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Summer is winding down and the holiday season is quickly approaching, which means it’s time to prepare your small business for heavy holiday traffic. While it’s important to stock up on holiday inventory, it’s more critical that your items are seen by as many eyes as possible. Luckily, BULQ has your back with tips on how to cross-list across reselling platforms & drive sales.
What is Cross-listing?
If you’ve tried to sell your stuff on online marketplaces like Poshmark, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace, then you know how to list items. Cross-listing is simply listing the same item across multiple online selling platforms. This increases the likelihood that a customer sees your item, and better yet, purchases that item.
This strategy works well for resellers that specialize in certain product categories. For instance, you’re more likely to sell clothing & accessories on apps like Poshmark, but you’ll want to list on Mercari too in case someone else on there is more interested.
Or maybe you stock up on home decor and your go-to sales channel is eBay. You should also list those home furnishings on Facebook Marketplace in case a local buyer is interested and doesn’t want to pay for shipping fees. It’s all about meeting customers where they are on their preferred ecommerce platforms.
Benefits of Cross-listing
There are several benefits of cross-listing that can ultimately help resellers in their business strategies:
Saves You Time
Cross-listing may sound like a time-consuming process, but it’s faster than you think. Since many reselling platforms ask for the same information, all you have to do is copy and paste to get an item listed in no time at all. We recommend finding an online marketplace that you feel most comfortable with to start. You can fill in the item details on that platform and then carry everything over to the next one.
Allows for More Listings
Since you’re saving time in putting up your inventory across multiple platforms, you should have the flexibility to list more items. At any given time, you should sell more than 40 – maybe even 50 – items. Your storefront should appear fully stocked, with options for the customers that land on your page.
Builds Credibility
As we’ve said before, cross-listing ensures that your items are put in front of as many customers as possible. More eyes on your inventory can ultimately help drive more sales for your online store. So, gaining exposure for your business and putting your name out there across platforms is valuable.
On certain marketplaces, buyers and sellers are asked to review one another. As you continue to buy and sell, you can start to build more credibility for your business based on real customer reviews. This could mean you’re both a Top Rated seller on eBay and a Poshmark Ambassador. Getting these credentials under your belt will help show potential customers across the board that you’re a trusted seller.
Tips for Cross-listing Success
Now that we’ve covered exactly what cross-listing is and how this process can benefit your business, we want to share our top tips for cross-listing success. Take the following into consideration as you prepare your business for the upcoming holiday season:
Stay Organized
Our #1 tip for cross-listing is to stay organized. Expert reseller Candice Berry has seen success listing her items on more than one platform, but it takes organization to keep the process seamless. Hear her experiences firsthand on the BULQ Breakdown below.
The key takeaways to remember are: make sure you know where you have each item listed, ensure that the descriptions match up with the right item, and remember to remove items from all other platforms as soon as they sell.
Embrace Copy and Paste
For new resellers, it’s important to remember that not every description needs to be unique across platforms. That leads us to our second tip: copy and paste the information for your items.
Again, this will save you a significant amount of time in the listing process. The descriptions and product details don’t really need to change from marketplace to marketplace. However, we do recommend adjusting the selling price of the items, which can differ depending on the platform. Mercari, for example, recommends listing prices based on recent sales of similar items.
Now if you’re selling on eBay, eBay’s re-listing tool does the copy and paste work for you. When you purchase a lot fromBULQ on eBay, the tool will automatically create a new listing for you, which saves you even more time.
Research Reseller Fees
Finally, when researching which platforms to cross-list on, be sure to take a look at any additional fees. They vary per platform, from listing fees to transaction fees, so keep this in mind when listing your items.
There are often shipping fees included with listing items online, too. For some platforms, this charge falls on the seller while others will require the buyer to pay the shipping cost. Do the research to prepare for added costs and adjust your listing price as needed to ensure a profit.
More reselling platforms like OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace, and Mercari are also enabling local pickup as a delivery option. This helps both buyers and resellers avoid shipping fees on purchases. Always be smart and follow the platform’s safety protocols for any in-person transactions.
Now that we’ve covered the basics on cross-listing, you can prepare for the busy season ahead and spread holiday savings across platforms. If you’re looking for great inventory to get started, head on over to BULQ.com now.
There you’ll find the right product categories for your business. We have options ranging from toys & baby and home improvement to general merchandise and clothing & apparel. Plus, subscribe to our emails for bonus discounts and promotions leading up to the holidays.
If this blog post was helpful for you, take a look at a few of our other resources for listing and marketing:
- Boost Slow-Moving Listings With these 5 Pro Tips
- Marketing Tips: How To Grow Your Reselling Business
- BULQ Breakdown: How and Why to Cross-List
Follow BULQ on social media for additional tips, reseller stories, and more:
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