Selling online is all the craze these days, be it dropshipping, selling through custom eCommerce store or online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. A large number of Aussie sellers are already running successful online businesses and in this blog post we will cover up basics of selling on eBay as well as few strategies for achieving success while doing so.
Get started on eBay Australia
eBay has very few barriers to entry, so most new sellers just jump on and start listing though having a strategy in place ensures success in building a durable income stream. To get started on eBay, follow these steps:
- Create an account on eBay Australia and link your profile to your PayPal account to start selling.
- Click the ‘sell’ button at the top of your eBay homepage.
- Describe your item and add product photos.
- Choose your price and shipping option. Choose type of listing from either auction-style listings or fixed price listing .
- Click “List it” and your item becomes available to millions of buyers.
Above mentioned steps will get you started on eBay but actually finding success on eBay requires more than just adding listing.
Strategies for successful eBay business
Pricing
While setting price for the item, sellers tends to give maximum weight to profit margins. Though a successful business needs good profit margin but setting prices too high will result in listing becoming stale and ending up without any sale. For a marketplace like eBay, competitive pricing is the key to success. While setting price of a product do research competitors prices and always take reference from what you yourself are willing to pay for the product.
Product Photo
Unlike physical store where a buyer can see and feel the product while assessing quality of product before deciding to buy, an online customer cannot check the product before hand so only option for her to assess the quality is through product photos. A professional, high quality photo will certainly sell better on eBay as compared to product have photos taken in poor lighting condition or which are not professionally looking. Few of points to remember are :
- Do not copy & paste photos of your competitors, first because you need to differentiate your products, second your product will show up along side your competitor however she will have better record of units sold. So, a buyer will go for seller having better history of sales record.
- Always get products pictures taken by a professional photographer. In case you are taking photo yourself, do invest in good quality camera and lighting stand. Also you can take advantage of professional product photography services by ForwardToFBA.
Auction Style or Fixed Price Listing
Auction style listings are generally used where a single or less quantity of items are to be sold. It has been traditionally used for selling used stuff and high value vintage items. Fixed price listing are generally used for new unpacked items. Business oriented sellers tend to use Fixed Price Listings. Customers can still submit offers on fixed price listings and it is up to seller to accept or decline the offers. For more info check out eBay listing formats.
Order Fulfillment & Shipping Speed
For successful eBay business, a seller needs to have order-to-ship duration of 1-2 days, eBay tends to value the listings having this duration of less than 2 days. Also if shipment time is less and free shipping option is available than eBay displays “Fast-n-Free” tag with the listing. Remember:
- Order-to-ship duration < 2 days
- Offer free shipment option if possible.
- Offer Expedited shipment
- Take advantage of speedy ForwardToFBA Fulfillment Services for getting your orders shipped quickly.
eBay Is a Marathon Not a Sprint
Do not throw in towel if your listing do not sell within first couple of days. Remember for successful business, you need to go beyond simply submitting listings. Stay tuned for second part of this post with tips and strategies from power sellers.
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