Launching sales of goods on eBay: we evaluate the prospects of such a solution
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Today, the world market has actively moved into the sphere of online sales. The decision to buy various goods, order services without leaving home has been appreciated by consumers from different countries of the world. The same suppliers of goods and services also quickly got their bearings in the prospects of this direction. As a result, today the world market offers a huge variety of trading platforms, where buyers can buy absolutely any goods, and suppliers will find a solvent and loyal audience. So, if you are considering the possibility of opening an online representative office of your store, if you want to expand your existing sales channels online, we recommend that you pay attention to a platform such as eBay.
This solution can provide you with a fairly good and stable profit. But you still need to understand that here you will be dealing with an international platform, and certain difficulties may arise in the work. So that you can assess your own strengths and capabilities, make an informed and correct choice, let's take a closer look at what the eBay trading platform is, its advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a closer look at the sales process itself on this platform and the nuances of earning money. Let's highlight those points that may cause certain difficulties for you as a seller. We will suggest a number of nuances that will significantly simplify the work and allow you to bypass many restrictions that exist today on the site and on the Internet as a whole.
A little about what eBay is
Surely many of you have already heard of such a trading platform as eBay. It has earned its popularity in the market of similar platforms thanks to its auctions, as well as the ability to provide direct sales between consumers. That is, it is not even necessary to have your own store to sell goods. However, many online sellers have already appreciated the advantages of the platform. Access to it is currently available in many countries around the world. Moreover, you will only need to enter your own postal code to search for products that are available for sale in your region. There is also access to products that are presented at the national and even international level.
Absolutely anyone can open their own point of sale on eBay, and absolutely free of charge. From the same account you can not only sell goods, but also buy them, if necessary. But still, you should understand that having a seller account here implies automatic application of a commission to your sales, as an option, listing fees.
The main advantages of trading on eBay
If you are thinking about starting to sell goods through eBay, then we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the obvious advantages that you will receive from such a solution. Looking ahead, we will note a little ahead that they are quite impressive:
- The highest possible coverage of the user audience, which is ensured by an optimized presence on the network. In terms of popularity and demand among buyers, eBay is on par with Amazon. That is, this platform can rightfully be called a leader in the sales market. Today, the number of buyers has already exceeded 170 million. Large-scale traffic is generated here every day. This means that you get access to a very wide audience with minimal time, effort, and money. At the same time, you must understand that the work will be carried out on the global market.
- Simple and quick access to your products. Here, buyers will be able to find your store and a specific product not only through the site's search engine, but also through any browser. If you manage to satisfy the buyer's request, then the likelihood that he will contact you again for goods increases several times. In addition, there is an opportunity to leave feedback on cooperation. And new buyers will in turn be guided by them, determining from which seller to buy a particular product.
- High trust in the platform from the consumer market. eBay has repeatedly proven its reliability, providing buyers with a truly comfortable user experience. This means that you initially enter the platform, which already has a huge number of buyers who are confident that there is no deception or catch waiting for them here.
- Variability of sales format selection. You, as a seller, will be able to choose a solution that will be most convenient for you and will allow you to sell your product with the greatest benefit. So, it can be an ad in the form of an auction or a fixed price.
- A huge variety of product categories. This means that you can enter this site with your products and be sure that you will find your buyers there. Among other things, there are a lot of antiques, collectibles, exclusive goods, gadgets and a lot of other things here.
- Ease of use. To sell your products here, you just need to create an account on the site, and also post the products, adding a photo and a corresponding description. Moreover, both large business representatives and individuals can perform these actions.
- The presence of built-in analytics tools. You will not need to connect any third-party services to monitor the effectiveness of your sales, make timely adjustments to ads to increase their visibility in search, adapt to changes made by competitors. Inventory management will also be simple and convenient here.
- The provided global delivery program. This is relevant for international shipments. All customs procedures are significantly simplified, the logistics of transportation itself, and the loss of orders during delivery are minimized.
Are there any disadvantages to working with eBay?
Do not rush to be too impressed by the advantages, since when working with eBay there are also negative aspects that will somewhat complicate your work with the site, and the process of selling goods itself. In particular, we are talking about:
- The presence of commission fees. Here you will have to pay for the ad placement itself, for the final cost, as well as for a number of additional services, which can ultimately significantly reduce profits.
- The existing risk of fraud. Unfortunately, this is a fact even though the site offers a fairly wide variety of programs designed to ensure the protection of the buyer and seller. Thus, there are unpaid goods, open disputes, fake bids.
- A fairly high level of competition. The larger the site, the more sellers will be represented on it, including with similar products. This means that you will have to pervert yourself in order to distinguish your product from the uniform mass.
- The ability of the site to reserve the right to make changes to its own policy, which inevitably affects sellers. This means that in order not to get into trouble, you will need to constantly monitor all changes.
You should also understand that here you will not be able to form your personal brand: you will have to work within the standard framework established by the platform. Limited communication between the seller and the buyer is what can cause customer dissatisfaction and, as a result, a bad review.
How to get started with eBay?
If you have already weighed all the pros and cons and decided to start selling on eBay, then you will have to implement only 3 simple steps:
- Creating a seller account. Here you need to register, specify your personal data and related information that will allow you to create your personal profile on the site.
- Understand all the commissions that the site will charge. That is, you must understand how much money eBay will take from you and already on this basis form the final cost of your products. Otherwise, you risk going into the minus.
- Creating your own store. Such a solution will be convenient if you plan to sell not individual items, but a large number of products. This way you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your entire range to the consumer market. In this case, you will have your own showcase, which you can customize at your own discretion.
Also at this stage, it is important to carefully study all the payment methods that are provided on the site, understand what the essence of a fixed price and an auction is. By the way, the latter is what can cause a stir among buyers. But no one can say in advance whether your lot will be able to take off. In any case, you will first need to develop your own marketing strategy, and then monitor sales and make appropriate adjustments to it so as not to yield to competitors.
Let's summarize
eBay is another trading platform that may well be a suitable solution for those who would like to scale their own business. It has both its advantages and disadvantages that must be taken into account and respond promptly to any changes. You should also understand that you will have to take on the entire delivery process - the site does not perform such work. This means that possible returns are also your problem. But here you have the opportunity to launch auctions, selling your goods at the highest possible price. This will be especially relevant for those who offer exclusive products, such as those that are difficult to find anywhere on the open market. In addition to the auction itself, you can also make an active button "Buy now", thanks to which the buyer will be guaranteed to buy your product at the price you announce.
But still, you need to understand that eBay is an international platform, access to which, in particular, from Russia is seriously complicated. This is relevant not only for sellers, but also for buyers. No one from the Russian Federation will be able to directly buy and sell at eBay auctions, despite all the attractiveness of this idea. But this is not a problem if you have reliable mobile proxies at your disposal, like the option from the MobileProxy.Space service. With their help, you can effectively bypass established regional restrictions by choosing the geolocation and mobile network operator that suits you. As a result, for the system, you will look like a representative of another country who has unlimited access to eBay.
To get acquainted with all the features of mobile proxies in more detail, evaluate their work by free two-hour testing, follow the link https://mobileproxy.space/en/user.html?buyproxy. You will also have at your disposal a 24-hour technical support service that will quickly resolve unforeseen difficulties, providing you with stable access to the site.