eBay Hacks

Keep Track of Items You’ve Sold

Use a simple spreadsheet to record the details of all your closed auctions.

eBay is not your keeper. They won’t pick up your room, they won’t do your homework, and they won’t keep permanent records of your completed auctions.

If you sell on eBay, you’ll need to keep some semblance of records of all the items you’ve sold. You’ll need to keep track of who your high bidders are, whether or not they’ve paid, and whether or not you’ve shipped. It’s very easy to do, and all that’s required is a spreadsheet or database (suitable applications include Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access, respectively, both included with Microsoft Office). If you’re not sure which one to use, see Spreadsheet or Database?

Spreadsheet or Database?

Both spreadsheets and databases represent data in a table, a convenient format for keeping track of your auctions. But each type of application has strengths and weaknesses, so you should choose the one that best reflects your needs.

First, if it’s too difficult to keep records, then you won’t do it. So make sure to choose an application with which you’re familiar and comfortable. If you use Excel every day but fear databases, then that comfort level trumps the rest of the considerations that follow (at least for the time being).

A spreadsheet requires minimal setup; just type the column headers explained here across the top, and then start entering the details of your auctions. Spreadsheets are flexible in that they impose few limits ...