Traveling from Webstore to Webstore and from Market to Market, Spreading the Good News of Online Selling. I'll talk about eBay Auctions, eBay Stores, Amazon, Yahoo Stores and much more
I've been working on the directory I created for eBay Sellers on Squidoo and I would love to get your comments.
Squidoo ranks very high in Google search so I thought I would bring eBay sellers together in one place and see if we could drive some traffic your way. You will only get out of this what you put into it so take a quick moment to add your eBay Store, Website, blog or Squidoo page to the directory. This directory is for eBay sellers and former sellers worldwide so my Brit and Aussie friends please add your links also.
The traffic that is generated is not substantial right now but it will build, so add your store or items to the directory today.
You can't beat free. And if I can get some of my fellow eBay bloggers to mention the directory that would help move things along.
I originally posted this on My Blog Utopia but felt that it would also be perfect for The Seller Evangelist . IMO, eBay has the answer to many of their marketplace problems if they would just change their perspective on Stores/Shops. Here is the post:
While eBay management struggles with what to do with eBay Stores/Shops, I often wonder what would have happened if they had just focused on them rather than shoving them to the side. Obviously CORE is the main revenue driver on eBay but Store/Shops have become the heart and soul of sellers on eBay.
I found this comment on the eBay Stores Board and it sums up my feelings very well and lends credence to the position I take in this post.
"eBay stores are not in competition with eBay auctions. They cater to a totally different kind of customer. They cater to buyers that want a product that is not in high demand, but they want it now. The management of eBay either fails to see this or does not want to admit it. And in doing so they are missing a huge opportunity."
I realize that in direct comparison, Stores/Shops are less profitable to the company than CORE but if you break Stores out and look at them like you would a StubHub or Shopping.com the revenue Stores/Shops generate is substantial and is still a growth business.
If eBay management can look at Stores/Shops as independent from CORE and consider it a stand alone business, I'm sure their perspective will change. Imagine growing the business to over 1 million Store/Shop owners worldwide and do the numbers. That is a business any company would want and there are obvious ways to achieve this without damaging CORE.
Stores were a focus of the company until putting them in search caused problems with CORE. It was evident that buyers did want the product that Store/Shop sellers were selling because many saw huge increases in sales while in SIS.
For many sellers, Stores/Shops are the window to a better life. A huge number of sellers are just looking to make some extra cash or a second income and eBay Stores/Shops were the ticket to their dreams. The fee increases are not the problem, the lack of exposure is. Sellers would not complain as much or as long if they received proper value for the fees they paid.
In my view eBay needs to spin off their Stores/Shops platform into an independent entity. They wanted to achieve this with Pro Stores but at least to my eyes that has failed. Converting Stores/Shops into an independent business that facilitates multi-channel selling would turn them into a Billion dollar business and separating them from CORE as a platform (Store/Shop sellers would still list in CORE) would keep the erosion from happening in CORE.
I realize that technically separating Stores/Shop from the marketplace platform would be a challenge and would take time but it is an option that needs serious consideration. As an independent business eBay Stores/Shops could reach their potential.
eBay announced today that they would be testing something called semi-persistent Buy it Now. Please read the announcement.
This is something that I advocated for years and is needed to raise ASP's. While this is a test for the next several months it is a welcome sign that eBay is willing to test things that will improve the buying and selling experience. I think this will be a very successful test.
I've been to all but one eBay Live -- I missed Vegas for obvious reasons. I believe this will be the most important eBay Live of them all. eBay is at a crossroads and needs to make changes that will re-invigorate the marketplace. I can't wait to see what they have in store.
For on-going coverage of the conference please tune into Ina Steiner's Podcast's and the Auctionbytes website.
I will be covering the conference as well but from a completely different perspective. I hope to meet with sellers large and small and hear their eBay story. I should be able to post at least once a day at the conference so check back.
And of course you can also get great coverage of eBay Live! from Chris and Sue at Tamebay.com
There is no time like the present to begin working on your own website. I realize this can be a scary proposition but if you want to continue to grow your online business you will eventually need to have an independent online presence. One that is not dependent on any one marketplace.
"I also really wanted to look beyond eBay and how eBay sellers can use eBay as a springboard for other selling online. It strikes me that every serious eBay seller needs to be expanding off the platform and looking for other sales opportunities either with their own website or with other marketplaces. It represents too much of a business risk to have everything riding on eBay alone and truth be told if you’re selling on eBay you have all the skills to sell elsewhere." Bold is used for emphasis.
My own experience with Glacier Bay DVD proved that developing your own website is crucial to the growth of your online business don't wait too long to begin. I launched my site in February of 2005 and though I was able to generate $300,000 in sales from the web site that year it was not significant enough to keep me from shutting my business down. Had I launched my WebSite in 2004 I would still be selling media product online.
As Dan mentioned in his Tamebay interview "It represents too much of a business risk to have everything riding on eBay alone and truth be told if you’re selling on eBay you have all the skills to sell elsewhere."
