Ask an expert: Is it worth opening an eBay store?

2 min. read
All information of this content was reviewed by our team to ensure it was accurate and up-to-date at the time it was last updated. Learn more about our verification

Our auction expert looks at the pros and cons of opening an eBay store.

Q: Is it worth opening an eBay store?

A: Online entrepreneurs need to remember that opening up an eBay store does not guarantee easy money. Just like any other business, you need to put in hard work, learn the ropes, and select the right niche or product. And even then there’s still no certainty of profitability. Here are some things you’ll need to consider.

To open an eBay store, you’ll need to have at least 100 products to offer, or else it might be cheaper and easier for you to just list the core listings. And if you do decide to open up a store you’ll want to keep some auction listings anyway to drive traffic from eBay to your store.

eBay Store Pros

  • eBay stores provide a robust set of tools that make it easy to build, manage, promote, and track your online business.
  • Stores can get a lot of traffic from Google if they’re optimized.
  • Stores allow you to categorize items so that they’re easy to find. This is especially useful when you are listing product variations, such as multiple sizes and colors of the same item.
  • Stores work well for unique items that are highly sought-after and don’t have much competition.

eBay Store Cons

  • Stores don’t offer as many benefits as they used to, especially with eBay’s 30-day fixed price listing policy.
  • You have to work to get people to your store. If there are fewer than 30 core results returned, then your store will show up on the listings. Otherwise they only show up if the buyer filters for them during search.

Carefully consider these pros and cons before deciding to open up an eBay store. Pay particular attention to the items you are offering, and make sure they are unique, or that you are able to offer dozens of similar items that can be organized into categories. If your products don’t fulfil these requirements, then you should consider other options, such as setting up a free e-commerce website on eCrater.com or BuyItSellIt.com.

 

About the author
SaleHoo Group

View profile
Already a member? Login to comment