The Basic Elements of Online Selling: Guest Post, Part 2

Basics: eBay

Ebay is largely an auction style format site. A user will typically register with the website which requires basic information such as your email address, name, location, and a created username and password. This gives you the ability to browse the site and search for items. However, to make purchases, a required credit is necessary.

A prostore may also be purchased which is essentially an independent website that is used in conjunction with ebay.

“ProStores offer a fully-featured Web store that can be customized specifically for each online seller. Unlike an eBay Store, ProStores sites are accessed through a URL unique to the seller and have no eBay branding. ProStores sellers are also responsible for driving their own traffic. While items on ProStores sites will sell at fixed prices only, they can also be easily listed onto the eBay marketplace in either the auction or fixed price formats.”

In other words, a ProStores is your own personal ecommerce website. You have your own .com address, your own email addresses and everything is listed at fixed price. An eBay Store is a store within eBay.com. I will address the Pros and Cons of each later in the article.

Pros:

•    Your own website, once a customer is there you have their complete attention

•    No listing fees, no picture fees, final value fee is 0.5-1.5% depending on store level

•    Personalized domain name that looks good on business cards, store receipts and in emails

•    30% discount on monthly ProStores subscription if you have an eBay Store

•    Ability to use Store Referral Credit to refer customers back to your eBay Store

Cons

•    Necessary to drive your own traffic via SEO, shopping comparison sites, etc

More setup required than an eBay Store

There are different forms of payment including credit card, debit card or check deposit. However, most users prefer to use the Paypal service. Paypal is an online credit service that serves as the middleman for payments. Essentially it is like a credit card company but more tailored to online purchases. Typically a person will usually link their bank account to their paypal account and this serves as your cash for purchases. Paypal is convenient as you can send money, create money orders, manage purchases and cash transactions from selling. Your money is stored in your Paypal Account, so this makes it convenient to keep track of your income or easily make refunds. If you choose, you may also apply for Paypal debit card which lets you use your Paypal Balance to make purchase wherever MasterCard is accepted. Paypal is also useful as it has a resolution service that serves to mediate disputes between the seller and buyer. The advantage is that Paypal is weighed towards the buyer with Buyer Protection. This essentially guarantees a refund in the event that purchased item is not as described or there are problems with the transaction, such as no package received or a wrong product was given.