eBay Live Tutorial: How to Set Up and Go Live in 2026
Going live on eBay for the first time can feel more complicated than it needs to be, and the lack of a clear step by step guide is one of the main reasons sellers who are eligible for eBay Live have not yet tried it. This tutorial covers everything you need to do to schedule your first event, prepare your inventory, go live, and sell on eBay Live in 2026.
Step 1: Check Your Eligibility
Before you can sell on eBay Live you need to confirm that your account meets the basic requirements. You need an active eBay seller account in good standing with no recent policy violations, a feedback score that demonstrates you are an established seller, and listings in one of the categories currently supported by eBay Live, which include collectibles, luxury goods, sneakers, and apparel. If your account meets these criteria, apply for access through the eBay Seller Centre and wait for eBay to review your application.
Step 2: Prepare Your Equipment
You will need a smartphone running the latest version of the eBay app, a stable WiFi connection with an upload speed of at least 5 Mbps, a phone tripod or mount to keep your camera stable, a ring light or softbox lighting to ensure your products are clearly lit, and an external microphone to improve your audio quality. A clean, uncluttered background that keeps the focus on your products completes the basic setup.
Step 3: Prepare Your Inventory
Before you go live, every item you plan to sell during the event needs to be saved as a draft listing in the eBay app. Create your listings as you normally would but save them as drafts rather than publishing them immediately. Organise your inventory physically in the order you plan to feature it during the stream so that you are never searching for products mid-event.
Step 4: Schedule Your Event
Open the eBay app, navigate to your seller tools, and select the option to create a live event. Add a specific and descriptive title, select your event category, choose your broadcast date and time, upload a thumbnail image of your most desirable item, and publish the event in advance so buyers can set reminders.
Step 5: Add Your Inventory to the Event
Within the event management screen, add your draft listings to the event in the order you intend to sell them. Review the final order before going live and make any adjustments based on the structure you planned in advance.
Step 6: Go Live
At your scheduled time, open the eBay app, navigate to your event, and select the option to go live. Check your camera angle, lighting, and audio before starting. Once you are live, engage the chat immediately, introduce yourself and what you are selling, and begin working through your inventory with energy and enthusiasm. Monitor the chat throughout and respond to buyer questions promptly.
Step 7: Review and Improve
After the stream ends, review your event analytics covering total viewers, peak concurrent viewers, average viewing duration, items sold, and conversion rate. Use these figures to make deliberate improvements to your next event and ship your sold items promptly in line with your stated handling times.
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