Strengthen Your eBay Business: 7 Concrete Ideas

Cracks in the structure of a building are sometimes visible; but often are hidden and can only be seen with a closer look. Either way, the solution will require a bit of repair work which can be pricey.

Yet, it is necessary to support the overall strength of the building.

Fortunately for us, finding and repairing cracks in the foundation of our online or home-based business is easier, and less expensive, than with a brick-and-mortar building.

In fact, there are many cracks (opportunities) just waiting to be found.

Each of the ideas below will support the overall strength of your business. You don’t have to use all of them. You don’t even have to use a few of them. Pick at least one to improve.

Because any one of these ideas, by itself, if you apply it, can further strengthen the model your business is built on.

This list is by no means inclusive. Simply pick and choose what feels right and adapt it:

1) Self Education

eBay’s website offers a lot on everything from becoming a better seller to a fix for technical problems to handling buyer-related issues. And so much more.

You may also want to consider searching other websites that offer online auction advice. Google a few words and see what comes up.

Knowledge is power. Applying it will shore up your weak areas.

2) Listing Recommendations

Is your listing useful and attractive? Will it draw in new customers? Is the pricing market based? How can you find out?

eBay offers great ideas that are based on their research of like items.

This is free advice from a company who knows what they’re doing. It is to your business’s benefit to heed their suggestions.

3) Targeted Categories

You want to make it easy for buyers to find your listings, which means picking categories that are best for each item. Ask yourself where you would search if you wanted to buy or bid on similar items.

Although this may seem like a small thing – be consistent here. So that each time you create a listing, the more professional your overall image will be. This will satisfy your target buyers.

4) Payment Options

It is important to offer customers as many ways to pay as possible.

PayPal is a secure way to accept major credit cards, so definitely sign up for it if you haven’t done so already. Keep in mind, though, that some customers may prefer to send you a cashier’s check or money order. Let them know for example, if you don’t want to accept personal checks.

When you use esa Product Manager to connect with Amazon, Shopify, Bigcommerce and/or Etsy, consider these payment choices:

Amazon sellers use Amazon Pay with similar fees.
You can accept credit cards directly using Shopify’s point-of-sale.
Bigcommerce and Etsy also use Paypal. Google Checkout is optional for Etsy
Offering great payment options to your customers gives your business a polished edge while promoting a friendly image.

5) Selling Options

eBay offers options such as listing upgrades to promote your listings. For example, you could make your title bold. Or add a subtitle. Another option is to “create a listing with variants”. With variants you can sell multiple similar items, such as a shirt in mixed colors and sizes. See their website for many more seller options.

This is a great tool to use to set your brand.

6) Shipping Costs

The rule of thumb is to never ever charge high shipping fees. In fact, this is the number one customer turn off.

Adding a reasonable fee is okay, though. But be like the pro’s. Calculate your shipping costs upfront—after packing, measuring, and weighing the item—by using eBay’s “calculated shipping” and choosing a shipping service.

This takes the guess work out. And it gives your business a consistent policy. Plus you gain customer trust and loyalty in the process.

7) Add esa Product Manager for multi-channel selling

You didn’t think I’d leave this out, did you? (smile)

Solid Foundation

Our app is a very useful tool for managing your inventory and importing products across different sales channels. There are many more great features that you can read about right here on this website.

But the best benefit is the time it will save you time. To focus on other areas of your eBay business. After all, using time wisely is one of the most important aspects of building and maintaining a strong business model with a solid foundation.

RESOURCES:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/seller-tips.html

http://www.newlifeauctions.com/selling_tips.html