Selling on eBay Complete Course – Start an eBay Business

Introduction to the course.  This video introduces the presenter and summarises the course content.

eBay is one of the biggest online marketplaces globally, with over 300 million users.  Whilst it is not the market leader it once was, it is still a significant eCommerce player.  This lecture looks at why your business should have a presence on eBay.

Whilst many marketplace sellers choose to sell under a generic brand (e.g. TPG Trading, 247 Top Seller), developing your brand will help customers identify you and build loyalty. This video lecture gives guidelines for developing your brand and using this to create a cross-platform identity.

With 15000 categories on eBay, it can be challenging to know what to sell.  This lecture provides data sources for investigating hot products and tools for finding product opportunities.

A personal account is the best option if you plan to sell casually, like selling items you no longer want. However, if you are going to sell in volume, it is best to open a business account. This video also discusses selling limits and multiple accounts.

This lecture discusses the different fees eBay charges for its services and where these charges can be viewed.

eBay is a complicated beast, and it pays to spend some time configuring the account settings.  This video gives a quick overview of all the account settings, including postage, buyer requirements, business policies, and listing settings.

Seller Hub is the central place for managing your eBay business. It consolidates all our selling information and activities into one location. It also gives you valuable data and recommendations to help you grow your eBay sales.

With 15000 categories, most legal things can be sold on eBay!  This video discusses the two main types of eBay listings - Auction and Fixed Price.  We also cover the VeRO programme, allowing brands to police the marketplace for fakes and copyright infringements.

The Sell Your Item form (a.k.a. Quick Listing Form) is the process a seller uses to list products on eBay one by one.  In this video, we step through the form to demonstrate all the steps required to list an item on eBay.

When you have many related items that vary by colour or size, you can create a single fixed-price listing that includes all the variations you offer.

For each eBay listing, the payment options need to be set. This is done by way of a payment policy applied to a listing.

Product identifiers (e.g. barcodes) and items specifics help eBay classify your listing and get your products in front of the right customers. Therefore, it is worth taking the time to complete these fields accurately.

Setting postage is a vital part of creating an eBay listing. By specifying your shipping correctly, you can reach new international markets and give the customer the range of postage options they need.

With 15000 categories, almost anything can be sold on eBay.  However, it is not a free for all and eBay has some strict rules about items that cannot be sold.  There are also rules about listing content to prevent abuse.

When buyers search on eBay, the default order of results is called Best Match. eBay says it is designed to show the most relevant listings, considering the things users find most important when deciding what to buy.

To appear for relevant searches, a listing must include the keywords users are searching. This video covers how to find the most relevant keywords for your listings.

Having your listing appear number one in search results is crucial for eBay sellers. Buyers tend to click on and buy from the listings which appear first. In this lecture, we look at how to optimise the various aspects of the eBay listing.

eBay's seller levels and performance standards help you track your performance and let buyers shop with confidence. Your level has a tangible impact on your performance as a seller. Top-Rated sellers get higher placement in search, and below standard sellers pay an additional 4% final value fee.

eBay orders are managed from Seller Hub > Orders.  From here, order status can be updated and shipping information added.  Sellers can print shipping labels, invoices and packing slips.  An order can be cancelled if they have not yet been dispatched.

The buyer and seller can rate each other for each transaction by leaving feedback.  A buyer can leave positive, neutral or negative feedback along with a comment.  Feedback is a vital part of eBay's ecosystem and provides buyers with confidence that they are dealing with a reputable seller.

eBay offers buyers a money-back guarantee, protecting them in the case of non-receipt of purchases or if an item is not as described.  If a customer is not happy with their purchase, they can start a dispute.  The buyer has 8 days to resolve the dispute before eBay can be asked to intervene.

eBay allows sellers to specify the details of their return policy, including the return period and who pays for the postage. However, remember that you may have legal obligations as a business seller, depending on your location.

Answering customer messages are an integral part of trading on eBay.  This video covers options for communications with customers and how to answer messages.

Unlike Amazon PPC ads or Google Ads, eBay Promoted Listings are not auction-based or keyword-targeted. Instead, it is by design a much simpler tool. To promote listings, sellers specify the additional commission they are willing to pay to get a sale.

With 187m customers in 190 countries, eBay is a fantastic way to find new customers worldwide.

An eBay Shop can help you reach the right customers and build your brand. Your buyers can learn about you and your business and can browse your items through a customisable shopfront, and you can benefit from reduced fees.

Promotions Manager provides eBay Shop subscribers with an easy way to set up special offers. Promotions can help you attract more buyers, clear old stock, increase average order size and lower postage costs by bundling more items per order.