eBay can be a great business model to work from. It can also be a logistical nightmare. Many spend countless hours of their time managing tasks that could be automated. eBay offers automated features. These features cut your business management time in half. Combined with a few other tactics you can streamline your eBay business. Time is money as they say. Here’s how to get the job done:

#1 Automate your accounting. eBay works directly with PayPal. Between these two services you should have everything you need. Your accounting reports are generated through PayPal. Your shipping fees and invoicing are automated through eBay. It’s a quick and easy process. If you’re manually handling all of your billing, bookkeeping and accounting – stop! Use these automated accounting features to save time.

#2 Automate your inventory. If you’re selling tangible goods, rather than digital ones, automate your inventory. There are simple eBay inventory management software programs you can use. With them, you’ll never run out of stock. You can use them to plan your cash flow. You can throw away the manual inventory tracking system that’s eating hours out of your week.

#3 Automate your digital product delivery. If you sell digital products on eBay, like ebooks, consider using an automated delivery service. A program like Payloadz automates the digital delivery process and integrates with eBay and PayPal effortlessly.

#4 Listings. Create a listing template. Make sure it spells out everything. This includes all of your policies and procedures. Answer all questions up front and save time answering emails later. With a template all you have to do is cut and paste for each new item you’re selling.

Additionally, you can automate the listing process with a mass listing program. These programs integrate with eBay and automatically list and relist your items. They also send email notifications to buyers. You can use these email messages to ask for feedback and to notify a customer that they’ve won an item. You can also use them to request payment.

#5 Streamline shipping. Shipping can be one of the most time consuming aspects of selling on eBay. You can streamline the process with a shipping account. UPS, FedEx and the postal service all offer business accounts. Simply log on, print out your shipping label and leave the item on your porch. It saves a trip to the post office!

Take a look at your existing policies and procedures. What can you automate? What could be better organized? Often spending a few pounds on software or a service can save you money down the road. Explore your options. Streamline your business through policy change and software. Earn more money and time.