Do you remember the times when in order to sell goods you had to rent a store, distribute advertising leaflets, pay a retail chain for the opportunity to present the product on the shelves of its store? You don’t need to do all this. The easiest and most effective way to sell goods is to use marketplaces, including to buyers abroad.

Using Amazon, Etsy or eBay marketplaces is the best option to enter the international market.

At the beginning, it can show that it is practically unreal. Although in fact there is nothing complicated in this! You register on the platforms, undergo verification using your foreign passport and bank statements and start selling goods! You can send goods directly from home using, for example, international delivery from Ukrposhta or send goods to the so-called Fullfilment centers!

Why is it beneficial?

  • Developed infrastructure for prompt delivery of goods;
  • Availability of fulfillment centers for storing products as close as possible to the consumer;
  • High level of customer service: easy returns, mitigating the severity of complaints due to prompt response to customer pain points.

Sales on Amazon

Amazon allows you to register as a seller in any of 11 global markets, ship and store your product in any of the local order processing centers, package and ship products to customers after placing an order.

What better way to go international than to tap into a marketplace where millions of people around the world are already buying?

Features of Rakuten

Japanese online retailer Rakuten is also one of the largest online marketplaces in the world. It provides sellers with additional benefits:

  • CRM tool for sales management and attracting more buyers;
  • A customer loyalty cashback program called Rakuten Super Points™. Sellers can offer bonus Super Points™ for certain products and incentivize customers to place an order.

The high popularity of Rakuten – especially in Asia – allows you to find your niche among a large number of products at the international level.

Sale of goods on eBay

Buyers love eBay. The online retailer has made a name for itself as the most famous auction house on the Internet. It sells everything from vintage dressers to original Ferrari Testarossa models. Currently, the catalog of the online giant has many regular products with a fixed price. But Auctions also continue to work.

If you have rare, vintage, custom-made or unique items, eBay auctions are a great way to not only sell them for the highest price, but also allow international buyers to bid on them for purchase purposes. In these countries, your product may be even rarer than in Ukraine. The marketplace also protects sellers from fraudsters. All of this makes eBay a powerful tool for selling rare items.

Handmade goods on Etsy

This international trade marketplace unites people who create, sell, collect rarities and handmade products. Retailer Etsy has proven itself to be an excellent platform for small businesses. That’s why you can’t discount it if you do needlework, crafts or draw pictures.

What products to sell on international marketplaces

So, we looked at several options of trading platforms for entering international markets. And what products will be in demand? What is more convenient to store in warehouses and deliver to customers?

Start with small, light items. With international shipping costs in mind, the cheaper it is to ship your products worldwide, the less you will spend on operating costs. Therefore, your business will bring more profit.

Such products also take up less space, regardless of whether you store them yourself or in a warehouse. In such centers, payment is charged depending on the size and weight of the stored products.

Sell products that are in demand on the international market. Seasonal products can bring you losses when sold only within the country, but if you go abroad, you can make a lot of money with this category: winter in Ukraine is summer in Australia. Yes, warm sweaters are in demand in the southern hemisphere during our summer months. As soon as the demand for them falls, refocus on the European market. Just from September-October, Europeans will start warming up.

Start a Holiday Calendar for garlands, for example. In Ukraine, they will sell well for the New Year, in China – for the Chinese New Year, in Europe and the USA – for Christmas.

Warehouse accounting for international sales

Access to international markets will require the maintenance of warehouse accounting documents. It is more convenient to carry out operations using the Huge Profit warehouse accounting service. It is designed for small businesses, individual entrepreneurs who, among other things, sell handmade goods.

Advantages of the system:

  • The ability to track products from being added to the warehouse to delivery to the buyer;
  • Convenient analytics system: choose the most successful marketplace for your product;
  • Accounting of expenses and income.

At each stage of the sale, you will be able to control where this or that product is located, and after a certain period of time, summarize: how much and where it was sold, whether there was a return.

The system is adjusted to the needs of entrepreneurs.

Enter international marketplaces – maximize profits, make your brand recognizable.