Listing your products on multiple sites is a tactic that many sellers use both in the Etsy and eBay communities.
This can be for many reasons: exposure, larger client base, liking different platforms, keeping inventory high, overflowing of product, and many more.
While it is a possibility to sell this way, many people have found that this process doesn’t work for them.
Can you sell products on Etsy and eBay at the same time?
You can sell products on multiple sites as long as they meet the requirements of that site. If the products do not meet site requirements or violate any site policies, you will have to remove them. Furthermore, products must be efficiently managed across multiple platforms.
Many shop owners don’t like to host their shops on multiple platforms unless they have plenty of help.
If you are solo-gig, you may want to consider sticking to one site.
Is it a Good Idea to List Products on Both Etsy and eBay?
Listing your products to multiple sites can have a lot of benefits and help your business grow!
If you already sell on either Etsy or eBay and want to branch out, have your products in multiple locations, or even just try out a new platform, you can do that!
Keep in mind that there are both pros and cons to this method of selling that you should be aware of.
Pros:
Selling across multiple platforms will help you reach a wider audience of customers and may help you boost sales.
You can also use a new platform as an opportunity to branch out from the Etsy algorithm or test out a new permanent shop location.
Furthermore, you can use this as a way to sell off surplus inventory – if things aren’t selling well on Etsy, try selling them somewhere else!
Cons:
The downside to having two different platforms for one shop is the amount of work you will need to increase to keep up with them.
One platform requires one inventory and only one place to check for updates, customer requests, sales, and to keep up on inventory.
If you don’t have any help, you may not want to take this route for your business. Monitoring several different platforms and much more inventory than you are prepared to handle is quite taxing and can take up all your time.
Only full-time small business owners take this route – even more-so if they have a team.
For example, if someone buys the final product you have on one platform, you will need to make sure to remove that product listing from all platforms. Otherwise, you could have customers get angry when they get refunded for a mistaken purchase.
If you have a team that can handle customer service, inventory, multiple platforms, social media marketing to both sites, and more, you will be much better equipped to sell in multiple places.
Can I Use the Same Text, Images, etc. on Both Platforms?
As long as product descriptions, images, and product information were created by you or your team, you are free to use it wherever you like online.
This means that you won’t have to worry about starting over from scratch, and can even get most of your transitions done quickly and easily.
Once you’ve already gotten your images, texts, descriptions, and information processed over, you can set your listings to “live” or ready to go and start selling!
Remember, all images, descriptions, and products must be your own, or else you could be in violation of copyright infringement.
What Are the Rules on eBay and Etsy for Cross-Listing?
Etsy rules require that your products be handmade, your intellectual property, vintage, or craft supplies in order to sell on their site.
eBay requires that you meet their listing requirements and do not violate their prohibited or restricted items policies.
Cross-listing is not monitored, nor is it against either site’s rules to do so. However, these sites tend to be competitors and therefore make it difficult for syncing up your shops. In fact, syncing shops require third-party tools or applications in order to do so.
So, while you can absolutely host your shop and items wherever you want, you may have a lot of extra work ahead of you.
What Are the Best Tools for Cross-Listing your Products? (If it is Allowed)
There are a lot of applications, plugins, and tools you can use to achieve your goal of cross-listing and selling on multiple platforms online.
We’ve listed six of the more popular sites being used today that allow you to sell across multiple platforms through eCommerce sites!
- Magnalister.com
- Exportyourstore.com
- Listperfectly.com
- Sellbrite.com
- Channeladvisor.com
- Geekseller.com
(For links to each website, check out our reference links below at the end of this article!)
Sites like Export Your Store, Sellbrite, and Magnalister are great for getting multiple products out all at once on different platforms. They can help you sync up your inventory, stock, and prices as well as notify customers of changes or updates.
Other sites like Channel Advisor and Geekseller offer basic listing tools and updates to sales, repricing, order management, and more!
Listperfectly and Sellbrite offer connections to the most eCommerce sites, such as:
- eBay
- Etsy
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Shopify
- Jet
- Newegg
and more!
If you are looking for help with your shop, look no further than these sites!
After doing some research to see what is right for you, you should be able to get an idea of which site will help you manage your shop the best!
Can You Do it Automatically So it Will Sync by Itself?
To sync your shops together, you will have to use a third-party application or online program.
As we’ve stated above, using programs to manage and upload your shops from one platform to the next is the ideal way to keep an eye on products, sales, inventory, and listing analytics.
If you are going to try and do this without an online program, be prepared for the grunt work that goes into it.
You will want to make sure you are checking both sites constantly and working hard to communicate with any and all customer requests, inquiries, and questions.
Final Thoughts
Cross-listing can have a lot of benefits and hard work attached to it, which makes it both better and harder to grow your business.
If you are interested in cross-listing, make sure you like both platforms that you are using and fully understand them.
Furthermore, if you have any trouble or get overwhelmed, there’s nothing wrong with asking for help or hiring a team!