Advantages You Have Over High Street Retailers on eBay

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Major retailers are increasingly making secondary ecommerce income streams for themselves via the big two online marketplaces, Amazon and eBay. For those selling new products, they might think that this puts them at a disadvantage.

How is someone like you going to get a sale, when you're up against Debenhams or Argos or ELC? On eBay? Well it just so happens that you have quite a bit more freedom than they do.

1. Photography

While the stores you're competing against may have lovely brand-supplied, modelled photos with a white backdrop, they general all work from the same pool of 1-5 images from a rigid number of angles. For clothing and shoes, this can mean that the details aren't shown off properly. This is where you come in and outdo the competition.

2. Time

The retailers you're competing against are working against the clock to bang out listing after listing. They haven't got time to adjust things, because there's more stock incoming. You, however, have the time to make sure that a handful of listings are bang-on, and are better than the rest.

3. Titles

Brands may restrict the wording that retailers are allowed to market their products as. As you're out of that word – filled with unnecessary restrictions – you can keyword stuff those listing titles, to ensure you get the sale you deserve.

4. Price

The stores selling via eBay may have to list items at a particular price until their company agrees to run a promotion. Until that point, feel free to undercut the bigger brand by a penny, and claim the sales that they would have got.

5. Descriptions

I personally believe these to be the most underrated part of eBay. You can be as creative as you like with listing descriptions. The retailers you're against need brand approval to change a single word in product descriptions.

6. Personality

Write fun descriptions. They pull the people in, and help you to convert. The other have to stick to brand guidelines, or exact wording of concessions.

7. Perception

Those that buy new items on eBay are usually hoping to get a better deal than elsewhere. As this is the case, potential impulse buyers may skip over the professional-looking listings for yours, even if you're selling at RRP.

8. In-person collection

A time and cost saver for many, being able to do this means you're actually adding value to the products you're selling. It's especially helpful if you sell pricier items.