One of the major advantages that the internet can provide in terms of retail is the easy ability to sell anywhere and everywhere. Through the exciting opportunities provided by the world wide web, you can offer your products and services to customers on the other side of the globe.
With the world becoming increasingly interconnected, there really isn't a reason for you not to sell to customers elsewhere in the world. We understand that not all industries and products are suitable for extensive transport across the world, particularly when it comes to foods and other degradable items. However, you should remember that international delivery services are more effective and reliable than ever before, particularly if you're trading throughout Europe.
Why Does eBay Offer Easy International Selling?
eCommerce isn't tied down to one specific area, and offering your products in a limited geography could really be hurting your business' potential. eBay is an auction site that allows people from all over the world to search for a range of different products; some from established businesses or start-ups, and some from members of the general public with items they're looking to sell.
Retailers of all kinds recognise that eBay offers fantastic potential for online retail, whereas their present retail capacities might be limited to their local area. It's easy to see why eBay itself offers the opportunity for retailers to sell their products on a global sale – not only does it give businesses the opportunity to really take advantage of new and previously inaccessible markets, but it allows eBay to make more money as well.
The Advantages Of International Selling With eBay!
Whether you're completely new to selling on a global scale, or you're looking to take advantage of eBay's international selling options, you'll be able to offer your products to a much larger audience than ever before. With eBay, taking your trade international is a fairly easy process, and you cannot afford to miss out on these great advantages:
1. International Growth Rates! – Online spending is growing on an international scale and, if you're clever, you can utilise your online retail to appeal to these major audiences of the future before they fully develop. This means you can get in on the ground floor of the next wave of eCommerce success, and build your reputation before the future market becomes completely saturated.
If you're confident that you can survive only appealing to local customers in the UK, an example suggests that before the end of 2016 more than 64% of all European customers will be from outside of the UK and Germany. China alone is expected to account for 20% of the international market.
2. A Massive Audience – eBay's international websites have more than 124 million active users. More than 20% of these customers have previously said that they have purchased items from international retailers, and the remaining 80% have said that they would if they found the right product.
3. It's So Much Easier Than Setting Up Yourself – Selling internationally with eBay is much easier than creating your own international eCommerce solution, and much cheaper as well. You can start to achieve a great ROI in a matter of weeks with eBay, whereas it could take months to set up and start to earn with your own international eCommerce store.
Now, we're not saying that a personal eCommerce solution is a bad idea – far from it – but if your business isn't prepared for the task then it can do a lot more damage than good, particularly during the early days.
4. The Advantage Of A Marketplace – When you enter into an international marketplace, you will immediately present your products to potentially interested parties. You don't need to spend as much time building up your international brand identity – instead, you can rely on the marketplace's existing customer base to get your international efforts off the ground. When you consider the massive audience that eBay enjoys, this can be hugely beneficial to any business.
5. Enjoy High Levels Of Trust – Marketplaces like eBay already have a great deal of trust associated with them, whereas your brand might not be well known across the world. You wouldn't immediately trust a brand from another country, or even one from your own – building trust is absolutely essential and there are few better ways of doing so than trading across an already trusted source.
The addition of a fantastic eBay Shop design to your brand can only cement the trust that your potential customer places in your business.
6. Great Payment Protection – A marketplace will already have payment protection solutions in place, allowing you to ensure complete security without having to develop your own completely secure online presence. This makes customers much more confident when purchasing, particularly if they are using a payment solution like PayPal.
7. Easily Controllable Online Solution – If you have one, you can easily integrate your eBay account with a 3rd party EMS (eCommerce management system) to ensure that you can manage your various online retail streams from a single, effective point of interaction. From this single interface, you will be able to control everything including product description, pricing and stock information.
How Can I Take Advantage Of Internal Selling With eBay?
By making the most of the best eBay listing tools, including the international site visibility upgrade, you'll be able to maximise your store's visibility on a global scale. All you need to do is offer international postage options and PayPal as an accepted payment method. This will allow your listings to gain visibility for your eBay Shop design across the auction site's many international platforms.
Requirements For International Selling
In order to sell your products and items internationally, you need to follow these requirements. If you don't, eBay will be unwilling to represent your business on a global scale as you might not offer the high-quality service their customers can demand. These requirements include:
- Have An eBay.co.uk Seller Account – You don't need to open an alternative seller account on every international website that you want to target. Instead, you only need to have a single eBay Seller Account for your business.
- Have A Verified PayPal Account – When you sell on a global scale through eBay, you need to offer PayPal as a payment method. As an internationally trusted payment service, PayPal is essential to any kind of global trading, and there are a range of benefits to be gained from offering it across your business.
- Be Aware Of eBay Policy – You need to ensure that you offer a great service to make sure that you'll be allowed to continue trading across the marketplace. Your seller performance status will be measured in 4 regions across the world. These regions are:
o The UK And Ireland;
o Germany, Austria And Switzerland;
o The United States;
o A Global Region;
You also need to have accepted eBay's International Selling Agreement , which will only be provided once you've begun to offer your products on an international scale.
- Have Recognised Feedback Points – You need to have at least 10 Feedback points as a seller before you are allowed to target customers on a more international scale.
- An Established Presence – You need to ensure that your first successful transaction on the site was more than 90 days ago. This is to ensure that any business offering international trade are not only legitimate, but are also serious about expanding their audience on a global scale.
- Adhere To Regional Requirements – You need to make sure that all of your products meet the selling and item requirements for the online marketplace website in question. You might be unable to sell certain products in certain areas so make sure you research the legal situation in the main countries you hope to target.
Similarly, you also need to make sure that you're familiar with a range of eBay's other policies and laws, including your tax obligations. Be sure to read the following pages for more information on your obligations:
- eBay's International Selling Policies , Including Their International Trading Policy ;
- Legal Considerations When Selling Internationally ;
- International Selling And Value Added Tax (VAT);
- Taxes On Imports And Export Transactions ;
Make sure you familiarise yourself with the laws of your own country, as well as the countries where you plan to do business.
An Incredible, Brand-Focused eBay Shop Design!
When it comes to international, you need to ensure that your business and brand is being represented honestly and attractively. Whilst it might not be a requirement, for the best results you need to take advantage of the many benefits provided by professional eBay Shop design. Many nations across the world, however, tend to favour a diverse range of different eBay shop and main website designs, so you need to ensure that you offer a complete and responsive eBay shop design that will appeal to your potential customers across the world.
There are a range of advantages linked with a professional eBay Shop design for your brand and business. In order to make a success of your international efforts, you need to ensure that you are making the most of them all!
- Honestly represent your brand identity across the world;
- Display your best products in their best light;
- Create a memorable online presence to encourage repeat custom;
- Increase trust-worthiness in your business as a whole;
eBay And International Posting!
It can often seem difficult simply to get to the point where you need to consider international posting. However, this is often where the most issues develop for all kinds of businesses, but particularly smaller enterprises. When using the best eBay listing tools, you can easily offer international posting.
How To Offer Global Posting!
To offer effective international postage, you simply need to take advantage of the best eBay listing tools or follow these simple steps:
1. When you reach the listings creation page, scroll down to 5. From there, you can set your price and P&P information; there should also be an international postage subsection.
If, for any reason, you don't see this section then you need to click on the “Add or Remove Options" link. Under international postage, you need to select the “Show International Services and Options" before clicking Save.
2. In the international postage subsection, select “Flat: Same Cost To All Buyers" from the drop-down menu.
3. Click on the “Post To..." drop-down menu and make sure you select Worldwide.
It is also possible to exclude more difficult countries from your postage options. Simply scroll to the “Exclude" postage section and change your settings there. If you only want to offer international posting to specific countries, select “Choose Custom Locations" and only select where you want your products to be deliverable to.
4. Your listing should now be set up to post on an international scale. As soon as you complete and submit the listing form, your item is visible to international buyers from your allowed countries.
Specifying Your International Postage Costs And Services!
You can easily attract a higher range of international buyers by offering specific information regarding postage costs and services. You need to create a customer postage rate table to make sure that your readers are aware of the costs their delivery will add on to the purchase. You should specify:
- Item-Based Postage Costs, Based On Country And Region;
- Weight-Based Postage Costs;
- Any Surcharges Associated With Specific Countries;
To learn how to effectively set up a customised postage rates table, we'd advise that you head over the eBay.co.uk and watching their basic international selling video. It is important for your conversion rate, and eBay's international reputations, that you make sure the entire process is as easy as possible for your customer and that you can deliver.
Take Advantage Of The Best eBay Shop Design And Listing Tools For International Retail!
Here at eStore Design, we specialise in creating comprehensive eCommerce solutions to allow businesses to trade their products through online marketplaces like eBay. Whether you're looking for rewarding eBay listing tools or a dedicated eBay Shop design, eStore design can provide.
For more information, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our team of online retail experts today on 0845 050 3500. Alternatively, you can email any questions or concerns to sales@e-Shop-design.co.uk, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can!