This is the third installment in my series about the differences between the eBay and Amazon selling platforms. For each of the next seven weeks I will continue to discuss these areas and try to dispel some of the myths that surround selling on Amazon.com
I asked veteran Amazon sellers via Facebook what differences they found between selling on eBay and Amazon FBA. There were ten areas identified as noticeably different between the two platforms:
- What You Can Sell
- The Rules
- Listing
- Fees
- Customer Service
- Getting Paid
- Vacation
- Control
- Sales Tax
- Profit Potential
Listing vs. Product Page
Lets face it, we all know the amount of work that goes into creating a listing on eBay. First we must inspect, clean, and photograph the product. Then edit the photos, research selling price, craft a title that works with SEO to fit with Cassini (in 80 characters or less) and create a description that gives the pertinent details of the item with a little sales pitch thrown in. That's a lot of work! On Amazon if the item you want to add already has a product page all you need to do is add your offer to that page! Enter a few pieces of information and your item is listed for sale. This keeps Amazon's catalog much cleaner by having only one page per product with all sellers listed there.
Easier listing isn't the only difference though.
No Auctions
In the past few years we've seen many eBay sellers switch from selling mainly auctions to selling mainly Buy it Now items unless they are unsure of the value. Auctions aren't an option on Amazon at all. On Amazon I price high if there are few are no other sellers on an item to see what the market will bare (how much people are willing to pay for my item). If it sells quickly at that price I raise my price until there is a steady flow of sales. If it doesn't move, I lower the price until I find what the consumer is willing to pay.
Decreased listing maintenance
As an eBay seller, I'm sure you have gone in and tweaked titles, adjusted your descriptive copy more times than you can count trying to get a sale or to get better page rank within Cassini. With Amazon it is beneficial to review the pages you are listing on the make sure the images, bullet points and product description are in line and to review any changes to the pages (Amazon will send an email when this happens) but other than that there is nothing more to do!
Research
Another major difference between the two platforms is how to research an item prior to listing it. On eBay you can search active listings and sold listings easily for the last three months to get an idea if an item sells and for how much. You can also use services like Terapeak.com and HammerTap.com to look back at cached eBay listings with limited detail. On Amazon there are Chrome/Firefox extensions (Keepa, Camel Camel Camel, Stable Rank to name a few) that will to get an idea for what price and item sold. You won’t get specific day/time selling price info from these though. I will be covering these extensions in detail in their own posts but feel free to check them out from the links above if you are interested in finding out more now.
Photos
No more style shots. No more taking pictures of every side and angle. In many cases, if you are listing on a current product page you won't need to add an image at all. However, I do highly recommend replacing bad images on listings you are selling on . If you are creating a listing for a new to Amazon item then you will have to photograph the product (or request from the manufacturer if doing wholesale). Amazon requires that the background of all images be 100% white. That doesn't mean shot on a white background. That means no color/backdrop what so ever. There are also other image restrictions. They can be found here or here.
What not to do:
What to do:
There are companies that take care of removing the background for you for a fee if you are not comfortable with your skills in photo editing or prefer so spend your time on more profitable tasks. I use Remove the Background. You can check them out if you are interested in more information on this service. I will cover the tips and tricks of photography, available services for editing and other photography resources for Amazon product pages in their own post.
Remember that pile of eBay items sitting in the box in the corner of the room? The one that has the items that are time consuming to photograph and/or research. I, like most eBay sellers, have one. Of the numerous differences in listing between eBay and Amazon what parts in your current business model could be lessened or removed by switching to Amazon FBA? Would selling on Amazon FBA remove stuck points, including the previously mentioned pile, from your business?
What are you doing TODAY to move your business forward?
Interested in selling on Amazon with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) or know someone who is? Not sure where to start?
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