Due to the current situation, many businesses have experienced a significant loss. But the only business platform which was not affected by this pandemic was the online business. The pandemic and its strict rules to not to go out unnecessarily have made people depend mostly on online purchasing. So if you are planning to start your business online now, this is the time.
You can sell things like clothing, accessories, food, automobiles, groceries, furniture, medicine, cosmetics, toys online. You can sell your products online with the help of various platforms like websites that are already available or you can create your website for your selling purpose. Let us get a detailed look at the possible ways to sell your products online and their benefits.
How to sell online?
Getting started
Before getting to know about selling, you should decide the following things first.
- What kind of product are you going to sell and its features?
- Analyzing the market situation of that product.
- Knowing about your competitors for that product.
- Identifying your customer base.
- Gather resources.
- Brand name.
- Website design.
- Marketing.
- Payment method.
- Shipping and delivery and return process.
- Customer care services.
Where to sell?
Here are two options on where to sell your products.
- Self-hosted platforms.
- Hosted platforms.
Self-hosted platforms
Building your online store or website for your business is called self-hosting. You don’t have to have much technical knowledge to host your website. There are many eCommerce platforms that can design a beautiful and effective website for your business. You just have to choose the right design that provides the features you need for your business.
With self-hosted websites, you have the freedom to choose the designs you need and build your custom design as well. But having your own website comes with its own set of disadvantages like the following.
- Expensive or not cost-effective.
- Maintenance.
- Can be difficult for people with no back end knowledge.
- Spend or make efforts for marketing.
- Have to take care of packing, shipping, delivery, and returns.
Hosted platforms
Hosted platforms are the platforms that you can rent to sell your products. Example – eBay. These platforms are hosted on the server of their owner, and you cannot make any change on design or custom according to your need on these platforms.
Selling on hosted platforms also has its advantages and disadvantages. But if you are new to online business and have little technical knowledge, then selling through hosted platforms will be the best and most effective option for you.
How to sell on eBay?
eBay is a famous hosted platform where you can sell any kind of products other than the restricted products. You can even resell products on eBay. Below given are the steps you should follow to sell your products on eBay.
Create an eBay seller account
There are two options while registering on eBay. You can either choose a personal account or a business account. For business product selling, choose the business account. If you want to sell for one time or resell some products lying around, choose the personal account.
Selling fees structure on eBay
- Insertion fee.
- Value fee.
Insertion fees
They charge an insertion fee when you create a list for your products on eBay. And it varies according to the number of products you list. The insertion fee is non-refundable.
Value fee
The value fee is charged when your listed products begin to move. It varies according to the total amount of sales your product has done and also on the mode of shipment your customers choose.
Product listing
Since you have already chosen the item you are going to sell, the first step in the listing is to take pictures of the products and upload them. Now provide the details such as the product category, brand name, and physical details of the item you are selling. The product description is the next step. Provide a detailed and clear description and include the key selling points.
Payment, shipment, and return policy
Provide payment options, such as online payment or COD. Now choose the modes of shipping such as speed or normal delivery. And finally, provide details about the return policy and its rules.
Benefits of selling online on eBay
- Customer trust.
- Great market place.
- Excellent SEO.
Customer trust
eBay is a famous online selling platform that is known and trusted by everyone. So when you sell your products online, people will buy your product from eBay even if it is not well known.
Great market place
eBay has more than 180 million active users around the world. So once your product is listed on eBay, it is accessible across the world with limitless users.
Excellent SEO
eBay has excellent search engine optimization (SEO). So, people can easily find your products within a few google searches.
