Understanding eBay Arbitrage: Amazon to eBay Arbitrage Explained
eBay Arbitrage is an increasingly popular online business model that allows entrepreneurs to buy products from one website or marketplace at a lower price, such as Amazon, and resell them on eBay at a higher price.
Amazon to eBay arbitrage is buying from Amazon and reselling on eBay.
This article provides everything you need to know about Amazon to eBay arbitrage, including information about the basics, how it works, eBay arbitrage benefits, and tips. In addition, it will help you understand the eBay business and how to make money with eBay arbitrage.
What is Amazon to eBay Arbitrage?
Have you ever gotten eBay orders in an Amazon box? That is precisely how eBay arbitrage works.
Now let’s define eBay Arbitrage and dropshipping.
eBay Arbitrage occurs when an eBay seller purchases an item at a lower-than-usual price on other marketplaces and turns around to sell it for a profit on eBay.
This means that Amazon to eBay arbitrage, Walmart to eBay arbitrage, and even Aliexpress to eBay arbitrage are all good options for sellers looking to flip an item on a different marketplace.
Is Amazon To eBay Arbitrage A Dropshipping Business?
With dropshipping, sellers don’t need to maintain their stocks of products. Instead, when customers order from e-commerce sites like eBay, the seller will purchase those goods from a third-party provider such as Amazon, who then sends them directly to the customer’s doorstep – without any involvement on behalf of the seller. And the arbitrage items will therefore come in Amazon packaging.
This business model allows merchants to take advantage of a quick and efficient shipping process without having direct custody over the merchandise.
If you’re a seller who doesn’t want the hassle of maintaining inventories, then drop shipping is just the thing for you. Then, instead of stocking up on items in anticipation of customers’ orders, you only need to purchase products when necessary.
How Does Amazon to eBay Work?
Let’s take a look at how Amazon to eBay arbitrage works:
- Add Amazon products to your eBay store.
- Wait for a customer to purchase from your eBay store.
- Purchase the item on Amazon.
- You input the eBay buyer’s address when purchasing on Amazon
- Amazon fulfillment center ships products directly to your eBay customer.
That’s why sometimes you buy a product from eBay, but it’s delivered in an Amazon box. Of course, buyers can be surprised or angry if they feel cheated, but this is only a small percentage of total business and happens occasionally.
Does Amazon to eBay Arbitrage Work?
Yes, starting is faster than starting a standard retail business due to its lower startup costs and lack of inventory costs. With lower startup costs, sellers can start their business quickly and with less risk.
What Are The Other Reasons Why eBay Purchase Arrived In An Amazon Box?
Amazon and eBay are not rivals, but arbitrage sellers often copy Amazon product listings and post them on eBay at an inflated price.
Most sellers take advantage of customers by buying products on Amazon at a lower price and sending them directly, pocketing the price difference.
Here is the other reason why our eBay purchase may have arrived in an Amazon box:
- Sellers re-used the Amazon packaging.
- Sellers sometimes run out of stock and purchase the same item on Amazon.
- eBay sellers store their products on Amazon FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon) and use multichannel fulfillment.
Why Don’t Customers Simply Buy From Amazon If It’s Less Expensive?
Here are the two reasons:
1 Amazon to eBay arbitrage works due to customer habits, such as not comparing prices on Amazon and eBay to find the best price. If they see it on eBay first, they’ll buy it there. But they don’t.
2 Another possible explanation may be Amazon’s inability to ship certain items to the client’s country, even with an Amazon Prime account. This can get especially costly if you factor in their hefty shipping fees. In that case, eBay’s Global Shipping Program could benefit customers seeking better prices on Amazon products.
As an Amazon seller, you can effortlessly arrange for the item to ship from the Amazon warehouse directly to eBay’s US or UK shipping centers. From there, eBay’s Global Shipping Program will handle every other aspect and swiftly send it off to your customer.
Is Dropshipping From Amazon to eBay Legal?
The answer is YES since Amazon doesn’t have certain rules against dropshipping from one platform to another. But before listing the items for your Amazon to eBay arbitrage business, you should consider the following:
- The drop-shipped items are legal, and the shipping of the items is allowed.
- Your products don’t have trademark or copyright protection.
However, an online retailer should know that Amazon may not be a good place for online arbitrage.
Suppose you have an Amazon account and decide to sell something without inventory. In that case, you must ensure that your Amazon store’s information is on the shipping labels rather than the manufacturer’s or other sellers.
Risks of Dropshipping from Amazon to eBay
Amazon to eBay drop shippers caused many headaches for eBay. The products were delivered in Amazon-branded boxes and free Prime delivery was mentioned on the box, but the customer was charged for eBay shipping. This leads to negative reviews.
Plus, there was no information about the eBay seller on the box which could add to the confusion and anger of the customer.
The product listing on Amazon is always changing and there is no guarantee that an item sold on eBay will be in stock on Amazon at the considered price. There is a possibility that the same product is selling at a higher price on Amazon, thus, there will be no profit margin for you.
Mismatched or broken items can reduce customers’ satisfaction, causing buyers to leave negative feedback.
Therefore, eBay has decided to ban dropshipping from any retailer or marketplace, including Amazon. However, many people are still doing this business, and eBay is not tough about the new rules yet.
What Happens If You Sell On eBay Without Permission From Amazon?
An eBay drop shipper can be reported if they take the exact title and descriptions from Amazon without permission, which can lead to their eBay shop being suspended.
Amazon To eBay Arbitrage: Step-By-Step Guide
Here are some eBay dropshipping techniques for the resellers to ensure eBay customers get what they pay for and eBay’s policies are not violated:
- Research thoroughly before starting your Amazon to eBay arbitrage business.
- Focus on one keyword in one niche market and put it prominently on the search results page. Expand your keyword searches by removing a letter or two or even an entire word to find products people sell on Amazon that don’t usually appear in search.
- Think of one or two categories you like and offer them to customers. It is important to be an expert in one or two types of products and familiarize yourself with their pricing ranges, trends, costs, and ROI. When you’ve sold enough quantities of these categories, it will be easier to determine whether the deals you see on Amazon product listings are profitable.
- Use high-quality images to increase sales.
- Check eBay’s terms and conditions regarding eBay dropshipping.
- Create unique titles and descriptions for eBay listings.
- Avoid copying Amazon listings.
- Be proactive in communicating with customers, and respond quickly to customer inquiries and complaints.
Amazon to eBay Arbitrage Software
Choosing the best software and tool for Amazon to eBay arbitrage is essential for success.
Here is a useful shortlist of extensions or software you need for the Amazon to eBay arbitrage business:
1. BuyBotPro: It’s a Chrome extension that can source the products for Amazon to eBay arbitrage. It can give you information like profit margins, ROI, selling rank, etc. In addition, extra data like a sales estimator can help you make a better product decision.
2. ZIK Pro Tools: It is an add-on for ZIK Analytics. It helps find profitable items, source products from Amazon, analyze the profit margin, and set the best price.
3. Sale Freaks: With this tool, drop shippers can track competitors’ listings and reprice them automatically to maximize profit.
4. PriceYak: It is a free Amazon to eBay Arbitrage Software. PriceYak is the most advanced automation suite for online arbitrage, supporting selling on eBay, Amazon, or Shopify and sourcing from many online retailers. Its speed, reliability, and advanced features make it the secret weapon of choice for today’s largest dropship sellers to seek arbitrage opportunities.
5. AMZ Scout: AMZ Scout provides Amazon arbitrage and dropshipping software to increase sales, boost profitability, and cut costs.
Products That You Shouldn’t Sell On eBay
Here are the products that are prohibited from selling on eBay since it’s against their rules:
- Cigarettes
- Alcohol
- Food
- Seeds
- Fake items
- Expensive items such as electronics and appliances
- Jewelry since there is a risk of getting lost in the mail
- Large items that are expensive to ship
Tips on Amazon to eBay Arbitrage Automation
Here are some tips for Amazon to eBay arbitrage automation:
- Invest in market research software to find profitable dropshipping opportunities.
- The most important idea is to ensure that the seller on Amazon does not increase their price or go out of stock.
eBay listings are automatically repriced when Amazon prices change, preventing accidental losses. Thus, it would be best to use software to automate your eBay business to keep looking for arbitrage opportunities.
As an eBay seller, here are the specific features you need to look for to prevent these issues are:
- Auto-order: Software will automatically place orders on Amazon for you once you get a sale on eBay
- Repricer: Repricing software can help you win more sales and profit.
- Filtering items and optimizing your store: Remove items that don’t sell on eBay to optimize store performance and reduce costs.
- VeRO (Verified Rights Ownership) Violations: eBay’s VeRO program can lead eBay sellers to a temporary or permanent suspension from the site, so finding ways to avoid uploading VeRO items is important.
- Being unable to provide Amazon item tracking: Amazon’s carrier network does not allow item tracking, leading to more customer service queries and lost eBay cases.
What Problems May You Encounter?
eBay arbitrage wasn’t as plain sailing as we thought it would be. The idea in itself is great, but there are a few problems you might run into, but you can solve them by using the eBay arbitrage technique or strategy.
Here are some problems you might encounter:
- Competition makes it difficult to make profits, but software can help identify opportunities.
- There were also a few issues with deliveries. A couple of times, either the item wasn’t delivered, or the box was empty. This can cause you a bit of a headache.
- Another thing to be aware of is the problems you can have with refunds. It is to be expected that some people will ask you for a refund. Yet, this can cause you a whole lot of hassle. If someone returns an item to you on eBay, you must return it to Amazon.
Is it Better To Sell On Amazon Than On eBay?
Amazon and eBay are two different platforms for selling online, with Amazon offering more user-friendly designs and better customer support.
However, starting an Amazon business takes more upfront investment, especially when using the Fulfilled by Amazon services. The fees and costs can accumulate to a large number which will be a huge burden for small businesses.
Conclusion
eBay Arbitrage is a great way for entrepreneurs to make money online by reselling products from other websites or different markets such as Amazon. By purchasing the products at low prices and then selling at higher prices, they can earn the price difference.
While eBay Arbitrage can be a profitable business opportunity with less risk than other methods, sellers should always research the product prices carefully, check eBay’s terms and conditions, create quality eBay listings, avoid creating copycat listings, and use appropriate eBay Arbitrage software.
By following these guidelines, eBay sellers can ensure customer satisfaction and earn money from Amazon to eBay Arbitrage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is eBay Arbitrage?
A: eBay Arbitrage occurs when a seller purchases an item at low prices on another marketplace and turns around to sell it at higher prices on eBay to make a profit margin.
Q: What is Dropshipping?
A: Dropshipping is a common business model for making money online. It means you list the items without owning the stock you’re selling. When a customer places an order, you order it from a supplier, who then ships it directly to the customer. As a result, you profit without worrying about inventory, storage, or fulfillment costs.
Q: Is eBay Arbitrage legal?
A: eBay Arbitrage is legal under eBay’s terms and conditions as long as sellers abide by eBay’s strict rules. This includes not selling counterfeit items, following eBay’s listing guidelines, and not taking advantage of eBay buyers. eBay also disallows dropshipping from other retailers or marketplaces, such as Amazon.