eBay UK Encourages Sellers To Get Ready for Three Bank Holidays in May

In May 2023, the UK is set to have three bank holidays on Monday 1st May, Monday 8th May, and Monday 29th May. This month is somewhat unusual due to the additional bank holiday to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.

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As a result, eBay UK is offering tips to sellers to help them manage this unusual month by either preparing to place their store on holiday, taking advantage of selling opportunities these bank holidays bring or stocking up on popular items buyers want.

Schedule Time Away

If sellers are planning to take a break during one or more of the bank holiday weekends and won’t be able to process sales as usual, they can schedule time off. Here are the steps to follow for scheduling time away if necessary:

1. Go to the Time Away settings.
2. Select Schedule time away.
3. Select Allow item sales or Pause item sales while on time away.
4. Set a Start date and End date for the time you are not available. Sellers can start their time away immediately by selecting today’s date.
5. Select Apply.

Additionally, it is possible to enable an automatic response for buyers who contact sellers via eBay Messages while away. It is important to note that activating Time Away settings will not affect dispatch dates or estimated delivery dates (EDDs) for items in cases where:

• Items had been ordered before the setting was activated.
• An offer had already been sent by the seller or buyer before the setting was activated.
• For auctions that had already started before the setting was activated.

Furthermore, it is advisable to review settings beforehand to ensure that auction listings do not expire while away (learn more about scheduling listings and automatic relisting of items).

eBay UK Sellers should also verify if any listings are configured to automatically send offers to buyers. It is essential to refrain from sending offers to buyers manually just before taking time off, even though it may seem obvious.

Estimated Delivery Dates

On eBay UK, the May bank holidays will not be considered as dispatch dates or reflected as estimated delivery dates (EDDs). Sellers who may be new to eBay UK can read a recent article addressing some of the frequently asked questions regarding EDDs and delivery-related defects.

eBay UK Bank Holiday Sales and Promotions

Many online sellers offer sales and promotions during bank holiday weekends. For sellers to take advantage of this selling opportunity, there are various promotional tools available that could help boost traffic to listings and enhance conversion rates. Note: Some tools are exclusively available to business sellers.

• Coded Coupon: Create and share discount codes to entice buyers to make a purchase.
• Multi-buy: By offering reduced prices for larger orders, sellers can incentivize customers to purchase more of the same listing. According to eBay UK’s internal data, this can lead to an increase in sales by up to 10% when using Multi-buy.
• Offer to Buyers and Best Offer: To engage potential buyers, sellers can offer a discount on their listing or allow them to submit their best offer.
• Order discount: Sellers can incentivize customers to increase their order size by offering reduced prices for higher quantities or orders that exceed a certain threshold.
• Promoted Listings: Boost listings by featuring them in prominent placements across the eBay network, which can help increase the visibility of listings to potential buyers.
• Sale Event + Markdown: By offering reduced prices on specific items, sellers can create a Sale Event and showcase before-and-after prices using eBay’s Markdown feature.

And as we leave Winter behind us, the Home & Garden category is particularly likely to experience an increase in searches during the May bank holidays.

According to eBay Ads insights from previous bank holidays, the search for ‘sunlounger’ increased by 221% during the long weekend from 29-31 May 2021. The search for ‘deck chair’ and ‘garden sofa’ also rose by 197% and 115%, respectively, during the same period.

eBay UK encourages sellers to be prepared for increased demand in this category by stocking up on popular items and optimizing their inventory accordingly.