If you’re relatively new to the eBay scene, then it can be daunting. But don’t worry: we’ve got you covered on everything you need to know about selling your crafts on eBay.

We’ve written guides to selling on platforms like Etsy and Not on the High Street, and the fundamentals are the same, so we won’t go into details. However, the key things to bear in mind are:

• You should only upload great product photography
• Make sure you price your products correctly
• Effectively tell your brand story
• Promote your eBay store through social media

Once you’ve got those covered, it’s time to focus on the aspects that are specific to eBay.

 

Research Competitors

Before you even start your listing, you should search your competitors. Take a look at their titles, listings, photography and pricing. What’s good about their listings? What could be improved? You want to make sure your products stand out from the rest.

You’ll be competing amongst these people for clicks, so you need to ensure you have a great title. Include relevant keywords and information that people will be searching for. You may be bound by 80 characters, but there’s opportunity to get lots of detail in.

Remember: there are 25 million sellers on eBay, so you’ve got a lot of competition.

Descriptions Are Important!

When people click through to your listing, one of the first things they’ll do is read your description. When selling something online, it’s important that buyers know exactly what they’re purchasing.

Include all practical information that buyers will want to know: size, material, the uses of your product. Think of your description as an accompaniment to your pictures, so buyers get the full story.

It’s also the place where you can add in some more information about your brand, and what you stand for. Make sure you show off your USPs!

Auction v Fixed Price

When it comes to determining your pricing, eBay has two options: auction style listings, or fixed price listings.

With auction style listings, you’ll set a minimum price and let bidders effectively battle it out. Setting a lower bid can make it more competitive. Alternatively, a fixed price allows you to specify how much you’d like to sell the item for.

Whilst auction bids can be good if they gain a lot of traction, there’s also the possibility that your items sell for less than you’d like. Therefore, if it’s homemade crafts you’re selling, you may prefer to opt for fixed costs. That way, you can determine the price based on how much it cost you to make, and how much time you invested.

The other thing to consider is shipping: buyers are more likely to purchase from you if you offer free shipping, so you may decide to absorb costs in your selling price. Also, remember that for crafts, eBay will take 11% of the final value fee.

 

Communication Is Key

You’ve made a sale, and that’s great. However, if you want to turn that person into a repeat customer, then you’ll need to offer good customer service. Send them a thank you message once they’ve paid, drop them a line when you’ve shipped the item, and follow up to see if they like it.

You could also include links to your social media sites in your messages, so they can see other products you sell.

Also, don’t forget to leave positive feedback, and encourage buyers to review you. Ultimately, you want to build a good reputation – and you’ll need high scores if you want to open a featured shop, which we’ll discuss later on.

Use the Analytics Tool

Did you know that eBay has a free listing analytics tool? As a seller, it’s a really important feature you should be making the most of.

You can find out how your listings are performing in terms of visibility, clicks and sales. It can also help you to identify any problems that might be stopping sales; for example, if your prices are too high, your pictures aren’t good enough, or your description is too short.

To access your analytics, head over to My eBay – Selling – Applications.

 

The Next Step: Opening a Featured eBay Shop

If you’re a registered business seller on eBay, PayPal verified and have a seller level of “above standard” or “top-rated seller”, then you can open your own featured shop. This will enable you to create a central destination where buyers can find out more about your products and brand. You’ll also have access to marketing and reporting features that otherwise wouldn’t be available to you.

Creating your own categories, sending newsletters to subscribers, and gaining credits to spend on listing upgrades are just some of the other aspects of a featured shop; although there are costs, which you can find out here.

If you’re new to eBay, it’ll take time to build yourself up to this level, but it allows you to gain lots of selling experience along the way!

We hope these tips give you a good foundation to start selling your crafts on eBay. If in doubt, just take a look at these mistakes to avoid when selling online, or alternatively, take a look at our badge making kits to help you start getting crafty!