What is eBay?
eBay allows you to sell your products online through an e-commerce platform. eBay’s user base is growing like other online marketplaces such as AliExpress or Amazon over many years. The platform had 182 million registered users in 2019. Online sellers are now looking for clients to help them increase their sales due to the increasing number of users.
You can search, bid on and buy almost anything on eBay , including fashion jewelry and vehicles. Sellers post their items on eBay.com with a starting quote. Customers are more likely to place bids on the lowest starting quote. Clients may bid on the products for a specified time period, which is set by the seller until the highest quote wins the sale.
A seller can still include a “Get it Now!” option on his item page in order to control the price of the item and allow buyers to buy the product without having to bid at a fixed rate.
Dropshipping with eBay
Dropshipping is legal, but eBay places some restrictions on it. Dropshipping is legal, but it is restricted in certain ways. Technically, eBay allows you to meet wholesale orders directly. This means that you can sell bulk quantities purchased from wholesale providers on eBay.
You can’t sell items on Amazon, and you can’t dropship to eBay.” Additionally, items purchased from other markets that ship directly to your buyer are prohibited on eBay. Dropshipping from Amazon is prohibited. It is not possible to note an item on eBay and then ship it to your eBay customer. This policy is extremely strict at eBay. They will never reduce or eliminate it.
Tips to Create an eBay Dropshipping Strategy
Dropshipping is almost as old as direct marketing and mail orders. It is simple. You first place an advertisement selling the item you don’t have. The customer then “buys” it by paying the money. The customer will pay a portion of the money to you, and your supplier will ship it directly to your customer. Everyone is ideally happy.
Drop shipping can be a great way to start a business. Accept money in large quantities and then send it to a third-party a little less and make a profit.
Tips to Avoid Making Mistakes When Dropshipping via eBay
Dropshipping is not always easy. Direct marketers have experienced dropshipping and know that there are always “carcasses” in retail shipping companies.
These hiccups might not have a statistical effect on a traditional dropshipping arrangement for your business. However, they can make or break your eBay dropshipping operation . You must treat your eBay dropshipping company as an eBay business and not as a dropshipping shipping company.
Keep close tabs during completion times
This can be done by sending active emails to your customers asking for feedback or completing a satisfaction survey after you have given them enough time. If your orders take longer than expected, you will be notified again.
This is crucial because online buyers and eBay expect better service than other direct marketers buyers. If shipments are delayed, for whatever reason, negative feedback or reversals of payment charges can seriously impact your prospects for success.
Stock monitoring
Monitoring stock issues on eBay is more important than when selling through other direct marketing channels. You should coordinate all available means with your supplier(s), however, you must not give your supplier exclusivity over fulfillment times or availability. eBay sales are contracts. You cannot cancel or backorder your order due to non-disposable circumstances.
If someone buys an item, you must deliver it promptly. A seller can also file a nonperformance violation. Buyers may start this process ten days after the auction ends if they still have not received their order. You will be terminated as a seller if you have less than a few of these, regardless of the volume of sales.
Always be available for communication with Returns
Your ability to sell on eBay and your ability to make them both depends on your feedback score. This is an initial score you receive as a seller, not as a provider. Your seller will accept any return problems or complaints from your customer. This will affect future sales.
You might consider it necessary to resolve exchange and return issues as an eBay seller after your other sales channels have closed.
Buyer expectations and product quality
Online purchasers and eBay have different trading expectations from traditional Direct Marketing customers. Expect a photo, a list of items clearly stated in your auctions. You also expect to receive the exact same item that you purchased via your auction listing.
You must choose a wholesaler that does not change stock or suppliers. On the other hand it must be clear in your lists that your customers may receive an item that is significantly different from the listing. This will hurt eBay’s chances of selling and could lead to lower sales.
Although it may seem like a natural thing, eBay sellers have had to deal with this issue too many times. No matter what the final price is, you must fulfill the order. This is true even if the cost is lower if you use the auction format.
You can sell only fixed-price listings if you are unable to satisfy this requirement. You can either buy it now or ask for serious financial rapidsand. This will cause you to lose your shirt, or shut down for nonperformance.
As you can see, being a successful eBay seller requires two main concerns. First, maintaining your positive feedback and complying with eBay policy so that you can send more. Second, you must fulfill your auction expenses quickly to avoid closing. All costs, overheads, and unforeseen losses that may accompany a proposal are included.
These two tensions between eBay culture and business models will get you on your way to a successful eBay shipping company like so many others.
Dropshipping Guidelines and Conditions for eBay
To dropship on ebay, it is necessary to first understand what is allowed and not.
You can’t purchase products from any other merchant or market than eBay, and they must ship directly to you.
What does it mean?
This means that dropshipping from Amazon or AliExpress is not possible. eBay may lower, conceal, or remove your listings entirely.
This is not all.
You could lose your seller score, purchase or offering restrictions, seller securities, account suspension, or even loss of buyer or seller securities if you fail to follow eBay’s policies.
Prior to the policy, eBay sellers were able to dropship products from virtually anywhere. This naturally led to dissatisfied customers that ultimately hurt the eBay brand.
An eBay thread shows how customers felt like they were being lied to after buying on eBay to receive an Amazon parcel and an Amazon invoice.
This prompted eBay to create a dropshipping policy, which prohibited sellers from doing so again.
Dropshipping on eBay requires that you meet all orders directly from a wholesale supplier.
It is also a requirement that you pay listing fees for all your items, even if the offer does not exist, and to ship warranty within one month.
Dropshipping on eBay: Benefits
Dropshipping can be a great option for new sellers or start-ups if you adhere to the guidelines. The entry barriers are extremely low so make sure to follow them.
These are the benefits
No upfront investment.
Dropshipping on eBay is a great option because you don’t need to purchase stock in large quantities in advance. As long as you find a wholesaler willing to dropship to your clients, this is probably the greatest benefit.
It’s easy to get started.
It’s also easy to get started with virtually no money, since you don’t need to buy stock. You only need to create an eBay Seller account to find a wholesaler that will dropship to your location.
Get the most out of eBay’s community.
eBay is the most well-known and largest auction site for buying items online. This means that it has a loyal client base.
Dropshipping on eBay is a great way to reach a large audience without any effort.
Save money marketing.
Dropshipping on eBay allows you to profit from a pre-made customer base and does not require you to spend a lot on marketing. Many online buyers will see your listings anyway.
Dropshipping can be used in many ways.
Many sellers want to start an online business as an experiment, to make more money and to test the waters.
Dropshipping is an option that anyone can try from anywhere in the world. All you need is internet access.
There is very little risk.
Scaling your dropshipping business on eBay is easier than a traditional online shop. This allows you to build strong relationships with your provider.
Why? Because they offer more, it is their work. This means you can grow your company without having to worry about overheads, hiring additional staff, or leasing storage facilities.
Dropshipping on eBay: The downsides
Dropshipping on eBay seems like an easy way to make money, but there are many things to consider before you do so, especially since eBay has its strict dropshipping policy.
These are the downsides.
It is difficult to find dropship providers.
Dropshipping on eBay has one major drawback: it’s difficult to establish wholesale relationships with suppliers. Very few dropshippers will offer dropshipping services unless your item can be moved.
You may need to buy stock wholesale.
You’ll find that building dropship relationships with wholesalers takes time. To show your records to wholesalers, you will likely need to buy wholesale stock.
This is obviously a better option than dropshipping, and it means you may end up with stock that will never sell.
Limitations on eBay
Dropshipping on eBay is only legal if you find a wholesaler who wants to offer your dropshipping service.
eBay also places many other restrictions on sellers, including how they interact with customers and how they present their brand. Failure to follow these restrictions could have serious consequences for your eBay business.
When things go wrong, you are responsible.
eBay states that you are responsible for shipping the product in the specified timeframe.
However, this means that you are dependent on the provider droppingship for you. They have no obligations to do so within the given timeframe. They might run out of stock, so they could wait for a month before shipping. However, there would be no consequences.
However, the negative feedback that you receive on your listings could lead to account suspension and even a drastic drop in sales.
Furthermore, the seller is responsible for any refunds.
Don’t own your clients.
Dropshipping via eBay does not mean you own your customers, but rather you are helping eBay build their brand every time you make a sale.
You might think about it: If a friend asks you where you got something, you’ll say “eBay” instead of the eBay seller.
You can’t create an e-mail mailing list to remarket to, but that’s not all.
Competitors are high.
Dropshipping on eBay has low entry barriers. This makes it attractive to many online sellers just like you. It also implies that competition is fierce.
You’ll find that many sellers are offering the exact same product as you. This means you will need to concentrate your efforts on different ways to stand out. It can be very time-consuming.
Low earnings margins
You might need to reduce your rates in order to remain competitive with such high-quality competitors.
eBay will charge listings fees (after 50 free) and the platform may use as much as 10% of your total list price to reduce your revenue margins.
To make a decent income dropshipping to eBay, you will need to maintain a significant sales volume each month.
Is Dropshipping on eBay worthwhile?
This question is really dependent on what you want to achieve through eBay dropshipping.
Dropshipping on eBay is a great option if you are just trying to make a few dollars side hustle.
Dropshipping is not the right option if you want to build a lasting brand with high earnings margins, and take full responsibility for your online business’ development.
Instead, we recommend that you concentrate your efforts on finding a platform that allows for far more modification.
We hope that this guide has provided you with clarity over eBay dropshipping and helped you make a decision about whether or not it is worth your time.
