WORKING WITH EBAY & AMAZON 51
usually just goes for whoever has the lowest price. “eBay is also very price driven, but
there are more opportunities to allow your brand to shine and encourage buyers to go with you over others. For instance, you have a whole page for each product, which you can style to match your branding.” While eBay does indeed allow
sellers to put more personality into their listings, the Amazon Marketplace style is generally quicker and more convenient. All Marketplace listings are incorporated into Amazon’s regular product pages, so there is no need to spend time typing up product descriptions or taking photos – all the hard work has already been done for you. Adding a product is as simple as entering the EAN barcode number and setting your price.
same item to the same customers – this is all well and good if you can buy at a better price. But 30 people trying to compete on the same item is just going to create a price war and that is not good for business. “The key is to be versatile and offer
different products or more niche, specific items. Why compete with these sellers who set their prices so low? Find something different and move onto the next product or craze.” Middleton also thinks having a
physical store could give a crucial advantage over internet-only retailers: “If you have your own stores in high- volume footfall areas you get a feel for what people are looking for. This is something you can’t get from online – people do not email and ask questions about lines you don’t stock.” Aside from product selection, Middleton says that good pictures,
We sell literally hundreds of thousands of toys. Our business model is simply to be on the ball, look at what’s available and try to offer something different. David Middleton, Midco
Anecdotally, retailers report that
Amazon buyers generally pay a higher price for the same product. Midco Toys is one retailer which has
had great success selling toys via these online markets. Boasting three bricks and mortar shops in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, Midco owner David Middleton started his business selling on toys on eBay. Today, the firm has an entire warehouse dedicated to packing orders received via internet selling platforms. “We sell literally hundreds of
thousands of toys using various platforms throughout the year,” explains Middleton. “Our business model is simply to be on the ball, look at what’s available and try to offer something different. There are a lot of people online trying to sell the
descriptions, feedback and reputation “are all critical things” when selling in this environment. To ensure repeat business on eBay
Midco spares no expense when it comes to customer service, offering the fastest available shipping and making sure the warehouse is manned 24 hours a day, so someone is always available to respond to customer emails and calls. If a stubborn line still refuses to
sell after heavy discounting then you can usually find a home for it online. “Because you are appearing in front
of such a large customer base, there is going to be someone somewhere who will want that product. There have been lines we have struggled with in the shops which we have been able to clear online in days.”
LISTINGS
The two main ways of listing are auctions and Buy it Now.
Most retailers will find the Buy it Now format the most useful as it allows for multiple units of stock to be sold within the same listing.
Auctions are the best option for unique or rare items.
LISTINGS / SELLING
Fonts, pictures and colours can be easily customised and HTML (the fundamental web coding language) can be incorporated into listings, so there are really no limits when it comes to customising the way an item’s page looks.
There are a number of options eBay sellers can use to highlight and feature items. From £14.99 a month, sellers can open an eBay Shop.
eBay offers a much greater level of listing customisation than Amazon.
FEES
All eBay listings are subject to an insertion fee, except auctions starting below 99 pence.
eBay takes 10 per cent of the final selling price, up to a limit £40.
RETURNS POLICY
Sellers can chose to operate their own returns policy.
POSTAGE COSTS
Postage can be set – but eBay has started to punish those who charge over the odds and now promotes items with free shipping.
PAYMENTS
eBay sellers can elect to receive payments via PayPal, bank transfer, cheque or postal order. However buyers are more inclined to pay with PayPal.
PayPal (an eBay subsidiary) charges 3.4 per cent plus 20 pence on withdrawals under £1,500.
Amazon Payments deposits your money into your account at regular intervals, automatically, with no withdrawal fees taken.
Amazon calculates postage and charges the customer on your behalf.
Amazon Marketplace sellers are required to agree to a set returns policy.
Listing on Amazon doesn’t cost you a penny until your item sells.
Amazon takes a fee of 15 per cent of the sale on most items, including toys.
Although Amazon is less customisable, it makes up for it in being faster to use. As all Marketplace listings are incorporated in regular product pages, all sellers need to do is identify which item they want to sell and the description and pictures are already there.
In order to sell unique items and add your own pictures and item descriptions you must upgrade to a Pro Seller account, which costs £28.75 per month, currently.
Fixed-price only, but prices can be adjusted
Amazon Marketplace listings are promoted within regular product pages.
Unlike eBay, listings can last indefinitely on Amazon, so it doesn’t require as much upkeep. Action is only usually required once an order has been made.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250