How Long Does It Take To Learn To Become An Ebay Seller

eBay is 1 of the earth's nearly pop online marketplaces. It provides individuals and businesses of every size with an opportunity to connect with international audiences, but the competition is also pretty stiff. For beginners to sell on eBay successfully, they demand to empathize the basics and master skills like listing optimization. This may seem overwhelming, but that'southward where we come in.

Desire to know how to sell on eBay? Here'south everything you need to know in six unproblematic steps.

Footstep 1 – Create an account

This is pretty straightforward. You'll see the option to annals or sign in at the top of most eBay pages.

Simply click to register and you can gear up an account. eBay guides you through the process and asks for some basic details. Like shooting fish in a barrel!

If you programme to sell on eBay as an official concern, this page besides offers the choice to set up a business account. This is fairly simple too. Though you'll demand to provide an official company name.

Unless you lot're just clearing the junk out of your attic, this is probably the all-time option for you. However, yous tin always modify your account type subsequently if y'all need to.

Pace 2 – Learn the basics

Before yous list any items, it's a good idea to go familiar with the eBay fundamentals.

There are countless resources online and on eBay that can assistance, but hither are some basics to help you stay in eBay's good books and forestall any losses.

Listing types

When eBay was first ready, it was all about selling used items in auction-fashion sales.

Today, you can still opt to list an item for x days and sell information technology off to the highest bidder. Only 91% of eBay products are now sold using fixed price or 'Buy It At present' listings. This means you prepare a price and ship an item the moment an order comes through. The same way most online stores piece of work.

How much does it toll?

Figuring this out isn't exactly straightforward. In that location are all sorts of eBay fees and many of them are optional.

But here are two every seller needs to know near:

Insertion fees: This is a list fee which is charged pre-sale. Sellers receive fifty free listings each month. After that, eBay takes a flat fee of 35c on every item you lot list. Though if you sign up to a monthly store subscription, this fee is reduced.
Final Value Fees: A pct of a product'southward last auction toll is charged once an detail is sold. The pct depends on what production category your item was listed under. Almost commonly, it will be 12.35%.

eBay selling policies

Failure to follow eBay'south rules can atomic number 82 to reduced visibility for your listings and, sometimes, even business relationship suspension.

Some rules are common sense, while others are less obvious. We recommend reading over eBay'due south selling policies when starting out, just hither are some major pitfalls to avert.

Don't sell banned items, such as drugs, alcohol, counterfeit products or recalled items
Don't use product images taken from other websites
Don't attempt to shut any sales outside of the eBay platform
Avert cancelling customer orders
Avoid tardily shipments
Don't ignore buyer complaints
Don't list contact data, external links or misleading information in listings

Beginner limitations

eBay selling limits restrict the number of listings a seller tin can take. They use to most accounts only are particularly inhibiting for beginners.

For new sellers, the limit starts at just ten items per month. For this reason, you won't be able to utilise eBay's bulk list tools until xc days after your first sale. You'll demand at least ten positive eBay reviews also.

These selling limits are intended to protect customers from the likes of fraud or substandard products. But in one case you lot found a positive selling history, eBay will trust you to sell more.

Step three – Make full out your profile

To appear trustworthy, information technology'due south a good thought to add together a photo and a description to your seller profile.

To do this, y'all can simply click on your name, which appears in the summit-left corner of eBay when you lot're signed in. Click on your avatar and you'll be able to edit your profile details.

When you sign up to eBay, you lot're assigned a random user ID. You should also edit this to include your make proper name and so eBay shoppers will take y'all seriously.

To exercise this, head to the My Account tab in My eBay. And then click 'Personal information'. Here, you'll exist able to edit your username and add your social media accounts.

If y'all really want to build your brand on eBay, you should consider signing up for a store subscription. This is optional and comes with a monthly fee. Just plans start at just $four.95 per month and you lot get to customise your storefront. Information technology also comes with perks like smaller fees.

Pace 4 – Set up your store policies

When creating a list, eBay will ask you to fill out details effectually shipping, payment and returns.

You should consider these policies carefully because they significantly bear on costs and profits, equally well as customer satisfaction and eBay feedback.

Payment options: eBay managed payments was recently introduced to almost sellers. This consolidated platform allows you lot to offer payment by card, Google Pay, Apple tree Pay, and Paypal.
Aircraft policies: Here, you specify your acceleration time and the delivery services you offer. The faster the better! But you should too be realistic. 71% of items sold on eBay are shipped for free, and then try to offer costless aircraft if yous tin can. But if you sell large or heavy items, this could be risky. In this case, you could consider offer your customers combined aircraft instead.
Returns: Here, say whether or non you accept returns. If you do, state how many days this is bachelor for and who pays for the toll of shipment. A generous returns policy may increase sales, trust and your chances of appearing at the pinnacle of eBay search results.

Step v – Choose profitable products to sell on eBay

Product sourcing and pricing is catchy. Just you'll find it much easier if y'all specialise in a niche that you're passionate almost. You lot'll be better at identifying great products and creating listings which appeal to your audience.

Beyond this, yous should spend time researching brands. You could even consider investing in a product research tool, which scans the internet for profitable products in your niche.

You can also do some research on eBay! On each listing, you can come across the number of times an item sold.

If y'all click this effigy, you'll exist brought to the product's purchase history. This offers insights into a product'due south popularity and pricing.

When sourcing and pricing your eBay products, you'll want to offer improve value than your competitors. Just be sure to factor in market fees, fulfillment costs and whatsoever other outgoings your business organisation has. At the end of the solar day, you desire to make a profit.

Pace 6 – Create and optimise your listings

To create a listing, you simply sign into your business relationship and click the 'Sell' button which appears in the superlative-correct corner of well-nigh every eBay page.

eBay volition prompt you to enter a production ID or proper name, then information technology tin can automatically populate your listing.

Alternatively, you can go to a product page and click the 'sell now' button.

If your product has been listed earlier, information technology volition save you a lot of work. You lot can simply add together your ain store policies and make sure the content is accurate.

Whether you're creating a listing from scratch or getting aid from eBay, hither are some means to optimise it.

Product category: Make sure you list your product in the about relevant category or it won't be seen by your target audition.
Photos: Providing lots of high-quality photos tin aid increase sales and reduce negative feedback from buyers.
Title: While this should include some keywords, it's also about alluring clicks from shoppers. Enquire yourself: what would my customers type when looking for this product?
Clarification: This is your primary opportunity to convince shoppers to buy your product! eBay recommends writing at least 200 words and including keywords throughout the text. This will aid your listing appear in more search results. We too suggest keeping sentences short and using different fonts and formatting to highlight key selling points.
Make full in as many details as you can!

Final thoughts

There'southward a lot to larn about how to sell on eBay, merely if yous take it ho-hum and consider all of these steps, you lot should be able to avoid major slip-ups. Once yous've established yourself as a reliable seller, you tin then offset to increase your listings and drive sales with eBay promotions.