How To Sell On eBay In 2024

There are about 132 million eBay buyers worldwide and 100 million visitors to the site each month. The platform accounts for about 5% of all online sales, which represents billions of dollars in sales each year. Compared to Amazon, these numbers are paltry. But when you compare the cost of doing business on eBay vs. Amazon, eBay takes a significantly smaller cut than Amazon. On top of that, eBay isn’t competing with resellers on its platform the way Amazon does with its own Amazon Basics line.

Margins aside, you have to take your customers’ preferences into consideration. Not everyone wants to buy from Amazon (or from other platforms). Selling on eBay, along with every other relevant e-commerce platform, such as Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, should be part of your business strategy. By not selling on eBay, you could miss out on a certain percentage of buyers.

Particular types of sellers—such as those dealing in collectibles, rare items or anything that would (likely) fetch the highest price at auction—also stand to benefit from leveraging eBay. It’s not just that eBay can help you maximize the value of your items through an auction format—it’s that it’s the place where most consumers know to go to find such items. In other words, listing these items on eBay can help maximize the number of interested buyers, even if total user and sales volumes are lower.

To get started selling on eBay, you need an eBay account, a bank or PayPal account and something that people want to buy.

Set Up an Account

You don’t have to jump through hoops or upload documents to set up an account. But before you get started, you should familiarize yourself with eBay’s rules and regulations and make sure that you are allowed to list your item on eBay:

• Create your account: For a personal account, simply enter your first and last name and your email address. If you are using eBay as a digital storefront for your business, then you’ll have to sign up for a business account. Once you’ve registered your account, eBay will email you a link with a code to verify your account.

• Create a username: After you’ve verified your account, you’ll be asked to create a username. You can skip this step during initial setup, which provides you additional time to think of an eye-catching username. Keep in mind that certain terms cannot be included in your username, such as eBay or administrator, for example.
• Link your payment method: eBay can be linked to a PayPal account, checking account or credit/debit card. If you are signing up for a personal account, then the process is complete. You can start listing (and buying) items on eBay.

• Register as a business seller: If you are setting up a business account, then the last step is to provide eBay with business details, such as your employer identification number (EIN), stakeholder information and banking information. The process is wizard-driven and takes between 10 and 15 minutes to complete, depending on your business’s size and structure, according to eBay.

Create a Listing

Creating a listing is a simple process: enter product information, set your price and price format (fixed or auction), select which shipping options are available, define return policies and tell eBay how you’d like to be paid. eBay offers a lot of useful information and suggestions throughout the creation process to help you optimize your listing.

The important thing to keep in mind when you create your listing is to be as descriptive as you possibly can. Leave no field empty. Include all the keywords that buyers use to find your item. Add a lot of pictures and videos to highlight important features and to assure buyers of the item’s condition. Provide as many details as possible in the description. Remember, your listing needs to stand out from the thousands of others for items like yours.

• Start your listing: Once you’ve navigated to the start your listing page, enter product information, including the brand, model and other pertinent details. For example, if you are selling a digital camera, then you’d want to add the ISBN, UPC, manufacturer, series and model name of the product. eBay will recommend items based on the text you enter.

• Find a match: eBay will present you with items from its product library. You can provide additional details to refine the search. Once you find the item you want to list, you select the condition of your item (“new,” “open box,” “used” or “for parts or not working”) and click “Continue to listing.” If your product is listed in the product library, then eBay will be able to prefill a lot of the information in the listing and provide stock images.

• Title and item specifics: eBay provides you with a suggested listing title based on the information you provided thus far in the process. If your item wasn’t in eBay’s product library, then you’ll need to enter that information manually. eBay will “rate” your title based on its length and remind you to include details, such as brand, color, size, condition and so on. Your title is your chance to make a first impression—make it count.

• Add pictures and a description: You can add up to 24 images and videos to your listing and create a stylized description. eBay provides you with a stock image if you can find your item in its product library. You should add images and videos to highlight special features and ensure buyers of the product’s condition. The description can be stylized using different fonts, font sizes, bulleted lists and more. Artificial intelligence (AI)-generated descriptions can be created with one click.

• Pricing: eBay recommends selling format and listing price based on the item you’re listing. You can adjust the format manually and allow potential buyers to make an offer (you can set a minimum price). eBay lets you see how other sellers have priced your item in the past 90 days, which can be useful in determining the ideal price point for your listing. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on competitors’ pricing when determining your own.
• Shipping: You can select up to two domestic and one international shipping provider for each listing. Sellers define who is responsible for shipping costs. Providing free shipping is a good strategy for attracting more customers, but it can also cut into your margins. This can be offset by pricing the cost of shipping into your list price. You can also allow for local pickup so buyers in your area can come retrieve the item for you (all payments are handled on eBay).
• Payment options: When you create a listing, eBay automatically adds credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover Card and American Express are supported, albeit not on every listing), Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal payment options. Depending on your category and location, you can also accept checks, money orders, cash on pick up and wire transfers.
• Listing preferences: The last thing to do is configure your handling time (you can offer between same day and three business days), confirm your location information and set your return policy. You can put a time limit on returns (14, 30 or 60 days) and define who is responsible for shipping costs in the event of a return.

eBay is an inherently competitive marketplace and finding an edge on the platform is very difficult. There is a learning curve to creating the ideal listing and finding the magic price point to maximize the number of buyers you attract. Once you find a strategy that works, it’s not guaranteed that it will work forever (or for long). Succeeding in online marketplaces requires constant evolution.

Set Up an eBay Store

eBay Stores enables you to aggregate all your listings in a branded page and comes with additional tools to help you build your brand and reach more customers. For example, you can create and distribute newsletters, run sales and provide coupons to maintain constant connection with customers and drive repeat business. eBay Store subscribers also have access to discounted eBay-branding shipping supplies and preferred rates for selling fees.

One of the biggest advantages that come with the eBay Store subscription is access to Terapeak Sourcing Insights. Available to all eBay Store (Basic and above) subscribers, this tool provides you with real-world sales data on all eBay categories so you can optimize your strategy.

eBay Stores aren’t for everyone. If you don’t list a lot of items each month or don’t have a lot of different items listed at a given time, then an eBay Store won’t be necessary.

Leverage eBays Partner Programs

Over the years, eBay has developed different programs to help sellers overcome trust, shipping and payment problems inherent to ecommerce platforms:

• eBay Guaranteed Delivery ensures that items will arrive within a specific time frame or customers receive financial compensation. Fast shipping is an important factor for eBay buyers, so qualifying for and participating in this program can help bring more buyers to your listings and increase the probability of making a sale.
• eBay International Shipping simplifies selling internationally for United States-based sellers. The program “handles international shipping, customs clearance, tracking and post-transaction requests and return,” according to eBay.
• eBay Academy is a free learning program that helps sellers learn how to get the most out of the platform. Think of it as a guided tutorial that introduces you to all the tools and features that eBay has to offer and the best practices for leveraging it.

eBay makes money from “selling fees” (insertion fees on the front end and final value fees on the backend) and add-on programs that enhance the seller’s experience within the platform, such as eBay Stores. Selling fees vary, depending on your conduct and performance on the platform, the listing format and category, the item’s price and add-ons. Programs, such as eBay Stores, also vary in price depending on the tier you purchase.

Understanding eBay’s fee structures can help you determine which type of account and what type of programs you should take advantage of. For example, if you list a lot of items every month and make a lot of sales, then you might want to pay for an eBay Stores subscription. If you have an international clientele, it might make sense to leverage eBay International Shipping.

Insertion Fees

Every eBay user is allotted 250 “zero insertion fee listings” each month. After those are exhausted, customers must pay an insertion fee of 35 cents for every item they list (or relist). Insertion fees are nonrefundable and sellers are charged whether the listed item is sold or not. Keep in mind that if you list an item in more than one category or post duplicate listings, then you must pay the insertion fee for each category or duplicate listing.

There are additional insertion fees for optional listing upgrades, such as increased listing durations, using bold text, including subtitles, listing a reserve price and more. These upgrades range from a few cents to a few dollars but can make the difference between a buyer selecting your item over a competitor’s.

Final Value Fees

Final value fees are charged at the point of sale (POS). The cost of final value fees vary depending on the listing’s category, price and your performance and conduct on the platform. In general, you pay 30 cents plus a percentage—usually between 10% and 15%, according to eBay—of the total amount of the sale (includes the item price, shipping and handling charges and sales tax).

eBay Stores

eBay Store fees vary by tier and payment plan. Not only does an eBay Store subscription unlock additional tools to manage and promote your business within eBay, but it also increases the number of zero insertion fee listings each month, lowers insertion fees for additional listings and lowers your final values fee on each sale.

• Starter: $7.95 per month or $4.95 per month when you sign up for a year
• Basic: $27.95 per month or $21.95 per month when you sign up for a year
• Premium: $74.95 per month or $56.95 per month when you sign up for a year
• Anchor: $349.95 per month or $299.95 per month when you sign up for a year
• Enterprise: $2,999.95 per month; this tier is only available with a one-year commitment

While getting started on eBay and creating listings is very simple, outperforming the competition isn’t. There is a learning curve that comes with establishing your brand, crafting the perfect listing, finding the ideal price point and understanding and adjusting to constantly changing customer and market trends. But if you can crack the code, then eBay can be a fruitful platform for your online business (or just for clearing closet space).