Introducing eBay & Amazon: the SME opportunity

Introducing eBay & Amazon:

the SME opportunityDan Wilson

Welcome

• Who am I?

• Who are you?

• Why are we here?

• What do you want to

know?

Some objectives

• Introduce the ecommerce opportunity

• Explore the basics of successful eBay selling

• Look at some tips and tweaks

• Introduce you to Amazon

• Inspire you to take the plunge

The size of Ecommerce

Size of eBay and Amazon

UK ecommerce in 2015 = £53bn

(excludes groceries and holidays)

eBay estimated to = £3.5bn in 2014

18 million monthly buyers

200k business sellers

Amazon: £4.5bn in 2014

estimated 40% from SMEs

Huge opportunity• Ecommerce continues to grow and develop

• It's not to late to get involved

• Key categories seeing huge growth: homewares, pets,

fashions, sporting goods, car accessories.

• International opportunity growing too.

• Flexible business opportunity. Fulfill your personal ambitions

• Low investment start-up, useful new avenue for existing firms.

• The key is getting started.

Where to get started?

• Who is using eBay already?

• Buying is a great way to learn

• Start today. Have a clear out.

• It takes time to build a reputation.

• Feedback and DSRs are vital

A few things to remember

• Mobile

• BIN

• New & In season

• High street names too

• Devices differ

A business-like approach

• It’s not a hobby and discipline pays off

• Have a business plan, however basic

• Consider all the costs inc eBay & PayPal fees

• Be cautious when forecasting sales

• Research the market

Information is power

• Terapeak research tools give vital data

• Competitor analysis

• Selling prices and conversion rates

• Trends over time

• Vital insights when buying stock to sell

• http://www.terapeak.com/resources/guides/guide-for-

new-ebay-sellers/

Best MatchHow people find your products

Best Match Influencers

• Feedback, DSRs and Defects

• Successful sales

• Quality of listing

• Free P&P/Fast & Free

• Auctions treated differently

Feedback and DSRsYour eBay reputation.

The eBay Defects System

• More important than feedback and DSRs

• Focus is on buyer satisfaction and raising

standards

• 2% Defect rate can affect your sales

• Considers emails from buyers chasing orders

Create winning eBay listings that sellMaster the basics and attract buyers

Titles

• 80 characters is your selling headline

• Vital for Best Match search

• Think hard and make them comprehensive

• Be truthful. Use accurate terms including

brands

• Include brief text in your description

Item specifics

• Also vital for search

• Helps people find your items

• Especially vital for commodity items

• Time-consuming but makes a real difference

• Enter in your listing tool or the SYI

Photos really matter

• More important than your written description

• Upload up to 12 per listing for free on eBay

• Crisp, clear, uncluttered

• Well lit, upfussy, focus on the product

• removethebackground.com a useful service

Editing works

eBay picture standards

• Every listing must have a picture

• One side at least 500 pixels

• No graffiti, alerts or branding

Think mobile

At least 40% of eBay sales on mobile

Big ticket buyers

On the move shoppers

Double screeners and Commuters

Check your listings!

eBay surgeryWho already has items up for

sale already on eBay?

My eBayManaging and Monitoring your sales

Monitoring your sales

• Answer emails quickly

• Have you tried a Best Offer?

• What's selling well or not?

• Watchers, views and bids.

• Enjoy it

Completing your transaction

• Send the goods sharpish.

• Include a note

• Good packaging counts

• It's all about your DSRs and feedback

• Satisfy the customer

Dealing with problems

• Returns and refunds

• Buyer fraud

• Lost parcels

• eBay's dispute system

• Be businesslike. Cut your losses.

A few words about stock

• Make informed stock decisions

• Don’t overstock

• Consider varied lines and areas

• The market changes. Prices change.

• Most sales slumps are a result of bad stock.

Couriers and Carriers

• Huge selection out there

• Service varies on service and price

• Most sellers will have a variety of suppliers

• Keep shopping around

• Have a back up service in mind

P&P tips

• There is no need to queue at the Post Office

• Explore Royal Mail's services for collection.

Or the Post Office drop and go deal.

• Remember the couriers: Hermes and Collect

plus

• Offer Free P&P

• Shop around. Do volume deals.

eBay Start-up problems

• eBay selling limits and PayPal limits

• Getting started in search: remember auctions

• Sourcing profitable stock

• Rookie mistakes and defects

Ramping up your eBay sales Useful tools and ideas for growing your sales

Sell more. Sell more efficiently.

Turbo Lister

• Bulk uploader, bulk edit features.

• Reuse your templates.

• Free, use it on your desktop.

• Upgrade to this smartish.

• Doesn't work on Macs.

Selling Manager

• A more sophisticated version of My eBay.

• It's free. Upgrade ASAP.

• Useful tools and services.

• Works very well with Turbo Lister

Selling Manager Pro

• One up from Selling Manager

• Automated feedback and email

• Sales reporting tool

• £4.99 a month

• Worth it for automated feedback alone.

Strive for efficiency

• Understanding the numbers

• Stock discipline

• Planning ahead

• Organised workspace

• The kit for the job

Introducing AmazonGetting started, tools and services, Amazon insights

Amazon• After eBay, the obvious next step

• New goods across a huge spectrum of

sectors

• Third party sellers make up maybe 40% of

sales

• Amazon offer a wide range of selling options

• Lots of sellers happily combine eBay and

Amazon

Getting started on Amazon

• Amazon accredit sellers. Harder to register.

• But an easier channel to manage than eBay

• Start planning when your eBay sales are

ramping up

• Some things work better on Amazon

• The aim is to win the Buy Box

Go Global with Amazon

• UK is a solid Amazon marketplace

• Very easy to internationalise your sales in EU

• Germany and France big markets

• FBA is a great service for Cross border

• Easier than eBay to internationalise listings

Amazon insights

• You're head to head with Amazon

• Pricing really is key - win the buy box.

• Hard to stand out - listings are standard

• Complex and variable category fees. Tough

rules.

• BUT potentially a very lucrative channel

Beyond Amazon and eBayUsing other marketplaces and building your own website

Other marketplaces

• Other marketplaces are available

• Etsy, folksy, rakuten.co.uk, others are emerging

• Tend to be specialist and niche

• Worth exploring once you crack eBay & Amazon

• More will emerge in the future

Your own webstore

• Many sellers want their own ecommerce website

• Plenty of options out there

• Prove your business concept on the marketplaces

• It's an investment of time and money

• Can take time to find traffic and life

Your to-do list

• Start selling now. Have a clear out.

• Can take time to establish an eBay reputation

• Form a plan, source stock to sell.

• Ramp up as soon as you can

• Broaden your horizon to Amazon

FAQs

• What are the fees for eBay selling?

• What can't I sell on eBay?

• When do I start paying tax on my eBay sales?

• What should I sell?

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• email: dan@tamebay.com