When do I open a store?

I see this question being asked a lot in online groups and forums.  There is an easy answer, but with ebay changing how the pricing works it may be confusing for some.  How many items should I list before it becomes advantageous to have a store?  What level of store should I have?  Should I commit to a long term agreement?  What is the upside to having a store?

I approached my store a little differently than most.  I didn't base it on how many listings I had.  I looked at my sales, which at the time were around $100 a week.  So after fees I was getting about $80 a week in my pocket.  Not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but I knew where I wanted to go with my business.  I decided to bite the bullet and go for the Premiere store right off the bat.  The reason I did so was because I knew that in one week I could make enough profit to pay for the store.  I also knew that if I were paying that much I would be motivated to list more to make up for that hit to my revenue.

With the latest announcement, ebay is trying to boost their auction listings.  The free ride for buy it now listings for non store owners is all but gone.  So if you are trying to build a business with steady income, you now need to evaluate a store even more than ever.  So what are the advantages of having a store?  I'm glad you asked, especially if you are a new seller.  When you first start selling on ebay, they are going to impose limits on how many items you can sell per month.  This is going to fluctuate depending on what category you are selling in.  You will be restricted for 90 days.  So is there any way to speed up that process?  Possibly.

When I decided to sell in a niche category, I also decided to create a new account to do so.  I had limits placed on me even though I had been selling for years.  I set out to try and get those limits raised as quickly as I could.  The one thing that helped me convince the CSR to raise my limits was by opening a store.  Ebay wants to see that you are a good seller, and that you are serious about selling.  By opening a store they saw that I was committed to selling on ebay.  Now my limits didn't go up a whole lot, but they did go up.  I called them once a month for three months, and each time they raised my limits.  I'm not saying that this will work for you, but it did work for me.  Your mileage may vary.

There are also advantages in opening a store.  For one, you now qualify for top rated status.  Getting that status is a bonus because with it you get a 20% discount on shipping fees.  You also get a bump in search results.  Additionally, you get offers for free listings that a non store owner doesn't get.  As your level of TRS goes up, you also get things like priority phone support.  When I call in now, I get right to a CSR with no waiting.  You also qualify for a monthly mentor call.  Ebay has seasoned sellers who will have a 15 minute call with you, one on one, to go over your store and listings and provide advice on improving your business.  It will take time to get to a TRS status, but it is so worth it!

Don't look at the monthly fee for a store as a negative thing.  Look at it from the positive side.  Don't worry about the monthly fee.  I'm sure you can sell one or two items a month to cover that fee.  Look at the benefits you will gain, which are far more valuable than the cost.  So do yourself a favor if you are serious about selling.  Get your store and start getting the benefits associated with it!