International sales sites offer the opportunity to engage in e-export, reach customers worldwide, and create a wider market for your products. However, deciding which international sales sites will offer you the best opportunities is difficult. If you are considering selling abroad, you can discover the right sales site for you with this guide.
Which Platform Should You Sell on Abroad?
By opening a store in the world's most popular and widely used virtual marketplaces, you can significantly increase your chances of reaching new and broad target audiences. Sellers are turning to various e-commerce platforms to reach more customers.
Millions of people regularly visit e-commerce marketplaces to shop securely. This situation provides a huge advantage for sellers. You can sell in major online marketplaces such as Etsy, Amazon, Shopify, and eBay, or by setting up your own website.
Most e-commerce sellers prefer to sell in online marketplaces because setting up one's own website is more tedious and more expensive at the initial stage compared to marketplaces. Therefore, you can apply for professional support to simplify the process.
What Are the Most Popular International Sales Sites?
There are many marketplaces that have the highest number of customers, are popular, and have the potential to be the bright stars of the future. The marketplaces maintaining their appeal can be listed as follows;
Amazon
Ranked among the e-commerce marketplaces, Amazon has approximately 400 million users worldwide. The platform, whose main focus is consumers, allows individuals to list products in an online marketplace in addition to its own products. There are no additional expenses such as registration fees or deposits on Amazon.
Amazon Sales Models
Amazon FBA: This is the model where you ship directly to Amazon warehouses and Amazon manages all processes.
Amazon FBM: This is the model where products are shipped directly to the customer and the seller manages the processes.
The choice of Amazon sales model will outline the clear steps for the transactions.
eBay
Facilitating business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer sales through its own marketplace, eBay is based in the USA. Ranked among the popular international sales sites, eBay has approximately 110 million users worldwide. On the relevant platform, sellers are responsible for managing their own business.
Etsy
Etsy, which has recently gone viral, is an online marketplace platform that brings sellers and buyers together. Ranked in the top 5 for international sales sites, the platform offers the opportunity to sell new products as well as second-hand items. Etsy is self-service and features an auction-based pricing model. The site, which has 56 million monthly users, also possesses a fixed-price system.
Points to Consider for Etsy
On Etsy, production is custom-made for the order and you do not work with stock. This indicates that this preparation time should be short, and customers will give positive feedback in response to speed. On Etsy, since the products are not factory-manufactured, there is a risk of them breaking.
You need to convince your customer that the products are packaged very well, and for this, it will be very useful to add images of your products in their shipped state as well. To get detailed information about product packaging, you can read the relevant article.
Furthermore, it will be more possible to increase your Etsy product sales through advertisements on Pinterest and Facebook because the general audience is active on these networks.
By integrating your Etsy store with Navlungo, you can plan the shipping for all your incoming orders within seconds.
AliExpress
Among international e-commerce sites, AliExpress is a platform that receives 723 million visits per month. Enabling sales to almost all countries in the world, the platform has 65 million monthly users. When you sell through this e-commerce site, which operates with fixed prices, you can benefit from customer service that offers dedicated support to you.
Allegro
Among international sales sites, Allegro is a platform with monthly users reaching up to 17 million. Active in Poland, this e-commerce site provides a more advanced call center service for sellers compared to its peers. A self-service sales model is available on the platform. In addition, Allegro is a sales site where there are no storage and shipping costs.
If you are wondering how to choose among the sites where you can sell abroad, you can continue reading the rest of the article. To find the most suitable one among these e-commerce sites, you can start by bringing together your priorities and the opportunities these sites offer. Some sales sites may not be suitable for your goals and principles. In this case, you can also consider other marketplaces alongside the popular sites.
What Are the Marketplaces Outside Your Country Where You Can Sell?
There are many different international sales sites available for companies and manufacturers wanting to sell abroad. The goals of some sellers may not fit the standards of popular marketplaces. In this case, you can choose sites that serve more specific purposes. These can be listed as follows;
• Bol.com: It is an international sales site that offers the opportunity to reach a high number of customers in the Dutch and Belgian markets. Sellers deal in various product groups such as electronics, home and garden products, books, movies, and music.
• Cdiscount: On this international sales site operating in the French market, various product groups such as electronics, home and garden products, fashion, and accessories are sold.
• Gmarket: This is a South Korean international sales site covering product ranges such as electronics, fashion, food, and household goods.
• Otto: Located in the German market, this international sales site covers various product ranges such as electronics, fashion, and home and garden products.
• Tmall: Focuses on the Chinese market. Various products such as electronics, fashion, home and garden products, food, and accessories are sold.
• Shopify: It is an international sales platform that helps you build your own e-commerce store and reach customers worldwide.
How Should One Choose Among International Sales Sites?
Choosing among international sales sites might seem complex. If you feel undecided about picking from dozens of marketplaces, you can consider the following points;
• Are the international sales sites you are considering suitable for your product range? You need to find an e-commerce site that appeals to the markets you target for your sales. For example, if you want to sell second-hand products, it is very important that the existing platform is suitable for this.
• Do international sales sites include the services you need? Especially sellers in need of warehousing services should prefer platforms that do not require intermediary companies.
• The business model you possess must be suitable for the marketplace in question. For example, those who want to sell their products through auction should not prefer Bol.com. Because there is no auction on this platform.
• Do the international sales sites you are considering have the resources required to manage your e-commerce operations? In a system where support services do not move quickly, if you do not have a sufficient number of staff, things may not go as planned.
• The seller expectations of the marketplace may not align with the components you possess. For example, if your business model is based on collecting and selling branded products, the Tmall platform won't be suitable for this. Because there is no status for authorized sellers on that platform.
• When choosing among international sales sites, you should take into account the operational cost of the relevant marketplace aimed at the target markets.
In addition to all of these, brand awareness is also extremely important when performing e-export through international sales sites. If you want your business to build brand awareness much more easily, you can also pay attention to these elements: localization, SEO efforts, comprehensive customer service, and advertising practices.
Navlungo for Easy Shipping on International Sales Sites
Navlungo is a technological solution aimed at making shipping processes easier on international sales sites. This solution helps you deliver your products offered on international sales sites to your worldwide customers safely and economically.
Navlungo monitors your products with up-to-date tracking, helps you find the most suitable shipping option, and ensures that the products reach your customers on time. In this way, you can increase your product sales on international sales sites and maximize customer satisfaction.
