How to Put eBay Store on Vacation – A guide to Worry-free time off!

You have decided to take a well earned vacation. You work hard shipping, restocking and ensuring your customers are satisfied! First of all, I am totally for taking a break, it helps you rejuvenate and gives you the energy to keep managing your business properly. But what about your eBay store? How do you go on vacation if your store and listings are still active? You don’t want to leave things open ended and be unable to fill orders as they roll in or ignore potential customers. In this guide I will help you understand all of the options that are available to you in such a scenario and help you choose the best course of action. 

Option # 1: Put your eBay Store on Vacation Mode

The most straightforward solution is to keep it simple and put your eBay store on vacation mode. In order to do this, login to your eBay account and follow these steps:

1. Click on ‘messages’ in My eBay.
2. Then go ahead and select ‘Change Settings’.
3. You will see a ‘store vacation settings’ section – click the ‘turn on’ button.
4. In the event that you do not want potential buyers to be able to view your store and fixed price (this does not include auction style listings) then go ahead and select ‘hide and block purchases from my fixed price listings’.
5. If however you don’t want your store and listings to be completely ‘invisible’ then select ‘display a return date’, then enter the day you will be back and ready to fill orders. Potential buyers will see this and will help avoid any uncomfortable situations and unrealistic fulfillment expectations on the buyer’s end.
6. Also notice that there is a section called ‘message to display on your storefront’ – eBay displays an automated message there. I recommend you write something more personalized so that both new and returning customers feel that you really care about them.

Here is a template which I wrote for you and encourage you to use this. Feel free to change this up based on your needs:

‘Dear Customers, 

Thank you so much for visiting my store [insert your store name here]. I have been extremely busy ensuring that all my customers get the best service possible and if you are a returning customer then you know that my customers and their satisfaction are of the utmost importance to me. It is because my dedication to my business and customers that I felt the need to take a vacation. I will be away from x-x [provide your exact vacation dates]. I do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. If you are willing to wait for me to return from vacation in order to place your purchase I would like to thank you by offering you a 15% discount for your patience and loyalty. 

Looking forward to shipping your items out as soon as I return. 

All the best, 

[Insert your name + your store name here]’

By offering your customers a discount, you are incentivizing them to remain loyal to you and your brand. It may not always work, especially for new customers. But for a returning customer who is not in a great hurry to receive his or her item this can be a great proposition. On the client’s end, they know you are reliable,and they like your item enough to make an additional purchase. On the seller’s end it is worth your while to offer such an incentive rather than loose potential transactions entirely – you decide what that incentive may be or how high a percentage off you are willing to give.

7. Once you are all done – click ‘apply’. 

Checkout this video if you feel you need a visual aid: 

But what if you don’t want to ‘deactivate’ or ‘snooze’ your store while you are on vacation!? What other options do you have? 

Option # 2: Hire a temporary Virtual Assistant 

Virtual Assistants or VAs as they are commonly referred to are not a new ‘invention’. Many businesses take advantage of this service from a variety of industries including but not limited to eCommerce. Many eBay entrepreneurs choose to employ one or even a handful of virtual assistants to help them run their business on a regular basis. Sellers who do this have typically reached a point in their business where they can longer grow without getting regular help from a third-party. The advantages are clear:

• Low cost – VAs tend to be relatively cheap – some charge as little as $3 a day as many of them are located in third world countries where  this type of salary is the going rate.
• Offload menial tasks – You can dole out tedious tasks that are very time consuming and benefit marginally from the person performing this task. This can be anything from renewing listings, updating listings or dealing with requests for returns. 
• Grow your business – As I mentioned above, hiring outside help will really allow you to focus on core growth elements of your business. This may be anything from reviewing products which need to be ‘discontinued’, adding new products to your offering or building up your brand. 

Some disadvantages may include:

• Trust issues – You are hiring a complete stranger and giving them access to your business and livelihood. Though do keep in mind that the risks here are typically minimal especially if you choose to use a VA recruitment agency which will help mitigate the risks involved by screening potential employees. 

• Unskilled labor – Many of the people you will be hiring have very minimal education and a limited skill set. They may require a bit of practice and training in which case you may want to hire them a week or two before you go on vacation so that they have enough time to get a handle on things.

Here are two Virtual Assistant agencies I found online. They are specifically geared towards eCommerce entrepreneurs. Feel free to take a look at their sites and see if they can help you find a suitable VA. Also please note that I am not affiliated with these agencies in any way.

People Per Hour –  Currently has over 6,000 freelancers who define themselves as qualified to be an eBay virtual assistant. You can hire these freelancers on an hourly basis which is ideal for a vacation situation. 

VATask – This VA service works exclusively with virtual assistants who specialize in eBay and offer VAs with the following skills:

• Product listing
• Product description writing
• Image editing
• Processing orders
• Product price research
• Uploading product listings
• Inventory management 
• Competitive market analysis research

Option # 3: Ask a Friend or Family Member to Step-in

The third option is asking a friend or family member to either do you a favor or take on a temporary paid position running your business while you are gone. Whenever my mom goes on vacation, I suggest she rent out her apartment via Airbnb. This is a ritual we constantly go through, I suggest this and she consistently politely declines. I am very practical while she is emotional – she doesn’t want a stranger living in her personal space and touching her things. At this point I totally understand her and respect her desires. The reason why I told you this story is the fact that a business and a home are very similar on various levels. Many people feel uncomfortable leaving their ‘baby’ with a complete stranger and that is totally legitimate and understandable. Simply reach out to friends and family and see if there is anyone willing and capable to take on this responsibility. You can even post something on your Facebook account – whenever I do this the results tend to be surprising in the best way possible. 

Augment Options # 2 + 3 With Automation 

Whether you decide to go with a Virtual assistant or a friend/family member, consider helping them out by adding automation to your business. A tool you should consider using is an eCommerce CRM. The benefits of using a CRM on a daily basis, especially if you are a frequent traveler include:

• Automating all messages that are part of the sales cycle –  from updating the buyer that the order was received, letting them know that their item has been shipped out and following up with them to see that they in fact received their order, ensuring they are satisfied and asking for feedback.

 

Automated messages only need to be set-up once – from here on out everything runs on ‘autopilot’. 

• Out of office messages – You can define certain office hours and allow your eCommerce CRM to send out an automated message when you are out of the office. This is a more advanced way to communicate your periodical absences to potential customers and curtail potential loss of sales. 

Choosing your office hours is as simple as clicking on a given day and entering your preferred time slot.

Summing it up 

Taking a vacation as an eBay seller can be more of a headache than a holiday. But as I have shown you here, there are many options and courses of action you can take to make your holiday that much more enjoyable. It is important that you choose the option which is right for you, whatever will give you true peace of mind! 

Comment below and let us know:

1. Where did you go on holiday and do you recommend it as a vacation spot?
2. What course of action did you choose as far as your eBay store is concerned?
3. What were the results – total nightmare or two thumbs up?