Home: Message List - Event: Creative ways to boost sales with eBay

Event: Creative ways to boost sales with eBay

SBOCTeam — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:53:11 GMT

Want to get your products in front of 84 million potential customers? Looking to gain new customers or creative ways to boost sales? Take your small business to the next level by learning the basics of buying and selling on an auction site!

eBay was born over Labor Day weekend in 1995, when Pierre Omidyar, a computer programmer, wrote the code for an auction website that he ran from his home computer.

With a presence in 39 markets, including the U.S., and approximately 84 million active users worldwide, eBay has changed the face of Internet commerce. In 2007, the total value of sold items on eBay's trading platforms was nearly $60 billion. This means that eBay users worldwide trade more than $1,900 worth of goods on the site every second.

Jim Griffith, aka "Griff," has been an enthusiastic eBay buyer and selling since Monday, May 20th, 1996, at 10:18 am PST when he bid on his first eBay item, a PS/2 memory chip for his old IBM computer.

Currently serving as Dean of eBay Education, roving ambassador, eBay spokesperson, the host of eBay Radio and as the author of The Official eBay Bible, Griff spends nearly all his waking hours teaching others how to use eBay effectively, safely and profitably; leading classes at eBay University in order to help new eBay users learn the nuances of the site and its history; responding to customer e-mail; managing and hosting the popular weekly "eBay Radio" and "Ask Griff" radio shows, and spreading the word about eBay across print, radio and TV.

The SBOC Team is taking questions in advance for Griff. Post it here and then join us on February 19 at 2:00PM EST for Griff's response. You may ask Griff a question at any time during the event, just remember he may not get to all of them.

Re: Event February 19: Creative ways to boost sales with eBay

SBOCTeam — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:09:28 GMT

Griff, you've done it once again! On behalf of the Community, thank you for your thoughtful and professional responses.

Community, we hope this was a great experience for you. Now go off and sell sell sell!

For more information on Griff and eBay, visit http://www.ebay.com

Have a wonderful day!

The SBOC Team

Re: Event February 19: Creative ways to boost sales with eBay

Jim_Griffith — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:01:52 GMT

Thanks again for having me back. And special thanks to all that posted questions. I hope I was able to provide some insight and tips.

For further reading and education, consider the following:

The eBay Seller Resources
http://pages.ebay.com/sell/resources.html

MarketPlace Research by TeraPeak
http://pages.ebay.com/marketplace_research/

eBay Seller Tools Page
http://pages.ebay.com/sell/tools.html

The Merchant eCommerce Page
http://pages.ebay.com/merchantsolutions/

and our Seller Education page
http://pages.ebay.com/education/selling.html

You can also email me at any time at griff@ebay.com

regards,

Griff
Jim Griffith
_________________
eBay Inc

Re: Event February 19: Creative ways to boost sales with eBay

Jim_Griffith — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:00:45 GMT

Posted by Book_Lover on Feb 19, 2009 2:47 PM

An online bookstore is nothing new. How do I get my online bookstore to stand out from the competition?

I like your realistic perspective but don't loose heart. It is possible to enter a category like "books" and stand out (though with so much competition, it won't be easy). As in any business, you should create a "look" and a brand that is unforgettable.

Buyers in categories like "Books" tend to look for items on the basis of two criteria: rarity and value. You didn't say what type of books you plan on listing but if they are rare books (first editions, out of print, etc) pricing won't be as critical. But if you are offering books that can be purchased from other sellers, other venues or off line, then your price is critical. Research to make sure your prices are the lowest. Not just lower. The lowest.

And if you are selling on eBay, with Books, you really do need to have an eBay Store. The Store format is ideal for large inventories (it the cheapest option for listing inventory on eBay). Also, with the eBay Store, you have access to marketing tools to keep your customers informed of any new stock you are about to list as well as sales for current stock.

Finally, as in any situation, if you want to really stand out, take a look around at other book sellers, determine what it is they all seem to share in common when it comes to marketing and pricing, and avoid those things like the plague.

Griff

Re: Event February 19: Creative ways to boost sales with eBay

Jim_Griffith — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:48:10 GMT

Posted by DC_Trade on Feb 19, 2009 2:38 PM

Griff, are there opportunities to barter services/goods on eBay? Can you explain how? Or if you can't, can you think of a creative way to accomplish this?

Yes, there are, though they are not well understood by all. First, there is a Specialy Services category where a seller can list their services at a bid or fixed price:

http://services.ebay.com/_W0QQ_trksidZp3907Q2em21

I
n addition, we provide a selling format (for some categories) called Classified Ad.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/classified.html

It is very different from the Auction Format or the Fixed Price Format. There is no "on eBay" transaction piece to a Classified Ad listing. The fees for listing a Classified Ad format are also different than the other formats.

In a Classified Ad,

List your asking price. No bidding takes place.
Interested buyers fill out a contact form, and their information is sent to you.
List a phone number, and interested buyers can call you (optional).
List your item, service or property for a specific period of time.
Revise item-specific information at any time while the ad is active.

Griff

Re: Event February 19: Creative ways to boost sales with eBay

Book_Lover — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:36:37 GMT

An online bookstore is nothing new. How do I get my online bookstore to stand out from the competition?

Re: Event February 19: Creative ways to boost sales with eBay

Jim_Griffith — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:43:12 GMT

Posted by Interpreter on Feb 19, 2009 2:27 PM

I want to set sales goals for myself. What sort of realistic goals should I set being a beginner on eBay?

You are definitely starting out with the right question! In order to determine realistic goals, you need to consider three questions:

What product or types of product are you going to listl?
How big (or small) is your current operation?
What does market research tell you about the market for your particular product or product line?

Knowing what product you plan to offer is obviously important. You have to research the current markets for that product to determine current value, demand and if possible, any trends in demand.

What is your current or intial operating capacity? Are you working alone? Do you plan on working this business from your home? How much storage does your location provide? Do you have room for product storage? Is there enough space to set up a fullfilment area? (for packing and shipping) If you are starting out in a very small space, then your goals should match the space. You cannot realistically expect to store, list, pack and ship beyond a reasonable amount determined by the size of the item and the time it takes to list the items and pack and ship them. Single product lines are easiest.

For example, if you sell new digital camera batteries, you'll only need one photo and one description of each product saved as a relistable template. And storage of something small like batteries means you could, if well organized, keep a big supply on hand, ready to list and ship. And packing small items like batteries doesn't require a lot of materials (which have to be stored as well) or space for packing.

However, if you plan on offering something slightly larger, for example, homemade candles, now your storage, listing and fullfilment requirements have increased.

Each of the two examples require different amounts of time and resources. It would be easier to set a higher goal for the batteries than the candles.

So what is the upshot? Easy. Start slow, start small. The worst mistake a new seller can make (ok, ONE of the worst; there are others) is to start out on eBay by listing several hundred items. If you haven't actually listed and sold items on eBay, you will underestimate that time it takes for each task, and if you start to sell at a good clip, you may not be able to handle the volume. Don't list more than a handful of items to start out with and only add others when you are certain you can handle them. Otherwise, if you are overwhelmed, your service levels (shipping, communication, etc) could slip and could affect your selling status on eBay.

Griff

Re: Event February 19: Creative ways to boost sales with eBay

DC_Trade — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:32:22 GMT

Griff, are there opportunities to barter services/goods on eBay? Can you explain how? Or if you can't, can you think of a creative way to accomplish this?

Re: Event February 19: Creative ways to boost sales with eBay

Interpreter — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:27:01 GMT

I want to set sales goals for myself. What sort of realistic goals should I set being a beginner on eBay?

Re: Event February 19: Creative ways to boost sales with eBay

Jim_Griffith — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:26:27 GMT

Posted by Vince on Feb 19, 2009 2:17 PM

Hi Griff, great topic! Very excited about the event!

I noticed eBay offers three levels of the Stores program: basic, featured and anchor. Do members see higher sales with the anchor stores? Or can a member have just as much success with the basic? Are there different strategies for each?

Vince

Hi Vince,

It's not so much that each Store level requires a different business strategy. Success is possible with all three Store subscription levels. Which level is ideal for a specific business depends of course on the needs and the size of the business.

eBay Stores can be an important tool in a seller's strategy kit but the seller needs to fully understand how to make the Store work for their business. The Stores pages explain in good detail, exactly what features come with a Store and how the seller can use each of the features to boost business. So, for anyone just starting out, I definitely recommend the Basic Store level. In fact, it would be a mistake for a seller to jump in with the Premium or Anchor level right off. Once a seller understands how to use all of the features of a Basic Store (that is, he has been using them for a time and is comfortable with his command of the Store features), only then should he consider moving up to the next level. Many business discover that they are perfectly suited at the Basic level and they never move up. Others find that they need more in the way of exposure and marketing, and will opt to try a Premium or Anchor level. The good thing: If you do try a higher level and it is not quite working for you, you can always move back down a level or two to Premium or Basic.

Griff