eBay App for Sellers: Which Tasks Work Well on Your Phone and Which Don't

What does the eBay app for sellers do well?

The eBay app for sellers is strongest at quick, single tasks that cannot wait until you are at your desk. Replying to a buyer, accepting or countering an offer, adding a tracking number or listing one item you have just photographed all suit the phone. It is weakest at anything that touches many listings at once, needs careful number checking, or relies on browser tools and spreadsheets.

The app works with both eBay.co.uk and eBay.com accounts. Menus change between app versions, and features sometimes reach one marketplace before the other. Treat the lists below as a guide and check what your own app shows.

Tasks that usually suit the phone:

• Buyer messages: short replies, answers about postage and condition, sending a photo the buyer asked for.
• Offers: accepting, declining or countering a Best Offer while the buyer is still interested.
• Returns and cases: reading the request, accepting a return or replying within eBay's time limit.
• Dispatch: marking an order as dispatched and adding the tracking number.
• Single listings: photographing and listing a simple, one-off item.
• Quick revisions: changing the price or quantity of one listing.
• Feedback: leaving feedback for buyers once an order is complete.

Which seller tasks are better on a computer?

A computer wins whenever you work on many listings, read detailed numbers or use more than one window side by side. Seller Hub, eBay's free selling dashboard in a desktop browser, gives you bulk editing, downloadable reports and full performance detail that the phone either shows in summary or not at all.

Our guide to eBay Seller Hub features most sellers miss covers each tab. The table below sets out where each common task fits best.

Some account limits are also easier to find on desktop. eBay says your current selling limit is in Seller Hub, on the Overview tab, under Monthly limits, and that limits apply even when you still have free listings left. See eBay's selling limits page.

Is listing from your phone good enough for eBay's rules?

Yes, for simple items, as long as you follow the same rules that apply on desktop. The phone makes photos easy, but it also makes it easy to rush the title and item specifics.

eBay UK's picture policy says photos must be at least 500 pixels on the longest side. Borders, added text, artwork, marketing material and watermarks of any kind are not allowed. Stock photos are not allowed for used, damaged or defective items, and every photo must accurately represent the item you are selling.

Titles can be at most 80 characters. eBay's Best Match guidance names how closely the listing matches search terms, the price, listing quality, how complete the listing is, your listing terms and your track record as factors, and advises filling in item specifics such as make, model, size, colour and style.

Step 1: Shoot in good light

Use daylight or a bright lamp and a plain background. Take the main photo straight on, then the details, labels and any marks.

Step 2: Avoid editing apps that add frames or text

Many phone photo editors add borders, stickers or captions by default. Turn these off. If you want a consistent style, our eBay listing image template guide shows how to keep within the picture rules.

Step 3: Write the title before you go back to the camera

Put the brand, product type, model and key attribute first. Check the character count rather than accepting a suggested title as it stands.

Step 4: Fill in every relevant item specific

On a small screen it is tempting to skip optional fields. Fill them in, because buyers filter by them and eBay counts completeness.

Step 5: Check the preview on a larger screen if you can

For anything above a low price, open the listing on a computer once it is live. Typos and wrong conditions are easier to spot.

How fast must you answer buyers, and can the app keep up?

This is where the phone earns its place. Under the eBay Money Back Guarantee (UK), sellers must respond to a request within 3 business days. After that, the buyer can ask eBay to step in.

A case is a formal request a buyer opens when an item has not arrived or does not match the listing. UK buyers can report an item not received within 30 calendar days of the estimated delivery date, and request a return for an item not as described within 30 calendar days of delivery, or your longer return window.

eBay UK's seller performance standards allow up to 2 cases closed without seller resolution, or 0.3% of transactions, whichever is higher. Replying quickly from your phone gives you the best chance of solving a problem before it reaches that stage.

On eBay.com, the eBay Money Back Guarantee and seller performance standards are set out on eBay's US help pages. Check the US timings and thresholds there rather than assuming they match the UK figures.

Practical settings for the app:

• Turn on notifications for messages, offers, returns and cases.
• Turn off notifications you never act on, so the important ones stand out.
• Do not promise a refund, replacement or delivery date from the phone unless you have checked the order details first.

Can you handle dispatch and tracking from the eBay app?

For a handful of orders, yes. You can mark an order as dispatched and add the tracking number for each order from the app. Copy and paste the number rather than retyping it, and check the carrier is right.

Tracking matters for your performance record. eBay UK says that with tracking, an item counts as late if the delivery scan is after the latest estimated delivery date and there is no carrier scan within your dispatch time. Above Standard has no minimum late delivery rate, but Top Rated needs no more than 5 late deliveries or 3% of transactions.

There are legal delivery rules too. In the UK, gov.uk's guidance on online selling says goods must be delivered within 30 days unless agreed otherwise with the customer. In the US, the FTC Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule says that if you state a shipping time you must be able to meet it, and if you cannot ship on time you must ask the buyer to agree to the delay or cancel for a prompt refund.

Once you ship dozens of orders a day, typing numbers one by one on a phone becomes slow and error-prone. Our guide to tracking number sync to eBay explains how automatic uploads work and what to check when they fail.

Can you manage Amazon-sourced listings from your phone?

First, the rule. eBay's drop shipping policy (eBay.co.uk, eBay.com) says dropshipping, where you fulfil orders directly from a wholesale supplier, is allowed. Listing an item on eBay and then buying it from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your buyer is not allowed. Even when dropshipping, you are responsible for safe delivery within the time stated in the listing and for the buyer's overall satisfaction. eBay may remove listings, warn, restrict or suspend accounts.

Whatever your source, the phone is a poor place to manage supplier prices and stock. Each check means switching apps, reading a price on a small screen and typing a new price into eBay. A mistyped digit can turn £29.99 into £2.99.

Example (hypothetical numbers for the arithmetic only): suppose you have 60 listings and check each supplier price once a day.

• On a phone, opening the supplier page, comparing and editing takes about 2 minutes per listing: 120 minutes a day.
• On a computer with two windows side by side, the same check takes about 1 minute per listing: 60 minutes a day.
• With software doing the reading and repricing, your time goes on reviewing the changes it flags.

This is work Dropizon moves off the phone entirely: its Chrome extension reads the live Amazon buy box in a browser tab on your own computer, and the server reprices your eBay listings with your formula through eBay's official APIs, holding unusual changes for your review. See how Dropizon works. It does not make any sourcing method allowed under eBay's rules.

What does a sensible phone and desktop routine look like?

Most sellers do best with the phone for reacting and the computer for planning. Here is a routine you can adapt.

Morning, on the phone

Clear overnight messages and offers. Check for new returns or cases and reply to anything that needs a response.

Desk session, on the computer

Process orders in bulk, upload tracking and review any price or stock changes. Create multi-variation listings and anything with many item specifics here.

Through the day, on the phone

Answer buyers as notifications arrive. List simple one-off items as you photograph them.

Weekly and monthly, on the computer

eBay UK evaluates seller performance on the 20th of each month, so review your defects, cases and late deliveries before then. Check your monthly selling limit. Review Promoted Listings: with a general campaign you pay only when a promoted item sells within 30 days of a click on the ad, and the fee is the ad rate as a percentage of the total sale amount, including postage and taxes. See eBay's Promoted Listings page.

What to do next

1. Open the app and turn on notifications for messages, offers, returns and cases only.
2. Check your phone's photo editor does not add borders, text or watermarks.
3. Pick one desk session a day for bulk work: orders, tracking, prices and stock.
4. Open Seller Hub on a computer and find your monthly selling limit and performance summary.
5. Set a calendar reminder a few days before the 20th of each month to review performance.
6. If you source from another seller or supplier, reread eBay's drop shipping policy and make sure your fulfilment fits it.