In the wholesale and liquidation market, there are countless outlets through which to conduct your business. While many business owners elect to follow traditional paths by dropshipping products or selling merchandise to small retail chains, there are numerous opportunities to be had online that are often overlooked.
One Internet retailer to seriously consider when selling liquidation and overstock merchandise is eBay. With hundreds of thousands of products for sale, using eBay as a platform is an effective way to increase the profitability of your wholesale business while promoting expansion and growth.
Of course, selling on eBay is not simple. It requires research, effort and a lot of planning. With so many companies and individuals already using eBay, finding out what works for your business can be difficult. However, we’ve compiled some of the most basic tips and tricks to help get your wholesale business on eBay started on the right foot.
Find a Niche for Your Business
If you’re thinking of expanding your business into a more streamlined Internet market, eBay is a great option for you. With loyal customers who search the website for the right deals everyday, your business can greatly benefit by functioning on this platform.
The mistake that many wholesalers make when beginning their eBay ventures is not taking the appropriate length of time to determine a profitable niche for their business. However, there are steps that you can take to avoid this costly misstep.
The first thing to do when considering selling on eBay is to brainstorm all possible niche markets that you can supply merchandise for. There is no need for this to be a one-category venture, but you will often find that many niches are already heavily saturated, making business difficult. When you have thought of between five and ten markets that you can serve, you can begin thinking of what products you regularly sell and can secure inventory in to make a profit.
If you’re unsure of what markets will be the most profitable for your business, fear not. Searching sold listings for products that you’re interested in selling within your niche is always helpful to get a realistic idea of how much you can sell an item for and how frequently that item sells. Of course, this takes time and persistence, but with the right amount of effort, you will be able to find a niche, or many niches, that you can use for your wholesale eBay business.
Avoid Selling Popular Products
Another key factor to remain mindful of when selecting your niche markets is to avoid popular products at all costs. You want your wholesale business to be indispensable for customers, offering either products that can be difficult to find or products that are simple to find but next-to-impossible to purchase at prices you can offer.
Popular products are commonly sold by big companies, making it extremely time-consuming and frustrating to attempt to sell these products regularly and for the price that you want. Avoid the hassle of this competition by seeking out a relatively unpopulated niche, meaning that your product, regardless of season or price, is always in demand.
How to Make Margins and Pricing Work for You
One of the main secrets of wholesale success on eBay is by purchasing large quantities of products that you know will sell over time. You can achieve this luxury by either testing smaller amounts of a product over a significant period of time or by thoroughly researching your niche to see the success of others.
Of course, there are liquidation and closeout suppliers, like H & J Liquidators and Closeouts, Inc., that allow you to purchase products by the case or by the pallet for the same price. This makes it much simpler to test out a product, ensuring that it sells regularly and for the right price to make you a profit.
Increase Your Sales by Offering Free Shipping Without Losing Money
Countless studies have been performed that all indicate the effect that free shipping can have on a business. While many businesses offer free shipping just a few times a year, you can now offer free shipping indefinitely while building these costs into the prices of your products.
However, this is sometimes easier said than done. If you are selling within an eBay niche that is relatively sparse, you won’t have a problem raising your prices slightly to offset offering free shipping to customers. If you’re attempting to sell within a niche that is more saturated, it can be costly for your business to increase prices, even slightly.
The studies also indicate that even if prices are slightly higher, many customers will opt to pay extra money for a product rather than paying for the shipping expenses. This necessitates testing whether or not raising prices to offer free shipping within certain eBay markets will affect your business. However, with research indicating over a 10% increase in sales when companies offer free shipping, it can be worth the effort to see if this tactic will pay off.
Managing Customer Service Inquiries With Ease
Many businesses avoid selling on platforms like eBay because they believe that data entry, managing customer service inquiries and research will consume a significant amount of time that they simply can’t personally handle without outside help. While this can be true, there are inexpensive options available to help manage your company’s eBay platform.
More than ever before, many wholesale companies are able to grow into new markets with the aid of a virtual assistant, or VA. A VA is beneficial because they can respond to any customer questions, list your auctions and help you manage the way in which you run your business on eBay. In fact, paying a VA just to handle your eBay business is the most beneficial step you can take for your business, as you will have someone that is heavily invested in the success of the platform.
This allows you to no longer use time management as an excuse limiting the reach of your wholesale business. Additionally, a VA doesn’t have to be a costly additional expense, as many can work during specified hours that you provide at a rate that you approve, meaning that you can custom-tailor their work to suit your needs.
Make eBay Work for Your Company
If you’re actively seeking new selling platforms, consider eBay as one market in which you can sell your wholesale and liquidation merchandise at higher prices than you can when you sell in bulk.
By doing so, you can expand the reach of your business, effectively growing your brand as well. Find your niche and get started on eBay today for growth potential that is almost impossible to find through other means.