How to cross-list on eBay and Etsy without selling the same item twice

Cross-listing means putting the same item up for sale on more than one marketplace at once. For vintage and estate finds it's a good way to reach more buyers: an item that sits on eBay may sell in a week on Etsy, and the other way round. The catch is that you have one of each thing. If it sells in two places before you notice, one buyer has to be let down, and both marketplaces take that seriously.

Why a double sale is costly

On eBay, an order you cancel because you no longer have the item counts toward your transaction defect rate, one of the measures that sets your seller level. Fall to Below Standard and eBay adds 6% to your final value fees on the next month's sales, on top of losing the sale and the buyer's goodwill.

On Etsy, the cancellation policy lists the cases where a seller may cancel, such as a buyer asking to cancel or a payment that failed. Having sold the item somewhere else isn't one of them. You can ask the buyer to request a cancellation, but they don't have to agree.

Either way, a buyer who paid for something and doesn't get it is likely to leave a poor review. The aim is to make a double sale rare, and to catch it within minutes when it happens.

Choose what to cross-list

Only items Etsy allows. Etsy accepts resale of vintage items (at least 20 years old) and craft supplies. Anything newer belongs on eBay alone
Items that might take a while to sell. A popular item priced to move will often sell on the first marketplace within days, and cross-listing it adds risk for little gain
Items you can describe the same way on both. Same photos, same condition, same measurements, so neither buyer gets a surprise

Set the listings up to be ended quickly

Use fixed-price listings on eBay, not auctions. An auction with bids can't simply be ended, and eBay restricts ending one early once bids are in
List a quantity of 1 on both marketplaces
Give the item the same reference on both (a short code at the end of your notes or SKU field) so you can find the other listing in seconds
Turn on sale notifications for both marketplaces on your phone
Set a handling time you can meet even if you need a day to sort out a double sale

When it sells, end the other listing first

Before you print a label or pack anything, end the listing on the other marketplace. That's the window where a second buyer can still check out.

Sale notification arrives on one marketplace
Find the item's listing on the other marketplace and end it (on Etsy, deactivate it)
Then pack and ship the order you received

If you're away from your phone for a day, both listings stay live for that day. That's where most double sales come from, so it's worth automating if you cross-list more than a handful of items.

If it sells twice anyway

Message the second buyer straight away, apologize and explain. Many will request a cancellation if you ask politely
Refund in full, including shipping
On eBay, give the true cancellation reason. Choosing a different reason to avoid a defect breaks eBay's cancellation policy
Look at what went wrong: a slow notification, a listing you forgot, an auction you couldn't end

Price for each marketplace's fees

The two marketplaces charge differently, so the same price leaves you different amounts. eBay's final value fee is 13.6% of the total in most categories plus $0.40 per order. Etsy charges a $0.20 listing fee, a 6.5% transaction fee and payment processing of 3% plus $0.25 in the US, plus 15% on sales that come from its Offsite Ads. Our eBay vs Etsy guide works through an example.

Some sellers price slightly higher on the marketplace with the higher fees. Others keep one price everywhere for simplicity. Both work, as long as you know what you keep on each.

Write each listing for its marketplace

Copying one listing word for word works, but it leaves search traffic on the table. eBay titles allow 80 characters and are matched closely against what buyers type. Etsy titles can be longer, and Etsy listings also get up to 13 tags. eBay asks for item specifics by category; Etsy asks when the item was made. Fill in each one properly.

Where LegacyList fits

LegacyList publishes an item to eBay and to your Etsy shop from the same draft, and checks each item's estimated age against Etsy's vintage rule before it goes to Etsy. When an item sells on one marketplace, LegacyList ends its listing on the other as soon as the marketplace tells it about the sale, and a regular check catches any sale notice that never arrives. The sale, with its price and fees, is recorded against the item.