Whether you’re doing everything yourself, or have a few in-house employees running things, chances are you’re wasting time, money or both.
While it’s a great idea to have in-house employees, there are few eCommerce businesses that can afford specialists. And specialists are who you want. A specialist product description sales writer will beat a generalist 9 times out of 10.
And this is where outsourcing makes the most sense. Getting those specialists that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.
Especially when selling on Amazon or eBay, where competition is high, it’s recommended to take advantage of outsourcing strategies.
The Problem With In-House Employees
Firstly, hiring full-time employees is expensive. And you’ll likely get a generalist who can work on multiple aspects of your business. This saves some money, after all.
But managing these employees takes time. Valuable time that could otherwise be used sourcing new products or managing sales-boosting aspects of your business.
So while in-house employees can be helpful, don’t hire too early.
The Problem With Outsourcing
There are risks when it comes to outsourcing. For example, you never know when you’re getting a flaky freelancer who might not make deadlines. Or someone who might spill your secrets to their next employer (an NDA would help here).
But there are also benefits to outsourcing. The aforementioned specialist knowledge, for example. And also huge time savings if you’re doing things yourself.
Another benefit is the efficiency of spend. You only pay for what you need – no paying for an idle employee.
That said, the world of eCommerce outsourcing can get confusing.
Thankfully, in today’s modern world, there are easy ways to find good quality freelancers. And when it comes to Amazon and eBay outsourcing, you’ll find a large pool of relevant freelancers.
eCommerce Business Freelance Platforms
Platforms like Upwork and Freelancer are great for finding good quality freelancers for relatively cheap. Depending on what you need, you can typically get services for between $20 and $80 an hour.
Lower, and you’re likely to get low quality work that’s not worth the money. Higher and, well, you’re probably getting higher quality work.
If you can afford it, why not.
In addition, many freelancers have specialized in either eBay or Amazon outsourcing, so make sure you’re reviewing them in-depth.
Facebook Groups for eCommerce Business Freelancers
There are countless freelancing Facebook groups out there with freelancers just waiting to help you. One example of this is this group, which specialized in copywriting.
It can be harder to find freelancers with this method – and more expensive. But on average you can find higher quality freelancers than on the traditional job boards. But you can also find poor freelancers here, so beware.
Make sure to always ask for samples and/or testimonials.
Referrals
Ask your friends whether they know of freelancers. Or go to networking events and ask around.
Either way, you’re bound to find great quality freelancers this way. Yes, it’s a little more labor-intensive on your part. But friends or business contacts are more likely to give you an honest opinion of a freelancer they’ve worked with.
Outsource And Grow
Regardless of the method you choose, you’ll most probably need to hire a few bad eggs when outsourcing. But it’s better than hiring a bad egg as a full-time employee. Freelancers are far easier to get rid of.
So they tend to produce their best work every time.
And when you do find a great freelancer, hold on to them. They are rarer than you’d expect.
Help Your Fellow Readers
Have you been outsourcing for a while and got any additional pointers for your fellow readers?
Do you follow an eCommerce full outsourcing strategy?
Maybe you just want to share your opinion, or have a question to ask?
Drop us a comment below – we love hearing from you.
