One of the largest online marketplaces in the world, eBay, is a great way to have an online shop and make some money. If you’re wondering how big it actually is, well, it has reached just under 200 million buyers in the first quarter of 2024. So, if there are that many buyers that must mean that you can actually sell anything at any time with no effort whatsoever. Well, that’s not the case, obviously, since there are that many buyers, there are a lot of sellers, too.
Setting up shop is pretty easy, you just register and that’s it. Increasing your sales and putting yourself on the eBay map – that’s a different game altogether. So, how does it all work? Well, eBay has an algorithm in place that will allow the buyer to find the things most closely related to his search term. Just like many complex algorithms, it’s impossible to fool and manipulate to make your store present at all times, but, there is a way to make it more popular and closer to the top by just following a few simple steps. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
1. Keep the content fresh
If you have an active store, you’ll be rewarded for it. Stores that list new items and products daily, bodes well with eBay’s algorithm and is more often than not placed closer to the top of the search results. Another thing that goes your way if you do this is, new items show up at the top if people sort the results by time. And people do that, to avoid possible listed products that have already been sold, just not closed.
Of course, listing new items every day might not be possible for various reasons, but, there’s a way around it. You can use the scheduling feature and just schedule your items in advance. Don’t be afraid to repost items to keep the store fresh, just make sure you delete the original listing and change a few things here and there (for instance, tweak the title and the description) to differentiate it a bit from the original. The goal is to have fresh content as often as possible.
2. Try eBay’s promoted listings
This is an easy way to boost your sales with the help of the algorithm and the site itself. This feature will allow for targeted for relevant and potential buyers and eBay claims it can boost your views over 40%. That does not mean an equal boost in sales, but it comes with some nevertheless. Of course, this option is not free and you will pay a percentage to eBay. How much of a percentage is dependent on the category, so keep that in mind.
3. Use keywords
It is paramount to use keywords when listing your items for sale. Buyers know what they are looking for and will search for it. It is up to you to realise what the potential buyer would be typing in if he were to search for the product you’re selling. After you decide on four or five keywords, make sure you use them in your title, description, tags and so on. However, keep them relevant. Don’t use keywords for tech if you’re selling books. It won’t help and it will violate the site’s policy so you might suffer for it.
4. Use outside research tool
Sometimes, we can’t do all of the research of the market ourselves. It’s too time-consuming and you might don’t even know what exactly you’re doing. Therefore, using an eBay research tool like the one from fastintell.com might come in handy. Leave it up to professionals to take a look at your competitors, how much revenue they generate, what keywords they use and how to apply those successful methods to your store.
5. Offer free shipping
One of the best ways to boost your sales is – free and fast shipping. There’s something about free shipping that attracts people and that something is simple – people don’t want to waste money. They will see the price, associate the item with the price tag and assume that’s the value of the item. You can easily sell the same item for more money if you offer free shipping than if you lower the price but charge for the shipping.
Unless given both option to compare the overall price, the free shipping item is the first one to go. So, check if you have to pay for the shipping, if you do, add the expense to the price of the product and not shipping. It’s a simple trick that will save you money and boost your sales. Of course, ship it as fast as possible – nobody likes to wait, even for free.
6. Don’t charge too much or too little
Price being of the key points should come as no surprise. Since eBay offers a range of results, people will compare the prices. Why? Well, if the same thing is listed twice and one of them is cheaper, you’d buy the cheaper one, of course. So, with that in mind, it’s important to check the average price of the item you’re selling. Because, if you overcharge, nobody’s going to buy it, they can see it’s overpriced and they’ll move on. Also, if you charge way too little, people are going to assume that there’s something wrong with it and won’t even bother. We associate quality with price, it’s just the way it is. So, keep in in the average section and you should be good.
7. Maintain a great seller rating
A great rating and a good review go a long way on the internet. To be fair, not just the internet, but generally in life. You wouldn’t stay in a hotel that is rated one star and has a review where they mention the mouldy kitchen and dirty sheets, right? The same rules apply online if your store is poorly rated for whatever reason – you’re not going to sell anything. People don’t want to buy from an untrusted source, so you have to keep your ratings and review over four starts. Be polite, deliver on what’s promised and enjoy the good review and the booming business.
These are by no chance the only ways to boost your sales, but they are one of, if not, the most efficient ones out there. So, pay attention to these, and hopefully, you’ll see results sooner rather than later.
