Selling Strategically with eBay Marketplace Research

Patti Louise RubyeBay University Instructorand Certified Education Specialist Trained by eBay

Nick DonelsonProduct Management

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Important Information

Agenda

• Introducing the eBay Marketplace Research Tool

• Making Research-driven Sourcing Decisions• Creating High-Performance Listings• Available Options: Subscription Tiers and

Free Research• Summary• Q&A

Research Can Drive Business Success

• Knowing how a product has sold in the past, can help you:

– Estimate how the item will sell in the future– List the item in a way that has proven to work

• With 6.4 million new listings per day, eBay captures sales performance information on items that are directly comparable to the products you sell

Focus: Research-driven Business Decisions

• Basing sourcing decisions on research– What inventory should I buy?– On which products should I focus my selling efforts?– How much can I expect to sell—therefore, how much

should I stock?

• Formulate a listing strategy based on proven techniques

– When should I list? – Features? Category? Format?– Building a listing title?

eBay Marketplace—Tool Overview

• 90 days of eBay history• Information including

average pricing, shipping costs, numbers sold, listing volumes, etc.

• Advanced search capabilities• Calculated metrics/totals• Charts/diagrams

Using eBay Marketplace

• Scenario: As a seller, I have an opportunity to buy Polar Watches, model s625x for $175.00 apiece

• Marketplace Research helps evaluate the sales opportunity

– Is there demand for these watches?– Is $175 a good price?– How many should I stock?– How strong is the competition?

Accessing eBay Marketplace Research

http://pages.ebay.com/marketplace_research/

Navigating the Tool

• Charts and Metrics– Historical listings

• Top Searches– Most popular

keyword searches on eBay

• Saved Research

Step 1: Keyword Search

• Search Keywords “Polar Watch”• Same as the standard search functionality

on eBay.com

Polar Watch

Step 2: Specify the Appropriate Category

• This will refine your results

Step 3: Gauge the Relevance of Results

• Check to see that the search is finding only the items of interest

• Research results are only as good as the query!

Step 4: Refine Your Search with Filters

• Filter out irrelevant items– Exclude words– Set floor and ceiling prices– List features and formats– Designate specific sellers– “Located in” or “available to”

• Polar Watch Scenario– Exclude “accessory”

or “sensor”– Set Min. price of $100

Step 5: Verify Your Results

• Confirm that all results are relevant and comparable to the product of interest

Step 6: View Results—Totals & Metrics

• Totals and other metrics are calculated automatically

Step 6: View Results—Charts

• Track data at a glance in easy-to-read charts

Step 7: Save Your Research Queries

• Save your refined research query so you can analyze the results in the future

Making Research-driven Sourcing Decisions

Can I Earn a Good Margin?

• Average Price:– $253.64 Ave.

Selling Price– $10.01 Ave.

Shipping Cost

$253.64– $175.00 (COGS)

$78.64 (30%)

Analyzing Market Demand

• Market size in volume (# of items):

– Sold Items = 87 over two weeks

• Market size in dollars($):

– Sold Items X Ave. Price = market size in $$$

87 items X $253.64 = $22,000 every two weeks

How Strong is the Competition?

• Conversion (sell-through) rate measures supply vs. demand on eBay.

• Calculating conversion rate:

– 87 Sold Items/124 Completed Items

– 87/124 = 70%

Seven out of ten Sell

Deciding Inventory Levels

• 87 sell every two weeks• 124 were available• If I list 20 more = 144 will

be available• Conversion rate:

87 will sell/144 available = 60%,

or Six of ten listings will sell

or12 of my 20 listings will sell12 items every two weeks

Creating High-performance ListingsWhere, When and How to Sell Your Items

Listing in the Best-performing Category

• Polar watches perform better in the Cycling category than in the Running category

Category 1: Cycling

Category 2: Running

Looking at Sales Performance by Day

• There is no competing supply on Wednesdays• Selling price is relatively constant on all days• Listing at a particular time does not always

provide an advantage

Building the Most Effective Title

• Learn what keywords buyers use to search for products• Include common keywords in your listings so more

buyers find your items

Efficient Use of Listing Features

• View the sales performance of listings using specific features

• Use the features that perform the best for your products

Available OptionsSubscription Tiers & Free Resources

Subscription Tiers

• Fast Pass ($2.99/two days)– Ideal for occasional buyers and sellers– Focus: Additional insight into specific items

• Basic ($9.99/month)– Ideal for frequent buyers and sellers– Focus: eBay Marketplace trends and best

practices• Pro ($24.99/month)

– Ideal for top sellers – Focus: Fine-tune sales strategies

Free Research: Completed Listings Search

• Search two weeks of historical listings for free

Free Resource: Using Sales Reports to Drive Business

• Evaluate your actual business performance versus your goals

• Experiment with formats, features, pricing, and timing of listings

• Track and measure your sales over time• Refine your selling strategy based on data• Continuously test and implement best practices

Measuring Success with Sales Reports

• Sales Reports provide– Sales and fee

summaries– A way to measure and

track listing strategies– Sales by category

and format– Sales by ending day

and time

Want More Tips on Research?

Stop by the

Seller Tools Pavilionto try out

Marketplace Research,Sales Reports

and other seller tools

Summary

• eBay Marketplace Research can help you access information to directly support sourcing and selling decisions

• Quality inputs are key: your search results are only as good as your query

• Multiple subscription tiers accommodate all levels of buying and selling activity

• Free tools can further assist you in making research-based decisions

Q&A

Q&APatti Louise Ruby

PattiLouise@planeteBay.net

Nick Donelsonndonelson@ebay.com

Questions?To learn more, visitwww.ebay.com/education to see the eBay University calendar, online tours, tutorials, and more.

Thank you!