Opening an Ebay shop - how to do it please?

Question

Hi.
I wondered if anyone could help me out a bit here.
I want to open an Ebay shop, but wondered how hard/easy it actually is.
When I've looked at the idea on Ebay, it says I need a VAT number. How do I get one of those & also at the moment I'm unemployed, would that matter in getting this number. I sell a few things that I've got from clearing out at home in order to get a bit of money behind me so I can buy stuff wholesale & sell it. I already have a wholesaler & have been ordering a few things to get a good supply of stuff before I take the plunge.
Could someone please be kind enough to help me with a little bit of knowledge.
I really want to get out of being unemployed & due to a spinal cord injury I'm stuck at home quite a bit these days.
Thankyou very much in advance.

Answer 1

Before getting into any business venture you must TRY to find answers to these questions:

1) How much time am I willing to dedicate "REALISTICALLY"to building my business?
2) How much money do I need or want to make?
3) What kind of lifestyle I want?
4) How do I feel about having one or more employees?

Answer 2

Hi there, I have a shop on eBay. As some other member said, you need a minimum of 10 feedback points which you can only obtain from purchasing before you can start selling. Opening a shop on eBay is easy and you do not need a VAT number to do this but you should really only pursue this option after testing the water. You will be charged for your shop display, for listing items and by paypal (secure electronic payment) which if you're not selling substantial quantities means you will be selling at a loss!
To earn your 10 feedback points, purchase items, make sure you give the buyer instant payment and leave feedback for them. You really want to start off with a 100% feedback rating when you start listing items. When you start listing items, go to the sell option in eBay, you can sell at fixed price or auction, list paypal for receiving payment (free to set-up and can be done via eBay) and always include a photo and put your title in capitals and make sure you list in the right category. List your item for as long as possible i.e. 10 days as more buyers will browse your items over this period. The other thing you can do is check how competitive your sell price would be against the same/similar items selling on eBay currently. eBay is really a wholesalers market and unless you are buying in large bulk volume, you will find it hard to compete. But it is worth looking. And oh, one more thing, start your auction price very low i.e. £0.99 or £1.01 to encourage bidding on your item. I hope this helps. All the best and well done for getting up the courage and spirit to start something new!

Answer 3

You don't need a VAT number unless you are planning on being a VAT registered trader and I think that depends largely on your turnover. You do however need to be careful of the implications of buying stuff in to sell on - that then becomes interesting to the tax office and trust me, they DO watch ebay.

Opening a shop is easy! I suggest using something like Turbolister to do it - faster if you are selling multiples of things too. Also be aware that items in shops do not show up in searches, so you need a few auction items to drive buyers to your shop. Good luck - I did it for a long time and it was fun!!

Answer 4

im not too sure but you would have to be organized and make sure that everyone gets what they paid for you know? keeping track of all those receipts and stuff like that you should set up a system before you start the actual store. not sure what a VAT number is though but good luck! maybe ill buy from you soon ;)

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Answer 5

You do have to give them a monthly payment to open an ebay store . I checked it out a few months ago..since you are beginging why don't you just start by posttng your items for sale ? It is a great way to begin and start earning the money first before encountering ebay store costs and you learn alot .I have sold many items on ebay .

Answer 6

you can't just open it up straight away. u need to have a certain number of feedback. once you build up an adequet feedback score you can open. it is £6.00 a month whether you trade or not. you can cancel anytime. you doon't need vat number. however you may depending on your situation as you may need to pay tex on some of your trading activity.

Answer 7

vat number im not sure what that means? i know you can use paypal to verify checking account or id verify.Paypal doesnt protect sellers very well.Paypal doesn't protect dropship wholesalers either.