Thanks to our friends at eBay

COVID-19 has forced many bricks and mortar stores to shut up shop and move online. But what if you’ve never had an online presence? How do you reach customers, create a commercially viable business model and build trust and credibility?

In a recent Masterclass Online, two of our Business Chicks Premium members sat down with eBay’s Seller Marketing & Communications expert, Rachel Hopping, to share their top tips and personal experience about selling on eBay, and why Australia’s largest online marketplace is the fast and easy way to move your business online (or start a new one!).

The benefits of selling on eBay

For both individuals and registered businesses, eBay makes it easy to set up and start selling on the platform. As an individual you’re not required to have an ABN ( For businesses (new or existing), eBay makes it easy to scale, and you have the option to get an ABN and move to a business account as your sales increase.

eBay also makes it easy to set your prices, suggesting prices based on similar sold items.  It seamlessly works with postal services such as Australia Post and Sendle to calculate your postage costs, and you can even book and pay for these costs directly on eBay. Your postage information is then automatically added to the order and provides peace of mind as both the seller and buyer have access to the tracking number and links.

One of the biggest benefits of selling on eBay is that your business is provided with a ready-made, diverse market of more than 182 million global shoppers, meaning that you spend less time and money on customer acquisition, marketing, and research.

The tools and resources you need

The eBay Seller Centre is the best place to find updates about any changes on eBay that matter to your business. It includes information on how to get the eBay Plus badge on your listings, postage and tracking updates, growth tool enhancements, highlights from the most successful eBay sellers, and eBay seller support.

eBay Research eBay’s insights tool has exclusive research into what your competitors are doing, how they’re doing it, and how you can improve your own listings on eBay. The eBay Research tab in the eBay Seller Hub uses past and current data to help you determine what you should sell, when you should sell it, and the best price you should sell it at, taking all the guesswork out for you.

The eBay for Business AU YouTube channel is a place where you can find tips and tricks on selling and growing your business on eBay, as well as inspiration through seller stories. Their videos are designed to show you exactly how to complete tasks on eBay to set up your eBay store and scale your business.

eBay Seller Hub is a one-stop-shop for managing your seller activities and data. The eBay Seller Hub is there to help you create listings, easily fulfil orders in bulk, provide you with detailed sales info including daily sales trends and top performing products, provide easy-to-use marketing and promotion tools, and get powerful insights to understand how to get your listings in front of more buyers.

Selling internationally on eBay

If you’re based in Australia and want to start selling your products internationally, then eBay represents a world of opportunity. In 2019, Australian eBay sellers exported to 153 countries, with over 92% of sellers reporting international sales.

You don’t need to list directly on any eBay international site, just select to offer international postage when listing your items and this will show up for buyers all over the world. If there’s any countries you don’t want to sell to, you can also exclude them, making sure you have full control over your listing and postage options.

Key tips and tricks for selling on eBay

• Offer free shipping by incorporating the cost into your product price
• Use clear photos of your products and ensure everything in the photo will be included in the sale to avoid disappointed buyers
• Use clear product descriptions including the country that the item was made or sourced in
• Provide good communication to your customers at every stage of sale
• Get comfortable asking customers for reviews and feedback to build your eBay profile
• Earn your eBay Plus badge to gain access to eBay’s most engaged buyers, benefit from increased visibility on listing pages, be included in eBay-funded promotions and get increased seller protections

With so many benefits to starting a business on eBay, it’s hard to find a reason NOT to. From stellar tools and resources, to international sales, and a reach of over 182 million shoppers, if you’ve been thinking about moving online or starting a business, the time is now! To make it even easier, eBay is offering new business sellers who open an eBay store 3 months fee free* to help grow your business on eBay. Details of the offer here.

*Find the full T&Cs here.