Thousands of e-commerce millionaires have been made on eBay, and it’s still the easiest place for anyone to start an e-commerce business. It’s also a great extra outlet alongside your own e-commerce website. Most businesses selling on eBay choose to set up an eBay store.

Advantages when you set up an eBay store

• Lower insertion fees
• Option to create good until cancelled listings
• Access to marketing and sales tools
• Monthly allocation of zero insertion fee listings
• Promotions
• Ability to use vacation mode
• Manage auto feedback
• Increase your branded space on eBay
• Parts compatibility for motor parts sellers

How to set up an eBay store

Setting up an eBay store is very simple. First, if you don’t already have your own product range, you must choose what to sell. Then, if you are not already and eBay member you need to register as one. Simply go to the eBay home page and click on the register link in the top left of the screen. You can sign up to eBay either as an individual or as a business, but if you want to sell professionally and open an eBay store, you need to sign up as a business.

If you already have a personal eBay account, you can change this to a business account and keep any good feedback you already have by going to the ‘my eBay’ section in your account, selecting personal information, account type and editing there to change it to an eBay business account.

Once you’ve signed up, there will be a link in your seller account dashboard prompting you to add your bank account details so that revenue from sales can be paid straight into your bank account.

With your eBay account set up, you are ready to start buying and selling!

If you’ve never used eBay, it’s a good idea first to have a look around and familiarise yourself with the platform before you set up an eBay store. See how people sell things. Note the importance of good photography, detailed descriptions and full category information. Look at your competitors, see how they use listing design and what delivery and returns options they offer. Buy a few inexpensive items. This will help you to get some initial good feedback and help to familiarise you with how the buying process works for your customers on eBay.

Selling Limits

Now you’ve bought a few things and built up some good feedback, you’re ready to list some items! Listing and selling allowances do apply to new accounts to help monitor selling practices, but if you are selling well and getting good feedback, those limits will quickly be lifted. You can find more information on selling limits in this article.

One of the reasons for eBay being such a celebrated disruptor is that people who would not have the capital to open a traditional business can set up an eBay store and start a business without investment. Many of eBay’s most successful sellers have started by selling things from around their own home. Even if you do have capital and stock, it is a good idea to start off by selling a few inexpensive items first. You’ll get positive feedback, learn about the selling process, and make some money while you’re doing it.

Now you have experience of both buying and selling on eBay, some good feedback, you’re ready to set up your eBay store.

There are three types of eBay store in the UK:

Basic Store

Any seller listing more than 80 fixed price items a month should consider a Basic Store, as you get 250 fixed price listings free. It’s an easy-to-use and affordable solution for sellers who are just starting out. One major advantage with an eBay store is that you get your own URL (for example www.stores.ebay.co.uk/yourshopname), so when you set up an eBay store, you can drive buyers directly to your store from your social media or website. You will have your own shopfront where you can add your own branding and logo. You also get access to special promotions for your listings that you can set up in Seller Hub.

Featured Store

If you’re a higher volume seller with more than 600 active listings per month, a Featured Store may be right for you. To open a featured store on eBay, you must be registered as a business seller. With a featured store, you get 1200 fixed price listings and a dedicated customer care team. You also get free international listings to some countries. You now get access to Terapeak Sourcing Insights which can help you find opportunities in different categories and hot products to sell.

Anchor Store

With an anchor store, you get unlimited fixed price listings at no extra cost, a dedicated customer care concierge team, and free international listings to some countries. You can also list a product in two different categories for free. This can be very useful and increase sales if your product fits into more than one category.

There are five types of eBay store in the US:

Starter Store

Best for sellers with not too many listings, you get 250 free auction or fixed price listings a month. As well as this you get your own dedicated store page that you can drive traffic to.

Basic Store

With the Basic Store you get 1,000 free fixed price listings and 250 free auction listings, you also get reduced final value fees and access to Terapeak Sourcing Insights, as well as free vouchers for eBay branded packaging.

Premium Store

The Premium Store gives you 10,000 free fixed price listings and 500 free auction listings, plus extra value of vouchers for packaging.

Anchor Store

Anchor Store gives you 25,000 free fixed price listings and 1,000 auctions, more value of packaging vouchers plus all the previous benefits and dedicated customer support.

Enterprise Store

This level of store comes with a whopping 100,000 free fixed price listings and 2,500 auctions plus all previous benefits.

The fees you will be charged are a major consideration when you set up an eBay store. If you are a seller in the US you can get discounts when store fees are paid annually. Here are all of the current  fees for stores on eBay.co.uk and stores on eBay.com.

When you set up an eBay store, you don’t just benefit from reduced fees; you also benefit from the chance to further brand your business on eBay. The date when you set up an eBay store will determine how much you can customize your eBay storefront. Frooition creates storefront branding to compliment custom branded listing designs. If this is something you are considering, speak to a Frooition eBay expert to find out what is possible for your eBay store.