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eBay store management

Your eBay shop, stocked and sent from our UK warehouse.

We find products that sell, check every brand and list them on your eBay shop. Your stock sits in our Leicester warehouse, and orders in by 12 pm are sent the same day on working days. Already selling on eBay? We can run the shop you have.

Talk to us See how we run it
  • Stock stored and sent from Leicester
  • Every product brand-checked
  • Buyers answered
  • Account health watched

The market in numbers

One of the biggest marketplaces in the world

And in the UK, only Amazon gets more visitors.

How we run your eBay shop

Your own stock, dropshipping, or both

An eBay shop gets its stock one of two ways. You own the stock and we send it from our warehouse, or a wholesale supplier sends each order for you when it sells. We run both, and you can mix them. First, the rules every eBay seller works to.

How selling on eBay works

Nearly US$80bn of goods were sold on eBay in 2025, and it had 2.5 billion live listings at the end of the year. Four things decide how a shop there runs.

Sources:eBay Inc., second-quarter 2026 results, August 2026 (opens in a new tab)eBay Inc., 2025 annual report (Form 10-K), February 2026 (opens in a new tab)

  • You pay fees when you list and when you sell.

    eBay charges business sellers listing fees when they create a listing, and transaction fees when an item sells. On each sale there's a final value fee, which is a percentage of the total the buyer pays, including postage. The percentage depends on the category. On top come £0.30 an order (£0.40 on orders over £10) and a regulatory operating fee of 0.35%. We work out the fees and the profit before anything is listed.

    Source: eBay UK, Fees for business sellers, September 2026 (opens in a new tab)

  • Your account is graded every month.

    On the 20th of each month, eBay grades every seller on transaction defects, cases closed without the seller sorting them out, and late deliveries. To stay above the minimum, defects must stay at or below 2% of transactions. A seller who falls below standard can have their selling limited and pay higher final value fees.

    Source: eBay UK, Seller standards policy, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)

  • Brands protect their names.

    Brand owners can report listings through eBay's Verified Rights Owner programme, known as VeRO. eBay holds the seller responsible for every item being genuine, and doesn't allow counterfeits, replicas or unauthorised parallel imports. That's why every product is brand-checked before we list it.

    Source: eBay UK, Intellectual property policy, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)

  • Dropshipping has one hard rule.

    eBay allows dropshipping when orders are fulfilled directly from a wholesale supplier. It doesn't allow listing an item, then buying it from another retailer or marketplace and having it sent to your buyer. However an order is sent, the seller is responsible for it arriving safely and on time, and for the buyer being happy with it.

    Source: eBay UK, Drop shipping policy, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Leicester, UK

Your own stock, sent from our UK warehouse

You own the stock. It sits on our shelves in Leicester, and we send every order.

How it works

  1. We research products that sell, with room for profit after eBay's fees, and brand-check each one.

  2. You buy the stock and own it. It comes to our warehouse in Leicester.

  3. We list it on your eBay shop.

  4. When it sells, we pick, pack and send it with tracking. Orders in by 12 pm are sent the same day on working days.

  5. If a buyer sends it back, the return comes to us and we deal with it.

Who it suits

  • Sellers who want control of their stock, packing and dispatch.
  • Brands and businesses with their own products.
  • Dropshipping shops that are ready to stock their best sellers.

Good to know

  • You decide what's on the shelf, how it's packed and when it leaves.
  • Same-day dispatch for orders in by 12 pm helps you deliver on time, and late deliveries are one of the things eBay grades you on.
  • No waiting on someone else's stock levels or dispatch times.
  • Branded packaging is available.

Watch out for

  • You pay for the stock up front, and that money sits on the shelf until it sells.
  • Unsold stock is still yours, so products need choosing with care. We do the research and the numbers before you buy.
  • Fulfilment is charged per order: £2 an order, less at volume, with no storage fee. Postage is extra.

Where the stock comes from

  • Wholesale. Bought in bulk from a brand, a manufacturer or a wholesaler, with invoices. Best for products that sell again and again.
  • Clearance and deals (often called retail arbitrage). Discounted stock bought first, then resold. Good for one-off lines. Genuine goods only, and no unauthorised parallel imports, which eBay doesn't allow.
  • Your own products. If you make your own products or own a brand, we store them, list them and send them.

Sources:eBay UK, Seller standards policy, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)eBay UK, Intellectual property policy, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Dropshipping from a wholesale supplier

No stock to buy up front. When an item sells, the wholesale supplier sends it straight to your buyer.

How it works

  1. We find products from wholesale suppliers that send orders direct to buyers, and brand-check each one.

  2. We list them on your eBay shop.

  3. When an item sells, our team buys it from the supplier with your card, and it's sent straight to your buyer with tracking.

  4. We watch prices and stock, answer your buyers and deal with any returns.

Who it suits

  • New sellers who want to test what sells before buying stock. You can start with as little as £500.
  • Shops that want a wide range without filling a warehouse.

Good to know

  • No stock to buy up front, so less of your money is tied up.
  • Products can be tested, and dropped if they don't sell, without leftover stock.

Watch out for

  • You rely on the supplier's stock and dispatch times, but eBay still holds you responsible for delivery and for the buyer being happy.
  • Supplier prices and stock change, so we keep watching both.
  • The packaging is the supplier's, not yours.
  • Only a wholesale supplier counts. Buying the item from another retailer or marketplace after it sells is against eBay's rules.

Source: eBay UK, Drop shipping policy, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Both

Start with dropshipping to find what sells, then stock your best sellers in Leicester.

We run all three. Tell us where you're starting and we'll plan it with you.

Stock or dropshipping, side by side

Your own stock, from LeicesterDropshipping from a wholesale supplier
Money up frontYou buy the stock firstNone for stock. Each item is bought when it sells
Who packs and sendsWe do, from LeicesterThe supplier
DispatchSame day for orders in by 12 pmSet by the supplier
PackagingOurs, with branded packaging availableThe supplier's
Stock riskUnsold stock is yoursLow. Nothing sits on a shelf
Who eBay holds responsibleYou, the sellerYou, the seller
Best forProven sellers and your own productsTesting products on a small budget

Source: eBay UK, Drop shipping policy, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)

The tools behind it

Our own tools, built for this work

People run your shop. Our tools work in the background: they watch prices and stock, check new listings for brand risks, and match every fee to its order. They never log in to your account.

  • Brand risk checker

    Checks a product's brand and title against every rights owner on eBay's VeRO list, and the title against eBay UK's prohibited and restricted items rules. A match is flagged with the rights owner's own rules for sellers. It's one check, not a guarantee, because not every rights owner has a VeRO profile.

    Free with an accountTry the brand risk checker (opens in a new tab)

  • eBay UK fee calculator

    The final value fee for your category, the regulatory operating fee, the per-order fee and VAT on fees, with profit, margin and break-even price. The rates come from eBay's own fee pages and are checked every week.

    FreeWork out eBay fees (opens in a new tab)

  • Marketplace fee calculator

    One item, four marketplaces: fees, profit and break-even price side by side.

    FreeCompare marketplaces (opens in a new tab)

Your dashboard

Sign in any time to see every order we handle, what it sold for, what it cost and what you made. One login covers all your shops. You get one statement a month, and it never changes once it's sent. A late refund goes on the next one.

Log in (opens in a new tab)

What's included

Everything we do on eBay

  • Product research, with eBay's fees and your profit worked out first
  • Brand checks on every product before it's listed
  • Listings, managed day to day
  • New shop set-up
  • Promoted listings
  • Orders sent with tracking, inside eBay's dispatch time
  • Buyer messages, returns and refunds
  • Account health checks: defects, late dispatch and policy warnings
  • Suspension and restriction appeals, quoted before we start
  • Price and stock watching
  • Storage in Leicester, with same-day dispatch for orders in by 12 pm
  • Your dashboard, and one statement a month

How you pay

  • Store management: an agreed share of the profit. In a month with no profit, our share is £0.

  • Full management: priced to fit your shop. Talk to us for a quote.

  • Fulfilment: £2 an order, less at volume. No storage fee.

Questions

eBay questions, answered

Is dropshipping allowed on eBay?

Yes, when orders are fulfilled directly from a wholesale supplier. eBay doesn't allow listing an item, then buying it from another retailer or marketplace and having it sent to your buyer. However an order is sent, you're responsible for it arriving safely and on time.

Do I need to buy stock to start?

No. You can start dropshipping with as little as £500, and a bigger budget lets us list and sell more. When you know what sells, you can stock your best sellers in Leicester. With a new account we start slowly, to keep it in good standing with eBay.

What does eBay charge?

Business sellers pay listing fees when they list and transaction fees when an item sells. On a sale, the final value fee is a percentage of the total the buyer pays, including postage, set by the category, plus £0.30 an order (£0.40 on orders over £10). A regulatory operating fee of 0.35% is added. Our free eBay fee calculator works it out for any item.

How does eBay judge my account?

eBay grades every seller on the 20th of each month. It looks at transaction defects, which must stay at or below 2% of transactions, at cases closed without you sorting them out, and at late deliveries. We watch your account's health every day, and if something does go wrong, we can prepare an appeal for you, quoted before we start.

Do I need a business account or VAT?

You'll need a business seller account. VAT registration comes in once your taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or you expect it to within the next 30 days. That's the current UK threshold.

Can you guarantee sales or profit?

No, and nobody honestly can. What we promise is the work: products found and checked, every order sent, every buyer answered and your account looked after. In a month with no profit, our share is £0.

Sources:eBay UK, Drop shipping policy, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)eBay UK, Fees for business sellers, September 2026 (opens in a new tab)eBay UK, Seller standards policy, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK, Register for VAT, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Talk to us

Tell us about your eBay shop

Five quick questions. We'll come back to you with a straight answer.

Or email us at support@imperialtrends.uk.

Our warehouse: 10 St Marks Street, Leicester LE1 3BY.

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