My first impression of Aliexpress dropshipping on eBay was that it could work as a passive income machine. For example, while sipping my coffee, I could watch the revenue dial go higher and higher, along with a steady stream of order notifications. The immediate reality proved otherwise.
Grasping this business model was a challenge until after I encountered several problems on the path which cost not only my finances and time, but also led me to receive a temporary suspension from my account.
Whether you are a novice or a seasoned player, each and everyone can learn something from these five blunders that I faced during my eBay dropshipping journey.
1. Not Knowing eBay’s Guidelines and Listing Items
Instead of taking it easy, I kept possessing a go-getter attitude. Grabbed dozens of items from Walmart and Amazon, regardless of whether eBay gave me the go ahead or not. As you can guess, things did not turn out particularly well.
What sets eBay apart from its competitors is that it does allow dropshipping under certain conditions; for example, it should be coming from a wholesaler or manufacturer. If it’s coming from retail locations like Amazon, you are in violation of eBay operating rules.
What I should’ve done:
Instead of engaging in retail arbitrage, I could have properly set up suppliers using Easync, AutoDS, CJ Dropshipping, or wholesale distributors (which are compliant with eBay policies). Sourcing is always policy compliant if there is an intention to set up a long-term store.
2. Not Testing Product Demand
Especially the products that had no demand or interest in the beginning. Some of them had zero views and no purchasers after a long period. I am talking about weeks here; towards the end, I was convinced that volume was everything. Well, it turns out that overcoming everything is actually quality, and that too during the start.
How to avoid this:
Before listing products, check for their history and competition on sales. Check using product research tools such as Zik Analytics, AutoDS Finder, or Terapeak. Winning products usually have some proof of already having been sold before such as sales velocity, little competition later on, and reasonable profit margins. It is also advisable to test in small quantities prior to scaling.
3. Using Poorly Written Listings
The description and the title were either lazily copied or greatly changed without much effort. I believe that stagnant SEO does not work even on eBay.
Not only is advertising terribly important, but so is the search engine. Buyers go through the listing search feature, and if it isn’t appropriately catered towards relevant keywords, then all sales goes out the window. Even if the price for the product was awesome.
What needs to be done:
Use eBay Title Builder or other top selling listings to research the competition and craft keyword heavy titles manually. Make sure that the description includes shipping timelines, return timelines, and highlight benefits rather than features.
Also, utilize your own product images whenever possible. Even minimal edits help increase your chances of standing out.
4. Customer Service Neglect (Until It Was Too Late)
I often thought of eBay as just a marketplace instead of a business. When buyers encountered issues, I either responded too late or did not respond at all. This resulted in negative feedback, which, in turn, caused my account visibility and trust to nosedive.
Like any other marketplace, eBay has trained buyers to expect timely responses, smooth interactions, and reliable services. Treat them well, and they will respond to relatum, which is also good for the user’s search rankings.
The lesson learned:
That can be easily resolved by setting up automatic responses, checking messages on a daily basis, and managing returns professionally while ensuring that a good feedback score – which is crucial on eBay – can be attained.
5. Relying Solely on Manual Processes
Initially, when I had over twenty live products, I uploaded everything one by one, adjusted prices, and updated tracking numbers. This was tedious work that quickly became exhausting.
As a consequence, deadlines were missed for shipments, there were overstocking issues, and excessive time was wasted completing tasks that could be done in a matter of seconds by a device.
What I did to change the story:
To maximize productivity, I incorporated automation software such as AutoDS, which takes care of importing products, monitoring prices and stock levels, and fulfilling orders automatically. It was like having a virtual assistant minus the extra costs.
Make sure to automate your systems early on if you have any intention of scaling.
Conclusion:
Learn As Much As You Can As Fast As You Can, But Switch Directions Quicker If You Need To.
Every business has its ups and downs, but these challenges do not need to be the problems that haunt you. Treating dropshipping on eBay like a business can yield great returns, but only if you stop at nothing to make it happen.
- Follow the policies set in place.
- Do sufficient background checks.
- Know how to express yourself.
- Treat optimization as a religion.
- For the sake of revenue—automate anything and everything possible.
But I remind you, I am in a continuous learning journey, so if you had told me these five tips, I would have reached my profit goals a lot faster—and without the stress headaches.