*MONDAY EXPORT CLASS*
With GODWIN OYEFESO _(SUCCESSEDGE EXPORTERS NETWORK)_
*Topic: USING E-COMMERCE & SOCIAL MEDIA SITES AS STEPPING STONES TO EXPORT SUCCESS (PART 2)*
*eBay*
Founded in 1995, e Bay (http://www.ebay.co m ) is a leading e-commerce company and helps individuals and small businesses sell their products worldwide. The company’s global portfolio of businesses enables hundreds of millions of diverse and passionate people to buy, sell, and pay online.
You can buy or sell individual or multiple items on eBay. If you are selling multiple items on an ongoing basis, you’ll probably want to start your own storefront, where buyers can learn about you and the products you sell. When you list an item on eBay (known as a business-to-consumer—B2C—sale), you’re charged a listing (or insertion) fee. Insertion fees are charged per listing, per category regardless of the quantity of items. If the item sells, you’re charged a “Final value fee.” Final value fees are calculated based on the total amount of the sale. The total amount of the sale is the final price of the item, shipping charges, and any other amounts you may charge the buyer. Sales tax is not included.
Every item gets its own unique listing. You may need to pay extra for an upgrade or supplemental service, such as international site visibility, which attracts buyers from other countries by showing your item in search results on other eBay Web sites. These supplemental features, including global shipping charges, will be included on your seller invoice as fees.
The site currently ships to about sixty-four countries, requiring you to ship your items domestically to one of eBay’s US shipping centers. Some items are restricted (e.g., antiques, vintage collectibles, and real estate) due to export limitations and restrictions identified by designated global shipping providers. Other items have general restrictions, like child pornography, tobacco, and perishable items, for example. To give yourself the best chance of success selling through eBay, review its “Taking It to the Next Level” (http://pages.ebay . com/sellerinformation/ship-smart/global-shipping-program/next-
level.html) on how to attract more international buyers to your listings. One best-practice tip from eBay is adding more countries to your selling program.
*eBay Store*
When you sell more than fifty listings a month on eBay, it’s time to consider opening an eBay store—an e-commerce solution that helps you leverage the eBay marketplace and tap the millions of buyers worldwide who shop on eBay.
You can classify your account as a business or an individual, should you want to test the waters discreetly on a solo basis. The site allows you to enter your current selling activity into what is called the Fee Illustrator to determine which eBay store subscription best fits your needs. If you meet the requirements to open a store, eBay makes it easy to get started. Any items you currently sell individually on eBay automatically become a part of your eBay store.
With your store comes exclusive marketing and merchandising tools from eBay plus customization features to build a strong brand. By staging all of your products in one central location, an eBay store creates a one-stop shop where buyers can learn more about you and your products. The site also provides demarcation by way of placing a red store tag next to your user ID to indicate you have an eBay store.
When you open an eBay store, you pay a monthly store subscription fee, which becomes effective immediately. Your next seller invoice will include a prorated fee for the number of days between your subscription date and the end of that month as well as subscription fees for the following month. Fees range anywhere from $15.95 to $199.95 per month based on your needs and the benefits of each subscription. Store fees can change by way of company directives and other related fees may apply, such as PayPal (now a separate company from eBay) and seller tool fees. Always read the fine print on eBay when it comes to your costs. And it can’t hurt to e-mail or call customer support to confirm your understanding.
The benefit to using eBay is the opportunity to brand your store, receive payment through PayPal, and sell internationally, where eBay has a far greater reach than other sites in general.
*Etsy*
Conceived in early 2005, Etsy (http://www.etsy.co m ) is a vibrant marketplace spanning nearly every country in the world. Users on Etsy sell everything from handmade goods to vintage items and art supplies, with many professional artists using the site to make a living.
With Etsy, you can enhance and grow your brand by acquiring new customers, using built-in promotional tools, and becoming a part of a vibrant online community to help form relationships and gain mentors. There are no membership fees with Etsy. It costs twenty cents to list an item until it sells. Once you sell your item, Etsy collects a 3.5-percent fee on the sale price.
When you create an a count , you can sign up using Facebook, Google+, or your full name. Before you list a product for sale, Etsy highlights the fees you will be charged in order to inform you of what your net profit will be. As a shop owner, you are sent a bill at the end of every month containing the fees you owe. You have until the middle of the following month to pay it. Buyers can purchase products with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Card, PayPal, or the Etsy Credit Card Reader. If you use the Reader, be sure to first download the Etsy App.
Etsy has rolled out a direct checkout method, which allows you to pay with and accept payment by credit card, debit card, Etsy gift card, some bank transfer services, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and the Sell on Etsy Reader—all in their local currencies. This solves the problem of how to efficiently get paid after you sell your wares online.
Like a lot of e-commerce platforms, perfecting the global end of transactions for Etsy continues to be a challenge and work in progress. If your desire is to easily cross boundaries on someone else’s e-commerce platform, it is better to find out in advance if it is feasible before you invest your time and energy using Etsy.
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TO BE CONTINUED……
If you have questions on today’s class DM me for answers to such questions.
Till then, you will succeed
ELEF 