Starting an eBay Shoe Business
eBay is an online auction house which allows users to list new and used goods for sale. Products can be listed for sale at a fixed price or in an auction style format. The auction style format allows customers to bid on an item, which can increase the final sale price.
There are about two million customers on eBay and roughly eight hundred thousand sellers. eBay reaches customers all over the world, which makes it an ideal platform for starting a business.
Using eBay to start a shoe business is an efficient way to begin your own company. eBay is inexpensive to use and eliminates the overhead of a storefront or need to manage your own website.
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Things You'll Need
- Shoe supplier
- Paypal account
- Shipping boxes
- Shipping tape
- Internet connection
- Computer
Instructions
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Find a shoe supplier. You can choose to sell new shoes or resell used shoes.
If you choose to sell new shoes, there are websites online that sell name brand shoes in bulk at wholesale prices. You can choose your supplier based upon which brands and designers they have available. Look for names which are in high demand.
Vintage and gently used shoes can be purchased at secondhand stores such as Goodwill or Salvation Army. The money goes to a good cause and the prices are well below market. Shoes in good condition can be resold on eBay at market price.
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Register with eBay. Type www.ebay.com into your web browser. Click on "Sell" in the upper right-hand corner of eBay's home page. This will take you to a screen with a banner labeled "Cash in!" Click on the banner. On the left-hand side of the screen there will be a box with a button labeled "Register." Click on that button. This will take you to an online form. The form will ask you for personal information and it will also ask for your PayPal information. You will receive an email confirmation when your registration is complete.
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Log into eBay. Click on the button in the upper right-hand corner labeled "Sell." This will give you a drop-down menu. The second choice is "eBay Stores." Click on that link. This will take you to a screen that allows you to open an eBay Store.
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Choose your listing format. You will have two choices for your auction listings. You can either list your shoes at a fixed price, or put them up for auction, which allows bidders to determine the price. Auctions are the fastest way to sell your shoes. Fixed price listings will stay on eBay until a buyer who is willing to pay the list price comes along. It is up to you to decide if you want a high-unit volume business or if you prefer to wait for higher individual sales. In general, sellers who use auction style listings have higher sales numbers than sellers who prefer fixed price listings.
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Create your auction listings. You will need to take photographs of the shoes you wish to sell. It is important to take multiple pictures so that customers are able to see the shoes from multiple angles. You can take photographs of the front, back, sole and sides of the shoe. If you are selling vintage or used shoes, make sure you take additional pictures of any damage to the shoes.
You will need to write a description of the shoes you are selling. Include references to current fashion trends in your listings to make the shoes more desirable to customers. If there is any damage to the shoes make sure you explain it in the description.
When you price your shoes, take into account what you paid for them and what similar shoes are selling for on the eBay site. If you are using auction-style listings, price your shoes a few dollars below what you think they should sell for. This will create excitement among bidders, which will help your items attract bids up to the price you are looking for. For fixed price listings, input the price at which you want to sell the shoes.
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Show good customer service. Customers may email you with questions or concerns regarding products you have listed on eBay. Answer all emails within 24 hours to show customers that you are a reliable seller. Always keep your tone positive; after all, you are asking customers to buy your items.
Ship items on the next business day after receiving payment from the customer. Customers will give you higher ratings on your feedback score when you ship right away. Always thank your customers after they pay and let them know when you will be shipping the shoes to them.
Customers will fill out a questionnaire about the transactions they had with you after the sale is complete. It is important to have good communication with your clients in order to ensure they give you positive feedback. Future customers may see your feedback scores from previous transactions, and this may influence whether or not they bid on or buy your items.
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Tips & Warnings
You can start selling shoes on eBay as an individual seller without a store. This is a good way to start selling on eBay if you are not sure how many pairs of shoes you will sell in one month. Consider opening an eBay store after you have been selling for approximately one month. Your monthly sales volume as an individual seller will help you choose the size of store that you need for your business.
Offer free shipping! Customers love this feature, and auctions that offer free shipping tend to sell at higher price points.
Make sure your shoe supplier is selling you authentic products. You do not want to get caught selling illegal replicas. The Better Business Bureau can help you check out a supplier's reputation.
Do not accept cash or checks. The safest form of payment for both buyers and sellers is PayPal.
Never complete the transaction outside of eBay. If you sell an item outside of the site, you will not be protected under eBay's seller's protection policy. Politely inform any customer who asks you to complete a sale outside of eBay that you cannot do so.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit shoes image by max blain from Fotolia.com
