Zero to your first eBay sale.

Go to ebay.com/help/selling and register as a Business account (not Individual) — even a nonprofit ReStore qualifies, and a business account unlocks bulk listing tools and better seller protections. Use the store's official email and your ReStore's tax ID if asked.

Skip the free tier. The Basic Store gives you 1,000 free fixed-price listings a month (versus 250 with no store) and a small final value fee discount. It runs $21.95/mo if you commit annually, or $27.95/mo month-to-month — ask the store which billing cycle they want before signing up. Sign up under Seller Hub → Subscriptions.

eBay pays out directly to a linked bank account through Managed Payments — no PayPal account needed anymore. Link the ReStore's checking account under Seller Hub → Payments. Funds typically land in 1-2 business days after a sale.

Under Seller Hub → Business Policies, create one shipping policy (1-2 day handling time, calculated shipping), one return policy (30-day returns, buyer pays return shipping is fine to start), and one payment policy. These auto-apply to every future listing — you never fill this out again.

A folding table near a window with indirect daylight, plus a plain white or light gray backdrop (poster board works fine), is the whole setup. Avoid direct sun and avoid flash — both create harsh shadows and washed-out color.

Eight photos minimum, in this order, no exceptions — buyers who can't see a flaw assume it's hidden, and that's what triggers returns and disputes.

Run photos through remove.bg (free for low-res, seconds per image) to drop in a pure white background. This alone makes ReStore photos look like a professional listing instead of a thrift photo.

You get 80 characters — use as many as actually describe the item. Stack the parts in this sequence:

Brand, size, color, material, model number — every field you leave blank is a filter a buyer used to search that your item won't show up under. This is the single biggest reason similar items outsell each other.

1) One-line condition statement. 2) Measurements (always include — returns from sizing are the most preventable kind). 3) Every flaw, named plainly. 4) A line on handling/shipping time. Skip marketing language — buyers searching used goods want facts, not adjectives.

In Seller Hub, go to Research → Terapeak (included free with your store subscription). Search the item's brand and model, filter to Sold Listings, last 90 days. Ignore active/unsold listings entirely — those are wishful pricing, not real data.

Sort sold prices low to high and find the middle value. The highest sold price is usually an outlier (mint condition, rare variant, bidding war) — pricing to the median reflects what a typical buyer in typical condition actually paid.

A digital postal scale ($25-45) and a thermal label printer like a Rollo ($80-130, no ink ever needed). Both pay for themselves within the first month of shipping volume.

pirateship.com is free to use and gives access to USPS Commercial Pricing — savings of up to 89% off retail counter prices, with no markup or monthly fee. Weigh the package first; an inaccurate weight is the #1 reason for surprise postage charges later.

Books/media/games: padded mailer. Clothing/small soft goods: poly mailer bag. Anything fragile, electronics, or with hard edges: box with bubble wrap or packing paper — never let the item shift inside the box.

USPS Priority Mail boxes, envelopes, and mailers are completely free and ship to your door at usps.com/store (search "free shipping supplies"). Order the flat-rate boxes, padded flat-rate envelopes, and regional rate boxes. You can also reuse clean incoming boxes from the store's own receiving operation — as long as all old labels and barcodes are fully covered or removed.

The item should not shift at all when you shake the closed box. Fill every gap with crumpled packing paper, bubble wrap, or foam. The most common shipping damage comes from items that have room to slide and hit a wall inside the box during transit. For fragile items: wrap individually, double-box when the item value justifies it, and keep at least 2 inches of cushion on every side between the item and the box wall.

Carriers charge by whichever is greater: actual weight or dimensional (DIM) weight. DIM weight = (length × width × height) ÷ 139 for USPS. A large but light item — like a lamp shade or picture frame — can cost far more to ship than its actual weight suggests. Measure every box before printing the label and enter the dimensions in Pirate Ship to get the accurate rate. A surprise charge on a shipped label gets billed to your account automatically.

Whatever you set in Module 1's shipping policy (1-2 days), hit it consistently. Late shipping is the fastest way to tank your seller rating, which directly affects how often eBay shows your listings in search.

Items listed, items sold, and total revenue. That's the entire dashboard you need to start — anything more elaborate can wait until volume actually justifies it.

Get comfortable running this five-day cycle consistently before adding Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, or any other channel. A reliable eBay habit beats a half-running multi-channel operation every time.