Selling on eBay: Features, Alternatives, and Tips

Selling on eBay is now essential for any e-commerce business looking to grow, since marketplaces are such a powerful way to gain visibility.

According to a European consumer study, 91% of online shoppers buy on marketplaces. In fact, most of them search for a product on marketplaces before turning to online stores.

Before you get started, do you want to know what you're getting into? Are you already selling your products on other e-commerce platforms and unsure whether listing them on eBay is a smart move? You've come to the right place. Become an expert and make the most of your presence on the marketplace.

Looking for specific information? Jump straight to it by clicking on the section of your choice. 👇

• I) Overview of the eBay marketplace

  • Key figures

  • Marketplace features

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  • II) Selling on eBay: what are the fees?

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  • III) Selling on eBay: reviews

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  • IV ) Selling on eBay: alternatives

    
    

    • Amazon vs eBay: what are the differences?

    • Showcasing your products

    • Brand visibility

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    • V) eBay dropshipping

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    • VI) eBay shipping

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    • VII) Shipping your eBay parcels with Sendcloud

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      I) Overview of the eBay marketplace

      1. Key figures:

      • 11 million visitors per month for eBay France alone

      • 5 million active customers in France

      • Present in 190 countries

      • 1.2 billion products across all of its sites worldwide

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        2. Features

        eBay is a marketplace offering millions of new and second-hand items on its online sales site. The company, based in Silicon Valley, was founded in 1995, making it one of the oldest marketplaces — one that has managed to set itself apart from Amazon. eBay is the archetypal pure player, since the company has no physical stores at all.

        eBay sees itself as sellers' trusted partner, aiming to help them earn money securely and contribute to their success. The number of products available on eBay's pages is huge — the one-billion mark is easily surpassed when you look across every country where the platform operates.

        As a partner in its customers' success, the platform has set up a seller hub that gives all sellers access to data on their sales as well as marketing, promotional, and management tools.

        eBay has also partnered with Webinterpret so that professional sellers can easily translate their pages into English, German, Spanish, and Italian.

        II) Selling on eBay: what are the fees?

        While signing up to the marketplace is free, eBay charges a commission that varies depending on the category of product you sell and how much visibility you want to give it. These fees also differ depending on your status — whether you're a professional seller or a private individual.

        Let's focus on professional sellers.

        First of all, depending on your business, you can subscribe to three types of shops: Basic, Featured, and Premium, with your sales volume being the criterion that determines which shop suits you best.

        The "Basic" shop subscription costs €19.50/month, "Featured" costs €39.50/month, and "Premium" costs €149.50/month. If you'd like to learn more about the benefits of each shop type, feel free to check out the dedicated page.

        Calculating eBay fees:

        As mentioned above, the fees you owe vary based on the total cost of the item sold, and can also range between 5% and 12% depending on your product category.

        Good to know: if you achieve "Top Rated Seller" status, you can get a 10% discount on the commission, provided you meet certain criteria — namely free shipping on domestic orders, a return period of at least 30 days, express delivery times (0-1 day), and tracked delivery for products worth at least €25.

        If you'd like more details, this article will show you the fees that apply to your product category.

        Finally, the marketplace charges a listing fee when you create a listing — note that these fees vary (or disappear entirely) depending on the type of shop you choose.

        If you decide not to subscribe to a shop, these fees are €0.30 for a Fixed Price listing and €0.40 for an Auction-style listing.

        III) Selling on eBay: reviews

        If you're hesitant about launching on eBay, don't be. The marketplace, founded more than 25 years ago, is both reliable and secure. Known for offering a huge variety of products, eBay is home to many niche sellers while also attracting more than 200 million visitors a month. Above all, the fees charged by the marketplace are generally lower than on other marketplaces, with e-merchants seeing profits that are 5.13% higher on average.

        Be sure to take good care of your customer reviews so you can build a flawless online reputation.

        With eBay, the advantage is that only your customers can leave comments, unlike other platforms such as Amazon.

        To conclude, even if you're already selling your products on an online store or other marketplaces, selling on eBay will give your products great visibility.

        IV) Selling on eBay: alternatives

        1. eBay vs Amazon: what are the differences?

        
        

        

        If you're wondering which is the "best" marketplace to sell your products on — whether that's Amazon, eBay, or other platforms like Cdiscount or Etsy — the answer is complex, since each one has its own specific features.

        Unlike Amazon, eBay is a third-party digital intermediary. In other words, it facilitates sales between sellers and buyers, but it is not itself a seller.

        However, it now offers sellers a platform from which they can access their payment account and monthly fees, or manage their shipments and returns using eBay's logistics services.

        Before focusing on one essential element, shipping, other factors are just as decisive — namely how your products are showcased and the brand visibility you get.

        2. Showcasing your products

        A marketplace like eBay uses a relatively simple algorithm, ranking products mainly by price. Amazon, on the other hand, takes other factors into account, such as the quality of the published listing or the reviews left by online shoppers.

        3. Brand visibility

        Here again, eBay and Amazon differ, since eBay gives its sellers the choice to customize their product pages, letting them stand out from the competition — and free of charge.

        Amazon tends to put its own image front and center, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, since the marketplace benefits from its users' trust.

        Of course, the advice the Sendcloud team would give you is to opt for an omnichannel strategy, multiplying your sales channels as much as possible.

        V) eBay dropshipping

        
        

        

        Is it possible to do dropshipping on eBay, and what are the conditions?

        The answer is yes, and we strongly encourage you to do it, since you don't have any stock to manage, while also benefiting from the marketplace's reputation and significant traffic.

        The one thing to note is that eBay only allows dropshipping if the e-merchant commits to delivering the sold product within 30 days. It's therefore best to work with a supplier based in Europe in order to meet this requirement.

        Even though competition can be tough on eBay, by polishing your item descriptions and images and finding the right dropshipping supplier(s), you can generate considerable revenue.

        VI) eBay shipping

        To match the various services offered by its competitors, eBay launched its own shipping platform in 2016.

        For eBay users, using the platform comes with a few benefits, namely:

        • Buying shipping labels at preferential rates, provided you choose to ship with the marketplace's partner carriers: Mondial Relay, TNT, or Chronopost.

        • Importing your order details directly into the tool once a sale is finalized.

        • Printing your labels in bulk, for several orders at once.

        • A tracking service for order deliveries

        • While this offering has helped eBay sellers save time, the tool can run into limitations for e-merchants selling across multiple sales channels, running their own online store, or shipping with a specific local or international carrier.
          
          

          

          VII) Shipping your eBay parcels with Sendcloud

          Having a strong shipping offering is key to successful eBay sales. For example, short delivery times boost customer satisfaction, and customers will come back to buy again.

          As an e-merchant, if the carrier you want to ship with isn't on eBay's list of partner carriers, or if your products are sold across several platforms and marketplaces, you'll have to juggle multiple tools.

          However, all-in-one platforms that let you stay in control of your logistics and centralize all of your sales channels do exist — Sendcloud is one of them.

          Managing your orders from your Sendcloud account comes with many benefits. For example:

          • Centralization: In addition to your eBay account, connect all your sales channels in two clicks. Sendcloud integrates with more than 50 CMS platforms and marketplaces such as Amazon, Cdiscount, Etsy, Shopify, PrestaShop, and WooCommerce. Process all your orders from your account. Built your own website? Our API fits your needs perfectly.

          • Combine more than 80 carriers, including Colissimo, Mondial Relay, Chronopost, DPD, and many others, to offer a unique shipping experience. Choose the best shipping methods for each order and meet your customers' expectations by consistently offering the service they want.

          • Automate order processing by creating smart shipping rules tailored to your products' characteristics.

          • Cut your costs by shipping with pre-negotiated rates. Already have one or more contracts with carriers? Import them onto the platform in a single click!

          • Generate and print your shipping labels and customs documents (if needed) for each of your orders with one click.

          • Insure your shipments at the best price: Shipping expensive products that are hard to return? With Sendcloud insurance, you can cover every delivery against loss, theft, or damage, for up to €5,000.

          • Offer a returns portal: With Sendcloud, you always have a full overview of your returns thanks to your own online portal, letting your customers return their orders independently.

          • Take advantage of an order preparation process built for you: print and generate picking lists and delivery notes to save valuable time once again, and get a precise summary of the products in each of your orders.

            
            

            In short, you automate all the time-consuming tasks and cut your costs. With Sendcloud, you can focus solely on growing your e-commerce business.

            Interested? Try it for free and get access to all the features for 14 days. Would you rather book a call with an expert to get a demo or simple advice? Feel free to contact us — we'd be happy to help.