How do I connect to/start selling on eBay? (all steps)
Getting Started
If you do not have an eBay account, click here to register a new business account. If you already have a business account with eBay, move on to step 2.
If you have a personal eBay account and you feel comfortable doing so, we recommend that you convert your personal account to a business account. It is free to do and if you have a history of selling on eBay, then converting your account can help increase your initial selling limit.
You can still sell personal items through the account as well, keeping in mind your selling limits.1 & 2) To convert your account, login to eBay and click your name in the top left of the screen, then click 'Account settings'.
2) Click 'Personal information' under the 'Personal Info' heading on the left.
3) Click on 'Edit' next to 'Account type'.
4) You will be prompted to re-enter your login credentials. Then, choose 'Business' and click 'Continue'.
5 & 6) If your 'Account type' was set to 'Personal' instead of the 'Not Specified' shown above, then the 'Change Account Type' page will look like the image below. Enter your 'Business name' and click 'Change to Business Account'.
Click here to see your selling limits and request a limit increase, if needed.
Our system will be adding and editing items regularly, which can result in thousands of email notifications from eBay. We recommend disabling notifications about unsold items and new listings.
Click here to access your communication preferences page.
1. Opt in
Click here and opt-in to eBay's business policies, if asked.
2. Focus on the default policies
Many clients have expressed that setting up business policies on eBay is overwhelming due to the number of auto-generated policies. We recommend that you focus on your default policies (one each for 'payment', 'return', and 'shipping'.)
In the screenshot below, you can see which policies are default by looking in the 'Type' column. If none of the other policies are familiar, you can delete all but these three. If you are unsure about deleting policies, you can also look at the last column, 'Listings'. If you see a policy that is unfamiliar (and therefore likely auto-generated) and has zero listings assigned to it, then it is likely safe to delete.
In the above screenshot, two of the shipping policies have zero listings associated with them: 'Shipping Policy' and 'Shipping Priority Only'. Unless you created them yourself or plan to assign listings to them, they are likely auto-generated by eBay and can be deleted.
There is also a 'Clean up policies' button at the top of the table. It should eliminate most unused, auto-generated policies as well.
3. Payment Policy
With eBay's 'Managed Payments' system, you should be automatically set up to use PayPal. DO NOT choose any other payment methods. If you were recently switched to the 'Managed Payments' system, click here.
Click on 'Edit' to the left of the 'Return - default' policy to configure your settings.
Click on 'Edit' to the left of the 'Shipping - default' policy to configure your settings.
Domestic Shipping Options
Choose either a 'Flat' or 'Calculated' method for determining shipping cost. The 'Flat' method applies the same cost to all buyers ($x.xx for the first item, and $x.xx for each additional item). The 'Calculated' method uses eBay’s shipping calculator.
International Shipping Options
For international shipping, you can configure 'Flat' or 'Calculated' options just like you do with domestic shipping, or you can use eBay’s Global Shipping Program.
You can also have buyers contact you for shipping rates. First, choose 'Calculated' without entering any specific options.
There will now be another menu on the same screen labeled 'Additional ship to locations - buyers contact for costs'. You can choose 'Will ship to the United States and the following' then specify additional countries or 'Will ship worldwide'. With either option, international buyers will be required to contact you for shipping rates overseas.
Offering same-day or 1-day handling time helps your listings qualify for Top Rated Seller benefits.eBay's help articles related to shipping can be found here.
Click here to view eBay's page on taxes and import charges, including how to setup a sales tax table.
First, decide how many of your items you want to list on eBay, keeping in mind your selling limits and the cost of listing on eBay.
- Basic: 250 items listed per month $21.95/month ($0.25 per item over 250)
- Premium: 1,000 items listed per month $59.95/month ($0.10 per item over 1,000)
- Anchor: 10,000 items listed per month $299.95/month ($0.05 per item over 10,000)
To enable uploads from our system, you will need to connect your eBay account with us. Connections last for 15 months, after which time, you will need to reconnect your account. Bibliopolis will send you an email when it is time to do so.
Follow these steps to configure eBay in your website admin/Control Panel:
2. Click 'Connect' link to connect to eBay.
3. This will open a popup window where you will login to eBay with your eBay username and password. On the next screen, click the 'Agree' button to grant BookRouter application access. After, you can close this window and finish your setup of eBay.
Upon successful connection, you will see a message in a green box indicating your account is now connected. Configure the following settings to complete your setup:
- Routing Status. Leave this set to 'Paused' until Bibliopolis has confirmed your setup.
- Enable Best Offer. Check this option if you wish to include eBay’s Best Offer feature on each listing. Then, configure your desired auto accept/decline rates.
- Shipping Details. Enter your zip/postal code, location (e.g. city, state), and a default package type for shipping. The package type setting is used only for calculating shipping with eBay’s 'Calculated' shipping. It does not mean every item you ship must conform to this package type.
- Template Description. This is a boilerplate that will appear below every listing. Bibliopolis usually sets this up for you, but we recommend you review it for accuracy and make any necessary changes.
- Default Shipping/Payment/Return Policy. Choose from the drop-downs the default business policies that you created in your eBay account. These will automatically be assigned to all listings.
- Re-Price by Percentage. If you wish to globally mark up all your items listed on eBay, choose the percentage mark up amount. For example, to mark up all items by 20% enter “20” in this field.
- Wait. If you want to delay newly listed items to the website from getting uploaded to eBay, enter the number in 'days' that you wish to delay uploads.
Email support@bibliopolis.com once you believe your setup is complete and we will review all settings. If there are no issues, we will upload a few items for you to review for accuracy.