Founded in 1995, eBay is a globally recognized eCommerce leader, connecting millions of buyers and sellers together each day. eBay isn’t just for resellers, as some have the impression. In fact, over 80% of the products listed on eBay are brand-new. So, as a business owner, how can you integrate eBay with Shopify to take advantage of this massive marketplace?
5 Simple Steps to Integrate eBay with Your Shopify Store
All you need to get started with your eBay/Shopify integration is a Shopify store with at least one product. Then, complete the following steps:
1. Make eBay a sales channel.
From your Shopify dashboard, navigate to the Sales Channel menu and click the Add (+) button. Then, find and select the eBay option.
Next, review and accept the list of permissions granted to eBay. This simply allows Shopify to communicate with eBay about products, inventory, orders, and pertinent customer information.
2. Link an eBay account to the eBay sales channel in Shopify.
Next, Shopify will prompt you for your eBay login information. Use your existing eBay account details, or follow the prompts to register for a new one.
Then, you may be asked to provide some additional business details. If so, follow the instructions carefully to validate the legitimacy of your online business. Finally, grant Shopify access to eBay to allow order information communication between the two programs.
3. Configure eBay’s policies.
After linking your eBay account to Shopify, you’ll need to review and/or modify eBay’s selling policies. As a template, eBay automatically recommends certain best practices to assist your storefront in reaching as many shoppers as possible. Navigate through the prompts, configuring each to your specific needs, using the recommended practices as often as possible.
4. Select Shopify products to sell on eBay.
Next, select the products from Shopify that you wish to list (sell) on eBay. You can decide to either upload your entire Shopify inventory or choose individual products by selecting the designated option. Then, click Save and Publish to continue.
5. Customize eBay listing information.
Finally, review your new eBay listings, revising as you see fit. To reach as many shoppers as possible, be sure to include any relevant SEO keywords and thorough, detailed descriptions. Then, click Save and Publish, again.
Congratulations, you've finished the integration process!
Important Tips to Keep in Mind after Integrating eBay with Shopify:
- As you add future products to Shopify, they will not automatically publish as listings to eBay. After the initial batch load, you’ll need to manually publish new Shopify products to eBay.
- Users can only control eBay listings created in Shopify from Shopify. Changes made in the eBay portal to listings will not update to Shopify, potentially resulting in inaccurate reports and data.
- Be sure to remember to visit your eBay channel each day to monitor for messages. You’ll also need to ship customer orders from your Shopify sales dashboard, as you would with traditional sales.
Why Integrate eBay with Shopify
As discussed in our Amazon/Shopify integration blog post, connecting your Shopify account to a reputable marketplace can help you gain huge amounts of exposure. After all, eBay boasts over 100 million active platform users. By integrating eBay with your Shopify account, you can reach millions of new clients. These leads may become loyal future customers who, in the future, choose to shop directly from you. And, if that’s not persuasive enough, just consider the positive effect of exposure and SEO from one of the world’s top search engines.
Plus, eBay is a trusted household name - up in the ranks with Google and Wal-Mart. In fact, some buyers don’t shop on any other online site. Reach these “one-stop shoppers” and gain their trust - without ever having to leave your Shopify dashboard.
Leverage the Power of Multi-Channel Selling
Not only is it extremely easy to integrate eBay with Shopify, but the strategy could help your sales skyrocket. Small, one-man operations now have the means to compete with massive brands. No matter the size of your Shopify business, start leveraging the massive power of eBay today! Get ready to watch your business flourish.
