How to Open an eBay Storefront

Updated · Mar 04, 2023

eBay is among the world's most popular marketplaces for buying and selling products. With millions of users, it offers an opportunity for everyone to find what they're looking for. 

It's easy to start your own store on eBay too-here are some steps you should follow!

Some Things to Consider First

Before getting into the creation of the storefront proper, there are a couple of things you need to consider first.

Good planning leads to a better outcome, overall.

So here’s what you should think about when opening an eBay store.

Time and Money

First, consider how much time and money you are willing to invest in your business. eBay Stores require work, so be prepared to devote time each week to manage your store. 

You will also need to invest in marketing efforts to get people interested in your products.

Fees

Second, be aware of the fees associated with starting an eBay business and running it.

There is a monthly fee for all stores, as well as a fee for each item listed. Additionally, you will need to pay for any advertising or marketing efforts you undertake.

Products

Third, decide what you’ll be selling. It is important to think about what people in your area are interested in.

Consider what items you would be interested in buying if you were looking for something online.

You can also browse the eBay marketplace for inspiration.

Store Name

Four, choosing a name. One of the most important decisions you will make when opening an eBay shop is choosing a name for your business. 

Your store name will be displayed on all of your listings, so it is important to choose something that represents your brand and is easy to remember.

When choosing a name for your store, be sure to keep the following in mind:

  • The name should be easy to remember and spell
  • The name should be unique and not already taken
  • The name should reflect the type of products you sell

Pricing

When pricing your items, consider what you are selling and how much it costs you to produce. 

You also want to be competitive with other sellers on the eBay marketplace. When setting prices, aim to make a profit, but also keep in mind that you want to sell items quickly.

You can always adjust your prices as needed.

Target Audience 

To reach your target audience you must market your eBay store in the right places. 

You can advertise on websites and in magazines, or you can place ads on search engines like Google and Yahoo. 

You can also use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote your eBay store.

However, don’t go all guns blazing on all fronts. Choose a medium or two and concentrate your marketing efforts there. The choice is tied directly to the nature of your target audience - what is their preferred medium?

It’s also a good idea to do some keyword research to see what people are looking for, so you can tailor your descriptions to match.

Profile Maintenance 

When it comes to maintaining a good profile on eBay, there are a few key things to keep in mind.

First, put the effort to respond to customer inquiries in a timely manner. 

This will help you build trust with your customers and show that you are invested in your business.

Second, build your logistics and inventory management to ship orders quickly and pack them securely. This will ensure that your customers are happy with their purchase and more likely to return in the future and give you a good eBay seller rating.

Third, price your items competitively. This will help you sell more products and increase your profits.

Fourth, keep your inventory up-to-date. This will help buyers find the products they are looking for and make it easier for them

How To Start an eBay Business

Now that you know a little more about what is involved in opening a store on the platform, let's walk through the steps you need to take to get started:

Step 1: Set Up Your Account 

Create an eBay account if you don't have one already. You can do this by clicking "register" at the top left corner of any page.

You'll need to provide information about yourself, including your email address or phone number so that eBay can contact you later with instructions on how to verify your identity through other means.

Step 2: Choose a Selling Plan

You need a selling plan in order to become an eBay seller.

The selling plan you choose will dictate how many items you can list, the eBay fees, etc. It’s quite in-depth so we’ve dedicated a section to it below. 

Step 3: Create Your First Listing

Now, decide what products you want to sell on eBay. There are several ways that you can provide information for each of your items:

Click "sell yours" and then click "create a listing" if you want to enter information manually. 

Use eBay's inventory list feature if you already have a spreadsheet of products that you're selling. You can list using the app which syncs with your current listings and automatically updates prices and quantities on all devices for an easy eBay store setup.

For each item, fill in the necessary information:

  • Item condition: Create a condition title (e.g. "new") and fill in the item details (e.g. "Used book")
  • Starting price: Set a starting price for your listings
  • Buy it now option: Select this option if you want to sell immediately after users click on “buy it now” or get them to make an offer.
  • Quantity: Set the quantity to indicate how many you have available.
  • Duration: Enter the time you want to list your product for on your eBay store. You can choose 3, 5, 7, or 10 days or 30 days as your listing duration. If you don't select a duration yourself eBay will automatically set it
  • Shipping and payment details: Fill in the necessary information about shipping and payments. Specify if you are willing to ship internationally.

Step 4: List all of your products 

Finally, list all the products that you want to sell on eBay by clicking "sell yours" and then "add a listing". If you're selling multiple items at once, don't worry, you can create bulk listings later on too! 

Remember that your eBay business listings will appear in search results and other users can find them. So, make sure you're accurate and clear when filling out the necessary information.

Step 5: Make your listings stand out 

The exposure of your listings play a big part in attracting buyers to your store.

Through eBay's Promoted Listings feature, which allows you to highlight certain listings at an extra cost, you can make your product stand out in search results. 

You can also customize the appearance of your storefront's header and footer to personalize it.

There aren’t any eBay templates to speak of, so you’ll need to make your store stand out in terms of its copy, and pricing. 

Choosing a Subscription Plan

eBay offers a few different subscription plans for sellers. 

Starter

This is the cheapest plan at $4.95 and allows you 250 fixed price listings or auction listings, with a 30c insertion fee for additional listings. 

Basic

This is a solid way to first open a store on eBay. This plan is $21.95 and allows for 1,000 fixed price listings, 250 auction listings, and a 25c insertion fee. 

It also offers final lower value fees, a free subscription to Teraspeak Sales Insights tool and $25 of eBay branded shipping supplies a year. 

Premium

This plan is $59.95 and lets you list 10,000 fixed price listings, 500 auction listings, and 10c/15c insertion fees for additional fixed/auction listings. 

It also includes everything from the previous plan and $50 of eBay branded shipping supplies a year. It’s the first step to building a big eBay store.

Anchor

This is for high volume users and costs a weighty $299.95 a month for 25,000 fixed price listings, 1,000 auctions, and a 5c/10c insertion fee for additional fixed/auction listings. 

It features everything from the previous plans, $150’s worth of branded eBay supplies, and dedicated customer support.

Enterprise

This is the ultimate plan for, as the name suggests, Enterprises. It’s $2999.95 a month for 100,000 fixed listings with a 5c additional listing fee, and 2,500 auction listings with a 10c additional listing fee. It includes all the extras of the previous plan.

This will allow you to create the best eBay store possible. However, unless you have a well-established business and are expanding into eBay, it's wise to start smaller.

Calculating eBay business fees

When you're calculating eBay fees, there are a few things you need to know. The first step is to determine the category of your product. You can find this by looking at the eBay Product Classification guide.

Once you've determined the category of your product, you need to calculate the insertion fee. This is a fee that you pay each time you list an item on eBay. The fee is based on the category of your product, as well as the starting price and duration of the listing.

If your product sells, you'll also have to pay a final value fee.

You’ll need to pay to keep your store running, not just when starting an eBay store. This fee is a percentage of the total amount of sales income, including taxes.

There are several other fees that you'll need to keep track of, including the PayPal fee (if applicable) and any shipping costs. 

Make sure that you take all of these into account when determining how much you can sell your product for so that you don't lose money on the final price.

Now that you know how to calculate eBay fees, you can start selling your products with confidence. Keep in mind the different fees that you'll have to pay, and make sure that you price your items accordingly.

Selling on eBay can be a great way to make some extra money, but it's important to understand well the expenses it involves. 

Wrap Up

So, now you know how to open an eBay storefront, you just need to follow these easy steps! It's a great way to get started with your own online store and begin making some extra money. 

Don't forget that by using the Promoted Listings feature, you can ensure that your products are seen by more buyers. So good luck and happy selling!

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Garan van Rensburg
Garan van Rensburg

Garan is a writer interested in how tech reshapes the environment, and how the environment reshapes tech. You'll usually find him inoculating against future shock and arguing with bots.