With the spread of e-commerce and dropshipping in Southeast Asia, it was only a matter of time before the business worked its way to Australia. Now, Australia has rapidly grown to be one of the world's greatest economic markets for e-commerce.

The well-known multinational corporation eBay is at the forefront of this significant e-commerce boom.

At present, it has become more convenient than ever to take your business ideas to eBay and make real profits. In this guide, we will teach you everything you need to know as a beginner seller on eBay. So strap your belts and get ready to start selling.🚀

The very first thing to do before you start selling is to register for a seller account. If you already have a seller account, feel free to skip this step. Follow the steps below to easily create your brand-new eBay seller account.

Go to the eBay Australia website and click on the Register button in the top left corner of the screen.

You will be redirected to the account creation page. You need to fill in the required details such as your First name, Last name, and Email. Also, you need to create a strong password to keep your account secure. Once everything is set, you can now click the Create Account button.

Alternatively, you have the option to sign up using your Google, Facebook, or Apple accounts.

Once your account is established, your name will now be displayed in the upper-left corner of the page. Hovering over the name will reveal a drop-down menu. You can click on the Account settings button to add more information to your account like payment details and shipping addresses.

Congratulations! You have successfully created an eBay seller account. However, your work here is not finished yet. Make sure to add payment details to your account. If you are unable to connect your local bank account to the site you can also add third-party services like Payoneer or Paypal.

We have created a dedicated video for eBay Managed Payments and Payoneer so make sure you watch it if you have trouble adding your payment accounts to eBay.

Perhaps, the most difficult part of launching a store on eBay is finding high-potential products to list on your store. Instead of selling random items, we strongly suggest that you carefully consider choosing a niche for your store.

Selling similar products will boost your reputation on the website and help eBay promote your products more in your desired categories. If you have no idea what kind of products you want to sell, we are here to help you out.

Zik Analytics has dedicated tools to help you find winning products for your eBay store. Read on to learn how you can use the powerful features to your advantage.

Before you begin using Zik Analytics make sure you have optimized the interface for your location. Click on the Quick Settings icon on the left sidebar menu.

The Quick Settings configuration panel will appear on your screen and is now ready to be customized based on your preferences. As for this guide, we will set your Source website to Alibaba.com on the drop-down menu as this is what you will be using as your primary dropshipping source.

Also, we need to change the Shipping location to China (where the Alibaba warehouses are located) and then click on the Apply Changes button.

Based on the modifications you just made, Zik Analytics will now automatically set the filters on all tools and features you will use.

Zik Analytics has a massive database containing thousands of products to help you decide what to sell. The Category Research tool can assist you in identifying trending and high-profit niches in order to achieve long-term market success.

On the Zik Analytics dashboard, click on the Category Research icon from the left sidebar menu.

Here, you can select any category from the Select Category drop-down menu, set precise filters, and enter a generic niche to get up-to-date information on that particular category. Zik Analytics will search the database for accurate information on your chosen category.

Alternatively, you can scroll down to see some of the website's most popular categories. The main category name will be at the top, with sub-category names below it. Alongside each main category and subcategory, you will see a number of stars (maximum five).

The stars dictate the ratings Zik Analytics has allotted to these categories based on how successful they are for sellers. Click on the More button to reveal more sub-categories.

Once you have a general idea of what you want to sell, you can start shortlisting products for your store. Not every product is suitable for every store. Some products are difficult to sell but bring high profits.

Other products are relatively easy to sell but the profit is not as huge. So how do you determine if a product is right for you?

Zik Analytics is here to help. Using the powerful Product Research tool you can figure out the worth of a product in a matter of minutes. Simply follow the steps outlined below:

Click on the Product Research icon on the left sidebar menu. Now type in the name of the product you want to sell. Double-check to make sure the filters are set correctly. Then click on the Search button.

You will see detailed product statistics such as the sell-through rate (probability of a successful sale), total listings, total sale earnings, average product price, and more.

This data will not only help you decide if the product has good potential but can also help you find a drop shipper, set competitive prices, and analyze your competitors.

The pie chart will show you all of the sellers who sell this product, as well as how much of the total earnings they made. The point graph displays the number of sales made each day.

Scroll down a bit to find all the products available on the market. Click on the Item Finder icon to find similar items on Alibaba.

The Item Finder pane appears on the left. Here you can see a list of similar items on Alibaba, their prices, and the estimated profit you can make if you list it on eBay. Click on any product and you will be redirected to the Alibaba page for that particular product.

You can now list this product on eBay using the detailed information from Alibaba and then drop ship the item to the customer once you make a sale.

Although there are ways you can promote your products by paying money, a better approach is optimizing your listing so you rank high in search results and appear more often on recommendation tabs.

eBay utilizes a search and recommendation-based system, just like the majority of e-commerce websites. The title is one of the first things that a user sees in your listing. Therefore, it is crucial that you properly optimize it for organic marketing.

In order to generate more clicks, you need to ensure that your title is not only readable but also contains all of the relevant keywords that users are searching for. Zik Analytic’s Title Builder tool can help you create high-converting titles without any research or trial-and-error.

Simply select the Title Builder icon from the left sidebar menu. Now enter a generic name for the item you want to sell, for e.g. LED light. Optionally, tweak the filters to get even more accurate results.

Within seconds, Zik Analytics will show you all the important keywords that you need to use in your title. Alongside, each keyword you can see the average number of searches, the total sales it generated, and, in the case of long-tail keywords, the competition you will face if you use that keyword.

The generic keywords are what users mostly search by. On the other hand, long-tail keywords are more specific and will better target your desired audience. Make sure you use a combination of the two and don’t use any keywords that do not describe your products as that may be misleading.

You can click on any keyword and it will be automatically copied into the text box. You have a total of 80 characters so make sure you have a long, readable title. Read the example title in the image above for an LED light.

Once you have everything ready, it’s finally time to launch your product on eBay. Many users ultimately rush through this phase. However, making a listing requires a lot of patience. Make certain that all of the details are correct, and don't be afraid to be as descriptive as possible.

Wrong information or incomplete details might blow away sales or even worse, leave customers frustrated. To create your product listing, simply follow the steps below:

On the eBay main page, click on the Sell button in the top left corner. You will then be redirected to the eBay Selling page. Navigate and select the List an Item button to start listing on your store.

Under the Start your listing heading, type the name of the product you are trying to sell and click on the Search icon.

The Category dialog box will be displayed. Here, you need to choose the category your product falls under. You have the option to choose either the suggested categories or you can find more options under the All categories. Once set, click on the Done button found in the top-left portion to submit.

Now you will be redirected to the Find a Match page. Choose the item that most closely resembles your product. You can set filters on the left side as well to get more precise results.

If you choose an item from the list, eBay will help you out by automatically filling in most of the fields in the listing. You can then edit those fields and fill in any missing information to complete your listing.

Alternatively, you can click on the Continue without Match button to start the process from scratch.

In the dialog box that appears, choose the condition of your product then select Continue to listing.

If you haven’t added your contact information yet, you may be prompted to update the details. Select your country, add your address and phone number, and then click on the Continue button.

You can now proceed with the rest of your listing. Under the Photos and Video section, add your images and videos. Then paste in the title we created in the previous step.

You may copy the photos from the Alibaba listing you used to dropship your item. You can rearrange the photos by dragging and dropping them. What the user sees first is determined by the order you’ve set.

Fill in the rest of the details that suit your item specifications, the more you input all the necessary details the better for your listing.

If you are unsure go back to the Alibaba listing page and copy the details from there.

You can also find the description on the Alibaba listing. You may choose to write your own description from scratch or edit the Alibaba description to really make it your own.

Now set a competitive price with the information you got from Zik Analytics.

Update the shipping information by adding domestic and/or international shipping options. You may choose a Flat rate or a Calculated rate (based on the location of the customer).

Alternatively, you may also choose to enable free shipping by activating the checkboxes available on each shipping service.

Set a Handling time for the packaging and shipping. You may also choose to enable the Promote this listing option in which case eBay will take a percentage from the sales price each time a customer buys the item from the promoted listing.

Once you are done, click on the List it button to list your item on eBay. You can also save your listing for later or check out a preview before listing.

We have already discussed how you use Zik Analytics and Alibaba to source your store. Now it’s time to complete the cycle by finding a reliable shipping partner. By pairing these two together you will be able to create a completely sustainable online business.

As an Australian, you have a wide range of enticing shipping partners to choose from. Here are a few suggestions we listed to help you decide:

Australia Post is a trusted, government organization that has been present for decades. The company is popular in all of Australia and delivers billions of items every year. In 2022, the enterprise was given an award for Outstanding Value by Canstar.

Trans Direct is popular among small-business owners for its affordable and fast services. Currently, you can get your packages delivered for as little as $5. Furthermore, the company offers reliable shipping quotes for many websites including eBay.

Sendle is another very popular and affordable courier service. Just like TransDirect, they offer integration services with popular websites including eBay. The company is proud to be the first carbon-neutral delivery service in Australia.

Many new business owners avoid the topic of taxes for as long as possible. This approach can lead you to trouble later down the road. If you are just starting out, it’s important to take some time out and get yourself up to date on tax details as quickly as possible.

The first tax that you will come across is the sales tax and it will be charged by eBay automatically. The sales tax is charged on each product when a customer purchases it and the customer will have to pay it as part of the product price.

In short, the customer will pay the tax on the product, and then eBay will deduct it from your account.

This is another type of sales tax. However, this time you will have to pay it since you are the customer. When you are sourcing your products you will have to buy the items from the supplier. During this time, the supplier will charge you the sales tax as a part of the product price.

In short, you will pay the tax when you buy from a supplier whereas the customers will pay the tax when they buy from you on eBay.

Income Tax is a very common type of tax that most people have to pay at regular intervals (usually yearly) in their lives. If you are running a successful business on eBay you must save all your receipts and ensure you pay income taxes wherever and whenever it is eligible.

The income tax is applied on transactions where the amount exceeds $10. So if you have transactions below that amount you may not have to pay the tax on that.

This is just a brief overview of the common types of taxes you will come across. Don’t take this as financial advice and be sure to contact a financial advisor or tax supervisor to avoid tax troubles. You can read more about taxes on eBay on their official site.

ABN (stands for Australian Business Number) is a unique 11-digit number assigned to your business. Not everyone is eligible for an ABN. You may need it if you are:

Read the details on the official government website on ABN entitlement. Read this official article if you want to register for ABN or want more details.

Congratulations! You are now fully prepared to start and run a successful eBay business. In this article, you learned everything from creating an eBay account to getting yourself up to date on taxes. All that’s left for you to do is take a leap of faith and start your first eBay business.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact us in the chat.