You’re either NOT selling on Amazon and eBay…
…but you want to give it a go…
or…
You’ve already heard how cool it is to sell there… but you’re not satisfied with what you’ve heard or read.
Whatever the case…You need someone to help you out with it.
So, chances are you either have a business, or you don’t. Well, it doesn’t matter.
Why?
Because we shall cover everything you need to know on how to set up your Amazon business or eBay one in this article:
1) How to sell on Amazon UK or eBay UK: what do you actually need?
2) What you don’t need
3) Best practices: how to source goods plus links
That’s about it. Enjoy!
1. How to sell on eBay UK or Amazon UK: what do you actually need.
On eBay they say: “Enter the job lot retail market and watch your profits skyrocket”.
But don’t take my word for it…
Truth is, both eBay and Amazon are notorious for being a great source for finding thousands and thousands of items that you can sell individually and make a substantial profit.
So, let’s begin with the must-have items:,
- First things first: you need a desktop computer (if you want to), laptop & smartphone as well. Having two big monitors is a plus, too.
- Seller account on eBay (make sure to download that app for your phone as well).
- You definitely need a printer – and let it be a big one (because the larger your business gets, the more paper you’ll need. You don’t want your printer to burn-out so to speak).
What you must do:
Before you start selling on eBay or Amazon, you should:
- Make an inventory: Now, the easiest way to manage or track your list of products, is either by keeping them in a spreadsheet or buying a software that keeps track of what you’ve sold/or still have in stock
The best thing?
Amazon lets you track your stock levels with an in-built inventory management tool.
- Second most important principal: List your products. It simply means that you show what you have for sale. You do that by listing them both on Amazon and eBay. You should add some photos of your products, make a good description and set the prices plus shipping details (highly important!).
- Smooth shipping process: make sure that you can send your items quickly. People nowadays want faster shipping.
Ready to start selling on Amazon?
There are a couple of things you should consider before you start:
You need to choose a selling plan:
Basically, there are two options. Choose carefully, though!
- For a £25 fee each month, you’ll be able to sell as many products as you want with the Professional plan
- The basic plan: you can sell as an individual, without paying a monthly fee. But here comes the ‘other part’: you need to pay £0.75 for every item you sell.
What’s Amazon FBA and Amazon FBM? Do you need a selling strategy?
When it comes to strategies, you need to think whether you’re going to be a brand owner (selling your own products) or a reseller (selling products owned by other brands). You can also combine the two options.
Now:
FBA stands for ‘Fulfilled by Amazon where FMB is for ‘Fulfilled by Merchant’.
- The difference is pretty easy to understand. With FMB you as the seller handle your storage and shipping when it comes to the item
- The FBA one however is handled by Amazon. You send your products to Amazon’s fulfilment centers (in bulk*), and they pick, pack and then ship them when a customer orders them (meaning: sold).
Account creation. Product listing.
- Okay, let’s say you are now ready – you’ve chosen your account type; all you need to do is create your account on Seller Central. This is where you’ll manage your account.
- If you want buyers to find you, you better start listing your products. If you choose a Professional plan you can upload all of your items in bulk; the other option is doing it one by one. Your choice.
Ready to start selling on eBay?
The steps for eBay are pretty similar. So, let’s dive right in:
Account Creation. Listings.
Like Amazon, you can stick with a Business or Personal account. It’s up to you again; if you are not going to sell that much on eBay as your main platform, you can go with a Personal account.
Listings: you have a couple of choices, here we go:
I) The Quick Listing Tool: It’s really cool if you’re starting out just now, because it gives you tips for selling and making your products appealing. It walks you through a quick process on how to list the times you want to sell.
II) The Business Tool: It’s perfect for selling items in bulk, or just a lot of them; It has different features from the first tool, such as: combined postage, buyer requirements and subtitles. It makes your life easier so to speak in managing your items.
III) The Seller Hub: Think of this as the ‘Headquarters when it comes to managing your business on the platform. This also represents a consolidation of all eBay selling tools in one go. It has a lot of tools that can help you with your sales, recommendation tips and so on. It also includes a Pricing Guidance Tool to set up your pricing for each item; this way you understand what the competitors are charging and also how much your potential clients are willing to pay.
PayPal or nothing.
You are obliged to accept PayPal as a payment method if you sell on eBay. Another tip: choose if customers should pay by a debit or a credit card.
Shipping options.
You’ve got a couple of options:
- Offer customers the eBay’s FAST & FREE option – shipping is free plus guaranteed and is scheduled to arrive in 3 days
- The Click & Collect option
- Traditional Postage Option
It’s your choice. Make the best one for your customers.
Warehousing organization: the way to do it.
It doesn’t matter if you have a small room or a huge warehouse, it’s important to:
- Keep it clean and tidy
- Well organized so you can boost your productivity
- Make sure you have shelves, bins and storage containers all the time
The picture says everything
We can’t stress enough how important is to have good pictures of your products. You can have great shots with whatever you have – phone or a camera.
Just make sure to follow these guidance’s here from eBay online.
Do I need a re-sale certificate?
Ugh, guys… this is the UK we are speaking about. This is what you don’t need. As a matter of fact, this is a question that we get a lot.
You see…
You don’t need any kind of certificates and whatnot.
You only need to register, cover the requirements that we already mentioned and that’s it. Easy!
Best practices: sourcing products.
Okay, you’re finally all set up. You’ve got the account and the listings.
Now what?
It doesn’t matter if you have your own brand, or if you want to sell someone else’s items, you can always check our liquidation stock UK deals and our great wholesale deals.
Or, you can check our articles about ‘What to sell on Amazon in 2020’ and ‘What to sell on eBay in 2020’.
Perhaps, you want to try something from abroad? 888lots is well-known for the best liquidation deals.
Wholesale merchandise always comes profitable.
But hey, be careful what you pick, think twice before choosing!
Author: Bobby Ilchov
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