you guys are forgetting… that every time someone lists an item but then pulls it due to making a local sale or direct deal, ebay is losing their profit. sure they still make some (from the listing fee, assuming that the reserve was set decently high)… but say a motor is listed, then the auction ended early - they are only making $ 100 instead of $ 350. that’s a huge gap.
before you complain about the ebay fees, remember that their site is helping you to reach hundreds or even thousands of people that otherwise you wouldn’t be able to get to.
so list any items you can starting at .99, pay a small insertion fee, and inflate the shipping just a little to cover some of the ebay/paypal fees. hey if your laptop sells for $ 1500, umm, thats MUCH MORE than you would prolly get than putting it in the paper or selling it on the forum or trading it in. so $ 100 in fees really isnt that bad.
on topic: defintely take as good of pics as you can. have a clear subject with the right keywords. a simple description written in GOOD english that people can understand, and format it to look professional.