tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38188187102437668052024-02-07T01:31:24.269-08:00eBay Certified Provider ProgramNews and announcements about eBay Certified Providers.eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.comBlogger331125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-43538965782988409162010-08-16T10:29:00.000-07:002010-08-16T10:40:40.764-07:00eBay Workshop August 17th - "Holiday Sales 2010: Tips & Prep for a Successful Selling Season"<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ConsultingEducation.html"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506061314705365074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 176px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 168px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgit6gRmnhnMKiAS_GcnScb2q-FCX9NHd67-Ey83vlIhOO0WaUeh6Ee6Za8zm6DGLXTs2bc1871PJPLf7XNKl2-jaCwc2NReF7b6cbWyirYG6jm1ohwqIMbV-xkeB-1JxtRYHLLD9Q5asQ/s200/Consulting+%26+Education.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><strong>Topic</strong>: "<a href="http://workshops.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=130000830&tstart=0&mod=1281042102694"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Holiday Sales 2010: Tips & Prep for a Successful Selling Season</span></strong></a>"</div><div></div><p><div><strong>Host</strong>: <a href="http://lisasuttora.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">Lisa Suttora</span> </a>, ecommerce strategist and Founder/CEO of <a href="http://whatdoisell.com/main/"><span style="color:#000099;">WhatDoISell.com</span></a></div><p><div><strong>Date</strong>: Tuesday, August 17th</div><p><div><strong>Time</strong>: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. PST (Pacific Standard Time)</div><div></div><p><div><strong>Location</strong>: <a href="http://workshops.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=130000830&tstart=0&mod=1281042102694"><span style="color:#000099;">eBay Workshop Board</span></a></div><div></div><p><div><strong>Description</strong>: Holiday profits come to those who are prepared, and now is the time to gear up! From inventory selection to marketing there’s a lot to do over the next few months to maximize your holiday sales. </div><div></div><p><div>Please join Lisa Suttora, Founder & CEO of <a href="http://whatdoisell.com/main/"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>WhatDoISell</strong></span></a>, and learn how to showcase your best holiday inventory, how to reposition “everyday” inventory into hot holiday sellers and creative ways to market your merchandise this holiday season!</div><div></div><p><div>Visit <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/</span></a> to learn more about eBay Certified Providers and the services and solutions they offer to help an eBay seller grow their business.</div><div></div><p><div>Thanks,</div><p><div></div><div>Ginger</div><div>eBay Certified Provider Program</div><div><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/</span></a><span style="color:#000099;"> </span></div>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-50315327497113977982010-08-11T16:53:00.000-07:002010-08-11T17:10:38.942-07:00Top 5 Music Artists Selling on eBay<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Terapeak.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/images/Terapeak.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Terapeak.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak</span></strong> </a>is like the <a href="http://www.billboard.com/#/"><span style="color:#000099;">Billboard</span> </a>of <a href="http://www.ebay.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">eBay</span> </a>thanks to its <a href="https://www.terapeak.com/features/?pg=FeaturesHot"><span style="color:#000099;">Hot Media search feature</span></a>. Below is this month’s Top 5 Music list which you may find either outrageous or validating. That’s the beauty of this list, it’s based entirely on pure, unbridled sales without dwelling for a moment on what some hipster might consider “good.”<br /><a href="http://blog.terapeak.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Top-5-Music1.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504305313799802098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oZDal0wU9R9UJgMP35NMIQf3fMMTwIHy00GrFkmLNQpqe43KUYaP0QX2XN_YdThQFz8jsgY9vpNUmAj1g1J5OV1QsYTi4byNIihAQtuLRa8ODnyaUvdN9-ThZb8zTpo8ysPiuRSnHtA/s400/Top-5-Music1.png" border="0" /></a><br />Rounding out the number five spot is arguably the most talented individual ever to wear a lampshade for a hat, the one and only <a href="http://music.shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_npmv=3&_trksid=p3910.m570.l1313&_nkw=lady+gaga&_sacat=11233"><span style="color:#000099;">Lady Gaga</span></a>. She probably should have gone on Dr. Phil long ago but she sure can belt out a tune.<br /><br />In fourth, <a href="http://music.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=Susan+Boyle&_sacat=11233&_dmpt=Music_CDs&_odkw=lady+gaga&_osacat=11233&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313"><span style="color:#000099;">Susan Boyle</span></a> is the 49 year old contest winner who dreamed big and put on a jaw-dropping performance for British television. She sang her way to stardom without the typical sexuality angle played by most. Seriously, like none whatsoever.<br /><br /><a href="http://music.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=Kidz+Bop+Kids&_sacat=11233&_dmpt=Music_CDs&_odkw=Kidz+Bop+Kids&_osacat=11233&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313"><span style="color:#000099;">Kidz Bop Kids</span></a> sing their little hearts out in 3rd, and if that surprises you keep in mind that child singers have had a firm place in our world since The Jackson 5.<br /><br />The boys from Sgt. Pepper’s are staying legendary in the number two spot and it should also be noted that they never drop below the top five. So if you ever swing by and don’t see <a href="http://music.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=The+Beatles&_sacat=11233&_odkw=The+Beatles&_osacat=11233&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313"><span style="color:#000099;">The Beatles</span> </a>on our list you should look up – the sky might be falling.<br /><br />Finally at number one is the incorrigible <a href="http://music.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=Eminem&_sacat=11233&_dmpt=Music_CDs&_odkw=Eminem&_osacat=11233&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313"><span style="color:#000099;">Eminem</span></a>. You may find his subject matter to be in the absolute poorest of taste, but you can’t deny his success.<br /><br />Retail store sales are one thing, but eBay is the biggest, broadest online marketplace on the planet and <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Terapeak.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak</span> </a>is the score keeper. Items that are in high demand here are truly selling above the rest.<br /><br />Post from the <a href="http://blog.terapeak.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak blog</span></a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Terapeak.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak </span></strong></a><span style="color:#999999;">is an eBay Certified Provider and a member of the eBay Market Data Program. Terapeak 5.0 is a full, web-based solution providing real-time market research and data analytics on eBay. Terapeak 5.0 provides eBay sellers and buyers with two years worth of trending data.</span>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-13079521519287463662010-08-09T13:44:00.000-07:002010-08-09T14:17:57.039-07:00eBay Certified Provider Spotlight - MERCENT<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Mercent.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/images/mercent.jpg" /> <span style="color:#000099;"><strong>Mercent</strong></span></a> delivers inventory management and marketing technology services for retail merchants across many online channels. As an <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">eBay Certified Solution Provider</span></a>, Mercent provides a solution for retail merchants to integrate eBay as a sales channel or for existing eBay sellers to optimize their sales and efficiency on eBay.<br /><br /><a href="http://one311.fairmarket.net/special/MercentRetail_for_eBayData%20Sheet.pdf"><span style="color:#000099;">Mercent Retail for eBay</span></a> is an automated solution allowing retailers and eBay sellers to launch and manage high-volume, fixed-price, and multiple-quantity sales on eBay. Mercent Retail is integrated and able to support eBay Fixed Price listing formats and <a href="https://www.paypal.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">PayPal</span></a>.<br /><br /><strong>Features</strong>:<br /><p><em>Complete product and order feed integration</em> –</p><ul><li>Ensure product listings are always synchronized with back-end systems </li><li>Automated, no manual downloading of order reports or uploading inventory figures</li><li>Accurate real-time product data, inventory and price information<br /></li></ul><p><em>Streamlined product catalog management</em> – </p><ul><li>Map products and categories to the best performing eBay categories</li><li>Automated content rules to apply content changes</li></ul><p><em>Comprehensive analytics</em> – </p><ul><li>Track and report on the revenue, profits, cost-per-order, and other key retail advertising metrics associated with orders on eBay and other online shopping channels </li><li>View performance by category, individual product SKU and more</li><li>Generate reports by channel or across channels<br /></li></ul><p><strong>Benefits</strong>:</p><ul><li>Large retailers can easily add eBay as an online selling channel</li><li>Tight integration with existing retail systems for accurate inventory tracking, pricing, fulfillment and order information</li><li>Automated monitoring and management of transactions across all channels</li><li>Reach maximum revenue and profitability </li></ul><p>Large retailers<a href="http://stores.shop.ebay.com/SmartBargains__W0QQ_armrsZ1"> SmartBargains</a> and <a href="http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Altrec-Outdoors__W0QQ_armrsZ1">Altrec</a> have successfully incorporated eBay as a sales channel through the technology and assistance of Mercent.</p><p>Mercent is a great fit for large retailers or manufacturers to add eBay to their multi-channel solution. They are also a good fit for Diamond and some Titanium eBay PowerSellers.</p><p>If interested, contact Mercent at:</p><ul><li>Sales Inquiries<a href="mailto:sales@mercent.com">sales@mercent.com</a> 206-832-3924</li><li>General Inquiries<a href="mailto:Inquiriesinfo@mercent.com">mailto:Inquiriesinfo@mercent.com</a></li></ul><p><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Mercent.html"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>Mercent </strong></span></a><span style="color:#999999;">is an eBay Certified Provider integrating large retailers with eBay using the new Large Merchant Services (LMS) API, providing the ability to handle the scalability requirements of large sellers, including catalogs and transaction volumes and back end integration with current systems including POS.</span></p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-86016283552396344302010-08-05T15:20:00.000-07:002010-08-05T15:46:14.770-07:00Vendio Launches Free Item Condition Reviser for eBay (Update all your eBay listings!)<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Vendio.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/images/Vendio.jpg" /></a> In order to help sellers comply with the new eBay item condition rules, Vendio has launched a free easy-to-use reviser that can revise the condition of your live eBay items based on the new required condition.
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<br />This is available by logging into your Vendio account and selecting Channels > Revise. This does require a Vendio account as you will need to log in and set an eBay token so that we can make these changes on your behalf.
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<br />If you are not already an eBay seller using Vendio, you can create a free Vendio account if you sign-up for one of their free products <a href="http://www.vendio.com/ecommerce/applications"><span style="color:#000099;">listed here</span></a> and you will be able to use Vendio's free products including their new <strong>Item Condition Reviser</strong>.
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<br />You can set your eBay tokens by selecting the Preferences link (top-right) and selecting “channels” from the drop down menu. If you do not have a Vendio account, you can sign up for any premium or free service in order to access the special reviser.
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<br /><em>Note that Revisions to your live items on eBay are not automatically reflected in your inventory item definitions on Vendio. You will need to edit the condition field in these item definitions before future launches. </em>
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<br /></em>Below, we’ve added instructions to help you use the new <strong>Item Condition Reviser</strong>
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<br />Log into your account and select Channels>Revise
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<br /><ol><li><strong>Find & Revise:</strong> Find the items where you want to change the item condition by selecting the Find and Revise button. </li><li><strong>Find Items to Revise</strong> (<strong>by Category</strong>): The easiest way to find and replace for the Item Condition reviser is to revise by category.If you do not know your category number, select choose and find your category. </li><li><strong>Find Items to Revise</strong> (<strong>by Other Conditions</strong>): Find items that contain any or all of specific conditions you define. For example, find all my items that have “Blue AND Ring” in the title or find ANY of my items that have either “Blue” OR “Ring” in the title.</li><li><strong>Available “Find” Fields</strong>: Find item by any of the fields displayed in the drop down menu. Find fields are also depicted below. </li><li><strong>Select the Category</strong>: After you have defined the conditions you are using to locate the items to revise, you will need to select the category for the Revise field. Because all item condition values are category-specific, please enter choose your category FIRST. Once the category is entered, the item condition menu will populate.</li><li><strong>Select the New Condition</strong>: Once the condition menu is populated, you can select the new condition.</li><li><strong>Review your Revisions</strong>: Review your revisions by clicking Review. </li><li><strong>Revise Your Live eBay Items</strong>: Click the Revise button to finalize the revisions of your live eBay items.</li></ol><p>If you have questions or need some help, contact <a href="https://secure.vendio.com/ecommerce/contact"><span style="color:#000099;">Vendio customer support</span></a>.</p><p><span style="color:#999999;">An eBay Certified Solutions Provider since 2004,</span> <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Vendio.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Vendio </span></strong></a><span style="color:#999999;">provides an ecommerce solution for eBay sellers of all sizes. Vendio offers a series of applications which can be installed on a standalone basis or used to extend the functionality of the Vendio's eBay listing and inventory management solution.</span></p>
<br />eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-59016639694564577072010-08-03T10:42:00.000-07:002010-08-03T11:03:31.740-07:00How to Use Social Media as a Marketing Opportunity for Your eBay Business<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7C2l-N0e5j3CA20HJ0fufINEDupBCguzMi0qh_9YYEXiNS5aasj6KqYno4yBv9cWAskaH9F5zwPvmQFo-nt-S9vlnX4PTwoAak0teagudUS4ZBcCuyK4HjriuqGOFS8rLaqI1yhfEW0/s1600/social.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501244633950215954" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 301px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 220px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7C2l-N0e5j3CA20HJ0fufINEDupBCguzMi0qh_9YYEXiNS5aasj6KqYno4yBv9cWAskaH9F5zwPvmQFo-nt-S9vlnX4PTwoAak0teagudUS4ZBcCuyK4HjriuqGOFS8rLaqI1yhfEW0/s320/social.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As an eBay seller, it is easy to get caught up in the everyday tasks of just keeping your operation running. You might be drowning in brown tape and jiffy bags and making sure you make it to the post office in time, but remember there’s a whole world out there.<br /><br />eBay is a walled garden. It’s busy and has millions of buyers out there for you. But there is more to the internet than eBay. You can boost your eBay sales by marketing online. One of the most talked about opportunities is social media. That means sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace and other activities such as blogging.<br /><br />Twitter has grown phenomenally in the past year or so and is now a mainstream website used by millions at home and abroad. If you have opened a newspaper in the past year you can’t have missed it. The same is true of Facebook. Both Twitter and Facebook offer the best options to eBay sellers who want to have a go at social media.<br /><br />Blogging is also a great opportunity. A blog is basically a website where you can write about anything you like and also publish other content such as videos and photos. Setting up a blog can be free and easy, depending on what service you choose. Open source software Wordpress comes highly recommended and is free: you just need to pay for the hosting and design.<br /><br />If social media seems scary, you’re right to be cautious: time is your most valuable commodity and wasting any of that or getting behind in the essential tasks of running your business would be a bad thing. But by approaching social media with discipline and a clear idea of what you want to achieve, you can reap some benefits.<br /><br />There are two key benefits of social media to an eBay seller:<br /><ol><li>The first is <strong>traffic</strong>. Sites like Facebook and Twitter have a massive following with millions of visitors every day. It’s possible to get a little bit of that action and increase the number of people viewing your listings.</li><li>The second benefit, especially if you already have your own website, is <strong>SEO</strong> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization"><span style="color:#000099;">search engine optimization</span></a>). Blogging, in particular, is a good way of building your site content and creating valuable inbound links to build the prominence of your site in web searches.</li></ol><p>Here are a few ideas that you can try:</p><ul><li>Build a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">Facebook</span> </a>fan page for your eBay sales. Even your granny is on Facebook these days so it’s a great audience to plug into. Your easiest option is to build a Facebook fan page for your business including links to your eBay shop and items you are selling. One of the best ways to utilize Facebook is to offer discounts and deals exclusively to Facebook fans to tempt them.<br /></li><li><a href="http://twitter.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">Twitter</span> </a>and Tweets: Get started on Twitter and gradually build your network. Succeeding on Twitter can take time but the best way to attract attention is to provide links and information that other people find useful. That could be sharing news stories, your own content or making wry and amusing observations. You will also get a lot out of Twitter if you connect with people you admire and trust.<br /></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogging"><span style="color:#000099;">Blogging</span></a>: Blogging is something that rewards you the more you do it. If you start a blog, write about things that really interest you. Establish yourself as an expert in your field and as someone who people turn to for insight and interesting comment If you’re not much of a writer, try a picture blog or video blog (vlog). </li></ul><p>What you want to avoid, whether on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or any other social network or blogging, is mistaking not working for networking. If you’re just jabbering away to your fellow sellers, friends or people who aren’t buying from you, it could be a waste of time. You need to approach social media as a marketing channel. It should be fun but it does have a very serious purpose: promoting you, your sales and your business.</p><p>And the good news is that Frooition can help as you take on social media. It’s essential that your eBay brand is extended to your other online profiles. A consistent look and feel makes your buyers and customers feel reassured, makes you look good and inspires trust. Frooition can help you with custom made-to-order design, expertise and plenty of past experience. Get in touch with Frooition and we can help you extend your eBay brand so it includes social media.</p><p align="center">Article from <a href="http://blog.frooition.com/index.php/2010/06/08/social-media-as-a-marketing-opportunity/"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Frooition's Blog</span></strong></a>.</p><p align="left"><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Frooition.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Frooition</span></strong> </a><span style="color:#999999;">is a leading provider of eBay store and listing designs. Frooition provide design services for most other online sales channels as well as website design. Frooition has been working with the eBay platform more than 4 years and has clients in the USA, Canada and Europe.</span></p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-15417342868132900702010-07-29T10:53:00.000-07:002010-07-29T11:53:59.849-07:00Christmas Profits Begin in July: Your Holiday Planning & Prep Starts Here<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/index.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/images/Whatdoisell.jpg" /></a> Blog post by <a href="http://lisasuttora.com/christmas-profits-begin-in-july-your-holiday-planning-prep-starts-here"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>Lisa Suttora</strong></span></a>, CEO & Founder of <a href="http://whatdoisell.com/cp/"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>WhatDoISell.com</strong></span> </a><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>Christmas Profits Begin in July: Your Holiday Planning & Prep Starts Here</strong></div><br />Ready to make some money this holiday season? Then grab a glass of lemonade and sit down to read this post. Because what you’re about to read will be <strong>key to your holiday income success</strong>.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAEnGhLnlrKKYcP2adL2t5OCYz_tv-AQSGq2gnYaEesZntrp8vjXGyv2YW_QS_Svoyhyphenhyphen319j2ewERPBgpa-kFER87MTbVlkjUidIwIs7U5UifxgIlkgE5uFQrMHd_MIB6HvP6750B94M/s1600/2010christmasjuly.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499400219971382898" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAEnGhLnlrKKYcP2adL2t5OCYz_tv-AQSGq2gnYaEesZntrp8vjXGyv2YW_QS_Svoyhyphenhyphen319j2ewERPBgpa-kFER87MTbVlkjUidIwIs7U5UifxgIlkgE5uFQrMHd_MIB6HvP6750B94M/s320/2010christmasjuly.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Starting on July 5th, with the kick-off of the back-to-school shopping season, the countdown begins to 2010 holiday sales. There are almost 9 weeks from July 1st to Septem<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSLmtxZrPmbo4gdG3BqJViwmANx3OgeqnX0qWeHtnpL5Ha8r_jpFZU-Ou2vL_cYyy_5PcPPR09PyAjdPw5B9Pg5-nex21tBAJGdtT82FC0J68GCET3kSx45UfNIEhnczAN3dQW0P_59M/s1600/2010christmasjuly.jpg"></a>ber 1st, when 38% of online shoppers will begin their holiday shopping.<br /><br />If you wait until Fall to starting thinking about and preparing for the holidays, you’ll find yourself in catch up mode from September to December, and as a result leave a lot of holiday money on the table.<br /><br />Preparing begins with the actions you take in July.<br /><br />Every year at this time, I begin helping people prepare for holiday sales.<br /><br />Unfortunately not enough people take action early on. And there’s nothing worse than rounding the holiday bend in November and watching sadly as your holiday sales slip by.<br /><br />Don’t let this happen to you! The time is now…<br /><br /><strong>To get you started, I’ve listed some of the holiday prep steps you’ll take this year</strong>:<br /><ul><li>Creating a holiday inventory list </li><li>Choosing your affiliate products & signing up for the programs </li><li>Creating a holiday marketing plan </li><li>Ordering last-minute inventory </li><li>Organizing your physical products </li><li>Snapping up packaging supplies on the cheap </li><li>Creating holiday advertising graphics </li><li>Planning your website and blog “seasonal decor” </li><li>Creating holiday gift sets </li><li>Setting up your holiday blog/ sales pages if you are an affiliate marketer </li><li>Setting up your email marketing campaign </li><li>Bringing in seasonal help </li></ul><p>Now if the thought of putting together a plan for the holiday selling season feels overwhelming to you and you’re wondering how you’re going to find time to add yet another thing to your already overloaded schedule, there’s relief in sight. </p><p>With 15 holiday selling seasons under my belt (whew!) – 7 offline & 8 online! I have the planning and action steps for holiday income success down to a science. Stay tuned, for the upcoming announcement about this year’s Holiday Selling Guide and <a href="http://lisasuttora.com/christmas-profits-begin-in-july-your-holiday-planning-prep-starts-here"><span style="color:#000099;">use this link</span> </a>to sign-up for <a href="http://lisasuttora.com/christmas-profits-begin-in-july-your-holiday-planning-prep-starts-here"><span style="color:#000099;">announcements</span></a>.</p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-4175469657426591722010-07-26T13:27:00.000-07:002010-07-26T14:18:32.554-07:00eBay Workshop July 29th - "How to Use Content Marketing to Attract, Engage & Retain More Customers!"<a href="http://workshops.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=140000480&tstart=0&mod=1279067111946"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498314488524430546" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 179px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 163px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vCR-Zz4SmU9ok6Q3rv0qXJuJ9WVVnKJksvGrVOPuNQrJtDbEvMjDveOi8fEB5HKtfmWe1UF9lsrK4WbHLIla2MbAvPFYw1evFB6gZFoamzCs0cuoof8_z3oh_rTDSLwQ4ePCjucIB6Q/s200/Consulting+%26+Education.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Topic</strong>: <a href="http://workshops.ebay.com/thread.jspa?messageID=130008269&#130008269" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">How to Use Content Marketing to Attract, Engage & Retain More Customers!</span></strong></a><br /><br /><strong>Host</strong>: Lisa Suttora, ecommerce strategist and Founder/CEO of <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Whatdoisell.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#000099;">WhatDoISell.com</span></a><br /><strong>Date</strong>: Thursday, July 29th<br /><strong>Time</strong>: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. PST (Pacific Standard Time)<br /><br /><strong>Location</strong>: <a href="http://workshops.ebay.com/thread.jspa?messageID=130008269&#130008269" target="_blank"><span style="color:#000099;">eBay Workshop Board</span></a><br /><br /><strong>Description</strong>: Content is still king on the web! Unfortunately many online sellers overlook this free, highly effective marketing strategy. Discover how to use content to:<br /><ul><li>Drive targeted buyer traffic </li><li>Convert more sales </li><li>Retain existing customers </li><li>Give your business a unique presence on eBay </li></ul><p>Join ecommerce strategist Lisa Suttora, Founder/CEO of <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Whatdoisell.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>WhatDoISell.com</strong></span></a>, as she discusses several creative ways to use content marketing to successfully promote a business in any online niche market.</p><p>You’ll learn how to integrate content with eBay’s marketing tools, as well as how to leverage your content on today’s top social media sites.</p><p>Visit <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#000099;">http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/</span></a> to learn more about eBay Certified Providers and the services and solutions they offer to help an eBay seller grow their business.</p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-6219897462276757052010-07-21T10:38:00.000-07:002010-07-21T10:45:50.320-07:00Preparing for the Back-to-School Sales Rush on eBay<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/shopster.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/images/shopster.jpg" /></a> Back-to-School is just around the corner. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), American consumers will be spending $38.4 billion on back-to-school merchandise in 2010. Meanwhile, the National Federation of Retailers are pegging it at a higher amount, approximately $55.12 billion with each American family spending $606.40.<br /><br />Here are some tips for starting your eBay marketing campaign for back-to-school season:<br /><ul><li><strong>Discounts. Discounts. Discounts</strong>. One of the prime reasons consumers will want to buy from you is because you are offering a good deal. Create promos for products, give special discounts on themed items and offer savings on bulk shipping. </li><li><strong>Advertise early</strong>. Back-to-School season marks a big event for most retailers. It is also the start of the third quarter of the year as well as the fall season. Several advertisers will start their online marketing efforts early and so should you. The second week of July is the ideal time to start. (Start now!)</li><li><strong>Communicate to your customers why they should buy from you</strong>. Competition can be tough and the big retailers will definitely be your major contenders for school supplies and other must-haves. So, hype on what makes your eBay store/inventory different – be it the price or your delivery options. </li><li><strong>Target the right audience</strong>. During Back-to-School season, you actually have two major audiences: the students and the parents. Between the two, it’s the parents that have control of the budget, but do not discount the purchasing power of the students. </li><li><strong>Highlight the right products</strong>. School bags, backpacks, shoes, shirts and school supplies are the top sellers during this season. Make sure you are offering a good deal on the bare necessities such as pens and paper products. </li></ul><p>Happy selling! </p><p>Article from the <a href="http://blog.shopster.com/shoptalk/2010/07/promoting-your-website-offline.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Shopster blog</span></a></p><p><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/shopster.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Shopster </span></a><span style="color:#999999;">is an eBay Certified Solutions Provider providing additional product and inventory for eBay sellers through drop shipping. Shopster has customers in 22 countries and provides full service drop shipping to both the United States and Canada.</span></p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-54876531194142992342010-07-19T07:59:00.000-07:002010-07-19T08:42:37.487-07:00eBay Workshop July 20th - "Create eBay Motors Parts Compatibility Listings with Auctiva"<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/compatibility.html"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495632902594088514" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 186px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 165px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3F17zJbioC4bICa62Do7jnIMNxAd2ESQ_ZkhL1jODQ604ORD0J400493L3bYTx1es7eR6cQtMGbEEGcbK4pykcrOkV5GfzvI5IXTdgfEceJVNVAxYFNDV8ANb22UjEMFfmV6AkBePsyg/s200/Custom+Development.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><strong>Topic</strong>: <a href="http://workshops.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=130000820&tstart=0&mod=1277853682942"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Create eBay Motors Parts Compatibility Listings with Auctiva</span></strong></a></div><div></div><p><div><strong>Host</strong>: <strong><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Auctiva.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Auctiva</span></a></strong></div><p><div><strong>Date</strong>: Tuesday, July 20th</div><p><div><strong>Time</strong>: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. PST (Pacific Standard Time)</div><p><div><strong>Location</strong>: <a href="http://workshops.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=130000820&tstart=0&mod=1277853682942"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>eBay Workshop Board</strong></span></a></div><div></div><p><div><strong>Description</strong>: <span style="color:#000099;"></span><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Auctiva.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Auctiva</span></a> has added support for <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/compatibility.html"><span style="color:#000099;">eBay Motors Parts Compatibility</span></a>! </div><div></div><p><div>Learn about Auctiva's new Parts Compatibility Tool, which gives users a fast and simple way to create parts compatibility listings on eBay Motors. We'll walk you through two different ways to create these listings, including screen shots of what the process looks like. </div><p><div></div><div>Get all your questions answered about Auctiva's new Parts Compatibility Tool as well as their other products and services.</div><p><div></div><div>Visit <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/</span></a> to learn more about eBay Certified Providers and the services and solutions they offer to help an eBay seller grow their business.</div>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-27625423067410692682010-07-15T09:32:00.000-07:002010-07-15T09:40:29.103-07:00eBay Sales for LeBron James Items Increase After New Team Announcement<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Terapeak.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/images/Terapeak.jpg" /></a>After an incredibly successful 8 year career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James announced he would be changing teams. On July 1st James effectively became unemployed and held millions of basketball fans in suspense while he deliberated over which team – of the handful that were courting him – he would move to. On July 8th people finally got their answer, James will join the Miami Heat for the 2010-11 season.<br /><br /><br />For us, the effect of the decision is just as interesting as the decision itself. So how has the team change affected merchandise sales? Below is a trend of all the Lebron James eBay listings over the last 30 days – taken from <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Terapeak.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak Marketplace Research</span></a>. All seems normal until the day the news breaks and listings more than double in the aftermath.<br /><br /><a href="http://blog.terapeak.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/LeBron-James-listings1.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494172324106271922" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 111px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQvtIZkv4AjCrRu2TNV6MJQGQF5Q50FO9EfacjUC9pen5OSIbxCa_zaw5nhvminLOjJaRK_vFWtnkvSAYr9S3KCOWwUe-DIpYJC_8xKapmQ8g-N3JweJdb2OLGrxA_yoAC73bgJlkr8Y/s400/LeBron-James-listings1.png" border="0" /></a><br />Its fascinating to watch the market after a major event, and as the NBA raked in about $4 billion dollars this year – it’s safe to say this is big. In less than a decade, LeBron has become one of the most prominent players of his time – and he is certainly among the biggest player franchises.<br /><br /><br />According to <a href="http://www.terapeak.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak</span></a>, eBay has sold nearly $5 million dollars worth of LeBron James merchandise over the last year. That’s a whole lot of jerseys, hats, and action figures. A trading card from 2003, James’ rookie year, sold one week ago for $30,000 dollars – not bad for a little piece of cardboard. <p><br /><br />Blog post from <a href="http://blog.terapeak.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak Blog</span></a>.<br /><br /><p><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Terapeak.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak </span></a><span style="color:#999999;">is an eBay Certified Provider and a member of the eBay Market Data Program. Terapeak 5.0 is a full, web-based solution providing real-time market research and data analytics on eBay. Terapeak 5.0 provides eBay sellers and buyers with two years worth of trending data.</span><br /><br /></p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-35881653280427903372010-07-12T10:32:00.000-07:002010-07-12T11:02:48.142-07:00eBay Workshop July 14th - "How to Alter/Edit/Update Your eBay Listings in Bulk, in Seconds!"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOD23pucuIA2Ss6UofTLvTqnbZSI1FiPrRp97qB7IEzdRAYT194ZLhPytqHZbE3wi6LU4HDskrNaA3I83obCL-noAX1QLiY5IT6vvZ2IDSUquo44KiTOjsjyDl4MPJDgzaPXsUJmBF45A/s1600/Selling+Manager+Apps+Icon+copy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493079802518245458" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 159px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 143px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOD23pucuIA2Ss6UofTLvTqnbZSI1FiPrRp97qB7IEzdRAYT194ZLhPytqHZbE3wi6LU4HDskrNaA3I83obCL-noAX1QLiY5IT6vvZ2IDSUquo44KiTOjsjyDl4MPJDgzaPXsUJmBF45A/s200/Selling+Manager+Apps+Icon+copy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>Topic</strong>: <strong><a href="http://workshops.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=130000813&tstart=0&mod=1277757259482"><span style="color:#000099;">How to Alter/Edit/Update Your eBay Listings in Bulk, in Seconds!</span></a></strong><br /><br /><strong>Host</strong>: <strong><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Frooition.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Frooition</span></a></strong><br /><strong>Date</strong>: July 14th, Wednesday<br /><strong>Time</strong>: 10 a.m. PST (Pacific Standard Time)<br /><br /><strong>Location</strong>: <a href="http://workshops.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=130000813&tstart=0&mod=1277757259482"><span style="color:#000099;">eBay Workshop Board</span></a><br /><br /><strong>Description</strong>: Making changes to live eBay listings can be a daunting and expensive task, especially if you have hundreds/thousands of listings to alter. This workshop will show you how to take the pain out of bulk revising items using Froo! Bulk Revision. We will also introduce the new eBay Parts Compatibility functionality in <a href="http://applications.ebay.com/selling?ViewEAppDetails&stab=1&appType=1&appId=bulk.froo.com"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>Froo! Bulk Revision</strong></span></a> tool.<br /><br />The <a href="http://applications.ebay.com/selling?ViewEAppDetails&stab=1&appType=1&appId=bulk.froo.com"><span style="color:#000099;">Froo! Bulk Revision</span></a> tool will save you time and money – we will show you how! The workshop demonstrates how to use the app as well as explaining how the app can improve your listings.<br /><br /><strong>Topics include</strong>:<br /><ul><li>Introduction to Bulk Revision</li><li>How to find and replace (Titles & Descriptions)</li><li>Adding <a href="http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/news/itemcondition.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Item Condition</span></a> to your listings per new eBay policy</li><li>Bulk altering prices</li><li>Altering your PayPal address</li><li>Change quantities</li><li>Add eBay Parts Compatibility to your listings</li><li>Typical scenarios</li></ul>Frooition has currently developed three eBay Apps; check them out in the <a href="http://apps.ebay.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">eBay App Center</span>.</a><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/</span></a> to learn more about eBay Certified Providers and the services and solutions they offer to help an eBay seller grow their business.eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-72460619133227666742010-07-09T14:34:00.000-07:002010-07-12T09:14:56.180-07:00Why Keywords Still Count on eBay and in Search<div align="center"><strong>Why Keywords Still Count</strong><br /><em>Keys to making the 55 characters in your listing title add up to profit</em><br /></div><p><div align="left">What's in a word? Well, when it comes to the titles of the items you post for sale or bid on eBay, there could be gold in them thar' words—or not. The truth is your potential to get your item seen—or, better yet, bid on, or purchased—depends upon how well you choose your words.</div><br /><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YFiMIA5pci9Z2pB6WvhTEyatqGdYplnHHkXiV5P72nrP5QKKMv4Nnh8RV0uQxPKFEGnVfS20wGN0ar6SZW-c8IQGxHsIaWX5SaEUDprGgS0ncFCsrVKx_tvgwHwRVJlj4A5kMhiVcjg/s1600/keywords.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492028304502288610" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 199px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YFiMIA5pci9Z2pB6WvhTEyatqGdYplnHHkXiV5P72nrP5QKKMv4Nnh8RV0uQxPKFEGnVfS20wGN0ar6SZW-c8IQGxHsIaWX5SaEUDprGgS0ncFCsrVKx_tvgwHwRVJlj4A5kMhiVcjg/s200/keywords.gif" border="0" /></a><br />In listings on eBay, "keywords" are those words and terms that buyers search for, found within your listing title. If you haven't given much thought to this aspect of marketing your goods, or if you wonder whether you're making optimum use of your item titles, consider these keys to choosing keywords, why they're critical to your sales success and why you should literally make every word count.</div><br /><div align="left"><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">Understanding searches and indexing<br /></span>At eBay (as well as within the major online search portals), listings are "indexed" in a search engine that identifies the words within the item title. When a user performs a search using a particular word or term, the search engine uses the index to locate and return a listing of items that match the user's search terms.</div><div align="left"><br />You're listing in the vast sea of offerings at eBay. Your challenge is to be seen among the millions of other items up for bid or sale.<br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span></div><p><div align="left"><span style="color:#3333ff;">55 characters or less</span><br />When you list on eBay, your listing title is limited to 55 characters, including spaces. Each word needs to serve a purpose, both as an effective search keyword and also as an accurate descriptor of your item for sale. Yes, you'll want to include a bit of marketing "pull" in your title to help encourage potential buyers to take a closer look.</div><br /><div align="left">For now, begin crafting your title to include as many pertinent keywords shoppers are likely to search for. Here, you need to know your commodity well, and know what terms buyers are using to locate these sorts of items. Review other active listings or closed listings to see what words others have used—did those words translate into a sale? Also, look for effective keyword combinations and other details that will help your listing get more hits.</div><br /><div align="left">As a guiding principle, you'll want to include as much of the following information within your listing title: </div><ul><li><div align="left">Brand name</div></li><li><div align="left">Item origin</div></li><li><div align="left">Year (or period) of production</div></li><li><div align="left">Manufacturer</div></li><li><div align="left">Item color, size and other descriptive attributes</div></li><li><div align="left">Item condition</div></li></ul><p align="left">While that may seem like more than can be communicated within 55 characters, consider this example:</p><p align="center"><em>Polar Lights Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine model kit 2000 MISB</em></p><p align="left">In the above example, a model kit of the iconic Mystery Machine van from the Scooby-Doo cartoon is being offered. Note that the title includes manufacturer (Polar Lights), item identification (Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine), item type (model kit), year of production (2000) and item condition (MISB, or Mint In Sealed Box). And, after all of that, there are still four characters of the available 55 left to use.</p><p align="left"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Don't get cute</span><br />Simply enough, don't waste valuable title space on words that do little to describe your item or properly identify it to buyers. Useless words like "cute," "adorable," "desirable" and the like often do little to help attract, let alone convince, any buyer. Words like "rare," "hard to find" and so on are not only unneeded (especially when buyers are already aware of the scarcity of an item) but they can also expose a seller's misguided (or, at best, misunderstood) attempt to wrangle a higher price. And, visual come-ons like "L@@K" and its sort are nothing short of obnoxious and should be avoided always.</p><p align="left">Remember you're working to specify recognizable and understandable terms within your item titles, the sort that search engines have indexed and for which buyers are searching.</p><p align="left">Condensed blog post from <a href="http://www.auctiva.com/edu/entry.aspx?id=Why-Keywords-Still-Count"><span style="color:#000099;">Auctiva Education</span></a></p><p align="left"><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Auctiva.html"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Auctiva</span></strong> </span></a><span style="color:#999999;">is an eBay Certified Solutions Provider offering listing management solutions and features for beginner -to mid-to high-volume eBay sellers.</span></p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-16649633680098747212010-07-07T11:33:00.001-07:002010-07-07T16:01:25.802-07:00World Cup Fever on eBay - Vuvuzelas and Can Jersey Sales Predict Who Will Win?<div align="center"><strong>World Cup Fever on eBay -</strong> Vuvuzelas and Can Jersey Sales Predict Who Will Win? </div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="left">It is interesting to find out what impact world events have on the eBay marketplace. We can look at the impact by researching the eBay marketplace and see where there is an increase in searches, sales and price of items related to a world event. Market research gives us the opportunity see the ecommerce sales reach of recent world events on eBay, almost in real time.<br /></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFmDa1CY5yer_Vve0bhR8lP3KAAaZB_czzgF0c_m2Cbql46y92mGSO1jMT6MStgoloyfKsLJW56a23RdGpgXnILb7_wlApttEcAjCciSdMaMEViIOWEPxpajDgO_FsZzoEOCiKOgjyh8/s1600/soccer_ball.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491302045908932114" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 111px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 108px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFmDa1CY5yer_Vve0bhR8lP3KAAaZB_czzgF0c_m2Cbql46y92mGSO1jMT6MStgoloyfKsLJW56a23RdGpgXnILb7_wlApttEcAjCciSdMaMEViIOWEPxpajDgO_FsZzoEOCiKOgjyh8/s320/soccer_ball.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Let’s look at the <a href="http://www.fifa.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">World Cup</span></a>. Obviously this is a huge event. I know this because most people I know have stopped working to watch or are Tweeting game results and Facebooking "Gooooaaaallll". It is easy for one to stay in touch with the event without actually being there or even watching the game thanks to social media. We can also stay in touch with the World Cup when we research the eBay marketplace and find out the impact here.<br /><br />I will be using the <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Terapeak.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak for eBay</span> </a>market research tool to look at trending and sales on eBay for World Cup related items.<br /><br />Let’s start with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela"><span style="color:#000099;">Vuvuzela</span></a>. What is it? The vuvuzela is a long plastic horn producing the annoying sound heard at soccer matches in South Africa. The noise or sound it makes is similar to a giant swarm of bees. One South African columnist even described it as "the horn from hell."<br /><br />Where can you get one? Here in the States, it seems to be pretty hard to come by unless you go online, which is great for eBay sellers!<br /><br />Look at the chart below, we can clearly see the rise in <a href="http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m570.l1311&_nkw=vuvuzela&_sacat=See-All-Categories"><span style="color:#000099;">listings and sales for the vuvuzela</span> </a>around the time the World Cup started on June 11th. Although I am looking at this data on July 7th, this information is/would have been available to me to view back in June. An enterprising eBay seller with vuvuzelas to sell could easily have researched this information and potentially jumped on the hot sales trend. I am sure many eBay sellers did exactly this. </div><br /><br /><div align="left"></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491272377100251970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 110px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALOQtJtMVCVi471T-FIvBihUtkYo9bXXinAG8b0jHmRdVq1mULxX-qaGNn_OAa7DBRrlgYNmFhVJ3lc0S3DgvmKdDhXzC8JQ-28VIkKW_Dekic4AZN51RuOgSjs7cUr4KCgeGc6Bittc/s400/chart.png" border="0" /><br />As the World Cup starts to come to a close and they enter the finals, vuvuzela sales do seem to be declining. Who is buying all the vuvuzelas anyway?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzs5Yeh4R1r2WfqCshAgSmlAHb0NdRW_rvTfOUEvARalUwP29d8_kfK7nDMvvBXvFSqn0iPpN9DpbM8oMHEbdHNBhjRSrA8sbcgiSRHGu96NM1Yodt3pYMscl8d8k95PgPKBsHK4DhXc/s1600/chart(4).png"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAy9XZTIEmtPnkax1rnPfpKwwqfBlcd_kKtVMyamPrAcqrxA5n3H9aPzJaGoOxZTYHVNCy_Mm35QzcPuM8NCCoRNcQouZEryA_npS4Zu9Lx-3ijtwjcp16h30hxI8l6G3CneL2Se815k/s1600/chart(4).png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491275944334087330" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 177px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAy9XZTIEmtPnkax1rnPfpKwwqfBlcd_kKtVMyamPrAcqrxA5n3H9aPzJaGoOxZTYHVNCy_Mm35QzcPuM8NCCoRNcQouZEryA_npS4Zu9Lx-3ijtwjcp16h30hxI8l6G3CneL2Se815k/s320/chart(4).png" border="0" /></a><br />The majority of vuvuzelas purchased on eBay came from Germany. The German team is still in the World Cup (as of the time when this blog post is written) and their fans are rallying around and making noise with their vuvuzelas.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="left"><strong></strong></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><strong>World Cup Team Jersey Sales</strong>. Can they predict who will win?<br /><br />Looking at the charts below, we can see <a href="http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=Spain+World+Cup+Jersey&_sacat=0&_odkw=vuvuzela&_osacat=0&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313"><span style="color:#000099;">Spain</span> </a>has more World Cup jersey sales than the <a href="http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=Netherlands+World+Cup+Jersey&_sacat=0&_odkw=Spain+World+Cup+Jersey&_osacat=0&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313"><span style="color:#000099;">Netherlands</span></a>. Could this be an indicator of who will win?<br /><br /><strong>Team Spain</strong> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4YVCxWijk3ltduHpRMANKYJKtx8ZCOsvlDnKg-jaXNZUmC2G84Ar17jlsG5rbKRj7I4LRXsn25wRyEvMhbEFTQpjdm4MnbRKauEmSaBgx6Y_MVvFrw8Ww2NQm11szmGoYkUWGeDPv5g/s1600/chart(7).png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491274051819894402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 110px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4YVCxWijk3ltduHpRMANKYJKtx8ZCOsvlDnKg-jaXNZUmC2G84Ar17jlsG5rbKRj7I4LRXsn25wRyEvMhbEFTQpjdm4MnbRKauEmSaBgx6Y_MVvFrw8Ww2NQm11szmGoYkUWGeDPv5g/s400/chart(7).png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"></p><br /><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /><strong>Team Netherlands</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3R2a0hL2V24PI88GO0QpirTXAwhyphenhyphenTQJ7wwozRmI033AnKUSFJAmF6psdlgBsvOnLDWjCBNKnBIJ2TQ53ou9AI9AK8ySMj-UeGmT17dkPpy-aFhkVpC-sse-3UnlN1Z2u2gSX13oUg4rU/s1600/chart(8).png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491273669907388882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 110px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3R2a0hL2V24PI88GO0QpirTXAwhyphenhyphenTQJ7wwozRmI033AnKUSFJAmF6psdlgBsvOnLDWjCBNKnBIJ2TQ53ou9AI9AK8ySMj-UeGmT17dkPpy-aFhkVpC-sse-3UnlN1Z2u2gSX13oUg4rU/s400/chart(8).png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></p><p></p><p></p><p>It will be interesting to see if these numbers spike in the next week or so, depending on which team wins. </p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-21507250345748630882010-07-06T09:46:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:55:29.593-07:00Promoting Your eBay Store Offline<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/shopster.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/images/shopster.jpg" /></a> Article from the <a href="http://blog.shopster.com/shoptalk/2010/07/promoting-your-website-offline.html"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>Shopster blog</strong></span></a><br /><br />Having an online eBay store shouldn’t limit your world to just the web. One of the most effective ways to deliver traffic to your eBay store is to do a bit of offline marketing. And it’s not just about traffic, we’re looking at increasing credibility and customer trust. Knowing you have a physical presence can help you make a connection with customers who aren’t as comfortable with buying online.<br /><br />Here are a couple of tips on advertising your eBay Store via traditional means:<br /><ul><li>Include the <a href="http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/stores/promoting-your-store.html"><span style="color:#000099;">eBay Store web address</span> </a>in marketing collaterals such as brochures, mailing labels, posters, letterheads, fax cover sheet and more. </li><li>Add your URL to your business card. Don’t just give away your number when you hand out business card, send them that message that you want them to visit your site as well. </li><li>Give out promotional products to your existing client base as well as to potential new clients – of course all displaying your website address. Pens, bags, bumper stickers, promotional products go a long way in the advertising world. They often have an extended reach, not just to your target audience but to their friends, family and other people who see the product when being used. </li><li>Display it in your physical location. If you have an actual retail store, put the URL up on your store window or have signage made indicating the time of business operations and hat you’re also open 24 hours on the web. </li><li>Include the URL in your newspaper / magazine ads and even in radio and television ads. You’ll have the tri-media effect working for you and you’re doubling the effect of traditional advertisement you are already paying for. </li><li>Update your phone book listing. Most businesses are listed in a telephone directory, other take out a bigger space in them. If you’re one of the businesses that has paid for a bigger or a highlighted listing in the local yellow pages, you might as well list your web address there. </li><li>Give out printed discount coupons or gift certificates for use on your website. How you deliver this to your intended audience is entirely up to you. You can have it done as a cut-out add in the newspaper, you can send it by snail mail, however you do it, it should only be claimed on the website. </li></ul><p>Let your creativity go to work in exploring ways to advertise your eBay Store and make your brand more visible in the real world.</p><p>Happy Selling! </p><p><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/shopster.html"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>Shopster </strong></span></a><span style="color:#999999;">is an eBay Certified Solutions Provider providing additional product and inventory for eBay sellers through drop shipping. Shopster has customers in 22 countries and provides full service drop shipping to both the United States and Canada.</span><br /> </p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-48074992489928815822010-07-02T17:25:00.000-07:002010-07-02T17:40:04.749-07:00What You Need to Know to Take Advantage of eBay's Best MatchBest Match on eBay is a complicated search algorithm that helps buyers shop from the best sellers on eBay first. It has been eBay's default search for more than a year now.<br /><br />The main criteria that affect your ranking for any type of listing in any category via Best Match are:<br /><ul><li>Seller track record</li><li>Competitive pricing and shipping costs</li><li>Relevance of the listing to what the buyer is looking for</li></ul><p>eBay says there is no "silver bullet" that will get you ranked on page one, but I guarantee there are some definite areas that you need to look at and fix if you want a fighting chance at beating the competition. These variables are not consistent across all categories and eBay constantly updates them as it learns more about how the buyers search and what they are looking to purchase.</p><p>Auction-style listings are treated a bit differently than fixed-priced listings in Best Match search. The main ranking factor for auctions would be time ending soonest. This means that doing research using a tool like <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Terapeak.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak</span> </a>on "best ending times" is still in effect for this type of listing.</p><p>For fixed-priced listings, the main factor is sales-to-impressions ratio, also called "<a href="http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/searchstanding.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Listing Performance Score</span></a>." An impression is when a buyer sees a page that includes your listing. Newly listed fixed-priced items get a temporary bump in search to help level the playing field. Also, time recently listed is an important factor for fixed-price listings in the following categories: Art, Antiques, Coins & Paper Money, Collectibles, Dolls & Bears, Pottery & Glass, Toys & Hobbies, Stamps, Sports Memorabilia, Cards & Fan Shop and Entertainment Memorabilia. Hey, I didn't say this was going to be easy.</p><p>Grouping identical items into one listing not only helps you save on fees, but it may also increase your sales-to-impressions ratio.</p><p><strong>Best Match love</strong><br />Here are some factors that will help your items get some Best Match love and a possible bump in search: </p><ul><li>Price competitively: You can utilize the completed listings on eBay to find out what successful listings similar to yours are selling for on eBay. </li><li>Shipping cost: This doesn't always mean free shipping, although that helps in many categories. This also has to do with keeping your shipping costs within an acceptible range.</li><li>Impressions versus sales: Grouping identical items into multi-quantity/multi-variation fixed-priced listings not only helps you save money on fees, but it may also increase your sales-to-impressions ratio for your listing.</li><li>Relevancy: This refers to keywords in your title and attributes. My last article talked quite a bit about locating the right keywords to have in your title. <a href="http://www.auctiva.com/edu/entry.aspx?id=Back-to-Basics-Part-3" target="_blank"><span style="color:#000099;">You can pick up a refresher course here</span></a>. Also make sure you fill out as many item attributes as possible using Item Specifics.</li><li>Your seller rating: Seller ratings include Top-rated, Above Standard and Standard. Being a Top-rated seller will give you an increase in search. Now, that doesn't mean that someone who isn't a Top-rated seller won't be ahead of you due to relevancy, pricing, or other factors, but it does give you a competitive advantage.</li></ul><p>Even with all of this there is no guarantee, but these are the factors we know are included in how you rank in eBay's Best Match. Your best option right now is to utilize your built-in Store and eBay Reports and completed listings to consistently check on these factors and test them on your inventory. Of course there is another way…</p><p>Use the eBay <a href="http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/search-visibility-analysis.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Search Visibility Analysis tool</span> </a>in My eBay to find out how a specific item of yours is being ranked on the first page of search for: </p><ul><li>Price range</li><li>Shipping cost range</li><li>Free shipping (or whether you need to offer this for a page-one bump)</li><li>Format (should you offer auction-style or fixed-priced?)</li><li>Seller rating (for this item, in this category, will being a Top-rated Seller provide you small advantage or a big advantage for showing up on the first page?)</li><li>Catalog product details (is this an item that utilizes features from eBay's catalog?)</li></ul><p>Search visibility analysis provides information on factors that affect where your listing ranks in search results. </p><p>Condensed blog post from <a href="http://www.auctiva.com/edu/entry.aspx?id=How-to-Rank-on-eBays-First-Page"><span style="color:#000099;">Auctiva Education</span></a>. </p><p><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Auctiva.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Auctiva </span></a><span style="color:#999999;">is an eBay Certified Solutions Provider offering listing management solutions and features for beginner -to mid-to high-volume eBay sellers.</span></p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-79945088649317752662010-06-30T15:43:00.000-07:002010-06-30T15:58:12.373-07:00The Pivot Points in Your Online Business (Critical Points Where You Must Make a Change in Your Strategy)<a href="http://whatdoisell.com/main/"><img style="WIDTH: 356px; HEIGHT: 86px" height="69" src="http://whatdoisell.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/wdis_header_400_smaller.png" width="378" /></a><br /><br />For those living in the U.S. the 4th of July is a long holiday weekend – but for eBay and online sellers July 4th is a “Pivot Point” for your 2010 online sales.<br /><br />In sports, a pivot point can set an athlete up to make the winning shot or run the distance for a touchdown. In business, “Pivot Points” are critical points where you MUST make a turn in your strategy in order to stay AHEAD of the needs of your online buyers.<br /><br />I first identified the concept of Pivot Points(tm) in my own business back in 2002.<br /><br />I realized that there had been several selling opportunities I’d missed because I wasn’t prepared. I started charting these Pivot Points on my business calendar my first year in business so that the following year they didn’t sneak up on me OR even worse, I didn’t miss them completely.<br /><br />From that point on, JULY 4th was one of the <em>most important</em> Pivot Points in my online sales success. In fact, by acting on that one Pivot Point alone, I more than doubled my holiday sales that following year.<br /><br />The next Pivot Point for etailers is the change of focus from summer sales to planning for fall and holiday sales.<br /><br />So even though you’re currently in the middle of summer sales – it’s time to TAKE ACTION on this Pivot Point and shift a part of your attention to prepping for what you’ll sell this fall.<br /><br /><strong>Here are Your Pivot Point Actions</strong><br />==> The Back-to-School selling season starts July 5th.<br />==> 69% of holiday shoppers START their holiday shopping in SEPTEMBER.<br /><br />Pivot Point Action #1: Take a look at what Back-to-School related merchandise (or information) you are selling. The beginning of July is the time to move that merchandise front & center. <strong>You have to start advertising this merchandise now</strong>. Capture the early bird sales. Don’t wait for the procrastination shoppers. Or you’ll lose a ton of income.<br /><br />Pivot Point Action #2: What Fall/Holiday merchandise do you CURRENTLY have in your inventory? Start grouping that merchandise together on a spreadsheet so you can see where the gaps in your inventory are and determine what inventory <strong>buys</strong> you want to make this month. If you wait to order holiday merchandise, your suppliers will be sold out of their hot selling seasonal merchandise by Sept.<br /><br /><strong>Benjamin Franklin, a very successful entrepreneur in his own right once said: “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” Taking action at Pivot Points will prepare you to SUCCEED!</strong>'<br /><br />Instead of chasing the seasonal sales, start early with preparation and watch your sales soar while others are playing catch up!<br /><br />Blog post by <a href="http://lisasuttora.com/4-surefire-ways-to-make-more-money-on-ebay-this-spring"><span style="color:#000099;">Lisa Suttora</span></a>, CEO & Founder of <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Whatdoisell.html"><span style="color:#000099;">WhatDoISell.com</span></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;">Since 2004, Lisa Suttora of</span> <a href="http://www.certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Whatdoisell.html"><span style="color:#000099;">WhatDoISell.com</span></a> <span style="color:#999999;">has provided thousands of online sellers with the skills, knowledge and support they need to build a unique, thriving business on eBay.</span>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-56608963675751791242010-06-29T11:19:00.000-07:002010-06-29T11:39:53.319-07:00eBay PowerSeller Increases Customer Satisfaction with ShipRush<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ShipRush.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/images/ShipRush.jpg" /></a>eBay PowerSeller <span style="color:#000099;"><a href="http://stores.ebay.com/SoldbyMarriott"><span style="color:#000099;">soldbymarriott</span></a>, </span><span style="color:#000000;">has improved customer satisfaction and reduced the amount of time they spend on printing out shipping labels with <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ShipRush.html"><span style="color:#000099;">ShipRush</span></a>.</span><br /><br />"The nice thing about ShipRush is that we ship faster. Before we used ShipRush, we were cutting and pasting addresses and names...took us three times as long." - Jim Marriott, soldbymarriott.<br /><br />ShipRush is able to integrate with eBay, the seller's database and FedEx for a seamless and easy handling of shipping and buyer notifications.<br /><br /><object height="364" width="345"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xMTlJO9kNFE&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xMTlJO9kNFE&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="345" height="364"></embed></object><br /><br />eBay sellers will find<span style="color:#000099;"> </span><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ShipRush.html"><span style="color:#000099;">ShipRush</span> </a>can speed up their shipping processes by -<br /><ul><li>Print shipping labels with just a click or two</li><li>Auto print packing lists</li><li>Tracking numbers automatically uploaded to Buyer's My eBay</li><li>Tracking numbers automatically uploaded to Seller's My eBay</li><li>Automatic email to the buyer with tracking number</li></ul><p>ShipRush is free! Check out <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ShipRush.html"><span style="color:#000099;">ShipRush</span></a> today.</p><p><br /><span style="color:#999999;">Founded in 1992, Z-Firm has been making</span><span style="color:#000099;"> </span><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ShipRush.html"><span style="color:#000099;">ShipRush </span></a><span style="color:#999999;">since 1998. The ShipRush mission is to bring big-warehouse shipment automation to small businesses. ShipRush is "FedEx Compatible," "UPS Ready," "UPS OnLine Compatible," and DHL Certified.</span></p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-6464012816299527272010-06-28T09:40:00.000-07:002010-06-28T09:50:46.767-07:00eBay Workshop June 29th - "How to 'Jump Start' eBay Motors Sales with Parts Compatibility"<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/compatibility.html"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487866419825830130" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 193px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_1Dyq3zgi2u2WSjfXRssDL6K9TDHplPR0koS8TwETqhvbMAmbP3G0JdMDLeTAyZyQSwht1TWo6399BFVGCxTlkHusGewbkVlgNQpw4TAiSe6_onRWQUwbvAeu-rUHHkUVTrP4QB8oAo/s200/Custom+Development.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p> </p><p><strong>Topic</strong>: <a href="http://announcements.ebay.com/2010/06/certified-provider-workshop-june-29-jump-start-ebay-motors-sales-with-parts-compatibility/"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">How to 'Jump Start' eBay Motors Sales with Parts Compatibility</span></strong></a>. A “how-to” workshop with solutions & services for all eBay Motors sellers </p><p><strong>Host</strong>: <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Infopia.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Infopia</span></strong></a></p><p><strong>Date</strong>: Tuesday, June 29th</p><p><strong>Time</strong>: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. PST (Pacific Standard Time)</p><p><strong>Location</strong>: <a href="http://workshops.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=130000811&tstart=0&mod=1276296365338"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>eBay Workshop Board</strong></span></a></p><p><strong>Description</strong>: Shifting your business to utilize eBay Parts Compatibility can be an intimidating prospect. This “how-to” workshop presents 'Jump Start' services for Infopia and non-Infopia eBay sellers. </p><p>The workshop will also include demonstrations of Infopia’s unique manual fitment functionality, including the ability to map the fitments of Brand Name parts to their generic equivalents. Infopia Fitment products have been designed for ease of management and long-term maintainability.</p><p>Topics and demonstration will include:</p><ul><li>One time and on-going EPID Matching to both </li><li>Manufacturer or Brand for any Seller</li><li>Structured fitment data upload for manual fitment</li><li>Use of “similar to” capabilities to match fitments of Brand Name parts to Generic Equivalents</li><li>Creation of new fitment-enabled listings utilizing </li><li>Ad Factories and Custom Schedules</li><li>Using Product Catalogue </li><li>Auto-generation of multiple listings optimized for eBay maximum fitments per listing.</li></ul><p>Founded in 1999, <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Infopia.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Infopia</span> </a>provides (Software as a Service) eCommerce solutions—helping eBay sellers grow their business efficiently and effectively. </p><p>Visit <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/</span></strong></a> to learn more about eBay Certified Providers and the services and solutions they offer to help an eBay seller grow their business.</p><p>Thanks,</p><p>Ginger Leishman - eBay Certified Provider Program</p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-81401566827296823272010-06-23T12:19:00.001-07:002010-06-23T13:51:47.975-07:00Get to Know Your Business with Transaction Data from New Terapeak for PayPal<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Terapeak.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/images/Terapeak.jpg" /></a> <p></p><p>Recognizing the need for online sellers to better understand their transactional data, customers, and the effects of marketing and seasonal changes, <a href="https://analytics.terapeak.com/"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>Terapeak for PayPal</strong></span></a> was developed by Advanced.</p><p><br />Advanced, (Advanced Ecommerce Research Systems) recently announced in addition to their market research tool for eBay (<a href="http://www.terapeak.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak</span></a>) they now provide analytics and data for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">PayPal</span> </a>(<a href="https://analytics.terapeak.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak for PayPal</span></a>). </p><p><br />The new Terapeak for PayPal market research tool analyzes millions of raw PayPal transaction data to provide direct and relevant reports to an ecommerce merchant on their business and PayPal transactions. eBay sellers and ecommerce merchants of all sizes can use Terapeak for PayPal. </p><p><br />“...This new toolset allows sellers to put a microscope over their accounts and gain a thorough understanding of their customers...When used in combination with our Terapeak for eBay research, sellers can further increase the efficiency of their online stores.” - Fred Speckeen, Advanced/Terapeak CEO</p><p><br /><strong>Benefits of Terapeak for PayPal</strong><br /><em>Determine which platforms are most profitable - </em>Compare your sales from eBay and other channels in a simple to read report. Evaluate taxes, net sales, fees, refunds and payments per platform and understand where your buyers are making their purchases.</p><p><br /><em>Review your sales at the category level -</em> Currency reporting, by country - understand which currencies are you receiving, and how much they cost in fees and conversion costs - Evaluate your global business and find opportunities to save money.</p><p><br /><em>Get to know your customer</em> - View sales, payments, average prices and sales growth by gender and target your demographic more specifically.</p><p><br /><em>Marketing and selling strategy, have you made a change? - </em>Try new marketing opportunities or change selling strategies and view the impact to your business as-it-happens for each platform. Evaluate the results of your marketing and strategy changes on sales instantly.</p><p><br /><em>Performance and Benchmarking goal setting</em> - Set a goal for sales, payments, refunds, and other metrics to track your company's progress. Determine the amount of sales, payments, fees, refunds, average price or taxes you wish to target, and receive to-the-minute updates on where you are en route to goals.</p><p align="center"><br />Check out <a href="https://analytics.terapeak.com/?pg=pricing"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak for PayPal now</span></strong></a><strong><span style="color:#000099;">!</span></strong> </p><p align="left">Terapeak for PayPal is an additional market research tool to Terapeak for eBay. If you are already subscribed to Terapeak for eBay and would like to add Terapeak for PayPal, you will need to <a href="https://analytics.terapeak.com/?pg=pricing"><span style="color:#000099;">sign-up</span></a> for <a href="https://analytics.terapeak.com/?pg=pricing"><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak for PayPal here</span></a>.</p><p align="center"><br />Terapeak for PayPal has a <a href="https://analytics.terapeak.com/?pg=pricing"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">“lite” version</span></strong></a> you can try for free. </p><p align="left"><br /><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Terapeak.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak</span></strong> </a><span style="color:#999999;">is an eBay Certified Provider and a member of the eBay Market Data Program. Terapeak 5.0 is a full, web-based solution providing real-time market research and data analytics on eBay. Terapeak 5.0 provides eBay sellers and buyers with two years worth of trending data.</span></p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-68917921896548072322010-06-21T10:58:00.001-07:002010-06-21T15:13:19.866-07:00eBay Certified Provider, Auctiva, Now Supports eBay Motors Parts Compatibility<div align="left"><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Auctiva.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/images/Auctiva.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><div align="center">eBay Certified Provider, Auctiva, Now Supports <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/compatibility.html"><span style="color:#000099;">eBay Motors Parts Compatibility</span> </a></div><br /><div align="center"><em>Benefitting Auctiva eBay Motors Sellers</em> </div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.ebaymotors.com/compatibility"><span style="color:#000099;">Parts Compatibility</span></a> for eBay Motors is a more efficient way for sellers to list vehicle parts and accessories fitting many makes and models. Sellers no longer have to create and manage multiple listings of the same item in order to include the names of all compatible vehicles in the listing title for search exposure. </div><div align="left"><br />Instead, sellers can now create one listing describing a single part and add an extensive list of compatible vehicles in the new Compatibility tab eBay added in the listing description. The information included in the Compatibility tab will be searchable.</div><div align="left"><br />Listing with parts compatibility also helps buyers find parts that fit their vehicles more easily, because buyers will see more precise search results containing exact parts for their specific vehicle.<br /><br />Auctiva, an eBay Certified Provider, now fully supports the new eBay Motors Parts Compatibility feature. eBay sellers can quickly create listings with parts compatibility right from Auctiva’s easy One-Page Lister tool. Users can find and select their part using eBay's catalog and compatibility data, or enter the information manually. Read more about Auctiva’s parts compatibility feature in Auctiva's <a href="http://www.auctiva.com/help/default.aspx#how-to-use-eBay-Motors-Parts-Compatibility" target="_blank"><span style="color:#000099;">Help section</span></a>.</div><div align="left"><br /><strong>Getting the right fit</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRUVlqorEjZ8QJKR7Z0VBnbgChQvMeVAOKFbHJlVqS1OBsvbZKxDmammGuZcDNkUreb12HmgWt-TnGfehas3ScrT1J9wem1rIC4HGyBR-s6jR6LnI-Ici6ZtbYHMzmMd_nusN_tGE3n8/s1600/Auctiva+Parts+Compatibility.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485352890556076562" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 230px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 188px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRUVlqorEjZ8QJKR7Z0VBnbgChQvMeVAOKFbHJlVqS1OBsvbZKxDmammGuZcDNkUreb12HmgWt-TnGfehas3ScrT1J9wem1rIC4HGyBR-s6jR6LnI-Ici6ZtbYHMzmMd_nusN_tGE3n8/s320/Auctiva+Parts+Compatibility.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Parts compatibility listings will allow sellers to focus on describing the item they have for sale and not all the vehicles these parts are compatible with. Before parts compatibility, sellers would often create several listings for one product, knowing that buyers expected to see which vehicles these parts were compatible with in a listing's title.</div><br /><div align="left"><br />"You can only fit so much into a title. You can't fit 20 different cars," - explains Mohan Patt, eBay Motors Senior Manager of Product Development. "Our sellers are very creative, so they would create 10 different listings for the same product."</div><div align="left"><br />Now sellers can create just one listing, pay one listing fee, focus on the part itself in their title and description, and add the compatibility information from eBay’s catalog or manually enter it. Sellers who use parts compatibility will also get a boost in Best Match.<br /><br />"We are delighted to provide Auctiva sellers the ability to create these listings fully integrated with all of Auctiva tools. We strive to be the listing tool of choice for eBay sellers, and delivering parts compatibility listing capability is an important part of fulfilling that objective." – said Tony Maxey, Auctiva Senior Product Manager.</div><div align="left"><br />More details on the updates included in this latest release are available in this Auctiva <a href="http://community.auctiva.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/748609941/m/358101664" target="_blank"><span style="color:#000099;">Community Forum post</span></a>.</div><br /><div align="left"><br /><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Auctiva.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Auctiva </span></strong></a><span style="color:#999999;">is an eBay Certified Solutions Provider offering listing management solutions and features for beginner -to mid-to high-volume eBay sellers.</span></div>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-81221451585117690292010-06-17T17:23:00.000-07:002010-06-18T14:15:37.475-07:00Is eBay Shopping More Fun with ZippyQuiz?<a href="http://applications.ebay.com/selling?ViewEAppDetails&stab=1&mId=745&appType=1&appId=MyStoreC-2eb5-408f-bfe6-159c5cb043b4"><img src="http://i.ebayimg.com/18/!!elTRBg!%28U~$%28KGrHqQH-CYEvE8+5kLeBLzOr2rhPQ~~_38.JPG?set_id=4000000000" /></a><br />eBay shopping can be more fun, engaging and exciting for eBay buyers when they purchase from a seller using <a href="http://applications.ebay.com/selling?ViewEAppDetails&stab=1&mId=745&appType=1&appId=MyStoreC-2eb5-408f-bfe6-159c5cb043b4"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">ZippyQuiz</span></strong></a>. New to the <a href="http://applications.ebay.com/selling?EAppsHome"><span style="color:#000099;">Open eBay App center</span> </a>is <a href="http://applications.ebay.com/selling?ViewEAppDetails&stab=1&mId=745&appType=1&appId=MyStoreC-2eb5-408f-bfe6-159c5cb043b4"><span style="color:#000099;">ZippyQuiz</span> </a>by <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/MyStoreCredit.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">MyStoreCredit</span></strong></a>.<br /><p><br />ZippyQuiz brings a seller’s eBay listings to life with the use of fun quizzes in the listing to engage the buyer, plus buyers have an opportunity to earn cashback when they purchase from you. </p><p><br />An eBay buyer will take a fun ZippyQuiz and if they buy within the time you set (say 15 minutes after taking the quiz) they win cash-back after they complete purchase. You choose the amount of cash-back reward for right and wrong answers. Only buyers who BUY earn cashback. The quiz is fun and prompts buyers to make the purchase now in order to receive cashback.<br /></p><p>How does ZippyQuiz work? Sign-up and either create your own quiz or use a quiz in their library. ZippyQuiz will automatically add a few lines of HTML code to your listings (or you can paste the HTML into your own template). The HTML code will show an interactive, fun trivia type quiz. Your buyer takes the quiz and finds out the cashback reward they will earn if they make a purchase from you.</p><p align="center"><br />eBay sellers can try out<a href="http://applications.ebay.com/selling?ViewEAppDetails&stab=1&mId=745&appType=1&appId=MyStoreC-2eb5-408f-bfe6-159c5cb043b4"><strong><span style="color:#000099;"> ZippyQuiz</span></strong> </a>for <a href="http://applications.ebay.com/selling?ViewEAppDetails&stab=1&mId=745&appType=1&appId=MyStoreC-2eb5-408f-bfe6-159c5cb043b4"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">free</span></strong></a>!</p><p align="left">Video of Brian Lawe, CEO of MyStoreCredit, discussing new ZippyQuiz in the Open eBay App Center.</p><p align="left"></p><object width="360" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yhQVOR0vgPY&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yhQVOR0vgPY&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="360" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/MyStoreCredit.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">MyStoreCredit</span></strong></a> <span style="color:#999999;">is an eBay Certified Solution Provider delivering a buyer loyalty and rewards program for eBay sellers and PayPal merchants known as, MyStoreRewards. In addition, MyStoreCredit also provides a solution to help sellers reach international buyers with the fun and visual application of MyStoreMaps.</span>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-2998753591229400972010-06-15T10:21:00.000-07:002010-06-15T11:48:12.889-07:00New "Smart Lister" from inkFrog Combines an eBay Listing Tool with Research from Terapeak<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Xzbl79zBMbnzfw0d_tS7qf2TwmI2qHXp4DGRnMiRCMSYIdy5o4eib5HocPyLtri9BYh2mwXcvYF3WAKn5JdaocfCEnsVDqMPuXeeysaLPyovkA9I19u0DEJBe388zuBJ_67ygI4fnxg/s1600/inkFrog.jpg"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/images/InkFrog.jpg" /></a> Do you want to create eBay listings quickly while getting the research you need at the same time?<br /><br />Then check out <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/InkFrog.html"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">inkFrog</span>’s</strong></span> </a>new “Smart Lister” tool for eBay. Smart Lister combines <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">inkFrog</span>’s eBay listing tool technology with built in research data from <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Terapeak.html"><span style="color:#000099;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Terapeak</span></span></a>. The Smart Lister can provide the research a seller needs while they create their listing to determine the best listing strategy and pricing of the item.<br /><br />“Let our Smart Lister optimize your listing to ensure it is listed with the optimal keywords, at the correct price point, duration, and time. Listing management is no longer just about templates and images. It's about using smart technology to ensure your items are found in searches and priced correctly.” – Greg <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sisung</span>, President of <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/InkFrog.html"><span style="color:#000099;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">inkFrog</span></span></a><br /><br /><strong>Smart Lister Features</strong>:<br /><ul><li>Smart Category Suggestion (find the best category for your item)</li><li>Title Optimizer (maximize the keywords in each item title)</li><li>Prime Words (learn what the top keywords are for each eBay category)</li><li>Takeoff Calculator (find the best date, time and duration to set your listing at for maximum exposure and profit)</li><li>Elite Examples (research similar sold items and learn from your competitors)</li><li>List to eBay.com, eBay.ca, eBay.co.uk, eBay.<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">au</span>, eBay.<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">de</span> and more</li><li>Add an unlimited number of images to your eBay listings </li><li>Choose a professional <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">inkFrog</span> template or use your own</li><li>And more…</li></ul><p>“The Smart Lister was created to empower you to sell more effectively and increase your sales. Our goal is to ensure <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">inkFrog</span> sellers are the most effective sellers online.” – <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Sisung</span></p><p><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">inkFrog</span>’s Smart Lister is compatible and utilizes their other eBay centric offerings such as the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">prefilled</span> profiles, image hosting and design templates. </p><p align="center">Check out <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">inkFrog</span>’s <a href="http://www.inkfrog.com/smartlister.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Smart Lister</span></strong></a> today! Try it <a href="http://www.inkfrog.com/smartlister.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">free</span></strong></a><strong><span style="color:#000099;">!</span></strong></p><p align="left"><span style="color:#999999;">Founded in 1999, </span><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/InkFrog.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">inkFrog</span>, inc</span></strong></a><span style="color:#999999;">. is an eBay Certified Solutions Provider that helps save online sellers time, money, and sanity through inventory management, eBay listing tools, image hosting, and more.</span></p>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-167600805999553992010-06-14T11:16:00.000-07:002010-06-14T12:43:42.497-07:00Vendio Wins 2010 eBay Star Developer Award<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Vendio.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/images/Vendio.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Vendio.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Vendio</span></strong></a>, an <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/CertifiedProviders.html"><span style="color:#000099;">eBay Certified Provider</span></a>, won a 2010 eBay Star Developer award for "<strong>Rapid Evolution</strong>" at eBay's 2010 Developers Conference in San Jose, CA June 9th.<br /><br /><p></p>The Star Developer Awards are presented annually to recognize the talent and solutions of members of the eBay Developers Program. The <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.ebay.com%2F&esheet=6321136&lan=en_US&anchor=eBay+Developers+Program&index=2&md5=21520b75cdcaaae64e3dc2a479ac2c97" target="_blank"><span style="color:#000099;">eBay Developers Program</span></a>, established in 2000, is a community of more than 112,000 developers who utilize the program’s standards-based, easy-to-use development platform. These third-party developers have access to the eBay marketplace, enabling them to seamlessly integrate their ideas and e-commerce tools.<br /><br /><p></p>“eBay’s developer community continues to create innovative applications on the eBay platform that help improve the experience for buyers and margins for sellers, while driving profitability for themselves,” said Sri Shivananda, senior director of eBay’s developer program. “The eBay Star Developer Award winners have built powerful applications that bring new ways of doing business to the eBay marketplace.”<br /><br /><p></p>Vendio earned the eBay Star Developer Award of "<strong>Rapid Evolution</strong>" (boosting seller efficiency in a dynamic marketplace) for their <a href="http://www.vendio.com/ecommerce/reviser"><span style="color:#000099;">Vendio Reviser</span> </a>tool.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83Sdu_vJTe0yb_bYDfa7vyLnPW0P11lJhL1Gh_O6uXHtkVyzmGUHA8tYdYlZL7YhMirX-2LUSooSMX5hAKt-Vv33-VyFsEUjHKLBFctJidDjLdX-WdVmvIAraJBUNmKStKzTGq3A10vw/s1600/Reviser.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482714396653950434" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83Sdu_vJTe0yb_bYDfa7vyLnPW0P11lJhL1Gh_O6uXHtkVyzmGUHA8tYdYlZL7YhMirX-2LUSooSMX5hAKt-Vv33-VyFsEUjHKLBFctJidDjLdX-WdVmvIAraJBUNmKStKzTGq3A10vw/s200/Reviser.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p></p><a href="http://www.vendio.com/ecommerce/reviser"><span style="color:#000099;">Vendio Reviser</span></a> was developed as a scalable solution enabling eBay sellers to update thousands of live listings in order to comply with eBay’s selling policies or make a change to their selling strategy.<br /><br /><p></p>“We are very proud to receive our third Star Developer Award, especially in the Rapid Evolution category,” said Mike Effle, COO of Vendio. “It shows that not only are we an established <a title="eCommerce Software" href="http://www.vendio.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#000099;">eCommerce software</span></a> provider helping merchants sell more productively for over 10 years, but that we can also adapt quickly to meet our customers’ needs. As one of eBay’s first development partners, this award is especially meaningful because it reinforces our continued commitment to innovation and our customers.”<br /><br /><p></p>To learn more or sign-up today, please visit: <a href="http://www.vendio.com/ecommerce/reviser" target="_blank"><span style="color:#000099;">http://www.vendio.com/ecommerce/reviser</span></a><br /><br /><p></p><span style="color:#999999;">An eBay Certified Solutions Provider since 2004,</span> <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Vendio.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Vendio</span></strong> </a><span style="color:#999999;">provides an ecommerce solution for eBay sellers of all sizes. Vendio offers a series of applications which can be installed on a standalone basis or used to extend the functionality of the Vendio's eBay listing and inventory management solution.</span>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-56389970808108628192010-06-07T17:45:00.000-07:002010-06-07T18:54:08.938-07:00How to Sell on eBay: The Things We Wear<div align="left"><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Auctiva.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/images/Auctiva.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center"><strong>How to Sell on eBay: The Things We Wear</strong> </div><div align="center"><em>Clothing, Shoes & Accessories is one of the top-selling categories on eBay.</em> </div><div align="center"></div><p><div align="left">If you're like most people, you have clothes in your closet you no longer wear. And it's a good bet there's at least one item lurking in there that still has the tags on it. There's nothing wrong with that. We've all made purchases that we've later had second thoughts about, or bought a garment, stored it away and forgotten about it.</div><div align="left"><br />But these pieces don't need to be forgotten forever—especially with millions of potential buyers online who would be happy to give them a new home. So why not try selling them on <a href="http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/starting/quickstartguide.html"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>eBay</strong></span></a>? We'll help by giving you the background necessary should you decide to try your hand at Clothing, Shoes & Accessories.</div><div align="left"><br />You may even venture into your own children's closet, your spouse's or your roommate's—with their permission, of course—to beef up your inventory. As long as you ask them first, you'll have little to lose and plenty to gain.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><p><div align="left"><strong>Hot sellers</strong><br />Over the years, eBay has become a magnet for bargain seekers of name-brand merchandise, both new and used. So it seems natural the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories category has emerged as one of eBay’s most popular categories.</div><div align="left"><br />In recognition of this, eBay recently launched the <a href="http://fashion.ebay.com/"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>Fashion</strong></span></a> site, giving all listings in the category a catalog-style interface.</div><div align="left"><br />Almost any type of clothing and accessories will sell on eBay but—as with any category—there are those that will sell better than others. </div><div align="left"><br />Plus-size items and petites are also popular online because they can quickly sell out at brick-and-mortar shops, <a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-31336-Sacramento-eBay-Examiner~y2009m12d12-Top-household-items-to-sell-on-eBay-Clothing-shoes-and-accessories"><span style="color:#000099;">writes</span></a> Michelle Angell, an eBay seller of more than 10 years and a writer for Examiner.com. And if you have designer threads you no longer use, definitely put these up on eBay.</div><div align="left"><br />"<em>Buyers are looking for bargains, and eBay can be a gold mine for those wanting to look fashionable without paying department-store prices</em>," Angell notes.</div><div align="left"><br />However, be sure the brand-name items you are offering are genuine. Regardless of the item you sell, though, condition is a major factor.</div><div align="left"></div><p><div align="left"><strong>Conditional love</strong><br />Just like with a brick-and-mortar shop, buyers are going to pick the pieces that look the best. That means your description and photos are very important. Shoppers don't have the option of grabbing items off the shelf to inspect them or try them on, so you need to be their eyes and hands to keep buyers happy and ensure smooth transactions.</div><div align="left"><br />It's important to tell buyers if an item is new (with or without tags), or gently used, and give them plenty of photos so they know the exact condition and details of the piece. Photograph both the front and back of an item, and zoom in on any intricate detailing to ensure buyers see items in their truest form. And be sure to include shots of any imperfections an item may have.</div><div align="left"></div><p><div align="left"><strong>Dazzling descriptions</strong><br />Titles are prime real estate in the online selling world. You want to use accurate keywords that will tell buyers what you're offering at a glance. That means you not only need to tell them what you're selling, but also the size and material items are made of, right away. And if you can fit it, include the condition as well so buyers know the important details at a glance.</div><div align="left"><br />Once you get them to click on your listing, it's time to tell shoppers everything you can about your piece. Again, size is very important to mention. But remember that sizes aren't universal. One brand's size 8 may be another brand's size 10, so grab the measuring tape. It's time to tell buyers the exact measurements. For tops you'll want to note the sleeve length, chest measurement and the full length of the piece. For bottoms, be sure to measure the waist and the inseam. You'll want to provide measurements for accessories as well. How big is that handbag, belt buckle, shoe charm or hair clip?</div><div align="left"><br />Shoppers will thank you for this information, because they'll know if an item is likely to fit or not, and you'll do yourself a favor by reducing the likelihood of a return.</div><div align="left"></div><p><div align="left"><strong>Know your market<br /></strong>As with any category, it pays to do some advance legwork before jumping in with both feet. Subscribing to research services such as <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Terapeak.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Terapeak</span></strong></a> can give an eBay seller valuable insight into keywords, average selling prices and optimum days and times for ending listings, as well as clue them into the most profitable niches.</div><div align="left"><br />However, much of this knowledge can be gleaned for free—with only the investment of time—by studying closed and active listings on eBay.</div><div align="left"></div><p><div align="left"><strong>Multi-variations</strong><br />If you have a lot of the same items in different sizes or colors, you could try creating <a href="http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/listing-variations.html#variation"><span style="color:#000099;">multi-variation listings</span></a>. This can be a big money and time saver since you only create one listing for these items instead of multiple. Auctiva recently began supporting eBay’s <a href="http://www.auctiva.com/edu/entry.aspx?id=Auctiva-Supports-Multi-Variations"><span style="color:#000099;">multi-variation listings</span></a> format, saving eBay sellers time and money.</div><p><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Blog post provided by Auctiva Education. Read full blog </span><a href="http://www.auctiva.com/edu/entry.aspx?id=How-to-Sell-The-Things-We-Wear"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">post here</span></strong></a>.</div><div align="center"></div><p><div align="left"><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ns/Auctiva.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Auctiva </span></strong></a><span style="color:#999999;">is an eBay Certified Solutions Provider offering listing management solutions and features for beginner -to mid-to high-volume eBay sellers.</span></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3818818710243766805.post-76895528641513000792010-06-02T11:38:00.000-07:002010-06-02T13:07:58.089-07:00Make the Most Out of Your "About Me" Page on eBay<a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Frooition.html"><img src="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/images/frooition.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Many eBay sellers may not be aware there is an "<a href="http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/about-me.html"><span style="color:#000099;">About Me</span></a>" page/feature available for each account to give other eBayers more information on a seller's business, what service they can expect from them and more. Fewer sellers actually take advantage of the additional marketing opportunities an About Me page on eBay provides. Building a successful eBay profile is about using all the tools eBay makes available. If you’re not using your About me page, you’re missing a trick.<br /><br /><strong>What is an About Me page?</strong><br />An <a href="http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/about-me.html"><span style="color:#000099;">About Me</span> </a>page is a page for you to tell other eBayers about yourself, your business and the things you sell. You can make and edit your About Me page via My eBay. You don’t need any special skills, but if you have some coding or design experience, so much the better. Unusual for eBay, you can have a link on your About Me page to your personal website or blog. Be careful. You are not allowed to link to commercial websites, promote off-eBay sales or link to items prohibited on eBay. You are also not allowed to link to a search engine or site that aggregates the eBay sales of multiple sellers. eBay has a full list of what is allowed and what is not allowed on the <a href="http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/listing-aboutme.html"><span style="color:#000099;">About Me policy page</span></a>.<br /><br /><strong>About Me Page Benefits</strong><br />There are two significant benefits to building an About Me Page. The <strong>first</strong> is SEO (search engine optimization). The vast majority of buyers will come to you via eBay’s search but some will find you via search engines such as Google. It’s well worth remembering anything you can do to attract more buyers from search engines is good news for the bottom line. You can also link to your About Me Page from other sites as you like, to improve the ranking of your About Me page in Google.<br /><br />The <strong>second</strong> benefit is with branding. Ensuring everything you do looks good and is clearly identifiable as your business is vital when it comes to attracting repeat buyers, inspiring trust and providing a first class buying experience. <a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Frooition.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Frooition</span> </a>can help you with design and implementation of your About Me page and make sure it looks great!<br /><br /><strong>Five things to include in your About Me page</strong>:<br />The good news for sellers is an About Me page is very flexible and can easily be personalized using HTML. eBay can help you build a basic About Me page but to get the full impact, pull out all the stops and make it a fully integrated part of your eBay brand.<br /><br /><ol><li><em>Auto-generated components</em>: eBay allows you to display your current sales, recent Feedback and even recent bids. So use the auto-generated elements to populate your About Me page easily.</li><li><em>Pictures</em>: You can include images and photos in your About Me page to bring it to life. You can host these images yourself, or eBay will do it for you. </li><li><em>Words</em>: To get the full SEO benefit of your About Me page make sure you have some text talking about your sales. Cram the text full of relevant keywords that will aid your find ability on Google. </li><li><em>Video</em>: You can easily embed a video (hosted on YouTube, for instance) using HTML and that is certain to attract attention. It could be a showcase of your stock, a tour around your business or just you talking to camera about your business. It’s surprisingly easy to make a video, even with your digital camera. </li><li><em>Your philosophy</em>: In your item listings and also other eBay pages, you’ll talk about what you’re selling and how people pay and get a refund. An About Me Page offers the chance to be a bit less formal and more personal. Talk about why you got into eBay selling, spin a yarn about why you do it and how you like to trade. </li></ol><strong>How long will an About Me Page take</strong>?<br />Not long. If you’re clever and reuse content like pictures and text you already have elsewhere, you could be up and running in a matter of minutes. If you want something more professional, it will take longer.<br /><br />The good news about your About Me page is that it’s a one-off job. There’s no need to constantly tweak and tinker: once it’s up and running you can just leave it be. Of course, if you change your brand or want to make changes, you can then easily update your About Me page to reflect the changes.<br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;">Article from</span> <a href="http://blog.frooition.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">Frooition's Blog</span></a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/Frooition.html"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Frooition</span></strong> </a><span style="color:#999999;">is a leading provider of eBay store and listing designs. Frooition provide design services for most other online sales channels as well as website design. Frooition has been working with the eBay platform more than 4 years and has clients in the USA, Canada and Europe.</span>eBay Certified Provider Programhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738172465587998874noreply@blogger.com0