eBay Dropshipping Guide 2025 from A to Z for Beginners

Tony Pham Jun 22 2025

Table of Contents

Do you want to start an online business without significant capital or deliver the goods yourself? Then, eBay Dropshipping is the right path for you to take. In the article below, NextSky will guide you in detail on dropshipping on eBay from A to Z, helping you step by step approach this popular Make Money Online model in 2025.

What is Ebay Dropshipping?

Dropshipping on eBay is a business model that doesn’t require you to stock products or handle shipping. With this model, you simply take product information from suppliers and list it for sale on eBay.

When you receive an order, the supplier will ship the product directly to the customer. Your primary responsibilities here are creating appealing listings, managing your store, and providing excellent customer service to grow your revenue.

A dropshipper found a pet case on Amazon for $10.05 and then resold it on eBay for $15.89. When orders came in, they bought them directly from Amazon and shipped them to eBay customers. This allowed the seller to make nearly $5 in profit per order without storing or investing in inventory.

However, like any business model, dropshipping on eBay has advantages and challenges you should consider before starting.

Advantage	Disadvantages
- 547 million visits/month, helping to reach customers easily without spending much on advertising. - Friendly interface, easy to use, suitable for beginners. - The first 250 products are free to post; there is no need for significant initial capital. - Can expand the market to eBay US, UK, Australia, combined with advertising tools to increase product coverage.	- Many sellers join, forcing you to create a distinct difference to stand out. - Sellers must handle or coordinate shipping and returns, which can confuse newbies. - eBay limits the quantity and value of products for new accounts, requiring strict compliance.

Is dropshipping allowed on eBay?

Yes, eBay allows dropshipping, but only if you follow the specific conditions outlined below:

Dropshipping is permitted if:

You own the products before listing them for sale.
You have a legitimate agreement with a wholesale supplier to list and sell their products.
You use third-party order fulfillment services, provided that:
- You are identified as the seller on all packing slips and invoices.
- The orders are delivered on time and safely.
- An explicit agreement prevents the supplier from using incorrect order information on eBay.

Dropshipping is not allowed if:

You sell products you don't own or have no distribution rights for.
You list products on eBay, then purchase them from a retailer or other platforms (like Amazon, AliExpress, etc.) after selling them.
You use the terms of service of other retailers to legitimize your selling practices on eBay.

Important note: Violating eBay's dropshipping policies can lead to serious consequences, including having your product listings removed, a drop in search rankings, reduced feedback scores, account restrictions, or even permanent suspension of your account.

How to start dropshipping on eBay?

Register for eBay

To start dropshipping on eBay, you must first register for an account. You will have two options: a personal account and a business account. For a personal account, we will need the following information:

Full name
Address
Date of birth
Social security number (if you live in the United States)

For a business account, we will need:

Business name
Registered business address
Phone number
Registration number
Tax information

Once you’ve filled in all the required details, click Create account. Then, go to your My eBay page to view and set up your selling account options, including payment methods and business policies.

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Find potential eBay dropshipping products.

Product research is a crucial factor in driving success in the dropshipping model on eBay. Understanding which products are in demand and trending in the market will help you select potential items and optimize profits. Some effective product research methods include:

Monitoring the best-selling categories on eBay.
Using Google Trends to track popular search keywords.
Analyzing successful competitors in the dropshipping field.
Observing seasonal trends and consumer shopping behavior.

If you don't have much time for in-depth research, you can focus on seasonal products, unique items, or high-demand products to test and measure sales effectiveness.

Products you should avoid selling on eBay

While plenty of dropshipping products exist, some items should be avoided to ensure your business stays safe and legal. On eBay, you should refrain from selling the following products:

Copyrighted or branded products
Age-restricted items such as pornography, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.
Dangerous products, including weapons, ammunition, flammable liquids, choking hazards, etc.
Drugs, vitamins, and dietary supplements
Health products with "Before and After" images
Items related to pharmaceuticals

Avoiding these products will help reduce the risk of violating eBay’s policies and prevent your account from being suspended or facing unnecessary legal trouble.

Choosing dropshipping suppliers on eBay

After selecting the best-selling products, the next step is to find a reliable eBay dropshipping supplier to ensure a steady source of goods. A trustworthy partner is the solid foundation for the long-term growth of your business. Below are essential criteria when choosing a supplier:

Fast shipping time of 7–12 days to increase customer satisfaction.
A transparent return policy makes it easier to handle any issues that arise.
Professional customer service that provides timely and practical support.
A wide product range, helping you easily capture market trends.
Consistent product quality, minimizing return rates, and boosting brand reputation.
Competitive pricing allows for a larger profit margin while remaining competitive on eBay.
Order fulfillment rate above 95%, with ratings from other sellers greater than 4.7 stars.

An efficient supplier ensures a stable product supply and plays a key role in enhancing service quality. With a streamlined internal process, businesses can focus on building their brand, caring for customers, and creating sustainable competitive advantages.

Product pricing

Dropshipping on eBay can be an attractive business opportunity, but whether you succeed or not depends on maintaining a sufficient profit margin between your cost price and the selling price of the product. When pricing your dropshipping products, you should consider the following factors:

The cost of the product
Competitor prices
Other operational costs such as eBay store fees, category fees, final value fees, payment processing fees, promotions, and buying/selling costs

Regarding selling costs on eBay, especially when dropshipping through this platform, you need to be aware of the following:

Listing fees: Each seller gets up to 250 free listings per month. After that, eBay charges $0.35 per additional listing.
Final value fee: When a product is sold, eBay charges up to 13.25% of the sale price, plus $0.40 per transaction. This percentage may vary depending on the product category.

Tip: You should proactively monitor the market by collecting price data and monitoring competitor products. Then, adjust your selling price to remain competitive while ensuring it aligns with what customers are willing to pay, to balance profitability and sales.

Import eBay Dropshipping products

You can add products to your online store in two ways: manually or using an automated tool. With the manual method, you must copy each product's information from the supplier's page and paste it into your store, which is time-consuming and tiring.

On the other hand, using an automated tool like AutoDS Product Importer makes the process much faster and simpler. You can add a whole batch of products from various suppliers with just one click. The process is straightforward:

Click the “Add Product” button on AutoDS in the top-left corner.
Choose to import individually, in bulk, or use the AutoDS Finder to search for products.
Paste the URL or product ID you want to import.
You can save the product as a draft or add it directly to your store.

You can edit the title, description, images, variants, shipping details, etc., to make the product listings more complete and attractive to customers.

eBay Marketing & Promotions (Free/Paid)

When choosing the dropshipping business model on eBay, you cannot overlook the crucial role of marketing and promotional programs. Delivering the right message to the right target audience at the right time will help you make your mark and stand out in a competitive marketplace.

With its significant organic traffic, eBay is the perfect platform to promote your store using tools like Promoted Listings Standard and Advanced, which enhance product visibility and rankings. Also, free strategies such as discount coupons and volume-based offers effectively encourage customers to purchase more.

Order Processing

Once an order is placed on eBay, it's essential to provide customer support and guidance quickly. After confirming the order, carefully pack the product and ship it. The buyer will pay through eBay, but if the payment hasn't been received yet, you should proactively send an invoice to prompt payment.

Additionally, you can partner with fulfillment services such as Shopify or Printify. These companies handle the entire process, from printing and packaging to shipping. Once the order is completed, simply send the invoice to the fulfillment partner, and they will take care of the rest.

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What to dropship on eBay in 2025

Like other sales methods on eBay, choosing the right dropshipping products is crucial to your success. When doing your research, focus on popular categories such as:

Clothing, shoes, and accessories
Home and garden
Jewelry and watches
Collectibles, sports, and toys
Health and beauty
Business and industrial
Automotive
Electronics

How much is eBay dropshipping income?

When doing dropshipping on eBay, you will earn an income called profit. After deducting shipping costs, the profit you receive is the difference between the distributor's price and the selling price.

You will buy products at a lower price and sell them at a higher price, leaving the difference. Depending on the type of product, you will earn different profits. Depending on skills, experience, and goods, the profit can be up to 30 - 60%.

6 Secrets to Successful Dropshipping on eBay

Use an inventory management system: Shopify synchronizes data from all sales channels, allowing you to track inventory and sales accurately with just one interface.
Prioritize customer support: Take responsibility if a supplier delivers late or sends the wrong product, and respond promptly to build trust and improve the customer experience on eBay.
Build relationships with suppliers: Maintain regular communication with suppliers to stay updated on product status, ensuring smooth operations.
Invest in promoted listings: Use eBay’s promoted listings to target the right customers, increase sales opportunities, and maximize profits on each order.
Offer multi-buy discounts: Create programs with attractive pricing to boost order value and ensure sustainable profits.
Automate: Apply automation technology to process orders, update inventory, track prices, and analyze competitors, enabling rapid scaling while focusing on product development and customer care.

The information about Dropshipping eBay above NextSky will bring you many valuable things. If you are passionate about making money online, try this form of business because it will bring many different experiences.

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