Computer Shopper - UK (2020-10)

ISSUE392|COMPUTER SHOPPER|OCTOBER 2020 121

WJDRepairs

William Dalingwater created his business, WJD Repairs, 10 years ago

at his home in Doncaster.Hestarted by buying faulty PlayStations,

repairing them and selling them on eBay.

His main business now centres around refurbishing used

mobile phones, tablets, games consoles and other tech gadgets,

all of whichhesells via eBay.

WJD Repairs has now moved intoanoffice to keep up with the

sheer capacity of orders, and employs 18 people,withaturnover

of more than £1m ayear.

imagesortextcopiedandpastedfromother
sites,buttherearefreestockimagewebsites.
“Yourwebsiteshouldhaveaneasy-to-
followlayoutandclearstructurethat
visitorscanquicklynavigate.Clearlylabel
yourwebpages,addcontactdetailsat
thebottomofthepage,andkeeptextto
aminimum where possible.
“The aim should be that avisitor
arrives at the goal of their search in very
fewclicks and that the content shown is
understandable and relevant. If a
website’sstructure is clearly laid out then
it is much more likely visitors will turn
intocustomers,and they’ll return again.”

SETTINGUPYOURONLINESHOP
Ionos offers an e-Commerce Website
Builder,which lets you open up an online
shop within minutes. Youcan also sync
and integrateyouronline shop with
marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay,
price comparison portals such as Google
Shopping, or the shopping functions in social
media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
“It’s important to make it as easy as
possible forcustomers to buy from your
website. Offeringthe right payment methods
can go alongway in convincing acustomer to
purchase from your online shop,sobyusing
an e-commerce websitebuilder,you can
select arange of methods, including PayPal
and credit card, and ensure it’s atrusted
service from the get-go,” Schaudel says.

“Creating an holistic online presence helps

to drive trafficthrough to your website,

increase visitors and sales, and shows that

you have aprofessional and modern approach

foryourbusiness.”

SETTINGUP ON

ATHIRD-PARTY

MARKETPLACE

It’s not always

necessary to do the

work yourself.Instead

of setting up their own

websites, many

companies choose

instead to trade only

through third-party

sites such as Amazon

and eBay, which offer

access to aglobal shop

window with minimal

time,effort and capital

outlayrequired.

eBay’s marketplace

opens up amarket to

27 million customers a

month, and products

sold by small businesses

appear shoulder to

shoulder alongside

thosefrombigbrands.Therearecurrently
morethan300,000smallbusinessestrading
oneBayUK.
Murray Lambell, vice-president of UK
trading, eBayUK, toldComputer
Shopper,“Many have joined in recent
months after their bricks and mortar
stores were forced to close in the
pandemic. Small businesses have had
areally toughtimelately and we’re
proud that eBayhas given many a
platform to keep trading in spiteof
lockdown restrictions.”
eBayhas taken steps to make it as
easy as possible to get set up and
selling. Its Seller Hub offersinformation
on how to createthe perfect listing,
delivery options, payment options, tips
and tricks forgreat customer service,
advice on disputes, and sales tracking.
Getting your listings right is one of
the keys to success. Lambell advises,
“Choosing the right category foryour
products can make the difference between a
sale and your item being missed entirely –
there are lots to pick from, so carefully
consider what it is you’re selling and where
customers will be looking forit. Similarly,
writing an effective title can really help
catch abuyer’s eye.
“Once you’ve caught their attention, it’s
important to make sure the description is as
clear,accurateand informative as possible.
Including sizing, brands, and even customer
reviews can make abig difference in getting a
sale over the line.Plus, having professional-
looking product images goes along wayin
helping to market your product. My toptip
wouldbetouse aplain background and to
make sure the picture is as clear and high
quality as possible,whether that’s through
using atripod or placing the camera on aflat
surface to capture your image.”
Other toptipsinclude offering free
postage where possible and delivery within
three working days. This means that the eBay
Fast &Free logo will appear on the listing,
which helps attract customers. Buy Now
options also work well on products with aset
price, as customers can often be impatient
and are keen to get hold of their purchases
as quickly as possible.
Lambell adds, “My one piece of advice for
small businesses starting out on eBaywould
be to get the basics right. Having great
photography,accuratedescriptions and
fantastic customer service makes areal
⬆The Ionos web-hosting service lets you open an online shop in minutes difference in generating sales.”

eBay has taken steps to

makeitaseasyaspossible

to getset up and selling