How to use technology to increase eBay profits

In business, particularly for retailers, time translates into money. This is even more true for businesses that involve many routine tasks that can be automated through software with a small investment. For eBay sellers, using auction automation software can free up time for more important tasks like sourcing your merchandise, interacting with the customer, and adding more auctions. This helps them increase their profits and reduce costs. Energy sellers on eBay typically launch hundreds of auctions weekly. Auction management software supports these auctions by speeding up the process, keeping records, handling emails and comments, and tracking stock and payments.

How does it work

eBay’s auction automation software takes care of time-consuming, routine back-office work like data entry, email management, and organizing buyers and vendors. Addressing them simultaneously can be challenging, and automating the process makes sense. Submitting each auction manually can be time consuming.

Automation software allows the eBay seller to launch more auctions in a shorter period of time. The seller enters for sale listings with details, photos and banners. These items are submitted to the auction site that lists them.

Automation takes care of:

• Automatic listing of products from the seller’s catalog on eBay
• Inventory tracking and management
• price adjustment
• Invoice management by consolidating multiple purchases by the same buyer and sending invoices by email, as well as sending notifications to bidders
• Listing for future dates
• Verify
• Payment management including PayPal and other methods
• Management and tracking of shipments
• Feedback and customer management
• Reports, monitoring and analysis.

A seller has two options for using eBay’s auction software:

• Buy the software. A one-time initial investment that pays off in the long run and may require periodic updates
• Use a web-based service like Vendio, inkFrog, etc.

Before making a decision, it’s a good idea to review various products and user reviews on the market to help choose the right one.

Benefits of automating your eBay business

eBay is the largest marketplace in the world and a seller’s success is determined by the business volumes, automatic listings that can be achieved through auction automation. The software can be integrated with the seller’s product catalog and shopping cart. It handles product listing, inventory management, auto relisting, order processing, payment management, etc.

The main benefits are:

• Inventory management where automation software tracks inventory, items in stock, items sold, payments due, and items due for shipping. For the seller, this means less stress from selling items that are not in stock.
• Customer service management. The seller can set up custom email templates to thank customers for their orders, notify them of new offers and promotions, and handle feedback, order confirmations and status, payment receipts, and shipping notifications.
• Management of the listing process by entering the text of the chosen listings. Automation software takes care of the rest, identifying sold items, items awaiting shipment, and their destination. Shipping labels are also printed automatically.
• Profit management by calculating shipping fees, eBay fees, PayPal payment, etc., showing the seller how profitable the auctions are, highlighting the most profitable products. With automation software, sellers can accept and process payments for orders through eBay auctions as well as their online stores on their website.

Being an eBay seller involves several tasks, most of which can be automated with software. The upside is that sellers can better focus on their business when they know which products are selling best, which helps them make smarter inventory decisions. Automation eventually brings eBay retailers closer to their business goals faster while getting the best exposure for the business.