Boost your eBay Power Seller profit margins this Christmas

It’s no secret Christmas is the busiest shopping period of the year; with millions of people across the globe frequenting all manner of online and offline outlets to find the perfect gift for that special someone. What’s more, in today’s technologically advanced society more and more shoppers are turning to eBay for their Christmas shopping. In fact, eBay Enterprise’s data reported:

“A 30% average growth year-on-year for October – December over the past three years. Furthermore, Cyber Week sales have peaked dramatically, showing sales figures which are more than 200% that of an average October – December week. According to the report, online conversion rates in this second peak period were 74% higher than the average Christmas period rate in 2014.”

Therefore, to help you capitalise on this hectic and highly profitable shopping period, listed below are our top tips on how to create captivating product listings, consolidate your reputation as a respectable eBay Power Seller and boost your profit margins during the festive season.

Provide multiple shipping options

During the festive season there will be an exorbitant number of eBay Power Sellers, e-commerce sites, national and international retailers offering exclusive discount codes and limited time offers. These are all in an effort to entice customers to utilise their services.

Subsequently, it is important that your eBay Power Seller listings provide captivating incentives that will encourage consumers to utilise your services. In this manner, it is highly advised that you offer multiple shipping options for all of your eBay listings during the festive season; such as next day courier delivery services.

This simple yet highly effective process will enable your customers to achieve peace of mind that their presents will arrive on time before Christmas Day in an excellent condition. Given that a Daily Mail report revealed approximately 400,000 items are lost by the Royal Mail postal service every week, and a further 100,000 are at least 15 days late, providing your customers with a rapid, efficient courier service can help establish trust and consolidate your reputation as a dependable eBay Power Seller.

Clearly advertise your last recommended Christmas delivery dates

During the festive season the number of parcels shipped within the United Kingdom and across the globe will escalate substantially. Combine this increased consumer demand with adverse weather conditions and unforeseen postal irregularities and many customers will be concerned that their presents will not arrive before the big day.

For these reasons, it is paramount you consider the latest recommended order dates for your Christmas deliveries and advertise them within each of your eBay product listings. By doing so, you can reassure your customers that by enlisting your services they can order their gifts in time for Christmas. This confidence in your eBay Power Seller capabilities can prove instrumental in securing future custom and recommendations – Not just throughout the Christmas shopping season, but beyond. As seasoned eBay Power Seller Amanda O’Brien explains:

“In my 8 years of experience as an online seller, I would say that the big Christmas eBay rush takes off approximately six to seven weeks before Christmas and lasts literally until the last day for special delivery guaranteed before the big day itself.”

Consequently, it is strongly recommended that you calculate when your last shipping days will be and clearly include these details within all of your eBay listings leading up to Christmas. You can do so by consulting with your courier services to find out the last recommended order dates for your various local, national, international and next day shipping services.

Offer a personalised gift wrapping service

Depending on the types of items listed on your eBay Power Seller account and your available resources, it may be worthwhile to offer your customers the choice of a personalised gift wrapping service for a nominal fee (i.e. £2.50), or as a complimentary festive offer. Although gift wrapping may seem like a timely and costly addition to your eBay listing services, this type of personalised service can result in significantly higher order amounts.

From luxury gift wrapping with a choice of bows and name tags to a basic yet appealing gift wrapping service, simply by offering this personalised gift wrapping service, and clearly advertising it via pictures and descriptions within all of your eBay Power Seller listings, you can draw upon your consumers’ festive spirit in order to simultaneously offer a luxury service to your customers and boost profit margins.

Don’t be afraid to provide international shipping options

Whilst dealing with increased local and national shipping orders, extending your eBay Power Seller listings to international consumers may seem like a step too far for your workforce to handle. However, with prior planning and preparation you can find it just as easy to ship to international sellers as local ones; a process which will improve your international reputation and substantial boost your profit margins.

Moreover, international shipping does not have to be as expensive and complicated as you might think. By enlisting the services of a professional courier company, who will offer discounts on bulk orders, you can carry out the same eBay Power Seller processes as you would for local and national orders. Your courier company will take care of the rest.

Given that recent Defaqto research highlighted how 55% of customers would pay extra to guarantee a better service, by enlisting a professional courier company to handle all of your local, national and international shipping orders you’ll be able to dedicate more time to creating new listings and interacting with your consumers. This is all whilst resting assured that your parcels will be quickly and efficiently delivered in an excellent condition.

This is where Post & Packing can help. All you have to do is bring in the items you want to ship and we’ll package and send the items to your waiting consumers within the UK and abroad. No hidden fees and no hassle – just a rapid, efficient service that will benefit both your business and your consumers. What more could you want for Christmas?