How to Include eBay Experience on a Resume

Being interviewed
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Selling on eBay is a skill that not everyone can claim. Those who can generally have sold on this platform for many years, with some using it to earn income while being a caregiver for children or loved ones or while dealing with short-term disability. Also, many sellers are autodidacts.

Some believe that their skills may be worthless in the job market. Fortunately, the skills needed to run an eBay business are transferable.

Perhaps you have been working as an eBay seller from the comfort of your home; however, you conclude that you don't have much to offer an employer. Nothing is further from the truth! eBay sellers have learned how to source and photograph items, post listings, optimize listings for SEO, ship items domestically and internationally, handle customer service issues, manage inventory, hire help, and promote listings through various mediums (e.g., social media).

Don't sell yourself short in the job market. Explaining your eBay experience and skills takes reframing the information in a way that a hiring manager will understand. Here are a few suggestions for including commerce skills on a resume.

Show That You Have Built Something From Nothing

Employers love to see this. It means you have taken the initiative to start a project, have accepted risks, and followed through. Show your eBay start date and how many items are in your store. The wording could read like this:

"Built and managed eBay store with 500+ items since 2010."

Show Quantifiable Results With Numbers

Employers don't care about what you promise to do, they want to see what you have done. History is the best indicator of future performance. Provide numbers, percentages, and tangible evidence of what you accomplished. In other words, write an achievement-oriented resume. For example, 

"Achieved Top-Rated Seller status within 12 months, monthly sales of $3K, consistent ROI of 400%, and 99% positive feedback rating since 2010. Shipped an average of 75 packages monthly domestically and internationally. Item return rate consistently less than 2%."

Show How You Have Used eBay Skills in Real-Life Applications

How have you applied your eBay knowledge in the real world to make money, help people, or support another business? For example, have you sold any items on consignment or for a charity? Even if you have only sold one item for a friend or relative, you have lived the consignment experience. If you have had long-standing consignment clients, use verbiage like this:

"Provided consignment services for 4 clients resulting in a profit of $1,000 per month per client."

Highlight Customer Service Skills

Working with customers is a skill many employers seek. Selling on eBay requires customer-friendly policies, professional communication skills, quick response times, and diplomacy. Speak of this experience on your resume. For example,

"Communicated with eBay customers on an on-going basis to answer questions, resolve disputes, provide further details about items for sale, and collect payment."

Explain Your Shipping Experience

This is one area eBay sellers really underestimate their skill levels. Shipping items domestically and internationally requires commitment, knowledge, and planning. If you have used multiple carriers, such as USPS, FedEx, and UPS, include those details. For example, 

"Shipped an average of 10 packages daily using USPS, FedEx, and UPS domestically and internationally. Proficient with all aspects of shipping, including cost-benefit analysis of shipping options to determine cheapest and fastest options, adding insurance, tracking, and researching lost packages."

Talk About Inventory Management

You have managed inventory, even if it is just in plastic containers in your garage. Explain your system in understandable terms:

"Efficiently managed inventory of 500 items, with a constant flow of units in and out of storage. Consistently generated sales to keep inventory flowing and semi-annual inventory purges to remove stale inventory. Managed inventory using Excel spreadsheets."

Discuss Hiring Helpers

Have you ever hired someone to help you with your eBay business? Maybe it was to photograph items, list items, ship orders, or help source. Hiring help indicates a higher-level business operation and an initiative to grow the business, teach skills to subordinates, and manage employees. You could say.

"Hired, trained, and supervised 2 part-time contractors to assist with photographing and listing items."

Give References

If you had consignment clients, hired help, or taught others how to sell on eBay, include those people as references to speak to your abilities. Always ask before giving out someone's information as a reference.

Look for Opportunities on Job Sites

There are several job posting sites -Indeed, GlassDoor, Career Builder, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn - where you can set up searches. These sites have mobile apps that send push alerts. Use keywords, such as eBay, commerce, online store, and mobile shopping, to find opportunities that are a good fit for eBay experience.