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3. Agenda
Structuring Your Business on eBay
â˘
Marketing and MerchandisingâThinking Like
â˘
Your Buyer
Scaling and Growing Your Business
â˘
Summary
â˘
Q&A
â˘
4. Structuring Your Business on eBay
A business on eBay is like any other businessâŚ
â˘
Find the right items to sell
â
Manage your inventory and determine where and
â
how to sell
Observe and outperform your competitors
â
Provide world-class customer support
â
You need to experiment, measure and repeat
â˘
Thereâs not one âbest practiceâ that works
â˘
for all products all of the time
5. Understanding the eBay Marketplace
eBayâs Seller Central and
â˘
seller communications
Top buyers searches by
â
category
Hot, in-demand items
â
New releases and promotions
â
PowerUp
â˘
Off-line Newsletter
â
sharing best practices
www.ebay.com/optin
www.ebay.com/sellercentral
6. eBay Sales Reports Plus
Free tool for
â˘
all sellers
Understand the
â˘
main drivers of
your business
Measure results
â
against goals
Identify areas
â
of opportunity/
improvement
Tip: eBay Accounting Assistant saves valuable time by exporting
eBay and PayPal transaction and fee data to QuickBooksÂŽ
7. Stores Traffic Reports & Marketplace
Research
eBay Stores Traffic Reports
â˘
Understand which items buyers
â
visit and are searching for
Optimize your listing titles
â
and pages
Cross-promote your most
â
popular listings
eBay Marketplace Research
â˘
Make data-based sourcing
â
and selling decisions
Reports sales trends for
â
products
Includes Average Sold Price,
â
Items Sold, Items Listed
www.ebay.com/storefronts/traffic-reports.html
www.ebay.com/marketplace_research
8. Third-Party Marketplace Data Providers
eBay data providers
â˘
Terapeak (www.terapeak.com)
â
Mpire Researcher
â
(www.mpire.com)
Andale (www.andale.com)
â
Hammertap
â
(www.hammertap.com)
Available data includes:
â˘
Closed listings pricing info
â
Category-specific data
â
Sales trends
â
Hot-selling products
â
and categories
9. Finding Merchandise to Sell
Reseller Marketplace
A B2B marketplace for
â˘
PowerSellers to source
for resale
Sellers: manufacturers,
â˘
liquidators, wholesalers
Benefits:
â˘
Great values
â
Buy in lots for resale
â
No long-term or volume
â
minimums
www.ebay.com/reseller
10. Additional Sources of Supply
Trade showsâfind a trade show in your industry
â˘
www.Tsnn.com
Resell used goodsâestate sales
â˘
www.ustreas.gov/auctions/customs
Buy directlyâfind a distributor and buy direct
â˘
www.thomasnet.com
Find wholesale suppliers
â˘
www.WorldwideBrands.com/Importing
Trading Assistantsâsell on behalf of others
â˘
www.ebay.com/tradingassistants
11. Structuring Your Business on eBay
Use the resources on eBay to understand
â˘
which products are in high demand
Investigate third-party market research tools
â˘
Let your research drive the products,
â˘
categories and prices at which you sell
Experiment, measure and repeat!
â˘
Get the right product, in the right place
â˘
at the right time!
13. Thinking Like Your Buyer
Drive buyers to your items
â˘
Develop effective eBay listings
â
Price your items to attract buyers
â
Promote your eBay store
â
Use eBay Express
â
Keep buyers satisfiedâand make them
â˘
repeat customers
Customer support
â
Cross-promotion and up-selling
â
Clear and fair shipping prices
â
14. Listing Titles
Use all 55 characters
â˘
Use words people most often
â˘
use when searching
Brands and model
â
Condition, color, style, size
â
Use browse words
â˘
NR or No Reserve
â
Free Shipping
â
Offer several points of entry
â˘
âShawlâ and âwrapâ
â
âNotebookâ and âlaptopâ
â
Utilize Subtitles where
â˘
appropriate
15. Item Descriptions
Provide all data that buyers
â˘
need to make a decision in
one place
Repeat item title
â
Include complete product info
â
Use item specifics when
â
available
Provide clear payment info
â
Clearly state shipping costs
â
and time frames
Include links to your eBay Store
â
Item Description is the most valuable tool for
creating search engine-friendly listings!
16. Effective Photos
Clear images
â˘
Photo at top of listing
â˘
Multidimensional views
â˘
Use Picture Manager to save $
â˘
Own pictures or get permission
â˘
Tip: Use Gallery feature to display
your item picture with search
and browse results
17. Shipping
Clearly state policiesâ
â˘
returns, feedback, sales tax,
etc.
Include shipping costsâflat
â˘
rate, calculated or at no cost
Set buyersâ expectations
â˘
about when you ship your
items (e.g., quot;within 24 hours
of paymentâ)
Offer shipping discounts for
â˘
multiple purchases
eBay Shipping Center:
www.ebay.com/shippingcenter
18. eBay Formats
Auction-style
⢠Best Practice:
⢠Use Reserve sparinglyâReserve
Fixed Price
⢠deters bids
Buy it Now (BIN)
â ⢠Best OfferâReceive price-based
offers for Fixed Price listings
Fixed Priced
â
⢠Store Referral Creditâsave 75%
Stores Inventory (SIF)
⢠on Final Value Fees on
qualified transactions
Fixed Price
â
www.ebay.com/sellercentral/formats.html
19. Promoting Your eBay Store
Promote your eBay Store and
â˘
Store Inventory in every listing
⢠Utilize cross-selling functionality
⢠Include search keywords in
your Store name, description
and categories
⢠Promote your Store both
on and off eBay using:
Listing feeds
â
Email marketing
â
Promotional flyers
â
Listing frames
â
www.ebay.com/storefronts/seller-landing.html
20. Acquire BuyersâeBay Express
Double your exposure
â˘
for Fixed Price and eBay
Store Inventory listings!
Qualified listings show
â
up automatically with
no additional work
Buyers pay upfront
â
via Shopping Cart
and Checkout
No changes to your
â
selling experience
www.ebayexpress.com
21. Delivering a Superior Buyer Experience
Clear and fair shipping prices
â˘
Address customer questions promptly
â˘
to establish trust and rapport
Over-deliver on expectations
â˘
22. Buyer Retention & Managing Sold Items
Reduce Unpaid Items:
â˘
Utilize Seller
â
Preference in My
eBay to restrict
undesirable buyers
Communicate with
â
buyers early and often
Utilize Immediate
â
Payment through
PayPal on Fixed
Price Listings
23. Marketing & Merchandising
To attract and retain buyers you need to:
â˘
Think like a buyer
â
How do buyers find your items?
â˘
How do buyers like to be treated?
â˘
Use your buyersâ behavior to drive your
â
business strategy
25. Tools to Help You Scale Your Business
eBay Listing Tools
â˘
Turbo Lister: desktop tool with reusable listing templates
â
File Exchange: create listings by sending a flat file to eBay
â
eBay Listing Management Tools
â˘
Selling Manager/Selling Manager Pro: Web-based sales
â
management tools designed to help sellers manage sales
more efficiently
eBay Blackthorne: desktop listing and sales management tools
â
designed to save time
Third-party Tools
â˘
eBay Solutions Directory provides information about third-party
â
software tools and services to improve your productivity on eBay
http://pages.ebay.com/sell/tools.html
www.solutions.ebay.com
26. Grow Your Business Globally
More than 50% of all eBay users live outside
â˘
the US
Listing your products internationally ensures
â˘
maximum global exposure and incremental
sales volume
PayPal Seller Protection available for qualified
â˘
US shipments to Canada and the UK
Utilize a shipping partner to help overcome
â˘
import/export issues
www.ebay.com/internationaltrading/sellertips.html
27. Grow Your Business Off-eBay
Expand your business
â˘
to be Multi-Channel
Develop your own Web site
â
Tap into a new and
â
incremental customer base
Lower your cost of sales
â
for servicing existing
customers
Capture growing use of
â
search for finding products
28. Adding a Sales Channel
Ideal for existing eBay
â˘
sellers with a regular
customer base to grow
their online sales
Fully integrated to allow
â˘
direct listings to eBay
and payments with
PayPal
ProStores is one-stop
â˘
shoppingâwith a
shopping cart, hosting,
reporting and more!
29. PayPal Benefits Advanced Sellers
Easily receive money electronically from around
â˘
the world (16 different currencies)
Automate and become more efficient
â˘
Instant payment information
â
Multi-user access
â
Company name on customersâ credit card statements
â
Automatic monthly eBay fees payment
â
Tailor online payment options to your eBay or Web
â˘
site business
30. Scaling & Growing Your Business
Use listing and e-commerce management
â˘
tools to save time and boost productivity
Open your business to international customers
â˘
Maintain an online storefront off eBay to
â˘
attract more online shoppers
Practice safe selling
â˘
31. 7 Steps to Scalability
FREE one-on-one
â˘
consultations with eBay
specialists to improve
your listings
7 Steps Liveâlearn from
â˘
other sellersâ best
practices and share your
insights
Visit the Seller Scalability
â˘
Center at the Solutions
Center (booth #551)
32. Summary
Improve the structure of your business on eBay by:
â˘
Understanding your marketplace
â
Using multiple sources to buy your product at the
â
right price
Identify tactics and strategies to turn shoppers into
â˘
repeat buyers
Define ways to grow your business
â˘
In the US and abroad
â
On and off eBay
â