When was eBay listing posted? Whether you’ve clearing out your wardrobe or have a stash of smartphones sitting in a drawer that you no longer use, selling unwanted items online on auction sites like eBay is a great way to declutter and make some extra cash.
According to a survey carried out by Opinium, the average household could make £477 by selling items they no longer need. Among the items likely to make the most money, according to eBay, are bikes (£284), tablets (£171), video games consoles (£158) and smart watches (£124).
Don’t know where to start? Follow our top tips to help you get as much cash as possible for your unwanted goods.
When was eBay listing posted?
Removing an eBay listing is not a choice to be taken lightly, as eBay keeps a listing’s purchase history and places well-established, high-selling listings higher in searches. That said, there are certain instances when you may still want to remove your listing on eBay, the most common one being that you no longer have the item available, and don’t plan on restocking it in the future.
This could be for one-of-a-kind vintage items, one-off pieces, or any other item that you’ll only sell once. If you list on additional platforms other than eBay and the item is sold on another one of your ecommerce stores, you’ll need to end the eBay listing to avoid selling an item that’s no longer available.
You should generally try to avoid deleting an eBay listing whenever possible. In cases when you’ve made a mistake on your listing, you can always go back and make certain edits to the listing, including changing the title and description, adding or changing images, and opting in to various listing upgrades. In some instances, you’ll also be able to change the price and change fixed-price listings to auction style listings.
Before you can decide that removing an eBay listing is the right choice in your particular case, you’ll need to understand what happens when you remove an eBay listing. Firstly, it’s important to note that when you end a listing, even if you’ve not made a sale through that listing, you’ll still be charged a final value fee.
Secondly and more importantly, all your listing’s purchase history will be lost once the listing is taken down. This means that if you intend to sell the same item again in the future, you should consider keeping the listing live with no stock by using eBay’s Out of Stock feature. To do this, simply log into your account, hover over your user name in the top left-hand corner, and click settings. Under the “Selling” section, click “Selling Preferences,” then toggle the “Multi-Quantity Listings” feature on.
Why are eBay Item Numbers important
Like we mentioned earlier, any communication post-purchase will need to include the listing’s item number.
As a seller, you can use the item number to:
- Keep track of all the sales you’ve made
- Find a specific archived listing
- If you’re using third-party shipping
- Or even to keep track of your own shipping
A tip for sellers giving a better buying experience is to include a packing list when shipping the order where you can also include the item number for easy access.
Shoppers can also use this number in the future if they’re wanting to buy the same product again or find the seller they originally purchased from.
They’re different from other unique product identifiers in that they’re only for eBay and have a one time (or one listing) use, but are important for eBay’s ecosystem.
eBay and Other Unique Identifiers
Besides the item number, other unique product identifiers are used in eBay listings, but for a different purpose. eBay item numbers are used mostly for internal organization and are specific to each listing (not item), while unique product identifiers are specific to each individual item and are the same across online channels and physical stores. And, unlike the item number, sellers will need to provide unique identifiers on their own.
The 5 main product identifiers used on eBay are:
- Brand – Does your product have a brand name? For example: Nike, Rolex, etc. Always include it when possible so that your shoppers know exactly what you’re selling.
- Mpn (Manufacturer Part Number) – This code is alphanumeric (contains letters and numbers) and it connects products back to their manufacturer.
- GTIN (Global Trade Identification Number) – Most products have this number located on them, underneath the barcode. Check out our article if you’re having trouble finding your GTINs.
- UPC (Universal Product Code) – A variation of GTIN. This barcode number is mostly seen in the United States and consists of 12 numbers.
- ISBN (International Standard Book Number) – Another popular type of GTIN. This should be a 10-13 (depending on how old the book is) number located on the book itself. It will be labeled as ISBN and seen above the barcode.
Different product categories have different required identifiers. It’s also possible to vary by subcategory as well. There’s an extensive list on the Seller Central site.
Other than them being required, they also will help the performance of your listings by automatically including additional product information if your product is matched with one already in the eBay catalog.
When Can You End an eBay Listing?
eBay allows sellers to end their fixed-price listings at any time, although its generally looked down upon. Auction style listings, on the other hand, cannot be ended prematurely if you’ve received at least one bid that met your reserve price (or a bid on an auction listing without a reserve price). Note that regularly ending your auction limits prematurely can result in limits being placed on your selling account, which is why you should only end an eBay listing if it’s absolutely necessary.
Reasons to Remove an eBay Listing
Although you should make an effort to not remove an eBay listing unless absolutely necessary, there are some valid reasons for taking down an eBay listing. This section will go over some common reasons for ending a listing on eBay to help you decide if removing your eBay listing is the best choice in your scenario.
Selling the Item Elsewhere
One common reason for removing an eBay listing is opting to sell the item on another platform. There are many reasons for choosing to sell a given item on another selling platform, including more attractive fees or a better selling experience. If you’ve decided to sell your item on another platform exclusively, taking down the eBay listing is the right choice.
Selling the Item in a Different Format
Another reason you may want to end your eBay listing is to change the buying format. You can change fixed price listings to auction style listings, but note that in cases where the listing is for one item, this will effectively end the listing and publish a new listing. Furthermore, watches and view history from the previous listing will be lost, and you will not be able to add a “Buy It Now” button to the auction. If you want to change an auction listing to a fixed price listing, you’ll need to remove the auction style listing and relist the item using a fixed price listing.
Item Can No Longer Be Sold
Sometimes, things go wrong, and you may find yourself with an item that’s no longer fit for sale. This could be a result of damage in storage, bad luck, and anything in between, but if an item is no longer fit for sale, you’ll have to end that item’s listing on eBay. Items that are damaged, broken, or otherwise in disrepair cannot be sold as they were originally listed, and not disclosing any damage to the item is a violation of eBay’s policies, so ending the listing is the best choice in these scenarios.
Item is No Longer Available
Oftentimes, sellers will list their item on eBay and on other selling platforms simultaneously. Multichannel selling is a great way to expand your pool of buyers, but it does come with a downside – when something sells on another platform, you’ll need to end the listing for that item on eBay.
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