“You are never going to believe this, I got off our call and had 15 offers and 1 sale. I accepted every single offer for a total of 16 sales in our 1 hour chat!” 

This is an email that any eBay seller would be excited to send (and we were excited to receive). When Matt (the45wearhouse) created his Collectibles store M&A Distributors back in 2017, his goal was to turn his interest in treasure-hunting into a stable business and his retirement fund. Since recently adopting eBay’s advertising solutions, his sales have doubled. Read on to learn more about how Matt quickly scaled his business with the support of Promoted Listings.

We always like to have a bit of fun before really digging in. What is a fun fact you can share about your eBay business?

The coolest thing about my business is that I’ve sold older magazines and vintage comic books and stuff to jails, movie sets, and even Netflix! I would guess they are set props for the era they are filming, so that’s pretty cool. 

What got you selling on eBay? 

I started by selling some leftover collectibles and some things that I had no use for anymore around my house like video games. My family and I also love to go flea market shopping and treasure-hunting. I would see some things at flea markets for a really good price and sell them on eBay, and do the whole thing over again! I quickly realized I could turn this side job into a real business, make a living out of it and ultimately my retirement fund. That’s how it all started and what has kept me selling on eBay for the past eight years. 

A volume reseller on eBay is what I turned into, and it’s not a job to me, it’s absolutely 100% fun. My family, friends, investors – there are a lot of people who have helped me on this journey of growing my business.

A family affair! Matt & family showing off some of their favorite Collectibles. 

What does growth mean to you as a Brand selling on eBay?

It’s real simple. Growth means more sales. The more I grow, the better my store becomes, the more sales I make, the closer I am to retirement.

When did you start leveraging eBay’s advertising solutions to promote your listings and why? 

In 2019 I really wanted to try and take my business to the next level, so I began promoting my listings with a general campaign strategy. Admittedly, I didn’t know how to use it and only promoted 8-10% of my listings. More recently, I spent the time to really educate myself. It was during this time another seller also offered to buy all of my inventory. It was a perfect storm, and I took the opportunity to rebuild my store and reset my Promoted Listings Standard strategy. I am currently getting back around 10x what I am putting into Promoted Listings Standard.¹

Wow, that’s great. Tell us a bit more about your general campaign strategy? 

I recently had the great opportunity to connect with a Promoted Listings Growth Advisor who helped me start over better, faster, more efficiently and more organized. The advisor also educated me on the advertising tools that I didn’t know existed like automated campaigns, or on tools I didn’t know how to use. I went ahead and promoted all 48K of my listings on the same day of the call. After promoting all my listings my impressions jumped 1,000% over the first 30 days of the campaign and I continue to see roughly a 50% increase in sales of my entire store since.²  

Aside from promoting your listings with a general strategy, what is another eBay resource you leverage often?

The Promotions Manager Markdowns  is the best tool I’ve ever used, and now Promoted Listings since I understand how to use it effectively. 

What are the top tips you would give to a seller who are promoting their listings with the general strategy?

The number one tip I would give is that you have to take a chance. Give the tools  given to you the opportunity to really work for you. They might not, but if you don’t give them a chance you’re never going to know if the tools are right for you or not. I try to take advantage of every tool, every update, every feature that’s offered on by eBay that can help my business grow. 

The second tip is don’t be scared to take a chance. You’ve got to be able to risk it for the biscuit!

Any final thoughts to share?

My sales have doubled since I committed to promoting my listings with the general strategy and my impressions jumped 1000%.³ For me, I don’t care that I have to give up a couple more pennies or even a couple more dollars, because that means I’m making a whole lot more money in the end. I’m also able to go through my inventory quicker. I’m not in the storage unit business. I want to move my products fast.

Matt is a great example of what can happen when you lean into your business and really educate yourself on the tools available to drive sales and grow your business. It can be extremely beneficial – and then some, as it was for M&A Distributors. It was fun getting to know Matt better; his business and personal goals. We have no doubt his dedication will inevitably lead to him retiring off his eBay business. 

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