The quickest answer I feel I should give to this question is this: not your handwriting! Scrawling addresses on boxes with a pen is extremely amateurish, and you shouldn't do it. Print your own labels instead. But what should you put on them?

The buyer's address: This might sound obvious, but you need to make sure the full address is there, including country and zip or postal code. Make sure you spell their name correctly, too, as they might be a little insulted if you don't.

The eBay item number: Write this somewhere discreet and quite small, in this form: 'Item number: 123456789'. Under the address is a good place. This makes it easy for the buyer to find the auction again if they need to look at it for any reason.

Your logo: Putting your logo on the shipping box looks professional, and lets your buyers see what it is that has arrived. A good logo can make the whole package look very nice, and can help build recognition of your business.

Your address: It's worth putting your own address on the box in case the item can't be delivered and needs to be returned to you. It looks good to write this under your logo, as it reinforces the impression that you're a real business with a real address, not some shady operation.

Stamps: If you start to sell on eBay in a significant quantity, you might consider buying a postage meter. Again, this is a matter of looking professional - it looks much better than having stamps stuck everywhere. It also saves you from having to weigh your items at the post office and buy stamps there.

The 'eBay Items' Debate.

Some sellers like to mark their shipping boxes with a phrase like 'eBay items', while some feel that this is an unsafe practice that could mark their boxes out to get stolen or interfered with in the post. Whether you're willing to risk it is up to you - it's probably better to be safe than sorry, though, and there will be few of your customers who get so many packages that they won't know what yours is.

And Inside?

You'll probably find it worth printing off a 'receipt' from eBay - the confirmation of payment page - and putting it in the envelope. If you want to make your customers feel even better about having ordered from you, you can also include a compliments slip, featuring your logo, your website address and a message like 'Thank you for your order. Please contact me if there are any problems. [Your name].'

Always remember: the more they like what they get, the more likely they are to come back and order again from you in the future.

In the next email, we'll look at exactly that, using a strategy you might not have considered. You can make backend sales over and over again, simply by emailing buyers with good offers for things you think they're going to need. See you there.

About the author:

Kirsten Hawkins is an Ebay and internet auction enthusiast from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.auctionseller411.com/ for more great tips on how to make the most from Ebay and other online auctions.