How to make money on eBay: Proven tips for building a profitable store

Thinking about starting a business or increasing your sales on eBay? Whether you’re new to the platform or aiming to level up, learning how to make money on eBay comes down to smart strategy. 

From finding your niche and building a standout brand to optimizing your listings and mastering eBay’s tools, this guide covers everything you need to grow your eBay store successfully. 

Ready to take your eBay sales higher? Let’s dive in!

How to market yourself on eBay?

If you want to know how to make money with eBay, effective marketing is key. It helps attract buyers, build trust, and increase sales. We’ll explore strategies to improve your visibility and stand out from other sellers.

Choose a niche

Finding a profitable niche on eBay starts with identifying where your products stand out. Instead of selling generic designs, focus on a category that offers unique value. 

Print-on-demand (POD) products usually center around either item types (like t-shirts or mugs) or subject themes (like eco-friendly products or mental health awareness). 

To discover profitable ideas, explore eBay’s trending section, Google Trends, or Etsy. Popular niches like pet-related items and sustainable products consistently perform well. Engaging with your target audience on social media can further refine your focus.

Create a strong brand identity

A solid brand identity sets your eBay store apart from countless listings. Potential buyers are likely to trust and buy from eBay sellers who appear professional and relatable. 

Share your story – how you started or the inspiration behind your products – to humanize your brand and build trust. Pair this with a compelling shop description highlighting your products, values, and personality, plus a memorable tagline that makes your online store easy for eBay buyers to recognize and revisit.

Creativity in your listings also reinforces your brand. Use engaging product descriptions, consistent visuals, and storytelling that reflects your brand’s tone and personality. 

From the way you describe your items to how you present them visually, every detail contributes to a cohesive brand identity – building trust, encouraging loyalty, and boosting sales.

Pick the right products to sell

After defining your niche and marketing message, it’s time to choose the right products. 

Start by browsing eBay’s trending deals for inspiration, or use the eBay app to research products on the go. Resources like eBay Research Tools and Terapeak can also help you analyze trends and sold-item data to see which products sell well and which don’t.

Prioritize in-demand products, place them in the correct categories, and use strong keywords in your descriptions to attract buyers.

Design and sell products on eBay with Printify and Print on Demand

Starting an online business on eBay using Printify’s print-on-demand platform lets you sell custom products without worrying about how much inventory to keep. 

With Printify, products are only made when customers place an order, so there’s no upfront stock or storage costs. This makes it a low-risk way for making money online selling items.

POD is ideal for personalized products like custom t-shirts, mugs, and accessories. By integrating your eBay account with Printify, your listings sync automatically, saving time and effort.

This setup gives you access to millions of potential buyers while keeping overhead low – making it perfect for scaling your online business.

Optimizing your eBay listings

To improve your sales, you’ll need to fine-tune each eBay listing. 

Optimizing product listings improves visibility and raises your chances of making a sale. Here’s how to make them stand out:

• Create effective titles: Focus on clear, relevant keywords. Include all the details like brand, size, and color, but avoid unnecessary words or abbreviations like “NIB” (New in Box). This helps attract buyers looking for the best stuff in your category.
• Write detailed descriptions: Be straightforward yet informative, covering product details like material, condition, and features. Ensure the text is easy to read and mobile-friendly, with the targeted keywords added naturally to improve searchability.
• Use high-quality photos: Visuals matter. Use clear, well-lit images with neutral backgrounds, aiming for 800–1600 pixels to meet eBay’s best practices.
• Choose the right category: Selecting the most relevant category and item specifics ensures your product appears in the right eBay searches.
• Leverage eBay’s tools: eBay’s Bulk Listing feature allows you to update and maintain multiple listings efficiently, helping you stay on top of your inventory.

Learn about eBay’s algorithm

eBay’s search algorithm, Best Match, plays a huge role in determining which listings buyers see first. It considers several factors, from sales data to list quality, so understanding how it works can make a big difference for your store’s visibility. 

Essentially, the algorithm matches your listings to what buyers are searching for, prioritizing those that are clear, complete, and appealing.

Focus on optimizing key elements to get your listings in front of more people. First, make sure your titles include relevant keywords that potential buyers will likely search for. Accurate descriptions and high-quality pictures are also essential since the algorithm favors listings that give buyers all the necessary information.

Pricing and shipping also play a role. Offering a competitive and reasonable price, free or low-cost shipping, and maintaining great customer feedback can all increase your rankings in search results. The more you sell, the higher your sell-through rate, which further helps your listings climb the search rankings.

eBay updates its algorithm regularly, so keeping your listings fresh, with accurate details and competitive offers, is a smart way to stay ahead​.

Provide excellent customer service

Great customer service helps you maintain high seller ratings, build a good relationship with eBay customers, and attract repeat buyers. 

Respond to inquiries promptly, offer precise shipping details and return policies, and resolve disputes efficiently through eBay’s Resolution Center. 

Offering free returns or a generous return policy can raise buyer confidence. Additionally, ensuring that orders are shipped on time with tracking creates trust and a positive selling experience overall. 

A glowing feedback score directly impacts your visibility on eBay, so focus on excellent communication and customer satisfaction to improve your sales.

Harness the power of social media and partnerships

Social media is one of the best ways to connect with potential buyers and grow your eBay store. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest let you showcase products, share your brand story, and build lasting customer loyalty.

Post engaging content like product demos, customer testimonials, and behind-the-scenes stories to humanize your brand and spark interest. Offering exclusive deals through social media can also drive traffic to your listings and boost eBay sales.

Beyond organic content, affiliate and influencer marketing amplify your reach. Partnering with influencers who align with your product niche exposes your items to a wider audience, often with the added benefit of trust from their followers. Launching an affiliate program is another way to expand visibility, rewarding others for promoting your products.

Don’t forget about email marketing. Building an email list allows you to send personalized offers, announce new products, and re-engage past buyers – keeping your brand top of mind.

For maximum impact, combine these strategies with eBay’s promotional tools, like Promoted Listings and volume discounts, to increase your visibility and sales across multiple channels​.

Building trust and feedback

Positive feedback attracts more customers on eBay. Always ask buyers to leave a review after successful transactions to improve your feedback score:

Occasional poor customer experiences are inevitable, but they’re an opportunity to showcase excellent service. The key is clear communication:

• Follow the “why, how, what” rule: Explain the issue – why it happened, how you’re resolving it, and detail what steps you’ve taken.
• Stay kind and friendly: Even with upset customers, a positive tone can turn a negative experience into a good one. Over-deliver by showing empathy, avoiding “no,” and focusing on solutions.
• Manage returns wisely: Use eBay’s resolution center to protect yourself, and if a case is resolved in your favor, request removal of negative feedback.

Set competitive prices

Pricing is one of the trickiest parts of selling on eBay (and in commerce in general). To stay profitable, research what similar products are selling for and set competitive prices – while factoring in eBay fees, transaction expenses, and shipping costs.

Researching the market

Start by using eBay filters to analyze the prices of similar products in the Available Inventory section. This will give you a clear sense of your items’ market value. For auction-style listings, set an attractive low starting price to encourage bids. If you aim to sell high, use a reserve (or minimum price) to protect your bottom line.

Analyze completed listings

Use eBay’s Completed Items filter to compare sold and unsold listings. Pay attention to factors like pricing, shipping, packaging costs, and feedback to determine why some listings were successful while others weren’t.

Take advantage of free listings

Currently, eBay offers sellers without a store up to 250 zero-insertion fee listings per month. After reaching this limit, each additional listing incurs a $0.35 insertion fee. This is especially helpful for those selling things in high volumes. 

eBay sellers with store subscriptions benefit from increased free listings, depending on their subscription level. By strategically managing your listings, you can ensure you’re getting the most out of these free listings while offering a good price to attract buyers.

Mind eBay fees

There’s no way around it – you have to factor fees into your pricing strategy to guarantee your eBay business stays profitable. Keeping track of eBay’s fee updates is essential to save money and avoid unexpected costs. Always check the eBay Seller Center for the latest information.

Here’s a breakdown of the key fees:

• Insertion fees: Sellers without a store subscription get 250 free monthly listings. After that, it costs $0.35 per additional listing. Depending on the plan, an eBay seller with a store subscription may get more free listings​.
• Final value fees: For most categories, eBay charges 13.25% of the sale price (including shipping) for amounts up to $7,500. Sales above that are charged 2.35%, and a $0.40 per-order fee applies to transactions over $10​. Be mindful of these fees when selling higher-priced items.
• Optional listing upgrade fees: Features like bold text or subtitles can make your listings stand out, but come at a cost. For example, bold text costs $2, and subtitles range from $1.50 to $6, depending on the item’s price​.
• Advertising fees: eBay’s Promoted Listings is an optional tool to grow visibility. You pay a percentage of the sale only when the item sells​.
• Currency conversion and international fees: US sellers pay a 1.65% fee on the total sale amount when selling internationally. In addition, if currency conversion is required, eBay charges between 2.5% to 3.5% of the transaction total, depending on the seller’s country​.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve learned the key strategies for making money on eBay – choosing a niche, building a strong brand, optimizing listings, and mastering eBay’s algorithm – you’re well-equipped to succeed and make more money online. 

Providing excellent customer service and leveraging tools like Promoted Listings will help elevate your sales. Keep an eye on market trends, adjust your pricing to cover fees, and use social media, influencer, and email marketing to expand your reach. With these tactics, you can grow a profitable business on one of the world’s biggest eCommerce platforms.