With millions of people selling on eBay.co.uk, there are an estimated 178,000 people who use the site to run a business or as their primary or secondary source of income. These eBay entrepreneurs create £2 billion of wealth for the UK each year. Currently a business registers on eBay every 10 minutes and many buyers prefer to buy from business registered sellers and search only for items sold by businesses.
Here are some tips to make your eBay business a success:
- Give great customer service – All too often sellers expand and forget what got them there in the first place – their buyers. Offer fair pricing & postage, communicate well, despatch items quickly, listen to what your customers are telling you and act quickly on their Feedback.
- Think and act like a business – starting your own business means you need to master a whole load of skills from basic accounting to marketing. Too many traders don’t know basic maths and this can cost them dearly in the future – don’t be one of them. There’s a wealth of tips on the eBay business centre to help you make your online business a success.
- Understand your market - check out the competition regularly. See what they do differently and what you could improve on. If your competitor’s postage costs are high, undercut them.
- Market your items well – eBay offers a great shop window for your business, make the most of it. Use clear photos, detailed descriptions and be honest about any faults. Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and make sure there are no surprises in store. Your Feedback and Detailed Seller Ratings reflect your commitment to being a great seller.
- Make the most of the flexibility of online selling – the beauty of the online marketplace is your ability to be flexible and dynamic. Don’t be afraid of change – eBay is a great place for diversification – you can sell hard drives along with hosepipes without damaging your reputation. The ability to move fast, spot a trend and milk it marks out the winners from the losers.
To help you keep up the pace, try Turbo Lister which allows you to list a number of items in minutes.
