Index
Steps for selling online
Ebay is an eCommerce platform who needs no introduction.
Although it was founded in 1995, when online sales were just in their infancy, it immediately made breakthrough in the preferences of sellers and buyers.
His strengths?
- Simplicity
- Security
- Varieties of choice, for both sellers and buyers
- Transparency
Although many other sites dedicated to online sales and auctions have sprung up over time, Ebay remains firmly positioned at the top of the trade classics taking place on the Internet, recording more than 2 billion transactions per day worldwide.
With its unmistakable features, often imitated by other competitors, it offers simple and safe solutions for those who want selling online. Let us therefore see how we can make use of its services and finalise our sales in the best possible way.
Sales and shipping on Ebay
The fact that Ebay is a quality-oriented service is evident from the beginning of the buying experience until the final moments of the negotiation, when the seller has concluded the deal and has to dispatch parcel with the item sold.
In fact, it is essential for the site that buyers are fully satisfied of purchases made through its platform.
As has happened with other competitors, having the reputation of a portal on which purchases are not safe would lead to the loss of both current and potential customers, attracted perhaps by other sites with a better reputation.
At Internet indeed, news runs fastA negative review is enough to make damage particularly laborious to repair.
Here is a snapshot of the 10 most common reasons why a customer abandons a purchase and does not make a payment. At the top is sending parcels online and its cost.
How to sell on Ebay as a private individual
If you have an object from selling as a private individual, you may propose the purchase to a third party on Ebay in a few simple steps:
- Go to the main page of the site and click on Register, top left:
- Start the registration phase by entering your personal data and an email address;
- Confirm your account by receiving an email confirming successful registration.
You are now a full-fledged user of Ebay and can take part in one of the largest marketplaces globally.
After registering, if you want to sell an item, whether new or used, you have to click on the Sell icon that will appear on the top menu.
At this point all you have to do is prepare your advertisement sale, taking care to make it as complete as possible. In particular:
- Upload one or more photos of the object, which should be as clear and sharp as possible;
- Add a precise and detailed description of the item and its features, both those visible and those not visible from the photo. If you are selling a used item, don't forget to add any missing features or aesthetic defects;
- Enter the price, and choose from mode:
- Buy it now,
- Purchase proposal e
- Auction online.
In the latter case, you will have to determine how long the online auction itself will last;
- Indicates by when the goods are expected to be delivered, in case of immediate purchase;
- Specify the payment methods accepted, the methods and the shipping costs.
Although entering all information just indicated in a clear, precise and comprehensive manner certainly gets the sale off to the best possible start, there are however other precautions that can increase your visibility and success.
For example:
- it is good practice to have a look at the prices charged by other competitors for the same category and item level;
- insert keywords, so that you will be among the first results in the buyers' search;
- keep an eye on updates after the sale has been published, so that you are always aware of how many people are viewing your ad or perhaps listing it as “items to watch”.
Regarding this last point, for example if many people view your ad without buying or saving it, it could there is something that drives the customer away:
- the price for example, or
- an unclear feature of the article.
Details that you can review at any time, in total freedom, as long as you always give descriptions that correspond to the truth.
With all this in mind, we also report what one of the most successful online sellers, Michael Ugino, co-founder of sellbrite, has to say:
Remember to build a relationship of trust with your customer at every step of your sale. The Web è full of scams, your customer has to believe in you.
Also don't forget to consult the Ebay guide on how to ensure that your sales advertisement receives the highest possible number of views.
Selling on Ebay as a company
In some cases it is advisable, if not necessary, to register and selling with a professional account, especially if:
- You buy items to resell them on Ebay
- You personally make objects for sale
- If your sales activity exceeds a certain profit threshold (this varies depending on the type of items sold)
What we have described so far for private sales still applies; to change are some aspects doing more technical.
In particular, from an economic point of view they change:
- The cost of the advertisements is EUR 0.30 each;
- Ebay's commission, which can vary from 4.3 to 8.7%
The advantages are certainly numerous and interesting for companies that decide to sell on Ebay, on all increased visibility and the possibility of access to a customer base on a global scale.
Invoicing and customer communication are also handled in such a way as to simplify the sales process.
How to ship an item sold on Ebay
As mentioned earlier, the convenient shipping is an integral part of the sales service, and Ebay ensures that this takes place according to the highest quality standards.
Once the sale is concluded, it is time to think about shipping, which should take place as quickly as possible.
There are three options that the platform offers, whatever the seller's status (private or company):
- Through traditional shipping systems
- Via the Ebay platform, which manages the service
- Via platforms specialising in shipping services
Traditional shipping systems
The Italian postal service and other traditional couriers also offer regular shipping services for Ebay sellers.
There are several aspects to consider if you decide to entrust your shipment to such a courier: first of all shipment timing and management.
Poste italiane in particular offers its service through SDA, which does not always prove to be a popular choice with users.
The service is sometimes affected by delays, but above all, it becomes frustrating to assist the customer in case of delays or unforeseen events.
Other couriers have undoubtedly better management methods, but precisely because they are better organised on the ground, they also have a higher volume of deliveries, element that can contribute to slow down the pace of deliveries.
Almost all couriers offer the possibility of choice between standard and express shippingThe latter, as its name suggests, guarantees faster delivery at a higher cost.
If you want to offer the customer a choice, it is always important to emphasise the difference in cost for shipping.
Shipping via the Ebay platform
If you decide to entrust your shipment to Ebay, it will be the same platform to take care of the procedure, thanks to its collaboration with Packlink.
After placing your order by entering all the necessary data, you can choose between the collection from home or an acceptance point.
Most of the time you are also given the option of choosing the courier through which the shipment will be made.
The strength of this mode of dispatch is undoubtedly the organisation, but costs remain uncompetitive.
The customer, when deciding on a purchase, also considers the shipping costs, which can act as a deterrent if they are considered too high compared to those charged by other sellers.
Online shipping platforms
In addition to these two shipping methods described above, it is possible to use the platforms of online shipments.
What are they? Basically, they are shipping services that only handle of the shipment. These are not actual couriers, but work closely with them.
However, thanks to agreements with various express couriers, they can offer the service at competitive costs.
Another advantage of these platforms is the possibility of comparing the prices charged by the various couriers, so that both seller and buyer can choose.
www.Spedizionecomoda.it is an online shipping platform that thanks to its agreements with the best express courier world, offers a quality service at a very competitive price.
Selling abroad with Ebay
Among the main advantages of Ebay is that to be able to sell and dispatch abroad, expanding its potential customer base to an almost infinite extent.
However, always with a view to guaranteeing a quality service, there are some requirements to be met by the seller before they can sell outside their borders. These include:
- Having achieved at least 10 positive feedbacks from customers;
- Be a registered seller for at least 90 days;
- Have a PayPal account.
As for the shipment itself, there are no major differences than shipments to Italy: it will be a question of verifying which international courier offers the service and choose the one of preference.
On Ebay, however a difference in international sales offer, i.e. the seller may choose to offer:
- La international shipping, which consists of maintaining its sales advertisement in the Italian language and simply offering international delivery;
- La advanced international sales, which allows the ad to be read in the language of the user viewing it, and to appear in the search results of the country(ies) chosen.
Beyond subjective evaluations, when we decide to use a service, it is advisable to benefit to 100% exploiting its full potential.
With this article we have detailed how selling online on eBay, and so it only remains for Spedizionecomoda to wish good luck on this marketplace and good sales to all.
FAQs
How to create an eBay account
Here's how to open an account:
- Go to the registration page.
- Please enter your name and email address.
- Choose a password.
- Select Create Account. (By selecting Create Account, you agree to the terms of the eBay User Agreement and User Privacy Policy).
Registration as a seller
If you are thinking of selling on eBay, you can choose to register as a private seller or VAT number.
If you are a VAT number, select Create a business account on eBay on the registration page. You will be asked for some additional details, such as the name, type, and address of your business, as well as any documents on partners, administrator, and/or account managers.
Make sure that your bank account type matches your eBay account type. For example, if you have a corporate bank account, make sure you register as a corporate seller. If you have a personal account, you can change it to a corporate account from your account settings.
What is an eBay shop?
An eBay shop is an e-commerce solution that helps you sell on eBay through its millions of buyers worldwide.
Get unique marketing and merchandising tools that keep customers coming back. By presenting all your merchandise in one shop window, an eBay Store creates a central shopping destination where customers can learn more about you and your products.
A red “Shops” tag next to a seller's user ID indicates that the seller has an eBay shop.
Getting started on eBay
After creating an eBay account, check your inbox where you will receive a welcome e-mail from Ebay with tips on how to get the most out of your listings.
You can find more information on how to master the basics by taking a look at the articles in the Faqs section of Ebay itself.
Opening a second eBay account
You can open more than one eBay account as long as you use different e-mail addresses and user names for each additional account.
To do this, log out of the account you are currently using, go to the registration page and follow the steps above to create a new account.
Please note that you cannot use more than one account for activities related to the same advertisement. For example, you cannot bid on the same item from multiple accounts or bid on an item you are selling from another account. You can find out more in the multiple account policy.
If you wish to move an e-mail address from one eBay account to another, you must remove it from the first account and wait 60 days before you can add that e-mail address to another account.
