In 1995, eBay started its journey in the world of ecommerce as a place where people sold the unwanted and old items that cluttered their attics, garages, and storerooms. Currently, eBay is not just a place where people sell their undesired junk but one of the leading ecommerce platforms. There aren’t too many digital marketplaces that have 175 million active consumers worldwide. That’s the number of buyers eBay saw in the first few months of last year. So, if a seller can reach even a small percentage of these shoppers, the success will be huge. But how to sell on eBay for free? Here’s everything you need to know about selling your products on eBay.
Why Start Selling on eBay?
17% of consumers in the United States prefer to shop on eBay. While the number of Amazon seller accounts is 10 million, 17 million sellers are on eBay. All these stats prove that from being an auction-based marketplace in the initial years, eBay gradually secured its position as a popular fixed-price marketplace. It does not just sell new products but gets 90% of its GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) from “Buy It Now” listings and fixed price listings.
As an eBay business, here you can list items for auction or at fixed prices with the help of eBay listing tools, use original product photography, write your own descriptions, and sell anything you like. It can be a fantastic side hustle or the primary source of your income. The best part about becoming an eBay seller is that all you have to do is set up an eBay store for free and commence selling.
Step-by-step Guide to Sell on eBay for Free
It is true that a seller can run a profitable business on a site like eBay but for that, they require meticulous planning along with execution. As a newbie on eBay, it can be confusing to decide where to start and how to woo customers to purchase your products. So, in this beginner’s guide, you will learn how to sell on eBay for free.
1. Create an account
Before you create a listing on eBay, the first thing that you need is a seller account. You will find the option to sign in or register at the top of the home page. Simply click on it and you will be able to set up an account on your own. eBay expects you to fill up some basic details like the name of the company (for business accounts).
For someone trying to get rid of old furniture, a business account won’t be necessary. Also, switching to a business account can be done anytime.
2. Fill out your eBay profile
You have to appear trustworthy so that people are willing to buy things from you. Hence, it is a good idea to have an attractive seller profile with description and a photo. You will find your name on the top-left corner of the homepage when you sign in. If you click on it, you can edit the profile details.
Moreover, while signing up to eBay, they assign a random ID to each user. So, you should edit the user ID and add your brand name. If you go to the ‘My Accounts’ tab and select ‘Personal Information’, editing your username and linking social media accounts will be possible. All these will create the impression that you are a genuine and reliable seller.
3. Decide what to sell
We have already explained that eBay is not just for selling unwanted stuff from your home but a fabulous place to establish a full-fledged business. So, before you think about topics like eBay pricing strategies, have you figured out what you will sell? Have a look at the things that generate the maximum number of sales on eBay:
- Used stuff: From old electronics to shorts shoes to unused furniture to children’s books – you can sell all kinds of used goods on eBay. Clothing, board games, video games, sporting essentials, and home décor are some other examples.
- Cars: Believe it or not, you can sell cars too!
- Collectibles: These include items like watches, vintage toys, rare coins, etc.
- Antique and vintage items: This board category includes products like cassette tapes, silverware, memorabilia, vintage clocks, trinkets, plates, records, etc.
- New products: Many small and big brands are on eBay as here they can get loyal customers and list an item for free.
- Random things: You have the liberty to showcase your creativity and sell literally anything that comes to your mind. For instance, if you come across aesthetic pine cones, you will be amazed to learn that many people are keen on buying them. Other random things include toilet paper rolls, mugs, board games, wine corks, egg cartons, etc.
If you are still not sure what you’ll sell, evaluate products based on demand, competition, profitability. That way, your decision will be data-informed and thus, you will enjoy more profits.
4. Understand the basics
Are you familiar with the fundamentals of eBay? To become an accomplished seller, you must know these things:
- Listing types: Initially, eBay was all about auction-style sales. Even today, you can list something for a few days and give it to the highest bidder. However, customers love ‘Buy It Now’ listings the most.
- Expenses: There are two types of eBay seller fees, namely, Insertion Fees and Final Value Fees. The former is a listing fee which you must pay before listing an item. Every month, you can list the first 50 products without paying any fee. After that, a flat fee needs to be paid by the seller for every item they’ll list on their eBay store. You can opt for a monthly subscription to get the fee reduced. The Final Value Fee is a percentage of the item’s selling price and eBay charges this once the product is sold.
- Selling policies: If you don’t follow eBay’s rules, your account might get suspended. The selling policy opines that avoiding late shipments, not taking the buyer’s complaints seriously, and stealing images from other sites should not be repeated.
- Beginner limitations: A new seller must bear with certain limitations. For example, they cannot have access to the bulk listing tools.
5. Work on your store policies
When creating free eBay listings, you will have to fill out several details regarding payment, shipping, and returns. You must design these policies carefully as they vastly impact profits and costs, eBay feedback, and also customer satisfaction.
- Payment modes: There is a consolidated platformed named eBay managed payments that the site has recently introduced. This platform allows sellers to offer payment by Google Pay, PayPal, Debit/ Credit Card, and Apple Pay.
- Shipping policies: Your shipping policy should clearly mention the shipping options, shipping cost, delivery services, and the dispatch time. The One eBay shipping advice that you should never forget is that the faster you can deliver products, the happier your customers will be. Another fact that’s worth noting is that 71% of products sold here offer free shipping. So, if possible, try to ship products for free sometimes to compel more people to buy.
- Order returns: The ‘Returns’ policy will state if you accept returns or reject them. If people get the flexibility of returning items they don’t like, they will be more eager to buy from you.
6. Create optimized listings
For creating a listing, first, sign into your eBay account and then select the ‘Sell’ option which is present in every page’s top-right corner. eBay will ask you to enter a name or product ID so that it can show the listing to interested buyers. Now comes the fun part which is optimizing eBay listings and here are some excellent tips for you:
- Category of the product: It is important to list a product in a relevant category or it will fail to reach the target audience.
- Title: A title should be keyword-rich to maximize its chances of appearing in the search results of your ideal customers. The title should also be eye-catchy and intriguing so that it attracts clicks. Ask yourself this question every time you list a new product: What will a customer type of the search bar when searching for this kind of product?
- Description: If you can describe your product well and the photos are satisfactory, consider it sold. eBay recommends its sellers to write a minimum of 200 words and include trending keywords all over the text. This will help eBay to show your listing to more people. While writing a description, keep the sentences understandable and short. To highlight the main selling points, you can use various fonts.
- Photos: Customers appreciate when the seller uploads many photos of the product from all possible angles. One of the eBay photography tips that you must not ignore is the photos should be of high quality.
- Other details: The more you can describe your product, the better idea the customer gets about its utility, features, longevity, care guidelines, etc. So, feel free to provide as many details as you like.
Tips to Increase Sales on eBay in 2024
While setting up an eBay store is hassle-free, getting the desired number of customers isn't that easy. To boost sales, you have to understand how eBay's search engine works. There are some tried-and-tested techniques that will impact ratings as well as drive conversions. If you want to see your store at the top of eBay's search results, follow these eBay selling tips:
- Remain active on eBay and keep listing fresh items daily.
- Say 'yes' to eBay Promoted Listings.
- Please your customers with quick and free shipping.
- Try your best to reduce negative feedback.
- Acquire the status of a Top Rated Seller on eBay.
Parting Thoughts
We may conclude by saying that eBay is among the leading online marketplaces. It offers businesses and individuals of all types with equal opportunities to sell their products to international audiences. Naturally, the competition is high and therefore, understanding the basics is important in order to succeed. With the help of this eBay selling guide, you can begin using eBay today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How can I list items on eBay without incurring fees?
Any seller can sell on eBay without paying any fee for listing products. However, free listings are possible only for a specific number of items per month for free. If you want to list more items, the listing fees will apply.
Q. What are some effective strategies for increasing sales on eBay?
Some brilliant tactics to increase eBay sales are listing new products regularly, adding keywords to attract views, shipping for free, offering fast delivery, maintaining good ratings, and using email marketing.
