Beginner’s Guide To Selling on eBay in 2024
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ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- eBay in 2024 has 135 million global buyers, making it a lucrative market for UK sellers
- eBay suits beginners with a straightforward account setup and listing process
- Successful eBay selling includes prioritising product research, compelling visuals, and detailed descriptions
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Even in 2024, eBay is still a thriving marketplace that offers lots of opportunities for sellers.
eBay, a cornerstone of global e-commerce, continues to flourish and selling on eBay opens a window to a world where both used and new items find their second home.
However, selling on eBay as a seller involves more than just posting items for sale. It's about strategic pricing, understanding the platform's fee structure, and engaging with your customer base to build a lasting presence. This guide will walk you through these steps, offering practical advice grounded in real-world experience from our side hustling community.
Learn how to leverage this fixed-price marketplace and earn extra income by selling on the platform.
Let’s dive in!
Are People Still Using eBay in 2024?
eBay may seem like a relic of the American 2000s dot-com culture; however, the platform continues to thrive despite stiff competition from older platforms like Amazon.co.uk and newer upstarts such as Vinted. Recent data has shown that:
- eBay has around 135 million active buyers all over the world
- The platform has around 18 million seller accounts — even more than Amazon
- eBay has sold $18 billion in gross merchandise volume, which is around £14 billion, in the last quarter of 2023.
How To Sell on eBay: The Three Basic Steps
Selling on eBay is worth it, especially if you have lots of used items that you want to get rid of. However, some people have even made the platform one of their main avenues for online selling. For either scenario, here are the basics to create a successful store.
- Create a seller account where you can start listing items.
- Market your products with built-in tools so customers can see and buy your offerings.
- Once a buyer places an order, you will handle shipping and fulfilment since eBay doesn’t have a fulfilment network.
What Should You Sell on eBay?
As a beginner, you may be thinking of starting small and just selling anything that’s lying around your house. However, eBay is known for the huge variety of items you can sell. While there are a few products that are more regulated than others, you can pretty much sell anything under the sun on this platform.
Used items are pretty popular for new sellers. These range from second-hand clothing, used video games, old electronics, and sporting goods. Other popular listings include the following.
- Collectables and memorabilia, like old coins and limited edition cards. Auction format is popular for these items since it allows people to bid on the product.
- New items. The majority of sales on eBay are actually from brands selling their new products.
- Antiques and vintage items include china, furniture, silverware, and toys
- Random items. If you can market well enough, someone will buy a piece of pine cone you found on a hike.
Creating a Seller Account
Now that you have an idea of what to sell, it’s time to create your seller’s account. It’s different from a regular eBay account since that one is for buyers. Here’s how to create one.
- If you don’t have a current eBay account, sign up with a valid email. You’ll have the option to open a business account upon registration.
- If you have an existing eBay account, you can change it from a personal to a business account.
- Add your contact information and bank account so the platform knows where to send payments.
- Add a payment/checkout method on the “Account” tab under “My eBay.” In this option, you can add debit or credit card options. PayPal has no longer been available since 2020.
- Start selling by listing items!
Determining the Best Products To Sell
Before you start listing on eBay, you’ll want to do some product research to determine the best items to sell. This step is especially important if you plan to start using eBay as a platform for your e-commerce side hustle.
- Profitability: How much revenue are you going to make per item? eBay’s fees vary, but you can expect the platform to take on average 13% fees from your sales.
- Demand: Sell items that have a market. You can check which ones have strong customer demand using the sell-through rate — data that eBay can provide.
- Competition: Avoid selling items that have too much competition. eBay doesn’t have features like Buy Box on Amazon, so it will be harder for you to stand out and make a sale. Instead, make sure that your listings are optimised for keyword search and have high-quality images.
Listing Items
It’s relatively easy to list items on eBay — you can even do it on the eBay mobile app.
- Click the “Create Listing” button on the Seller Hub Listings tab on your account. For bulk listings, use the Bulk Listing tool.
- Add information in the necessary fields, such as the name of the product and digital identifiers, such as ISBN and GTIN.
- Upload photos or videos. eBay has a built-in editor you can use to enhance your media.
- Add your product category and the SKU number.
- Add the format and price. The default format is fixed price, but you can change it to auction if you want customers to bid on your item.
- Finalise the details and list your item. That’s it!
Shipping and Fulfilment
As we mentioned above, eBay doesn’t have an in-house fulfilment network. You’ll need to work with a third-party shipping company to fulfil your orders. In addition, you’ll be in charge of printing a shipping label and packing your items. Thankfully, eBay does sell shipping labels. All you have to do is add the dimensions and details of your item, and you’ll have a label ready for printing.
What we recommend is to ship out as soon as possible. Customers love prompt fulfilment, so as soon as you get the notification that an order has been placed, start the process of shipping the item immediately.
FAQs
Wrapping Up: How To Sell on eBay in 2024
eBay remains a force to be reckoned with in the e-commerce industry, so you should leverage the platform for your side hustle. Follow the step-by-step guide we shared above to learn how to create an account, list items, and fulfil your orders. That way, you can start earning extra income from old items or establish your brand to eBay users.
BEFORE YOU GO...
While mastering eBay is a fantastic start, why stop there? Our next read, "A Beginner's Guide to Selling on Amazon UK," awaits to guide you through another lucrative marketplace. Diving into Amazon's UK platform offers a new set of opportunities and challenges that can significantly expand your online business. Stay ahead and make your online selling journey even more rewarding. Don't miss out on this essential guide—click through to take your first step towards Amazon success.
sidehustles.co.uk one-minute podcast
🎧 Listen Now: Sidehustles.co.uk One-Minute Podcast
Beginner’s Guide To Selling on eBay in 2024
Welcome to the Sidehustles.co.uk One Minute Podcast. In the next 60 seconds, we're sharing a real-world insight from our network of seasoned side hustlers. This quick tip is designed to offer you practical advice that you can apply immediately in your side hustle journey.
Today, we're discussing How to Start Selling on eBay in 2024 for beginners. A gem of wisdom for those just beginning their journey on eBay is the simple yet impactful practice of thorough research before listing any item. Take a moment to look up similar products already available on the platform. What makes some listings more appealing than others? Often, it's clear, detailed photos and honest, engaging descriptions that draw buyers in. This approach doesn't just help your items stand out; it builds trust with potential buyers. Even if you're only browsing through and not ready to dive into the entire article, remember: a little research goes a long way in setting you up for success on eBay.
That's your one-minute real-world insight. Stay tuned for more!
ARTICLE SOURCES
https://investors.ebayinc.com/fast-facts/default.aspx
https://www.edesk.com/blog/ebay-statistics/
https://www.oberlo.com/blog/ebay-statistics
https://export.ebay.com/en/first-steps/how-create-listing/how-create-listing/
https://www.junglescout.com/resources/articles/how-to-sell-on-ebay/
https://www.nextsmartship.com/blog/how-does-delivery-work-on-ebay/
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