Selling on The Rocking Porch is Fun. It does not cost a lot to sell here, so dealers are chosen carefully. If you have an interest in becoming a registered dealer, simply click the "Register" tab above our logo, fill out the Registration Form and we will contact you shortly. Please read the "Terms and Conditions for Sellers" and the "Help: Selling" section below for more information.
Once you have registered, you may choose to list items for Sale, Auction, or place Classified Ads simply by clicking the "Sell" tab under our logo.
Important Note: therockingporch.com was created for dealers to buy and sell to each other and to the general public. The site is equipped with systems that make selling easy; fully integrated shipping options, Google merchandise listing feeds to the broader Internet, tax exempt buyer notification and tax exempt sales invoice processing for registered dealers and buyers, and affiliation with the top auction listing sites just to name a few. We welcome experienced dealers to inquire about the possibility selling on The Rocking Porch. You may contact us at any time at sales@therockingporch.com.
Print these pages to help you sell items.
SELLING ON THE ROCKING PORCH
** All sellers must have a PayPal account
Step 1.
- Category - Choose your category. This is the category and/or sub-category list where your listing will be located on the website. Choose the most appropriate listing category and sub-categories for your item.
Some item categories may require additional information. For example, a category called "Textbooks" may require the seller to include the ISBN or edition.
Step 2. (Some of these steps may be pre-set at My Accounts>listing preferences.)
- Selling Method/Listing Format - Choose from Auction, Dutch Auction, Fixed Price Listing, or a Classified Ad.
- Auction - A Traditional Auction listing allows you to sell items to the highest bidder. You specify the start price, and people bid against each other in specified bid increments. Traditional Auctions allow the Seller to set both a Reserve and Buy Now price. When listing a Traditional Auction, the quantity of goods is equal to one.
- If you have 5 men’s shirts that are exactly the same and you want to sell each one separately, then use the Dutch Auction, or Fixed Price format.
- Dutch Auction – A Dutch Auction is another name for a multiple item auction. These listings are for selling more than one identical item individually in an auction format. Rather than creating a listing for each item, you can sell them all, one at a time, with one listing. Buyers can submit a bid for one, or multiple items in a Dutch Auction listing. When there are multiple buyers for a Dutch Auction, the item’s final cost is the lowest successful bid by the highest bidders.
- Fixed Price - A Fixed Price listing does not allow bidding. The seller specifies the only acceptable price for the item(s). You can sell one item or multiple identical items with one Fixed price listing. Because there is no bidding on fixed priced listings, all of the items are Buy Now.
- Classified Ad - Unlike traditional text only classified ads, our Classified Ads allow image uploads and dynamic communication between the Seller and all potential Buyers. When listing a Classified Ad, you enter your asking price, the shipping cost, and any information about the item or service you are selling. When an arrangement has been reached between the buyer and the seller, the seller can manually end the Classified Ad.
- Preferred Currency - For international sales, the price of your item will be displayed in this currency.
- Item Location - The location the items will be shipped from.
Click the "Next" button...
Step 3.
- Title - The title of your listing is very important. Write a simple descriptive title using the important "Key" words describing your item. It will feed out on the Internet for the search engines to pick-up. Don't use all capital letters, (caps for the first letter of each word is OK) and don't use the shift/top row keys like quotation marks, dollar signs, or parenthesis because these will interrupt your feeds to the broader Internet.
See other Sellers listing titles for examples of a well written listing.
- Quantity-The number of goods to be sold or auctioned.
Example:
- One pair of jeans has a quantity of 1.
- A lot of 5 different men’s shirts have a quantity of 1 because they are all sold together as one item.
- In a Dutch Auction Format the 5 pairs of identical jeans sold independently would have a quantity of 5.
- Starting Price/Price - The lowest price you will accept for your listing. Note - Items priced over market value will not sell, and make all of us look foolish. Do your research. Know the value of the item you are selling.
- Reserve Price - You may choose a Reserve Price for your auction listing. Your item will not sell until the reserve price is met. Once the bid meets or exceeds the reserve price your item will sell to the highest bidder.
- Buy It Now You may choose a Buy It Now Price for your auction listing. This will allow a buyer to forgo the auction process and buy the item immediately.
- Payment Process - This is option is chosen for you.
- *NOTE - One form of online payment is required to sell items on The Rocking Porch. You may require "Cash Payment" in a classified ad only.
- Accept Credit Card Payments - A merchant account, or premium Paypal account is required to accept credit cards.
- Accept Payments with PayPal - A PayPal account is easy to set up. Just go to PayPal.com and register.
- PayPay email - enter your PayPal account email here.
- Payment Instructions - Enter the forms of payment you accept here.
- Tax - If you are required to collect State Sales Tax, that information should be entered here.
- Shipping Costs - The additional charge for shipping and handling your item(s).
There are two ways to manage your shipping as described below. You can go to My Account>Listings Shipping. There you may pre-set many of your shipping priorities.
Choice 1.
- Flat Rate Shipping - Charges are predetermined. Use this option if the cost to ship your item is known, or are using USPS Flat Rate Shipping. Use this option if offering customer pick-up or regional delivery for large furniture items. You must enter a price for each delivery option. (0 = free and is an acceptable price) Include a delivery fee in your listing description if you choose to offer delivery service. Use this option if you are offering free delivery.
- Add Shipping Service - Select the shipping service options you wish the customer to see in a drop down box in your listing(s). You must have predetermined the cost of each shipping service to use this option.
- Protect Yourself...
- Note: Package Insurance must be added manually if using the flat Rate option.
Choice 2.
- Calculated Shipping - based on weight and size of the shipping package.
- Add Shipping Service - Select the shipping service options you wish the customer to see in a drop down box in your listing(s).
- Combinable Option - Is the item combinable with others for shipping? Yes/No. See important note below.
- *Important note: When using the combinable option, only enter the size and weight of the item to be packaged. The calculator will figure the weight and size of the packaging. If you are not using the combinable option, enter the size and weight of the item already packaged for shipping.
- **Important Note: Package Insurance is included automatically with Calculated Shipping.
- Detailed Description - A good description is as important as your title. List any and all important information about your item(s) for sale or auction. Size, special delivery or shipping info, age, condition, these are all good details to include in your item description.
Click the "Next" button...
Step 4.
- Listing Duration - Choose the number of days you wish your listing to run.
- Auto Re-list - Automatically re-list an unsold item (a multiple item listing item (dutch auction) that has had at least one sale will not be auto re-listed).
- Hit counter - A free service to help track how many views your listing has received.
These special categories are optional and require a small fee.
- Home Page Featured - These listings will be randomly selected to be displayed on our main page.
- Category Featured - The listing will be featured above other items in category listings.
- Home Page Gallery Listing - The listing Photo will be featured in the home page gallery section.
- Highlight Listing - The listing with have a highlighted background to attract attention.
- Bold Listing - The listing title will be displayed with a bold font.
Include three free pictures with your listing
- Upload Base Image - This is the main image for your listing. This image is used as your first image and as the optional Premium "Home Page Gallery Listing" photo.
- Upload additional Images - Two free additional images may be uploaded.
- Premium Extra Images - Additional images that can be added to the listing for a very small fee. (See Fees)
We suggest that each listing have at least three photos uploaded. For detailed instructions and tips on adding images scroll down to Adding and Editing Images.
Click the "Confirm" button
- Here you can review your listing details, edit your listings and make necessary changes. If everything is OK...
Click the "Post Listing" button.
You have Just Listed an Item For Sale on The Rocking Porch.
Adding and Editing Images
- Adding Images - You can add images when you list an item. You can also edit a listing to include additional images. Images work best when taken in a square format. Optimal picture size is 500 Pixels X 500 Pixels. Tips; Use a solid color backdrop. Good even lighting with little shadow. Center your image in the picture frame
- Images must be in .jpg or .gif format.
- .jpg - File format that reduces file size without reducing image quality.
- .gif - Common file format used specifically for web graphics.
- To upload an image (from the 'Sell an Item' form):
- Click "Browse"
- Locate the image file on your computer
- Select the file name
- Click "Open"
- To change an image (from the 'Sell an Item' form):
- Check the box marked "Delete"
- Click "Browse"
- Locate the image file on your computer
- Select the file name
- Click "Open"
- The images that you choose for your listing can be interchanged. If you do not like the original image order, you can rearrange them by changing their sequence number.
Editing and Deleting a Listing
Edit a Listing - Complete listing information can be edited IF:
- Auction and Dutch Auction - The item has received 0 (zero) bids
- Fixed Price Listing - 0 (zero) items have been sold
- The listing is a Classified Ad
If a listing has received bids or one of multiple items have sold, the following changes can be made:
- The Seller can append a note to the item description
- Listing Options can be added
To Edit a listing:
- Login to your account
- Access your My Account/My Auctions menu
- Select the "Selling" tab
- Select [edit item]
- Make changes to available fields
- Click the button "Save Changes"
Cancel a Listing - There are two ways to cancel an active listing. You can:
- End the listing early OR
- Delete the listing
To End a listing early (immediately):
- login to your account
- Access your My Account/My Auctions menu
- Select the "Selling" tab
- Select [edit item]
- Scroll to the bottom of the Edit Item page
- Type the word "End" into the appropriate text field
- Click the button "End Early"
To Delete a listing (immediately):
- login to your account
- Access your My Account/My Auctions menu
- Select the "Selling" tab
- Select [edit item]
- Scroll to the bottom of the Edit Item page
- Type the word "Delete" into the appropriate text field
- Click the button "Delete Item"
Selling to Tax Exempt Buyers
Many of the customers on The Rocking Porch will be Sales Tax Exempt. This site is equipped with a sophisticated database and email notification system that keeps track of our registered sales tax exempt dealers and buyers. According to state law, if you sell to, or ship to the same state from which your business resides you must collect and file sales tax, or you must have a signed Sales Tax Exemption Form on file. In Virginia, this is an ST-10 Form for each customer you sell to who is not charged sales tax.
Our site will notify you, the seller, and the buyer by email when a buyer is registered exempt with The Rocking Porch. This does not in any way release you from the responsibility you have with your state in collecting sales tax. It does, however, let you know when you need to pursue collecting the tax exempt form, or the tax.
Once a buyer is registered with us, their invoices will process tax exempt automatically. The seller (you) has the responsibility of collecting the proper form for your files, or adding the sales tax at the end of the selling process when the appropriate paperwork has not been gathered. (This applies to registered dealers only. Retail customers invoices will process according to the tax structure you set up in your preferences.)
The notification system is here to aid you in knowing who is an exempt buyer. You must keep and maintain Your Sales Tax Exemption files according to the law in your state. You can find the appropriate information information online at your states Department of Revenue site.
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SCHEDULE OF SELLERS FEES
*Note - The Rocking Porch Processes all fees due on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month.
Following is a list of the current Sellers Fees. By Using the TRP Website, You acknowledge and Accept the Sellers Fees associated with the use of this Site. Sellers Fees are subject to change at any time. There are five options for the type of listings you would like to have. Each has its own advantages.
Auction - Start an online auction with options for reserve and buy now pricing. It costs nothing to list. A 5% of final value fee will be charged when the item sells.
Fixed Price Sale - Sell items at a flat price without any bidding. It costs nothing to list. A final value fee of 5% will be charged for items that sell.
Dutch Auction - Sell multiple identical items with one auction listing. A one time $5.00 initial listing fee will be charged, and then a 5% final value fee will be charged for each item that sells.
Classified Ad - Generate leads or sales by advertising items or services. A listing fee will be charged up front according to the duration you want the ad to run on our site. See below.
CLASSIFIED LISTING FEES
7 Day Listing 2.99
14 Day Listing 6.49
30 Day Listing 9.99
90 Day Listing 29.99
365 Day Listing 99.99
Additional Optional Fees
Highlighted Listing - Color or bold listings attract attention $0.25 cents.
Category Featured - Your listing randomly featured at the top of your category $0.25 cents.
Homepage Featured - Your listing featured randomly on our home page in the listings $2.00.
Homepage Gallery - Your listing randomly featured in our large format homepage gallery $2.00.
Extra Pictures - The first three photos are free. Each extra photo is $.10 cents. (6 total maximum)
*Note - The Rocking Porch Processes all Seller fees due on the last Friday of each month.
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