5 Steps to a successful ebay store
1. Register your BusinessTo open an account for your company, you will need to provide yor name, address, email and phone number, as well as credit card and checking account information. This information is used to confirm your identify which protects the integrity of eBay's operation and to collect auction fees.
2. Find stuff to sell
A few pointers in choosing a product to sell
- Pick something that you enjoy selling and will turn you a good profit
- Choose the right price points. (Buyers and sellers set the price)
- Sell related products to boost profits
- Make sure you have enough storage space for your items
- Learn to pack and ship goods
There are several types of eBay auctions. In a basic auction, you post
your item with a starting price and wait for bidders to drive the price up
until a closing time, which can be three, five, seven or 10 days later when teh auction ends. You are then obligated to sell to the highest bidder.\
You can set a reserve price, which is a hidden minimum price that
is the lowest amount you're willing to accept. Buyers are not shown the
reserve price, and if it is not met, you are not obligated to sell the item.
If you have two or more identical items for sale, you can post them in
the same auction by using a Dutch (ro Multiple Item) Auction.
If you don't like auctions, eBay also has a "Boy It Now" feature that
gives bidders the option to boy your item immediately for a set price.
Or you can choose a fixed-price listing, which simply puts the item up
for sale at a set price, with no bidding allowed.
To sell on eBya, you'll pay a listing fee to post your merchandise and a
final value fee (a small percentage of the sale price) when the item sells.
These fees change from time to time, so be sure to check the eBay site
to make sure you can pay all the fees and still make a profit
4. Provide Great Customer Service
Ship goods to your winning buyer within 2-3 days after the auction closes
5. Build Brand
Sellers are offered a number of tools to help establish their brand identities, including:
ABOUT ME: A free page that enables you to describe your business and nay relevant information that would make buyers feel more comfortable buying from you.
EBAY STORES: A virtual storefront that puts all of your current auctions together in one place, so buyers can see everything you're selling at a glance. You'll pay a monthly fee based on the level of store services you want, plus additional fees for items listed and sold
CUSTOMIZING TOOLS: A member of features (accessible fomr your
"My eBay" page) that enable you to make your pages stand out from others offering similar merchandise.
You can expect pricing and demand on eBay to change over time. As more and more people start operating on eBay, competition will increase and prices may decline slightly. Still, keep in mind that eBay has reached only a small fraction of its potential worldwide market. And it will continue to grow faster as the internet becomes more readily available worldwide.
