Today, anyone who wants to start an e-commerce business can open an eBay store. It does not require an upfront investment. But the first thing you need to know about is eBay’s monthly selling limits. eBay charges a monthly fee for the number of items placed in your store.
The fee depends on the price of your goods and the period when the listings are published on eBay. An eBay store is not much different from a regular online store. The only difference is that you are tied to the eBay marketplace and must follow specific rules. So an eBay store is the best start for business online.
Our article will talk how to increase the eBay selling limits. If you are interested in this topic, keep reading!
eBay monthly selling limits: what are they and how to get around them?
Let’s answer the main question. Whatever one may say, e-commerce is built on trust between the supplier of goods and his buyer. It is an essential part of any deal. Every seller wants the buyer to come back again and again. eBay provides an excellent opportunity for sellers to demonstrate the reliability and integrity of their business, thereby decreasing their limits.
So, we come to the definition of the concept of limits. eBay sales limits, sometimes called sales quotas, are limits imposed by eBay on the number of listings that some sellers, especially new ones, can post. It is needed to protect customers from the possibility of fraud or the sale of counterfeit or stolen goods.
The limit starts at ten items per month for the new sellers on eBay. In this case, the amount you received from the sale of your goods should not exceed $500. “Too few!” – you would say. Yes, it is. But in this way, eBay strictly weeds out all sorts of fraudsters who want quick and easy enrichment by fraudulent means. But if you prove yourself as a decent and conscientious seller, eBay is always ready to meet you halfway.
To build a reputation as a good seller, you need to do more than sell quality products. You must ensure fast, reliable delivery, timely and polite communication with the buyer, readiness to answer all his questions, advise and help with the choice. In addition, it ensures a good customer review, which is an essential indicator of your reputation for both potential buyers and eBay.
We have prepared some helpful tips for you on increasing eBay’s selling limit to sell more goods and, accordingly, get more profit.
So, here they are:
1. Show that you are trustworthy.
We have already talked about this above. The most important thing here is positive customer feedback. It will be more difficult for beginners, but be sure. The game is worth the candle. After all, the more effort you put in initially, the faster you will get the desired result. Don’t be discouraged if shoppers opt for a more experienced seller. In any case, there will be your buyer among the millions of eBay visitors!
The most important thing is not to disappoint them. You can only provide first-class service and be patient. We recommend that you start by selling small, inexpensive items. It will remove unnecessary responsibility from you and reduce risks. It is imperative to respond to customer messages promptly. This way, you show yourself to be a reliable and trustworthy seller. If the buyer decides to return the product, give him this opportunity. Having lost a small amount, you will make an invaluable contribution to your reputation in the future.
2. Monitor the quality of your listings.
It applies to a detailed product description, indicating all the necessary specifics and high-quality images. Then, post more high-quality images and create collages. Finally, the buyer needs to see what he will buy.
3. Keep track of the availability of the goods.
If you sell goods from your warehouse, carefully monitor the remaining amount. If you do dropship, then choose a service with a good repricing tool, which will promptly update information about the availability of goods from the supplier or about price changes for it. Easync Repricing tool works every, so the information about the product will always be up-to-date. Don’t waste your time. Automate your business with Easync!
4. Easync together with Aquiline made a new option for our users.
You can set up a single location for all your orders. So that all your items are considered to be shipped from one place. Easync will increase your security and decrease the seller limit accordingly. It means, your eBay account is not detected as a Dropshippers.
5. Advertise your online business
Even if you don’t have an advertising budget, don’t despair. In our digital age, social media is an excellent advertising opportunity. Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook – these are crowds of people, and even running a regular account will attract a small but a kind of audience to you.
Let’s take a closer look at the topic of eBay selling limits.
eBay maintains a competent policy on working with sellers in such a way as to prevent any attempts to cheat. eBay imposes various types of limits. There are three types of them:
- Limits per merchant account.
- Limits for specific product categories
- Limits for separate products
Let’s talk about each of them.
Limits per merchant account
As mentioned above, eBay gives new sellers a kind of trial period for 90 days. During this period (and not only during this period), eBay also has the right to verify your account and request any information that confirms your data. Also, in the first 90 days, it is forbidden to list such goods as cars, real estate, or expensive property on eBay. The cost of any of these products exceeds $500, which is an eBay monthly selling limit for a newbie. Sometimes eBay takes individual action against sellers. We depend on adherence to the rules and reputation.
How do seller account limits work?
You can add up to 10 listings to your eBay store. However, the product is included only upon a successful sale, and an unsold listing does not count towards the limit if it expires.
eBay has a “Good Till Canceled” option that automatically renews the listing. But if such a listing exceeds your limit, then eBay has the right to delete it.
eBay is primarily a customer-oriented service. Interestingly, the buyers purchase the desired product with joy and return it. Therefore, the limits can be weakened or toughened, depending on how the seller fulfills the specified eBay standards.
Limits for specific product categories
You have developed a reputation as a successful seller and have a high rating. You decide to expand your store’s range by adding new product categories; eBay can impose a limit on you by product category. There are several reasons for this:
- you have never sold products in this category before;
- you sold products in this category, but more than a year has passed since then;
- the buyers have opened too many cases against you over the past year. Namely, more than 3% of your transactions ended with the initiation of a case.
Limits for separate products
Unfortunately, there are more and more cases of fake expensive goods in online sales, such as electronics, watches, designer clothes and shoes, and accessories. Therefore, if you decide to sell products with a high risk of counterfeiting, eBay will impose a restriction.
All eBay merchants are familiar with the concept of VERO (Verified Rights Owner). It is an eBay program that protects the authenticity of products and intellectual property rights. Such limits guarantee honesty towards customers and maintain eBay’s status as one of the most reliable trading platforms in the world market.
How to increase the eBay selling limit?
We have reiterated that eBay acts primarily in customers’ interests and is committed to providing honest, quality service. So, if you can prove that you are a reliable seller, eBay will probably remove the limits from you before the expiration of 90 days. To do this, you need successful sales and positive customer reviews.
As you understand, selling on eBay has its pros and cons. So let’s take a closer look at them.
Pros of selling on eBay.
1. High traffic
eBey is one of the most popular trading platforms in the world. The approximate number of ebay buyers is almost 165 million! Imagine how many potential buyers visit eBay everyday searching for what they need. It is just a unique opportunity for your business. Of course, not all of them will become your customers. But some need your product. Thus, if you comply with ebay requirements, becoming eligible for lower limits, you can expand your store and make good profits.
2. Attracting new customers
The customer may accidentally stumble upon your products. And your goal is to provide him with a service at the highest level so that he wants to return. Thus, you will acquire a regular customer.
3. Marketplaces have more considerable trust among the buyers
Everyone can imagine themselves at the buyer’s place and understand how convenient it is to buy everything you need in one place. In addition to convenience, eBay cares about the rights of its customers, which is more credible than a private online store. Everyone wants to shop and be calm about their quality. eBay shopping saves time for busy people. All of these factors are so attractive to eBay buyers.
4. Easy to operate
Registering a seller account on eBay is more accessible than creating your online store. Just register on eBay and purchase a subscription that will allow you to manage your store. After that, you can immediately start adding listings to your store and start selling. You don’t have to waste a lot of time and effort. eBay has created a mobile application that makes managing the store even more accessible and convenient.
5. eBay protects sellers
Earlier, we talked about eBay protecting its buyers. Nevertheless, there are also unscrupulous buyers. If the buyer opens a case against the seller for no apparent reason, eBay will objectively consider each case and make a fair decision.
6. eBay communities are always supportive
The eBay community is excellent support for the newbie. However, if you are just getting started in the e-commerce business, you can learn how to grow your store from more experienced people. Use the discussion boards and Q&A on the forums and learn from the pros.
7. Various selling options
Only eBay offers sellers the option to auction their item or register it on a Buy Now list. No other marketplace in the world has such options.
8. eBay does not compete with sellers
eBay does not sell products in its marketplace, unlike Amazon. Accordingly, they have no incentive to compete with the seller by hiding your products.
However, as elsewhere, there are downsides to eBay. Let’s look at the pitfalls awaiting beginners and even seasoned business people.
Disadvantages of Selling on eBay.
1. The rules of the marketplace
The notorious limits that we talked about in our article can become a severe flaw in the seller’s work. As you know, eBay is a paid trading platform. Therefore, considering the limits, your profit may be small, and accordingly, eBay fees will also reduce your total profit. Therefore, before starting an eBay business, calculate the estimated costs and income. Once you do these calculations, you have a better idea of whether eBay is the right sales channel.
2. Lack of complete control.
eBay is a self-employed company. Their goal is to attract buyers, not specifically to you, but to the site itself. Such a policy strongly affects the promotion of specific stores, hindering the ability to communicate with your customers and promote yourself. Besides, eBay sets the game’s rules, and you obey them. There is no guarantee that these rules will not change at the next moment in time or turn out to be unacceptable to you.
4. Big competition
Yes, you are not directly competing with eBay. But you are competing with other eBay sellers for buyers. It takes a lot of effort to be at the top.
5. Buyer quality
eBay often attracts customers with discounts and promotions. It means that buyers come to eBay hoping to save money. However, they are not willing to pay much. Therefore, if you are hoping to sell high-value items, eBay may not be the right platform for you.
6. Fast delivery requirement
eBay rewards sellers who offer same-day shipping to buyers. But not every seller has this opportunity. Moreover, especially if you are a dropshipper, you cannot always be sure about the speed of delivery services of your source market. Thus, if you cannot send parcels at that speed, you will find it challenging to achieve a high rating.
So now you have a complete picture of the eBay business. It is a great starting point for entrepreneurs looking to experiment with e-commerce. But it’s not a fact that over time, having gained experience, you do not want to open your online store.
Choose what is best for you. Then, if you decide to do dropshipping, Easync is always here to help you!
