eBay internation seller- tips

the_matrix

evening all

i want to try my hand at ebaying. i think i have found a niche in another country. whats the best way - i've never done it before.

1. general ebay tips?
2. postage?
3. insurance?
4. what if they say they didn't get item?
5. services other than royal mail?
6. courier services?

thanks :beer:

johnnyboyrebel

the_matrix wrote: »

evening all

i want to try my hand at ebaying. i think i have found a niche in another country. whats the best way - i've never done it before.

1. general ebay tips?
2. postage?
3. insurance?
4. what if they say they didn't get item?
5. services other than royal mail?
6. courier services?

thanks :beer:

I can only speak from an Amazon background but guess some of your questions are related to Amazon.

Depending on what the product is then I would suggest to always use a courier service (Royal Mail signed for if you must but a courier is much better and in many cases much cheaper) If you are shipping overseas then couriers are recommended.

If customer claims they didn't receive item then you can track it. If it is a low cost item like a CD then obviously a courier probably is not practical due to the low margins so you need to simply accept something has not arrived and send a replacement or refund.

MissGivings_2

the_matrix wrote: »

evening all

i want to try my hand at ebaying. i think i have found a niche in another country. whats the best way - i've never done it before.

1. general ebay tips?
2. postage?
3. insurance?
4. what if they say they didn't get item?
5. services other than royal mail?
6. courier services?

thanks :beer:

Business or private account?
rules are different for business sellers

buy stuff on eBay first to understand how it actually works and you have feedback before you sell.

Read up in 'help topics' on the top right of your eBay pages what a correct return procedure and policy is.

everything is there, buying, selling how to do a return etc
Good Luck

the_matrix

thanks peeps.

i'm thinking of trying ebay and not Amazon. i have a private account and have bought a few things. never sold anything though. i'm going to start off as private. if things go well then business.

i'm thinking of selling lingerie. some people say lingerie is not allowed. others say only if its been used then it not allowed. there's loads of lingerie on ebay.

with royal mail you go to the post office. what happens with couriers? do they have special office / come to your door?

thanks all

soolin

Tips for new sellers here:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1623183

postage for seller protection here:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3146680

Crowqueen

MissGivings wrote: »

Business or private account?
rules are different for business sellers

buy stuff on eBay first to understand how it actually works and you have feedback before you sell.

Read up in 'help topics' on the top right of your eBay pages what a correct return procedure and policy is.

everything is there, buying, selling how to do a return etc
Good Luck

I'm guessing business because to exploit a niche that would be part of the definition of trading as one.

OP - don't forget to register with HMRC and eBay as a business. It is hard work and very demanding - you've got a lot of resources to sift through, a forum post can only do so much. I'd advise using eBay for a bit as a buyer and a private seller and get to grips with the systems first, and then scale up from there.

EDIT: Just thought of something. If the country you have in mind has an eBay site of its own, then look at their site and work your way round their rules and regulations, including any import restrictions and red tape. Whilst many eBay regulations are common to most sites, some restrictions - e.g. the use of Paypal - vary from country to country - for example the US mandates that payments are made electronically but doesn't - and ironically can't - force the acceptance of Paypal exclusively - but in Germany, although plans are afoot I believe to mandate the offering of electronic payments, I did see a forum post suggesting an e-wallet system - like Amazon payments, essentially - may be being trialled there. You will also need to know the local marketplace - e.g. what the buyers in a specific country want to see from a seller - there is no advantage to offering Paypal only as a payment system when that country's buyers prefer to use bank transfer (more people in European countries use it than they do over here).

Just some suggestions. One final point: Your customers ALWAYS come first - and they are human beings - they are an essential part of being in business anywhere - so you need to get to know eBay buying from a customer's perspective first. You need to consider their feelings and what laws exist before you create terms and conditions. I really can't stress this enough as amazingly people tend to forget that money isn't just deposited randomly in people's accounts by eBay and that customers can be put off by a lot of different things in listings that scream I AM TAKING YOU FOR GRANTED.

Really - good luck but it's hard, hard work.

amcluesent

'I want to start an ebay business'

johnnyboyrebel

the_matrix wrote: »

with royal mail you go to the post office. what happens with couriers? do they have special office / come to your door?

thanks all

More often than not, they will collect from you wherever you are. Home, your office/warehouse etc.

There are loads out there. DHL, DPD, TNT.. The more you send, the better the prices you will get. a lot different to Royal Mail in that respect as prices are nearly always negotiable.

soolin

the_matrix wrote: »

thanks peeps.

i'm thinking of trying ebay and not Amazon. i have a private account and have bought a few things. never sold anything though. i'm going to start off as private. if things go well then business.

i'm thinking of selling lingerie. some people say lingerie is not allowed. others say only if its been used then it not allowed. there's loads of lingerie on ebay.

with royal mail you go to the post office. what happens with couriers? do they have special office / come to your door?

thanks all

One other thing, check your costs after all fees against completed prices before you spend a lot of money on stock. There are a lot of Far East sellers now of lingerie who depress the market and a lot of UK discounters. One of our regulars on here is in the market and I know she mentions that ebay is no longer such a viable site for her as it used to be.

MissGivings_2

amcluesent wrote: »

'I want to start an ebay business'

Crowqueen wrote: »

I'm guessing business because to exploit a niche that would be part of the definition of trading as one.

OP said #4 ' i'm going to start off as private. if things go well then business.'

Best plan to start as a private buyer and seller, especially if how eBay works is as yet unknown.:)

soolin

MissGivings wrote: »

OP said #4 ' i'm going to start off as private. if things go well then business.'

Best plan to start as a private buyer and seller, especially if how eBay works is as yet unknown.:)

OP cannot start off though as a private seller if he is a business- it doesn't work that way.

Obviously he can see a few things that he already owns, but the moment he buys to sell, as suggested by the OP he is a business.