by Kathy Terrill | Oct 9, 2021 | eCommerce Selling Tips, eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay
The eBay Fall Seller Update for 2021 is live.
Happily for sellers, it’s mostly good news. However, there are a few new initiatives that cry out, “Seller, beware!” I boil it down for you here as I “decode” the Fall Seller Update. I let you know what requires your careful attention. For more details, check out my YouTube video eBay Fall Seller Update 2021: Good, But Watch Out!
To see the 2021 eBay Fall Seller Update, go to ebay.com/SellerUpdate. That’s the URL where you will always find eBay’s most recent Seller Update, along with a link to the previous update.
eBay Seller Updates are simpler
Seller Updates in the past resembled an encyclopedia. They were so many moving parts, crammed with so much information that it took hours to get through it all. It was easy to miss something in all that fine print. Fast forward to 2021. Kudos to eBay. This 2021 Fall Seller Update is huge step forward in clarity and brevity.
Many previous Seller Updates featured changes that weren’t coming for a year or more. And sometimes the promised changes never came at all. In contrast, this Fall Seller Update is all about initiatives that are rolling out now. Or changes happening in the next few weeks, or at most, a couple of months.
For the most part, these pending changes benefit sellers. But there are a few things that eBay more or less glosses over. And you know me: I don’t gloss over!
eBay Fall Seller Update – eBay Stores
Fresh enhancements are rolling out to eBay Stores. These include an upcoming dedicated Stores tab in Seller Hub. There’s also a new About tab coming to your store itself. So, put that new feature to good use. It’s an aid for branding your business! Last but not least, there’s a newly robust store newsletters tool.
More good news: new research and performance tools in Seller Hub!
The Listing Quality Report is most useful if you’re a commodities seller. However, sellers of unique items (e.g., collectibles) should not overlook this data.
eBay may not compare apples to apples, oranges to oranges, where your items are concerned, but you can get a sense of what other sellers are doing and what seems to be most successful. For example, you can look at free versus paid shipping as well as see which of your listings might benefit from adding more photos.
Listings & Promotions: Changes to Categories and Item Specifics
The not-so-good news is under “Listings & Promotions” on the 2021 Fall Seller Update’s home page. Actually, changes to categories and item specifics are good news/bad news. All of the changes to category names and structures as well as to item specifics are designed to make it easier for buyers to find your listings via eBay, Google, and other search engines. Unfortunately, thee changes roll out during Q4, the busiest time of an eBay seller’s year!
Pay close attention to this part of the 2021 Fall Seller Update
Starting in October, if you have listings in a category impacted by the changes, eBay will automatically move them to what it thinks is the most relevant category.
Furthermore, new soon-to-be-required item specifics will become available starting on October 12. They are required in early 2022. Once mandated, eBay will not let you submit a listing unless you’ve filled in its required item specifics.
So, if you see notifications in Seller Hub about adding required item specifics, do so ASAP. Especially for those labeled “Soon to be required”. There are tools to help you do this. I tell you all about them in my 2021 Fall Seller Update video on YouTube. While updating your item specifics, it’s a good time to optimize your entire eBay Listing. The tips in “Start Selling on eBay. the ABC’s of Success!” will help.
These ABC’s to successful eBay selling will start your selling with a bang!
New Coded Coupons!
Sellers have long clamored for the ability to create coded coupons. Well, now you can! To read all about this terrific new functionality, which is only available to eBay Store subscribers, click on “Learn More” under “Listings & Promotions”.
eBay Fall Seller Update – Promoted Listings Expansion and Rebranding
eBay’s pay per sale advertising model, Promoted Listings, is rebranded as Promoted Listings Standard.
Meanwhile, Promoted Listings Advanced has launched in Beta. It’s a pay-per-click model. Pay-per-click advertising charges a fee whenever your listing is clicked on, not just when your item actually sells. This can be expensive. Be careful if you decided to give PL Advanced a tryout.
eBay Fall Seller Update – Your Bottom Line
eBay Fall Seller Update 2021 decoded for you!
With the changes announced in eBay’s 2021 Fall Seller Update, many sellers will be busy revising listings during Q4, adding soon-to-be-required item specifics and preparing for category changes.
Read through eBay’s 2021 Fall Seller Update in its entirety And remember, my YouTube video will help walk you through it. There are many new changes rolling out. However as always high-quality listings that follow eBay’s best practices will always do just fine.
by Kathy Terrill | Jul 12, 2021 | eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay
So you’ve RSVP’d and marked your calendar for eBay Open Online 2021.
eBay Open Online 2021 is from August 4–6. And if you haven’t, what are you waiting for? Sign up today! Now it’s time to figure out how to reap the full benefits of this virtual seller conference. With the event just a scant month away, you need to start planning ASAP.
First of all, you don’t have to be an eBay store owner to go to eBay Open Online (although you may want to subscribe to one after you hear eBay Stores VP Tom Pinckney’s presentation on August 5). Sellers of all levels and experience are encouraged to attend.
Next, be aware of the time frame for eBay Open Online 2021.
Once you sign up, the agenda will display each day’s schedule according to your time zone. The first day, August 4, is only 2 hours long: 12pm-2pm Pacific Time (PT). Days 2 and 3 (August 5-6) take up 3 hours and 45 minutes, from 9am-12:45pm PT.
Block off these times on your calendar, either on paper or via a virtual calendar app such as Google, Yahoo, Outlook, or iCal.
Then decide how much of eBay Open Online 2021 you plan to attend. Each day includes an executive keynote along with assorted training or learning sessions and seller panels, interspersed with networking breaks.
At past eBay events, the main presentations have been recorded and later been made available for viewing online. Bear that in mind when you scope out the agenda for eBay Open Online. Furthermore, even though it’s only for a few hours each day, eBay Open Online is a three-day event that runs from Wednesday through Friday.
So pace yourself. Think through how much time you’ll need — and when you’ll need it — to take care of listing, packing and shipping, customer service, and social media for your business on eBay. Then schedule yourself accordingly.
The Agenda page has three tabs: one for each day.
In addition, when you’re signed in, you’ll see a fourth tab labeled My Agenda. As you look through each day’s various offerings, prioritize which sessions are must-sees and which ones are on your B-list.
To add a session to your personal Agenda, click on the little plus-sign-in-a-circle icon ( ) next to the title of the session. The icon will only appear after you have signed in to RSVP. After you add that session to your Agenda, the plus sign will change to an X in a circle. Click on that if you want to remove something from your Agenda.
You can also click the “Add to calendar” hypertext link next to the calendar page icon in the lower right-hand corner of each session’s agenda block. Then just select your type of calendar in the drop-down menu and click to send the time and topic straight to your virtual calendar.
Here’s how the overall event is structured.
Day 1 (Wednesday, August 4) opens with welcoming remarks from Andrea Stairs, eBay’s Chief Marketing Officer and VP of Seller Community for the North America Marketplace. Then the event moves right to the keynote address by eBay CEO Jamie Iannone. Next come training sessions, including one with a VP/Principal Analyst from Forrester, the leading experts on all things retail.
The rest of Day 1 is category breakout sessions led by senior managers and executives from eBay’s various verticals — i.e., Electronics; Fashion; Collectibles, Art, & Toys; Home & Garden; etc. Check out the description of each vertical’s session. What will it cover? Do you have questions related to that? If so, jot them down in case there’s time for Q&A.
Day 2 (Thursday, August 5) features presentations on eBay stores, branding and marketing, seller tools, the buyer experience, and more. Included is a learning session devoted to shipping best practices.
There will also be networking breaks.
Sellers are promised that they can connect with each other based on your location, the category in which you sell, and/or other criteria. Keep an ear to the ground for more information about this as we get closer to the event.
On Day 3, seller presenters are front and center, including myself. I’ll be addressing the topic of using social media in your business on eBay. I’ll tell you how to find your customers and what makes them tick, plus I’ll share actionable social media strategies for busy sellers (and aren’t we all?). I’ll also explain how to use social media to save on eBay fees.
Day 3 also features a session with Andrea Zwibelman, General Manager of eBay Deals. Personally, I’m interested to see if it’s made public what sellers qualify for this program and how to apply.
In addition, there will be virtual eBay Booths offered every day of eBay Open Online.
Each booth will showcase key selling topics such as packing and shipping, Government Relations/eBay Main Street, Promoted Listings, and more. If you’ve got questions, eBay Booths are where you can go for answers.
eBay is pulling out all the stops for eBay Open Online.
So take advantage of the opportunities it offers. Treat this virtual conference as you would a live event, minus the need to pack a suitcase and the cost of a hotel room and airfare. Dress comfortably, and keep your beverage(s) of choice (coffee, water, etc.) handy. Have a notebook and pen or note-taking app ready, so that you can take notes during the various sessions.
Grab my freebie tips sheet to help you maximize your eBay Open Online attendance and results!
Download your free eBay Open Seller Success Checklist!
Pick my brain! I’ve attended and presented at many top eBay and eCommerce events over the years. In attending such conferences I always brain storm with successful sellers. How do they prepare to attend online and in person events? What works to extract great takeaways that they can immediately put to use?
I put the best tips I know that rev-up attendance at online conferences into my “Seller Success Checklist for eBay Open Online 2021!”
This awesome check list is my gift to you. Be sure to get yours HERE.
These three short days will be here before you know it, then fly by. And it just won’t be eBay Open Online without you! Start planning now, so you’ll be ready to make the most of it.
by Kathy Terrill | Jun 5, 2021 | eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay
eBay Best Offer can be a highly effective sales conversion tool for sellers.
Using the tips I’ll share, be ready to watch your eBay sales rise! eBay Best Offer can trace its lineage back to the early days of eBay. Back when eBay was still Auction Web, buyers flocked to the unique new site in search of a deal. More than 25 years later, they’re still flocking, and they’re still looking for a deal.
But nowadays, eBay is no longer all about auctions.
In fact, more than 80% of all listings are fixed price. So how can buyers still get that great deal? Two words: Best Offer. I call it the Haggle Feature. Not only is it free and easy to use, but you also can automate it! And it can be the difference between sale and no sale. Have I piqued your interest yet?
Basically, adding the Best Offer option to your fixed price listing is a flag to shoppers that you’re willing to take a bit less than your asking price for that item. In other words, it’s an invitation to haggle. If you’ve ever negotiated a better price at a garage sale or flea market, then you know how it’s done:
1. The would-be buyer makes an offer.
2. The seller either accepts or makes a counteroffer.
3. The buyer either accepts or counters the seller’s counteroffer.
4. Repeat steps #2 and #3 until both parties agree on a price.
That’s haggling for the win-win!
eBay’s Best Offer is designed to work exactly the same way: It’s the online version of haggling.
And it’s a fantastic way to boost your sales!
What You Need to Know to Succeed with eBay Best Offer.
What You Need to Know to Succeed with eBay Best Offer!
Here are three factors you need to keep in mind when adding Best Offer to your listing(s):
- First, price the item 20%-30% above the lowest amount you’re willing to take for it. Don’t be greedy and double that amount, because you may well price yourself right out of the market! Besides, you want the price to be acceptable for people who don’t want to haggle — they just want to buy your item right then and there.
- Second, as you add Best Offer, check to see if you’re offering free shipping on that item. If you are remember to roll the actual cost of shipping the item into the minimum price you’re willing to accept.
- Third, be aware that buyers may find your item via Promoted Listings. Don’t forget to keep that additional fee in mind when calculating an acceptable price.
eBay Best Offer: How to Set It and Forget It!
Now let’s talk automation. When you check the box to add Best Offer to a listing, you’ll see two more checkboxes indented below the Add Best Offer checkbox. These give you the additional options of setting up Auto Accept and/or Auto Decline. Using one of these is a best practice, whereas the other is not. Here’s why.
Adding Auto Accept to Best Offer by checking that box and filling in the lowest price you’re willing to accept is smart.
It means that any offer at that amount or higher will automatically be accepted. That’s a huge timesaver. It’s also a lifesaver. If for some reason you’re offline and don’t see an acceptable offer before it times out, that offer will still be accepted. eBay will automatically inform the buyer and send them an invoice. So add Auto Accept to your Best Offer settings, and you’ll never miss an acceptable offer!
By contrast, adding Auto Decline takes away your ability to counter unacceptable offers.
This is not a good thing. Why? Because it closes the door to the possibility of making that sale, whereas countering even a lowball offer keeps the possibility of a sale in play. Some sellers use Auto Decline because they don’t want to deal with lowball offers. I think this is counterproductive.
Don’t waste time and/or energy being offended by lowball offers!
Put on your business hat. It’s not personal. Maybe the buyer is testing the water, trying to see how low you’ll go. Maybe they’re also a seller and hope to buy the item cheaply enough to flip it themselves. On the other hand, if I’ve had an item listed for a long time without an acceptable offer — or without any offers! — then I may be willing to take a lower offer for it.
So unless you have thousands of identical widgets listed and would be overwhelmed by the day-to-day volume of Best Offers you receive, I don’t recommend using Auto Decline. As a small or medium-size seller, you should be able to field unacceptable offers manually by countering them as they come in.
You can do so using standardized discounts or by calculating the acceptable discount on a case-by-case basis. You can also do a mixture of both: Use percentages as guidelines. Then follow your gut as to the exact amount of any given counteroffer. For example, did the buyer offer $10 for your $24.99 item? Maybe they like round numbers, so counter at, say, $20.
Meanwhile, for more pro tips on using Best Offer, keep reading.
Best Practices for Success with Best Offer!
Please note that eBay gives both buyer and seller the option of adding a note to their Best Offer. Don’t pass up the chance to make a sales pitch! Open by thanking the buyer for their offer, then close with a call to action asking for the sale. Here’s a sample of a note you might write.
“Thank you very much for your offer. I can come down to $X (Y% off). Item is hard to find and in excellent condition. I hope we can make a deal!” Keep your preferred verbiage in a text document (ideally along with other boilerplate verbiage) so that you can simply copy and paste it. Then fill in the appropriate numbers and send your counteroffer.
Best Offer is a powerful sales tool for sellers. It’s an opportunity to dialogue with a potential shopper. Don’t overlook Best Offer’s no cost “Auto Accept” feature that can effortlessly score you sales.
eBay’s “Best Offer, a.k.a the “haggle feature” can help you move inventory, score sales and delight shoppers!
Now that’s a winning combination!
by Kathy Terrill | Apr 9, 2021 | eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay
eBay Gen Z sellers and shoppers love sustainable commerce.
They come to sell and stay to shop eBay’s vast array of unique and pre-owned goods.
First, let’s define Gen Z. Colloquially known as Zoomers, Generation Z is the demographic cohort that follows Millennials. It’s the generation coming of age as young adults in the second decade of the 21st century — basically, those born between 1997-2015. Gen Zers are focused on sustainable commerce and getting great deals.
How do I know that Gen Z is shopping on eBay?
Because eBay CEO Jamie Iannone tells me so in his recent Recommerce Report. It says, “According to eBay’s survey, globally, 46% of sellers aged 18 to 24 sold pre-owned goods for financial benefit, with 64% saying that they’re selling more than they did in previous years.”
These socially responsible, value-oriented young consumers come to eBay to make money selling — and then they stay to shop. eBay found that Gen Z is also buying more pre-owned goods than other generations: 81% of 18- to 24-year-olds say that buying pre-owned has become more common in the past year.
So how can you, as an eBay seller, use this information?
eBay Gen Z shoppers loves to buy clothing, and they especially love athleisure clothing. Defined as “casual, comfortable clothing designed to be suitable both for exercise and everyday wear”, athleisure encompasses casual tops, yoga pants, leggings of all lengths, shorts, track pants and jackets, sweatpants, sneakers, and other easygoing styles that can be worn from the gym to the office to happy hour.
In short, athleisure ensembles combine fashion and function. That makes them a perfect fit for Gen Zers’ fast-paced, health-conscious lifestyles.
Where can you source athleisure gear? Everywhere! Check out:
- Your closet
- Friends and family
- Yard sales
- Thrift shops
- Consignment stores
- Brick-and-mortar retailers, including outlet malls (look at what’s on clearance; also, does the store have coupons?)
- Online retailers, including eBay and other marketplace sites
Here are some of the most popular (and saleable!) brands:
- Adidas
- Alo Yoga
- Athleta
- Beyond Yoga
- Champion
- Converse
- Fabletics
- Girlfriend Collective
- Lululemon
- Nike
- Outdoor Voices
- Patagonia
- Public Rec
- Reigning Champ
- Rhone
- Ten Thousand
- Under Armour
- Yohgi Yamamoto
How to source what eBay Gen Z shoppers buy!
Pro tip: Always use eBay’s Advanced Search and Terapeak to check sold prices for the exact size and type of athleisure you’re selling. That can mean the difference between making a profit and losing your shirt!
When you’re ready to list your athleisure finds, use the proven tips in my free guide eBay Listings That Sell! to help your items sell fast and for top dollar.
eBay Listings That Sell Free Guide!
Now get busy shopping and selling!
by Kathy Terrill | Mar 6, 2021 | eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay
eBay sellers are on the lookout to create consistent eBay sales power.
Creating consistent eBay sales power!
To begin, strong sales on eBay are always a goal for sellers. Generating consistent eBay sales is essential to running a healthy online business. So, right now a key to steady sales for eBay sellers, is understanding structured data. “But Kathy,” you say, “I’ve heard a lot of buzz about structured data, but what exactly is it, and why should I care?”
Let’s answer those questions in reverse order.
I will start with why you care about structured data. In words of one syllable: more sales! Now keep that in mind while I explain eBay structured data.
Simply put, structured data is what search engines utilize to understand the contents of a web page, such as one of your listings on eBay. It’s a standardized format. It provides information about what’s on a web page, or in this case, in your listing. The item specifics for that listing represent one example of structured data.
Here’s how it works:
Search engines are powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The searches themselves are driven by the engine. The search engine is governed by search algorithms and carried out by search bots known as web crawlers, a.k.a. spiders.
Search algorithms tell these web-crawling bots what to search for. Furthermore structured data provides a trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow. If you don’t fill out your listing’s item specifics, you starve those poor spiders .They will search elsewhere for listings with more nourishing content.
So I have three words of advice for you:
Feed the spiders! But instead of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, think title, item specifics, and description. All three areas of an eBay listing feed Cassini (eBay’s search engine). Your eBay listings requires essential data for its spiders to gobble up. Ditto for Google Search’s spiders.
Let’s start with item specifics. Fill them in, please! What are the default options provided by eBay? What are your choices?
Furthermore, the more item specifics you can fill in, the better.
The terms you use to do so comprise a type of standardized information called attributes: for example, brand, size, color, pattern, etc. They help describe your item not only to potential buyers, but also to the search engines that will surface your listing for that item in search results so that buyers can find it.
Other forms of structured data in your eBay listings include condition, price, item location, and features as well as payment and shipping information.
What makes structured data so crucial to eBay right now is at the heart and root of what eBay CEO Jamie Iannone calls “a tech-led reimagination of eBay” — and that’s not just a catchphrase, it’s a mission statement.
Basically, eBay is trying to find better ways to catalog thousands upon millions of items into four or so best options for sellers.
For buyers, current and future technologies such as voice shopping, augmented reality (AR), and virtual shopping will lean heavily on structured data. Cassini already depends upon it when calculating which listings should be included in search results and how they should be ranked.
So if you want to continue (or start!) succeeding on eBay, get acquainted with structured data.
Freebie Guide -eBay Listings That Sell!.
It’s your new best friend. Feed Cassini’s search spiders well for your listings to be ranked higher in search. Rank better in search and be found by more shoppers. More buyers translates into more sales, which in turn will bring you higher profits.
In closing, to learn more about using structured data in your listings on eBay, check out my YouTube video Big Money on eBay for This! Then download your complimentary copy of my free guide eBay Listings That Sell! It features more than 7 pages chock-full of pro tips. Furthermore, the free guide is loaded with proven strategies that will pay off for your business on eBay.
eBay Listings That Sell Free Guide!
With the pro tips in eBay listings that sell, you’re optimized for more eBay sales!
by Kathy Terrill | Jan 30, 2021 | eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay
It’s 2021 and a brand-new eBay selling year.
Tips for 2021 and successful eBay selling!
But many of 2020’s same old challenges linger on. So how do you prepare your business on eBay for the unknowns that lie ahead??
Let’s break down eBay selling into two manageable concerns:
First, we’ll talk about inventory. Because without inventory, you’re basically out of business. Second, we’ll look at ways to get sold items safely to your buyer. Because if you can’t do that, then again, you’re basically out of business.
But here’s the good news: As an online retailer, you’re always open on eBay! And I’m going to share with you my proven, actionable strategies for addressing your concerns about inventory and shipping, so you may rest assured that your business can indeed not only stay afloat, but thrive this year!
Let’s talk product sourcing in 2021.
How and where can you find new merchandise with which to stock your eBay store’s virtual shelves?
Sure, many brick-and-mortar retailers have closed up shop. That doesn’t mean you have to! No matter how and where you acquire your inventory, it’s always smart to be alert for and test new sources.
For example, do you thrift? Great! But have you tried retail arbitrage? That’s where you buy merchandise at brick-and-mortar stores, then flip it on eBay. Opportunities for retail arbitrage abound, from NWT clothing on clearance to health and beauty products with limited nationwide availability to marked-down seasonal décor and a gazillion other possibilities.
If you already do retail arbitrage for your eBay selling, have you tried online arbitrage?
That’s where you find merchandise on eBay and/or other ecommerce sites that you can buy at a low enough price to allow you to mark it up and resell it on eBay for a profit. My video Score Hot Selling eBay Inventory has some super ideas for you in this area.
Two eBay sourcing pro tips:
Look for eBay listings with misspelled brand names.
Sort search results by “Ending Soonest” and look for undervalued items, especially in auction listings.
Don’t forget about wholesale! With many wholesale shows now taking place online, this could be the perfect year for you to try sourcing some wholesale lines.
Remember: Multi-quantity/multi-variation listings only have to be created once to run for months as GTC (Good ‘Til Cancelled), and they’ll move up in search results with every item sold from that listing. It’s much less labor intensive than listing one-off items, which (obviously) end each time the item sells.
So consider complementing your one-of-a-kind inventory with a commodity product — or two!
Now let’s consider shipping. You probably have a favorite carrier, or at least one that you use more than others.
That’s fine, but do keep an eye on what the other carriers offer. In addition to their discounted USPS rates, eBay has partnered up with UPS and FedEx. It pays to compare prices to ensure you’re making smart choices about how to ship your sold items!
However you’re shipping, be sure you have a backup provider.
eBay Labels is pretty reliable, but should it go down or get glitchy, you’d best be prepared to turn to an alternative source for generating your shipping labels and packing slips.
I have an account with Stamps.com for this very reason. Did you know that Stamps.com offers a free account for eBay sellers? Yes, FREE! All you have to pay for is the postage you purchase, and Stamps.com offers the same discounted rates as eBay.
If you’re shipping globally, you may want to start using eBay’s Global Shipping Program (GSP) and International Standard Delivery (eISD) exclusively. These shipping services offer special protections for sellers. Furthermore, eISD is cheaper than USPS First Class International.
One thing is certain: 2021 is fraught with uncertainty.
Get ready now, so that when the curve balls come your way, you’re ready to knock ‘ em out of the park!
Top 2 keys eBay sales success in 2021!
