November 30, 2007, Newsletter Issue #122: Ebay: An eCommerce Solution You Can Set Up in Minutes

Tip of the Week

If you have a limited number of products and don't require any integration between your storefront and your offline systems, Ebay may be the ecommerce solution for your business. There is no coding to learn or website to maintain. Opening your Ebay store takes minutes.


Setting up a storefront on Ebay is quick and easy. The first step is to set up an Ebay account and method of payment. Using PayPal as the method of payment is encouraged by Ebay since both companies are owned by the same entity. There is no set up fee for PayPal, you will just need a credit card and bank account to verify the PayPal account. Your customers can use their credit card to pay through PayPal without setting up their own account.


Ebay charges a minimal fee to initiate an auction and takes a percentage of the final auction price if the product is sold.


Take clear digital photographs of your products. Sharp photos showing details sell more products for you. In the description of the product make sure you use key words that potential customers will use to find you within the Ebay site.


The disadvantages of an Ebay store is there is no shopping cart facility, no customization, and limited customer interaction. Each product has to be bid on and paid for separately. Your customer doesn't have the flexibility to select a group of products and pay for them all at once. The Ebay store doesn't represent your business only the products you offer. Your customer may not even remember your company's name.

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