An international marketplace with more than 170 million active users, eBay attracts over 25 million sellers worldwide. But with so much competition, getting noticed takes more than just posting a listing. Here are the six steps you’ll take to turn your eBay store into a sustainable business venture.
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Find the right product
The first and often hardest step is deciding what you’re going to sell, since your product has more impact on your success than any other decision. Ideally, you’ll choose a product with high demand and lower levels of competition.
You can get a sense of current market trends by searching eBay itself or by browsing its “What to Sell” resources. It also helps to consider how practical the item is to store, photograph, and ship. Fragile, oversized, or perishable products may look appealing at first but create problems down the road.
You also need to consider the profit margins. Fortunately, eBay gives you a good sense of what items actually sell for, and from there you can subtract shipping costs, packaging supplies, and seller fees to see how much you’ll actually earn. This estimate will help you determine how much you need to sell to cover your expenses and generate a profit.
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Lay the groundwork for your business
Once you’ve decided on a product, the next step is setting up your business. Registering your business name and opening a separate bank account will simplify your tax reporting. As an eBay seller, using a business bank account lets you access higher selling limits, professional tools, and certain seller promotions.
eBay manages most payments directly, so buyers can pay with credit or debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Sellers will receive payouts directly to their bank accounts without having to set up extra third-party accounts.
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Make your listings stand out
Once your account is set up, you can attract buyers to your store by creating professional listings. Photos should be well-lit, high-resolution, and taken from multiple angles. The titles should include the key terms buyers are most likely to search for, and descriptions should explain why the buyer should choose your listing over another.
Pricing is also an important part of the equation. New sellers often have to be flexible at first to offset their lack of ratings. Over time, you can experiment with auction formats, fixed-price listings, or a combination of both to see what works best. Tools like Terapeak that analyze past sales data can help you identify the right pricing strategy for your niche.
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The first and often hardest step is deciding what you’re going to sell, since your product has more impact on your success than any other decision.
Choose the right eBay Store subscription tier
As your sales grow, opening an eBay Store can save you money and help you build a recognizable brand. eBay offers several different subscription tiers:
- Starter: A Starter Store is inexpensive and suited for low-volume sellers who only post a handful of listings each month.
- Basic: A Basic Store makes sense once you’re listing consistently, since it lowers fees and unlocks more customization options.
- Premium: For sellers who plan to scale quickly, a Premium Store provides access to advanced analytics, promotional tools, and more included listings.
It’s crucial to choose a plan that meets your store at its current growth stage. Many sellers start small and upgrade as they expand, which helps keep costs manageable while still benefiting from extra features.
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Optimize your listings for eBay search
Because eBay is largely search-driven, visibility is everything. Writing strong titles and filling in all item specifics are two of the most effective ways to improve your ranking. Buyers often filter by brand, size, color, or condition, and completing these fields ensures your products appear in those searches.
Key word use is another important factor, so you should research what terms buyers use most often and incorporate them naturally into your title and description. For sellers willing to invest a little more, eBay’s Promoted Listings feature can further boost visibility by placing your products higher in search results.
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Use tools to manage inventory and orders
Managing your inventory and shipping is challenging without the right systems in place, but eBay’s free Seller Hub is a good starting point. It offers insights into your sales performance, marketing tools, and order management features.
As you scale, third-party platforms like Veeqo or ShipStation can synchronize inventory across multiple channels and track fulfillment in real time. Using these tools early on can prevent the errors and delays that hurt your seller rating.
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Joyce Walsack contributed to this article.
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