If you’re interested in starting an e-commerce business, opening your own eBay store can be a great way to do it. Here are six steps you’ll need to take to start an eBay store.
[Read more: How to Build an Amazon Store: A Step-by-Step Guide]
Decide what to sell
The first place to start is to decide what you’ll sell in your store. In the beginning, it’s best to start with a narrow niche and eventually add more products over time.
For instance, if you decide you want to sell jewelry, you may want to focus on a certain type of jewelry in the beginning. You can start with beaded jewelry and make a name for selling a high-quality product in that category.
As you learn more about your customers and figure out what they’re looking for, you can add additional products.
[Read more: Trending Etsy Business Ideas to Consider]
Set up and name your store
Now that you know what you plan to sell, it’s time to set up your virtual store. To get started, you’ll create an eBay seller account and figure out the subscription plan you want.
From there, it’s time to name your store. Pick a name that represents the type of products you’ll sell. Once you’ve chosen a name, eBay will generate a website address for you.
[Read more: Selling on Multiple Platforms: How to Expand Your Online Sales]
Add your inventory
How you list your inventory will largely determine your success as a seller. You can include up to 12 photos with each listing, and it’s a good idea to include as many photos as possible.
Since potential customers can’t pick up the product and hold it, they want to get a sense of what it looks like. Add plenty of high-resolution images from different angles so that customers know exactly what it is they’re getting.
Every listing should include a thorough description with keywords. Adding keywords will help your store show up in search listings.
If you price your items too high, you’ll lose out on potential customers to competitors. But if your items are priced too low, visitors may assume the quality isn’t very good.
Determine your pricing
You need to think carefully about how to price your products. If you price your items too high, you’ll lose out on potential customers to competitors. But if your items are priced too low, visitors may assume the quality isn’t very good.
Before pricing your items, spend some time doing competitor research. Look at successful sellers who offer items similar to what you plan to sell. This will help you figure out a reasonable price range.
[Read more: How to Price Your Product: A Step-by-Step Calculation]
Maintain a good seller profile
As you begin making sales, your previous customers will leave you reviews, letting other people know what their experiences were like. Your seller profile is your online reputation, and even a few bad reviews can have a significant impact on your sales.
Plus, maintaining a good seller profile gives you more leverage with eBay. If you’re known as a quality merchant, you may see an increase in traffic and listings.
Make sure you provide a positive experience for all of your customers. It’s critical to communicate with your customers and do everything you can to fix problems as they come up.
[Read more: How to Handle Negative Customer Reviews]
Build your email list
And finally, you don’t want to solely rely on eBay for contacting your customers. Even if you’re a brand new seller, start building an email list from day one. This will give you a way to contact your customers and hopefully earn more business from them in the future.
Creating a weekly newsletter can be a great way to stay in contact with your customers. You can share helpful resources with them and let them know about any new products or upcoming sales you have.
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