Perhaps you have dipped your foot into the reselling pool and found it wasn’t for you. Perhaps there were tasks you excelled at but maybe you didn’t care for the big picture of what’s required to buy and sell with the big leagues. How can you still profit from the skills you learned along the way?
Many virtual assistants have found a successful niche in becoming a reseller assistant, aka ecommerce assistant. There is no shortage of ecommerce platforms. From eBay to Amazon and Poshmark to Shopify, every marketplace has its own list of steps to be followed when selling online. The more successful a reseller becomes, the more intricate and complicated their business becomes. At some point, it’s essential for almost every seller to hire an assistant in order to level up.
What Is an Online Reseller Assistant?
There are many aspects of the reselling process that can be handled by an intelligent virtual assistant:
- Taking photos of items to be listed
- Writing SEO descriptions to help items be found by prospective buyers
- Addressing customer service issues with prospective buyers and existing customers
- Pulling and packing orders (This should only be done locally. Please be on the lookout for re-shipping scams!)
- Digital marketing
- Social media assistant if the seller has a Facebook or Instagram page for their wares
- Sales statistics analysis
- Research and identifying trends and seasonal areas of focus
- Bookkeeping
- Inventory organization
- Researching sourcing opportunities
As you can see, some of these tasks can be performed online, others need to be done by someone locally. There may also be tasks that are platform-specific. An Amazon virtual assistant, for example, may help run PPC campaigns.
Now that you have a good idea of what this industry is all about, you may be wondering how to get started.
1. Determine Your Service List
For many newcomers, it’s appealing to want to pick the easiest tasks in the process and run with that as your service list. Easy usually isn’t very profitable, however.
Especially when it comes to tasks that can be automated, such as Poshmark sharer services, you may find yourself competing not only with overseas VAs who can charge a lot less than you, but you may also be competing with automated software — bots. You can’t afford to work for $1 a day and still feed your family, pay for health insurance and take care of your taxes.
You need to find the services that are in demand, profitable and you can excel at. A Poshmark Virtual Assistant, for example, may not be able to compete when it comes to offering services strictly sharing closets, but a reseller may be willing to pay someone to create compelling descriptions, categorize, price with comps, and add tags for an item they have already photographed and saved as a draft.
2. Determine Your Standard Operating Procedures
There are some very important things to consider when becoming a virtual assistant. For starters, how and when will clients need to get you the work that needs to be done? What’s your turnaround time? Will they have a deadline?
Anytime you are working with clients online, you also need to consider security. Will you have access to their passwords or account information? How will you keep that safe? Are there third-party services available that can add a layer of security to the process? Does their preferred platform have assistant role account access available, like on eBay, that will allow you access to only those things absolutely necessary? These things are for both your protection. You can’t be accused of messing something up if you can’t access in the first place.
3. Determine Your Rates
There are many things to consider when setting your rates. You will not be an employee, therefore you are responsible for all income taxes and benefits such as health insurance. You also may be paying for certain equipment needed to do the job, like your computer, or maybe you need to travel to your client’s home or place of business on occasion. All of these things need to be worked into what you charge.
Some virtual assistants charge by the hour and others work on a monthly retainer. Your service list may help determine which is best for you.
4. Identify Your Ideal Client
You will need to establish your service list and rates before ascertaining your ideal client. You want to ensure they can afford you, after all! Here again, there are a few scenarios you may want to consider:
A new reseller may need the most help in areas like online store analysis, setting up an inventory system, etc. However, they also may be less likely to justify hiring help if they are not yet making a profit or ready to take things full-time.
A more established reseller may be better able to afford help, but they may have systems established. You need to come to the table with a unique selling proposition. How does your service stand out from others?
5. Market Your Virtual Assistant Services
Now that you have a good vision of your new virtual assistant business and a picture of your ideal client’s business, it’s time to put the pen to the paper and start pitching your services.
Where to Find eCommerce Assistant Jobs
Luckily, there are quite a few places to find reseller assistant jobs.
Upwork and Freelancer.com can be great marketplaces on which to connect with potential clients. You may find a good deal of job postings available for various aspects of the online reselling process. This could be a good place to dip your toes into the water and get some feedback.
Fiverr is a common place for many new reseller assistants to offer one-off and recurring small tasks. The site does come with limitations and you will need to make sure you account for their fees in order to stay profitable.
Indeed is a job board to check for more traditional ecommerce assistant opportunities. While you may find some remote reseller assistant jobs, you may also be able to locate gigs locally. Make sure you read through the job description thoroughly and keep an eye out for scams. This job title can be riddled with check-cashing schemes.
Amazon Service Provider Network is available to freelancers with specialized knowledge of Amazon and FBA.
The Bottom Line
When you are ready, take the bull by the horns and break out on your own. You can easily create your own virtual assistant website and start reaching out to potential clients on your own. In-person conferences and local business meetups can also be a great place to network with others and introduce yourself.
