eBay Inventory Management Made Easy

It all started with a broken laser pointer—The first item ever sold on AuctionWeb, an online marketplace launched by programmer Pierre Omidyar in 1995. Since then, AuctionWeb has evolved considerably—it's grown into a multibillion-dollar public company under a new name, eBay.

Thanks to a concerted effort on eBay's part to compete with Amazon, it's easier than ever to sell products—used and new products—on the global marketplace. And if your e-commerce business is already active on Amazon, Walmart, or another major online retail destination, you can expand into eBay with minimal effort. The key to selling on eBay is taking a smart approach to inventory management.

To understand the vast opportunity available to e-commerce sellers, let's begin by explaining the benefits of selling on eBay before diving into inventory management.

Should you Sell on eBay?

The short answer is yes. eBay worked hard to shed its image as an auction destination. The site's homepage now shows personalized recommendations as categories rather than individual products, and the word "used" is nowhere in sight.

eBay has become a powerhouse for e-commerce businesses looking to reach new customers beyond Amazon or Walmart. Don’t believe us? Here are a few important stats highlighting why you should be selling on eBay:

eBay E-Commerce Stats

eBay has 159 million active users
About 40% of products listed on eBay sell
1.5 billion listings make it one of the world's largest marketplace
eBay has access to over Buyers in 190 global markets

In terms of inventory management marketplace reach, eBay sellers also have a broader range of options than ever before. You can create your own branded eBay store, offer guaranteed delivery times, and even have eBay take care of shipping. The company has also revamped its APIs and continually strives to provide sellers with more and more analytics and tools aimed at growing e-commerce businesses.

Overall, the eBay of today resembles another leading marketplace: Amazon. Not surprising, given eBay's desire to poach some of its biggest competitor's market share.

How to Simplify Your eBay Inventory

Selling on eBay takes a great deal of time to add and update listings, change prices, fulfill orders, and keep stock levels consistent, especially if you're selling the same products on multiple channels..

It’s important to maintain a healthy inventory and avoid duplicate listings, per eBay’s policy. The consequences of not doing so could lead to account suspension, lost sales, lower rankings, or closure. If you’re new to duplicate listings on eBay, we recommend reading our article How to Check Your eBay for Duplicate Listings.

So, how should a seller effectively expand onto eBay and take advantage of the opportunities presented by the marketplace without overcomplicating their operations? How can an e-commerce business that sells on more than one channel manage it all without losing time, money, and sleep? The answer is having a multichannel inventory management software.

Benefits of Using eBay Inventory Management Software

SellerActive customers who expand to eBay and use our software see an average sales increase of 30%. And while there are a number of solutions available, the right software should provide the following benefits, and include the following features:

1. Automated Repricing Strategies

Software with dynamic repricing can monitor your listings and automatically adjust prices up or down in accordance with your strategy.

2. Automatic Product Relisting Considering the effort it takes to re-list an item on eBay and populate all that data again. Make sure your inventory management solution provides automatic product relisting.

3. Competitive Targeting

On eBay, competition is fierce. Don't get blindsided: your chosen solution should include competition targeting options that let you keep an eye on others in your niche.

4. Syncs Listings Across All Marketplaces

eBay inventory management software should encourage rather than limit your growth. Use a cloud-based, multichannel toolset that simplifies inventory management across channels.

5. Multichannel Fulfillment

Finally, if you're active on Amazon, Walmart, and eBay, make sure the inventory management solution allows you to complete eBay orders using your Fulfillment-by-Amazon (FBA) inventory.

Tips for Creating a Great eBay Listing

In addition to inventory management solutions, sellers who are thinking about bringing their businesses to eBay should follow our best-selling practices. This includes:

List your item correctly
SEO optimize your listings
Be mobile friendly and avoid templates
Take great photos
List variations under one listing

If you wish to dive deeper into our recommendations on how to improve your eBay listings, read our article, eBay’s 10 Best Selling Practices.