So you’ve decided to take the plunge…make the leap…put your eggs in more than one basket…add another selling channel. However you phrase it, the bottom line is that you’re ready to expand from eBay onto Amazon.

That’s exciting! But the thought of getting all your items listed on another platform? Not so exciting. In fact, it’s downright daunting.

That’s where inkFrog comes to your rescue. The same tool that helped you create great-looking templates for your eBay listings can now help you create great-looking Amazon listings for those same products.

Thanks to inkFrog, you don’t need to know much about Amazon listing design. There’s an app for that: inkFrog’s new Channel Connector, now available in Beta. It can take your entire inkFrog library of listings and upload the contents to your Amazon store with just a few clicks.

What you do need to know, however, are the differences between an eBay listing versus an Amazon listing.

eBay vs. Amazon

Just as on eBay, every Amazon listing starts with a title; eBay gives you 80 characters, whereas Amazon gives you 200. Use them wisely and well!

Next, on eBay, you fill out item specifics, preferably including a product identifier such as a UPC, EAN, GTIN, MPN, or ISBN. If an item has none of those, you can select “Does not apply".

But on Amazon, every product must have a unique identifier. Those lacking one of the above are assigned an Amazon Standard Identification Number, or ASIN: a 10-character alphanumeric identifier that’s unique to the Amazon marketplace. Your product may already have an ASIN, but if not, inkFrog can generate one.

Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

Photos are crucial to both eBay and Amazon templates. eBay recommends square photos on plain white backgrounds; Amazon requires product images to be at least 1000dpi on a white background. Pictures should show only what’s in the listing, with the product filling at least 80% of the image area and no text or watermarks.

If your eBay photos don’t meet Amazon product template standards, you’ll find that bringing them up to par will also make your eBay listings more effective. Win-win!

The major difference between eBay and Amazon listings is how descriptions are formatted. On eBay, sellers can pretty much write whatever they want, in as many colors and fonts as their hearts desire. It’s unprofessional and not recommended, of course, but it’s up to you whether or not to follow best practices.

Amazon doesn’t give you that much leeway. Their Quick Start Style Guide spells out the Do’s and Don’ts in black and white. The Don’ts:

• No HTML in descriptions except for the line-break tag
• No details about availability, price, or condition
• No requests for customer reviews (feedback)
• No reviews, quotes, or testimonials
• No contact information, including website URLs
• No links to outside websites
• No information about you, your company, shipping, or promotional offers

The Do’s:

• Highlight your product’s top 5 features via bullet points, such as size; style; model number; color; and what the product does or how it can be used
• Write the rest of your description in complete sentences, with correct spelling and grammar
• Use numbers for all numerals
• Spell out units of measurement, such as inches

Again, editing your descriptions Amazon-style may make your eBay listings better, too.

Using inkFrog’s New Channel Connector

Ready to export your inkFrog library to Amazon? Channel Connector makes it easy. You can export all your listings, or manually select which ones to export.

Furthermore, you can export inkFrog’s product description, or write your own. If there’s a problem translating any of your eBay listings into Amazon product page templates, Channel Connector will tell you what to fix.

Once exported, your products on Amazon are automatically linked to your listings in inkFrog, and they’ll sync according to whatever criteria you select. No need to worry about overselling or fool with spreadsheets.

Now your Amazon store is ready for Prime time! And you’re wondering why you ever thought expanding from the Bay to the River was going to be such an ordeal. Thanks to inkFrog’s new Channel Collector, your big move was no big deal.