Imagine having a job that fits around your life as opposed to fitting your life around your job. Imagine choosing your own hours. Imagine having the freedom to do what you want to do, when you want to do it. Well, you could do just that if you set up a business with eBay.
Most of us have used eBay in the past. I’ve been using it on and off for the last sixteen years. It’s a handy little place to go for bits and bobs that you might want to pick up second hand, or if you don’t get to the shops much. It’s also a great place to sell your unwanted items with minimal hassle. Perhaps this is why it has become increasingly popular as the basis of a business.
Setting up your eBay account
It is possible to set up a business with eBay if you have £50 at your disposal. There are ways and means of doing it this way if you really need to, but this article is primarily going to guide you through the basics and give you some of advice about how to run your business efficiently and effectively.
First of all, it kind of goes without saying that you need to open up an eBay user account. If you think you are hoping to turn this into profitable income then you are best to open an eBay business account. You do need to be a legally registered business for this though, for tax reasons.
What to sell
Chances are if you have got to this stage then you already know what it is you will be selling in your eBay shop. It is worth mentioning that it is recommended to focus on selling one type of item such as women’s shoes or one specific category type such as women’s clothing. This will make you seem like an expert in your field to potential buyers.
You should start off small and work your way up. When listing your items you should make sure that you make the best out of each listing.
Write a title that real buyers would search for – think how you would search for an item on eBay. Write a thorough description and be sure to include good quality photos. Also, if there are any defects on the item you are selling – be honest. The seller will want to know about this before they buy it. At least this way it won’t jeopardise your positive feedback.
Think of your customers
Always be as quick as possible with response times and communication. Treat sellers in a way that you would expect to be treated. Think in advance about how you are going to post your items and calculate the costs accordingly. If you need to post a large and heavy item, consider comparing the prices of couriers so you save your customers money. The cheaper the postage is, the more attractive the item is.
There is no harm in asking for feedback. This is, after all, the bones of your business. Consumers are more likely to buy from someone who has lots of good feedback as opposed to someone who has feedback here and there. Also, get into the habit of leaving feedback for your customers too. They are then more likely to leave feedback for you in return.
Opening an eBay store
It is recommended to run your business like this and gain experience for about 3 – 6 months before opening your store on eBay. During this time you will learn about the buying and selling process, build up your feedback and you will also get rid of the restrictions that new sellers have.
Because running an eBay store comes with an eBay store subscription, you need to make sure that you are earning enough to make it worth your while. It is definitely best to start small and work your way up, so start with the basic account first.
Choosing a plan means you will not be paying individual listing fees but instead one flat fee for a specific, predetermined number of listings. The more items you sell on eBay the better the offer will be. eBay recommends that sellers have at least 25 active eBay listings at a time.
Once you have the boring stuff out of the way you can get to the exciting part – naming your store. Choose wisely as this will become the shop’s URL. Think about how real people will be able to find you. Once you have chosen your subscription type and your store name you all that is left to do is, agree to eBay’s terms and conditions and then you can officially subscribe.
Business owner!
So now you are a business owner! When you have things up and running you might want to start to think about marketing and promotions. You will need to make sure you are always adding new items to your shop, no one would go into an empty shop on the high street – online is no different. You should pay attention to which items are selling and which ones aren’t – get rid of the ones that aren’t making any money. You should also try out both selling options – auctions and buy it now are available – one might work better than the other for you.
Once you have got all of this under your belt, you might like the idea of sending a newsletter out to your customers. Be careful here, as remember GDPR is of the utmost importance. But eBay does allow its store owners to get involved in email marketing. This lets shoppers sign up by adding you to their list of saved sellers or clicking ‘sign up for store newsletter’ which appears on your store homepage.
Once you have your customers in your grasp in this way you can then regularly (but not too regularly) promote your store, update your customers regarding sales and inform customers when new items are added.
Of course, having a store isn’t essential. You can still make money without one and continue to use the basic account, but if you are going to be listing a lot of items, it could be a wise financial move.
So now you know how to do it, what will you be selling? Let me know in the comments.
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