps on costs for standard items, pasted below, also listed here: http://www.listia.com/rules#sh

• DVDs, CDs, VHS, Cassettes, Vinyl: max $3
• Books: max $4
• Video Games, Software, Computer Games: max $4
• Jewelry: max $6

fLeesmarket plans to use this for our giveaways, so please do sign up, even if you aren't ready to bid or sell.  Where do I sign up? Click on the banner below and thanks for reading our Listia introduction!

 

P.S. If you read this intro and would like more tutorials on Listia, please <3 or leave a comment. We've got more info but need to know if these are helpful and worth everyone's time. Franks!