In business, particularly for retailers, time translates into money. This holds true even more for businesses that involve a lot of routine tasks that can be automated using software at a small investment. For eBay sellers, using auction automation software can free up time for more important tasks like sourcing their merchandise, customer interaction and adding more auctions. This helps them increase their profits and cut down costs. Power sellers on eBay typically launch hundreds of auctions on a weekly basis. Auction management software supports these auctions by accelerating the process, maintaining records, handling emails and feedback and tracking stock and payments.
How it works
eBay auction automation software takes care of the routine and time consuming administrative jobs like data entry, email management and organizing buyers and suppliers. Tackling them simultaneously can be challenging, and automating the process makes sense. Submitting each auction manually can take a lot of time.
Automation software lets the eBay seller launch more auctions over a smaller time frame. The seller inputs sale listings with details, photos and banners. These items are submitted to the auction site which lists them.
Automation takes care of:
- Automatic product listing from seller’s catalog on eBay
- Inventory tracking and management
- Adjusting pricing
- Invoice management by consolidating multiple purchases by the same buyer and emailing invoices, as well as sending bidder notifications
- Listing for future dates
- Check out
- Payment management including PayPal and other methods
- Shipping management and tracking
- Customer feedback and management
- Reporting, tracking and analysis.
A seller has two options to use eBay auction software:
- Buy the software. A one-time initial investment that pays off in the long run and may need upgrades periodically
- Use a web-based service like Vendio, inkFrog, etc.
Before making a decision, it is a good idea to review various products and user feedback in the market to assist in choosing the right one.
Benefits of automating your eBay business
eBay is the world’s largest marketplace and a seller’s success is determined by business volumes, automatic listings which can be achieved through auction automation. The software can be integrated with the seller’s product catalog and shopping cart. It takes care of product listing, inventory management, automatic re-listing, order processing, payment management, etc.
The major benefits are:
- Inventory management where the automation software tracks inventory, items in stock, items sold, payments due and items due for shipment. For the seller, this means less tension over selling items not in stock.
- Customer service management. The seller can set up customized email templates to thank customers for their orders, notify them of new offers and promotions, and handle feedback, order confirmations and status, payment receipts and shipping notifications.
- Listing process management by inputting the text for the chosen listings. The automation software takes care of the rest, identifying sold items, items waiting for shipment and their destination. Shipping labels are also printed automatically.
- Profit management by calculating shipping fees, eBay fees, PayPal dues, etc., showing the seller how profitable the auctions are, highlighting the most profitable products. With automation software, sellers can accept and process payments on orders via eBay auctions as well as their online stores on their website.
Being an eBay seller involves several tasks, most of which can be automated with software. The advantage is that sellers are able to focus better on their business when they know which products sell better, helping them make smarter decisions with inventory. Eventually, automation brings eBay retailers closer to their business goals faster, while simultaneously getting the best exposure for the business.
