Because Google and Froogle are featuring eBay stores in their indexes, there are SEO techniques that can be used to improve your SERP ranking as well.
In a thread featured on the SearchEngineWatch forums, WebProNews contributor Nacho Hernandez came across some tips to consider when optimizing your eBay store for the search engines:
- If you sell on ebay, submit your store but choose the store's name carefully [because] it goes in your title tag.
- Having a few hundred items in your eBay store gives you a huge number of inbound links. - Your store department names should be keywords.
- Build an "about me" page that has links to each major department of your website. Links from your "about me" page are allowed but you are not allowed to link out from your listings.
If you have outbound Links in you're E-Bay Store you will lose you're PR! It's [similar to] Geocities. With all of these tips in mind, some of the logistics for a successful eBay store shouldn't be as daunting. Just make sure you have a target audience for your products.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Sourcing Ideas for Getting Started on eBay
Below are 3 tips of places where you can find merchandise, place it online, and then test your sales to determine what sells best on eBay for you.
1. Find items to sell at large wholesale discount stores like Costco. Places like this typically have a huge inventory of cheap items sold in bulk that you can resell on eBay. They offer such good deals on all kinds of merchandise like toys, grills, DVDs, etc. You will have unlimited new products to choose from with wholesale outlets like this in order to determine what sells best on eBay.
2. Dollar stores are probably the best way to buy cheap items and resell with little risk of loosing money when you test to find out what sells best on eBay. The quality of products sold in dollar stores range from very poor quality on up to 'diamonds in the rough'. I have seen the same products that I have purchased in a dollar store sold on eBay or at a swap meet for 10 times the original cost, not a bad profit!
3. Garage sales happen usually every weekend and there is a multitude of products that you can find to sell on eBay. What sells best on eBay from garage sales could range from antique furniture, to new or used video games, on up to old clothes.
Of course the above eBay product sources are just a few of the overall options available to you. They each are stock piled with product ideas that you can help you determine what sells best on eBay for your home based business.
1. Find items to sell at large wholesale discount stores like Costco. Places like this typically have a huge inventory of cheap items sold in bulk that you can resell on eBay. They offer such good deals on all kinds of merchandise like toys, grills, DVDs, etc. You will have unlimited new products to choose from with wholesale outlets like this in order to determine what sells best on eBay.
2. Dollar stores are probably the best way to buy cheap items and resell with little risk of loosing money when you test to find out what sells best on eBay. The quality of products sold in dollar stores range from very poor quality on up to 'diamonds in the rough'. I have seen the same products that I have purchased in a dollar store sold on eBay or at a swap meet for 10 times the original cost, not a bad profit!
3. Garage sales happen usually every weekend and there is a multitude of products that you can find to sell on eBay. What sells best on eBay from garage sales could range from antique furniture, to new or used video games, on up to old clothes.
Of course the above eBay product sources are just a few of the overall options available to you. They each are stock piled with product ideas that you can help you determine what sells best on eBay for your home based business.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
AC Nielsen Study
An AC Nielsen study found that the average household in the U.S. has $1,200 worth of unused, saleable inventory just lying around the house. That's a lot of outgrown kids' clothing, old iPods, and DVDs you've watched 100 times just taking up space.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Why You Should Register a Domain Name
Registering a domain name for your eBay Store is a great way to enhance your business and save money on your eBay Final Value Fees (FVF). A well-thought out domain name can help promote your Store by creating a brand name and a Web address that's easy for shoppers to find and remember.
When potential customers enter your custom domain name into their browser or click a link or bookmark, they will be automatically directed to your Store's Web address on eBay.
I recommend using iPower.com for this purpose. Their domain registration price is very reasonable.
By purchasing your domain name and putting your eBay Store Referral Credit code in your redirect settings, you now have a way through iPower.com to forward traffic to your eBay Store and be eligible for 75% savings on FVFs from your Store Inventory listings.
I'm using this marketing strategy with success in my own eBay business. My eBay Store name is "Dealmania Bargains and Gifts." I registered through iPower.com the domain name "www.Dealmania-Bargains-and-Gifts.com." Now, if you click on Dealmania-Bargains-and-Gifts.com, iPower.com sends you to my eBay Store using the Store Referral Credit link.
Not only is this URL easier for customers to remember, you can get 75% off your FVFs when one or more Store Inventory listings are purchased after a buyer enters your Store using your domain name. Please note that this savings doesn't pertain to auction or fixed price listings.
For complete details on qualifying for the Store Referral Credit including the promotion codes you need to use, please visit this page on eBay:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/specialtysites/referral-credit-steps.html
In addition, you can now use your domain name when you create business cards, flyers or other printed marketing materials. Your www address makes it a lot easier to promote your eBay Store and have people shop there.
On a side note, go to the bottom of the following page to check out eBay templates that you can use to print your own cards and stationery for your Store with your domain name:
http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/promoting.html
Please take note that although eBay doesn't charge a fee for this feature, registrars normally charge a yearly fee to register a domain name. Also, when selecting a domain name, don't use the words eBay, PayPal, or Half.com as part of your domain name unless you want to hear from eBay's legal department.
Drive more traffic to your eBay Store today by implementing a domain name marketing strategy. You'll greatly improve your chances of increasing customers and sales as you build your presence on the Internet.
When potential customers enter your custom domain name into their browser or click a link or bookmark, they will be automatically directed to your Store's Web address on eBay.
I recommend using iPower.com for this purpose. Their domain registration price is very reasonable.
By purchasing your domain name and putting your eBay Store Referral Credit code in your redirect settings, you now have a way through iPower.com to forward traffic to your eBay Store and be eligible for 75% savings on FVFs from your Store Inventory listings.
I'm using this marketing strategy with success in my own eBay business. My eBay Store name is "Dealmania Bargains and Gifts." I registered through iPower.com the domain name "www.Dealmania-Bargains-and-Gifts.com." Now, if you click on Dealmania-Bargains-and-Gifts.com, iPower.com sends you to my eBay Store using the Store Referral Credit link.
Not only is this URL easier for customers to remember, you can get 75% off your FVFs when one or more Store Inventory listings are purchased after a buyer enters your Store using your domain name. Please note that this savings doesn't pertain to auction or fixed price listings.
For complete details on qualifying for the Store Referral Credit including the promotion codes you need to use, please visit this page on eBay:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/specialtysites/referral-credit-steps.html
In addition, you can now use your domain name when you create business cards, flyers or other printed marketing materials. Your www address makes it a lot easier to promote your eBay Store and have people shop there.
On a side note, go to the bottom of the following page to check out eBay templates that you can use to print your own cards and stationery for your Store with your domain name:
http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/promoting.html
Please take note that although eBay doesn't charge a fee for this feature, registrars normally charge a yearly fee to register a domain name. Also, when selecting a domain name, don't use the words eBay, PayPal, or Half.com as part of your domain name unless you want to hear from eBay's legal department.
Drive more traffic to your eBay Store today by implementing a domain name marketing strategy. You'll greatly improve your chances of increasing customers and sales as you build your presence on the Internet.
Store Referral Credit
Most of us know about eBay's Store Referral Credit that enables you as an eBay seller to receive 75% discounts off your Final Value Fees when you drive qualifying traffic to your Storefronts. This is usually accomplished when a buyer purchases a Store Inventory item from you after clicking on a link from outside of eBay that contains a referral code added to the URL of one of your Store pages.
That's a considerable savings! But why don't sellers take advantage of the Store Referral Credit more?
There are several reasons, but the main reason why Store owners don't capitalize on the 75% off discount is that they don't fully understand how it works. Sellers often get confused on how and when to attach the promotional (referral) code to the right URL. Without the correct referral code in your link, eBay will be unable to give you a Store Referral Credit, even if a sale meets all of the other requirements.
You can find a comprehensive rundown of the different referral codes and how to use them in eBay's Help Pages. But what if I told you that there are two relatively easy ways to qualify for Store Referral Credits without using promotional codes? Would you be interested?
Before I reveal these two ways, it's vitally important that you know your own Store's home page URL or web address
(http://stores.ebay.com/yourstorename or www.stores.ebay.com/yourstorename).
By the way, be sure to includes hyphens in between each of the words of your Store name (eg. http://stores.ebay.com/Dealmania-Bargains-and-Gifts).
Ok, you now know your Store's URL and you're ready to start saving 75% on your Final Value Fees. The first method is to mention your Store homepage URL in all your correspondence to your buyers and encourage them to bookmark it. You will be eligible for the Store Referral Credit when buyers click bookmarks to your Store that they've saved in their Web browser.
Now that's not that difficult to do, is it?
The second way is to promote your eBay Store in printed materials such as flyers and business cards as you may already be doing. If a member types your Storefront homepage URL in their Web browser, then you will be eligible for the credit. eBay's system automatically detects when this happens and assumes that the buyer is there because of your promotional efforts!
There is one caveat to the second way, however. Typed URLs to other pages in your Store or listings will not qualify for the credit. The member needs to type the Store homepage URL in order for eBay's system to detect what's happening.
One last thing...remember, all of the following conditions must be met to qualify for a Store Referral Credit:
* The buyer must enter your eBay Store or go to one of your Store Inventory listings directly from a location outside of eBay.
* The buyer must go to your Store because of your promotion.
* The buyer's Web browser must accept "cookies."
* The buyer must purchase the item during the same Web browser session used to enter your Store.
* The item sold must be in Store Inventory format.
When you know how to use it, the Store Referral Credit becomes a powerful resource to help bring more buyers to your eBay Store while lowering your eBay selling fees.
Try implementing it into your eBay business plan today and watch your profit margins improve!
That's a considerable savings! But why don't sellers take advantage of the Store Referral Credit more?
There are several reasons, but the main reason why Store owners don't capitalize on the 75% off discount is that they don't fully understand how it works. Sellers often get confused on how and when to attach the promotional (referral) code to the right URL. Without the correct referral code in your link, eBay will be unable to give you a Store Referral Credit, even if a sale meets all of the other requirements.
You can find a comprehensive rundown of the different referral codes and how to use them in eBay's Help Pages. But what if I told you that there are two relatively easy ways to qualify for Store Referral Credits without using promotional codes? Would you be interested?
Before I reveal these two ways, it's vitally important that you know your own Store's home page URL or web address
(http://stores.ebay.com/yourstorename or www.stores.ebay.com/yourstorename).
By the way, be sure to includes hyphens in between each of the words of your Store name (eg. http://stores.ebay.com/Dealmania-Bargains-and-Gifts).
Ok, you now know your Store's URL and you're ready to start saving 75% on your Final Value Fees. The first method is to mention your Store homepage URL in all your correspondence to your buyers and encourage them to bookmark it. You will be eligible for the Store Referral Credit when buyers click bookmarks to your Store that they've saved in their Web browser.
Now that's not that difficult to do, is it?
The second way is to promote your eBay Store in printed materials such as flyers and business cards as you may already be doing. If a member types your Storefront homepage URL in their Web browser, then you will be eligible for the credit. eBay's system automatically detects when this happens and assumes that the buyer is there because of your promotional efforts!
There is one caveat to the second way, however. Typed URLs to other pages in your Store or listings will not qualify for the credit. The member needs to type the Store homepage URL in order for eBay's system to detect what's happening.
One last thing...remember, all of the following conditions must be met to qualify for a Store Referral Credit:
* The buyer must enter your eBay Store or go to one of your Store Inventory listings directly from a location outside of eBay.
* The buyer must go to your Store because of your promotion.
* The buyer's Web browser must accept "cookies."
* The buyer must purchase the item during the same Web browser session used to enter your Store.
* The item sold must be in Store Inventory format.
When you know how to use it, the Store Referral Credit becomes a powerful resource to help bring more buyers to your eBay Store while lowering your eBay selling fees.
Try implementing it into your eBay business plan today and watch your profit margins improve!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
The eBay Money Making System
There are many systems for successful selling on eBay. By no means is the system I'm about to outline for you the only one that works. However, this system can be implemented by nearly anyone, regardless of your current income, education, or prior Internet selling experience.
Step 1: Start out slowly selling unneeded items and buying a few items on eBay to get your "feet wet" and to raise some additional working capital.
Step 2: Spend some time researching markets and then target one that has profit potential which you have interest and/or knowledge about.
Step 3: Source products for that market. These products can be informational in nature, physical ones, and/or services.
Step 4: List products on eBay driving traffic to your items from your own website, pay-per-click ads, and other specific marketing strategies outlined in this eBook.
Step 5. Generate a mailing list of your buyers so you can market to them whenever you have more products up for auction.
Step 6. Create your own info product or source an affiliate product that is related to the items you sell on eBay, and direct your eBay customers to those additional products via your mailing list and alternative marketing methods.
This is your basic blueprint to making money, serious money, on eBay. If you closely follow these steps, regularly check your progress, then you will shortly be able to count yourself as one of the truly profitable eBay sellers and, maybe more importantly, profitable Internet marketers.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
The Importance of an eBay Store
The reasons for opening an eBay Store vary from person to person. But to the astute eBay seller, an eBay Store is much more than another medium to make sales on the world's largest online auction site.
Rather, an eBay Store is the gateway for traffic from Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc to find not only your eBay Store, but also your eBay auction listings. In case you weren’t aware, all of your eBay auctions are automatically indexed into your Store framework.
Without an eBay Store, you're largely reliant on eBay to deliver traffic from the Internet to your auction listings. In order for you to bring your own potential buyers from the Internet to your listings requires using search engine optimization strategies and, of course, opening an eBay Store.
The biggest mistake many eBay Sellers make when opening a Store is the lack of planning and research that go into selecting a name for that Storefront.
Rather, an eBay Store is the gateway for traffic from Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc to find not only your eBay Store, but also your eBay auction listings. In case you weren’t aware, all of your eBay auctions are automatically indexed into your Store framework.
Without an eBay Store, you're largely reliant on eBay to deliver traffic from the Internet to your auction listings. In order for you to bring your own potential buyers from the Internet to your listings requires using search engine optimization strategies and, of course, opening an eBay Store.
The biggest mistake many eBay Sellers make when opening a Store is the lack of planning and research that go into selecting a name for that Storefront.
Introduction
Effective eBay Emarketing is a groundbreaking eBook designed to provide online sellers like you with hard-to-find, yet easy-to-implement information to make your eBay business more successful.
In the course of speaking with conservatively 3,000 top sellers over the past six years, I repeatedly hear variations of the following comments every week:
1. My sales on eBay aren't what they used to be.
2. I'm not selling very much out of my eBay store.
3. I'm not getting as many bids on my items like I did in the past.
4. eBay keeps changing and I don't have the time to keep up with it all.
5. I'm running out of a product. Where do I go to buy new merchandise?
6. How can I get more traffic looking at my listings?
Do any of these statements sound familiar to you?
There are many books, articles, websites etc. devoted to helping people sell on eBay. I've invested my own time and a substantial amount of money in several eBay selling-related programs, newletters, and books. Many of them contain a lot of great information. However, most of them aren't so good.
A great many of the not-so-good instructional media merely reiterate what anyone can learn on eBay's Help pages for free. Some of these publications can't even repeat that information very well.
In any event, I have watched from my vantage point eBay change dramatically in the past couple of years. And it's going to change even more. But too many of the so-called eBay selling experts on the Internet today are too busy telling you about how they sold some outrageous amount of money on the site three to four years ago to give you the kind of information you'll really need to sell successfully on eBay in 2007 and beyond. They simply don’t know what’s going on today. How could they? Some of these “experts” haven’t sold seriously on eBay in a LONG time. Some of them haven’t updated their sales letters in an even LONGER time. Bottom line -- you need someone who is up to date on eBay to guide you to greater sales success.
Effective eBay Emarketing differs from the rest in providing you with the latest tools and knowledge to make your eBay business a success by utilizing your eBay Store and specific marketing strategies. Just because somebody says they sold $10,000 one month on eBay four years ago doesn't necessarily mean that you can do the same things as that person did and achieve a comparable success today. Selling on eBay in the year 2007 and beyond is much, much different than it was two or three years ago.
How do I know what you'll learn from me will work? First, I've talked at length on the phone and in person with hundreds and hundreds of sellers making their living on eBay using many of these ideas. Also, I know they can work because I'm out there on the front lines myself selling online on eBay as a PowerSeller applying these same techniques everyday. You'll be able to follow along and see what I'm doing. My main eBay User ID is "dealmania!" but it is not my only eBay account.
If you're tired of not making the amount of money you desire on eBay, make up your mind now to learn what is out there in the cyberworld to help you succeed.
”Effective eBay Emarketing” is by far, the best thing you'll see on the subject of building your eBay store business. If you're interested in creating a huge and immediate cash flow for yourself from your eBay Storefront, review this eBook regularly and use these strategies!
Whether you're an advanced seller or one thinking of getting started, you'll be provided with the essential information you need to build an effective eBay business. I'll keep you moving forward quickly, confidently and effectively. For many of you, you'll feel for the first time that you know where your eBay business is going, why it's going there and how it's getting there. This kind of knowledge will empower you to greater heights selling on eBay but also selling elsewhere on the Internet
Why spin your wheels with weak, ineffective eBay auctions and storefronts?
Selling online is much too time consuming and potentially expensive to risk getting poor results. Reduce huge amounts of stress by learning how to make money with your eBay business. In so doing, you’ll also realize better results with your eBay auctions and business websites as many of the principles discussed apply here as well.
In the course of speaking with conservatively 3,000 top sellers over the past six years, I repeatedly hear variations of the following comments every week:
1. My sales on eBay aren't what they used to be.
2. I'm not selling very much out of my eBay store.
3. I'm not getting as many bids on my items like I did in the past.
4. eBay keeps changing and I don't have the time to keep up with it all.
5. I'm running out of a product. Where do I go to buy new merchandise?
6. How can I get more traffic looking at my listings?
Do any of these statements sound familiar to you?
There are many books, articles, websites etc. devoted to helping people sell on eBay. I've invested my own time and a substantial amount of money in several eBay selling-related programs, newletters, and books. Many of them contain a lot of great information. However, most of them aren't so good.
A great many of the not-so-good instructional media merely reiterate what anyone can learn on eBay's Help pages for free. Some of these publications can't even repeat that information very well.
In any event, I have watched from my vantage point eBay change dramatically in the past couple of years. And it's going to change even more. But too many of the so-called eBay selling experts on the Internet today are too busy telling you about how they sold some outrageous amount of money on the site three to four years ago to give you the kind of information you'll really need to sell successfully on eBay in 2007 and beyond. They simply don’t know what’s going on today. How could they? Some of these “experts” haven’t sold seriously on eBay in a LONG time. Some of them haven’t updated their sales letters in an even LONGER time. Bottom line -- you need someone who is up to date on eBay to guide you to greater sales success.
Effective eBay Emarketing differs from the rest in providing you with the latest tools and knowledge to make your eBay business a success by utilizing your eBay Store and specific marketing strategies. Just because somebody says they sold $10,000 one month on eBay four years ago doesn't necessarily mean that you can do the same things as that person did and achieve a comparable success today. Selling on eBay in the year 2007 and beyond is much, much different than it was two or three years ago.
How do I know what you'll learn from me will work? First, I've talked at length on the phone and in person with hundreds and hundreds of sellers making their living on eBay using many of these ideas. Also, I know they can work because I'm out there on the front lines myself selling online on eBay as a PowerSeller applying these same techniques everyday. You'll be able to follow along and see what I'm doing. My main eBay User ID is "dealmania!" but it is not my only eBay account.
If you're tired of not making the amount of money you desire on eBay, make up your mind now to learn what is out there in the cyberworld to help you succeed.
”Effective eBay Emarketing” is by far, the best thing you'll see on the subject of building your eBay store business. If you're interested in creating a huge and immediate cash flow for yourself from your eBay Storefront, review this eBook regularly and use these strategies!
Whether you're an advanced seller or one thinking of getting started, you'll be provided with the essential information you need to build an effective eBay business. I'll keep you moving forward quickly, confidently and effectively. For many of you, you'll feel for the first time that you know where your eBay business is going, why it's going there and how it's getting there. This kind of knowledge will empower you to greater heights selling on eBay but also selling elsewhere on the Internet
Why spin your wheels with weak, ineffective eBay auctions and storefronts?
Selling online is much too time consuming and potentially expensive to risk getting poor results. Reduce huge amounts of stress by learning how to make money with your eBay business. In so doing, you’ll also realize better results with your eBay auctions and business websites as many of the principles discussed apply here as well.