eBay Jail Alert Selling Rules Have Drastically Changed!

by | Jan 26, 2019 | eCommerce News, eCommerce Selling Tips, eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay

Heads up sellers. This is an eBay jail alert for you.

First, eBay has made a major change to its regulations governing what you can and cannot sell on eBay. Simply, it’s all about how you source and ship your items. Violating this new rule can land you in eBay jail. So here’s an eBay jail alert for you with the straight dope to keep you out of trouble.

Some eBay sellers “scrape” (import) listings from other marketplace sites and list those products on eBay.

There are even third-party tools and applications that help them do so. So, the seller does not own the item or have it in hand, nor are they listing a product from a legitimate drop shipper.

When an item sells, the eBay seller goes to the website from which he or she scraped the listing and buys the product. Then, the item is shipped directly to his or her buyer. In short, the seller is using that other marketplace to fulfill their eBay orders.

THIS IS NO LONGER ALLOWED!!! Here’s what IS allowed…  

eBay’s new rules do not affect sellers whose business model includes drop shipping from legitimate wholesale suppliers or manufacturers. In effect, it is totally eBay-legal to sell an item on eBay whose orders you fulfill through a legitimate third-party drop shipper. Drop shipping means you buy the product from a wholesale source, which then ships it to your customer. My complimentary guide, Stay Out Of eBay Jail! lays it all out for you.

Furthermore, it is also eBay-legal to use Amazon’s Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) service.

With MCF, sellers use Amazon as their warehouse and fulfill all orders through their Amazon account. It’s equally eBay-legal to use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). With FBA  sellers have Amazon store their inventory, and Amazon ships the stored item from their own warehouse when it sells.

So, it’s eBay-legal as well to use other fulfillment services that ship your stored inventory.

What’s key here is that the inventory belongs to you, the seller.

With eBay’s new drop shipping rules, know what is allowed.

Simply, the inventory does not belong to the owner of the warehouse. You are only storing your own merchandise. So, it’s not the warehouse owner’s products being sold and shipped.

What’s NOT eBay-legal as of this month is the practice of taking a listing from Amazon (or some other retail website) and listing that item on eBay.

When it sells, the seller then buys it on Amazon (or that other retail website) and has it shipped to the buyer. Currently, this business model is banned. So, if you get caught doing this, you are endangering your eBay selling status and could even find yourself suspended! Read the entire policy here.

There are potentially severe consequences if you break the new drop shipping rule. eBay states, ” we may remove your listings from search, display them lower in search results, or remove them completely from the site. We may also limit, restrict or suspend your ability to buy, sell, or use site features on eBay..”

To ensure that you understand the new rules, and for more information, watch my YouTube video “eBay Selling Rules Just Changed!”. 

 

Some sellers who are NOT guilty of this now-illegal practice are being caught by an eBay bot (automated robot scanning the site’s listings).

It flags their account as suspicious and removes their Top Rated Seller status. If you’re  caught in this net, reach out to eBay Customer Service right away. If you’re a US or Canadian seller messaging them through eBay for Business’ Facebook page is one quick way to get a US-based CS rep. Otherwise contact customer service through the eBay site.

In closing , consider this your eBay jail alert. eBay’s product sourcing and listing rules have dramatically changed.

If you drop ship, adhere to the new strict criteria, so you don’t end up in jail!

Trending New Year’s Hashtags Sellers Want!

by | Jan 8, 2019 | eCommerce Tips, Facebook Business Page Tips, Selling on eBay, Social Media Tips

First off, what are trending New Year’s hashtags that sellers want for 2019?

I’ve got some fresh new advice on the best New Year’s hashtags for eBay sellers. Sellers can use these hashtags to start 2019 with great engagement to drive sales. What sellers doesn’t want to start the year with lots of customers?!

To begin, where do you find the hottest hashtags?

How do sellers find the best hashtags for social media?

Look on Twitter for trending hashtags there; you’ll find them in the left-hand sidebar in the desktop version of Twitter.

Hashtags are topics and keywords that you can find on social media.

They’re distinguished by a pound sign before the first word or words. A hashtag is frequently a keyword, and vice versa. A keyword is a word used by a potential customer to find a certain item.

You want to find the hottest hashtags, therefore look for those that are trending.

Trending hashtags reveal what is most popular on social media — i.e., what people are talking about and looking for right now. Can you tie in any of the products you have listed for sale? Using popular hashtags and keywords in your products posts on social media gives them “search  juice”.

So, trending hashtags gets you more views, likes, clicks, retweet and sales.

For instance, sports events and award shows are always big. Are your followers sports fans? Many folks are. Do you have clothing, shoes, home décor, collectibles or other items that they might like? If so, include the trending hashtags in your product tweet. One or two hashtags work best for Twitter.

Check Facebook to see if the Twitter trending hashtag/keyword is popular there as well.

Do a search for that hashtag, and find out. Chances are it is; great, then post your item(s) on Facebook too. Change up your post a bit for Facebook, because you don’t want to spam your followers.

Now investigate Instagram.

There you can include 11 to 30 hashtags with each post. However, do make your posts fresh again for that site, so they don’t come across as spam.

In closing, the artful use of relevant and apropos trending hashtags/keywords gets you views, clicks, and sales. Best of all, using social media this way is absolutely free.

So don’t be shy. Go forth, find the hottest hashtags of the new year, and post – post –post your items on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

Get your sales jumping with the hottest hashtags on social media!

eBay Sellers Merry Christmas Doesn’t Mean Sales Meltdown!

by | Dec 19, 2018 | eCommerce News, eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay

eBay sellers, Merry Christmas is just one week away.

If you’ve been watching the calendar, this shouldn’t come as a shock to you. But you still might need to sit down before I spell it out to you: Christmas is just one short week away.  

What does that mean for you and your business on eBay? Does it mean a sales meltdown?

Before we get started, take a few deep breaths. There are tried-and-true strategies to help you make the most of this very limited once-a-year time. I’m going to share them with you.

First, be smart about where you get eBay listing and inventory information.

Sadly there is much bad information on social media that can harm your eBay business.  Avoid losing sales with inaccurate tips. I talk about  this in my YouTube, eBay Sellers You May Not Want To Hear This..

Second, make sure you offer paid expedited shipping options. This includes ALL of your listings. If not, bulk-edit them into your listings right now using eBay’s bulk edit tool. You can also use eBay business policies to accomplish this. There, that was easy-peasy!

Third, quickly review your holiday-appropriate inventory. If it’s not selling, then now is definitely the time to figure out why. Is it priced too high? Are your photos less than stellar, or are there just too few of them? Is your item one of many that may have glutted the market for them? Or is it just not getting found in search?

It’s probably too late to do much about your photos (unless you’re super fast with a camera), but you can definitely do something about the other reasons an item may not yet have sold or is selling very slowly. Here are some options:

  1. If you have an eBay store, Rrun a deeply discounted flash sale using Markdown Manager. Promote your sale on social media with a link to your store. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are your best choices for getting traction — and traffic! — ASAP. You can even run multiple flash sales throughout this final shopping week.
  2. eBay store owners, use Promotions Manager to set up a BOGO (buy one, get one free) or other volume-based discount. Here’s my YouTube Ignite Your eBay Sales With Promotions Manager. 
  3. With an eBay store, create some Promoted Listings, and consider setting your ad rate slightly higher than the trending percentage.
  4. With or without an eBay store, try bundling your holiday items. For example, could you put together a selection of inexpensive items and call it a “Secret Santa Gift Lot”? My hit guide Secret Sauce For eBay Sales transforms slow moving inventory into hot bundles.

Secret Spice for Online Sales turns slow listings into hot bundles!

Yes, ‘tis the week before Christmas, and you’re going to be busy-busy-busy…but don’t let the next seven days be all business and no pleasure.

Whatever doesn’t sell this Q4 can have its listing tweaked in the new year. Those items still be there on your store shelves, but each day of this week will only happen once.

In closing, put these profit-maximizing strategies to work. But don’t shortchange yourself on spending time enjoying family, friends, and all the joys of the season. Best of luck with your last-minute selling.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas eBay sellers.

 

 

eBay Top December Sales Tips!

by | Dec 5, 2018 | eCommerce Selling Tips, eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay

December is upon us. That means it’s time for eBay top December sales tips. Sellers put your pedal to the metal!

eBay top December sales tips for sellers

Most important of the eBay top December sales tips, is keep adding fresh merchandise to your store shelves. So, of course don’t stop listing altogether. But do concentrate now on selling and shipping what’s already listed.

In fact, at this point, SHIPPING is your most important activity. And it’s crucial to do it right.

Big-volume multi-channel sellers cite shipping as one of their top concerns for successful sales and happy customers, especially repeat buyers. Why?

The answer to that question is as easy as 1-2-3: because if their item does not arrive (1) fast; (2) in one piece; and (3) appropriately packaged — including being dry! — your customer is NOT going to be happy.

And an unhappy customer is the last thing you want!

Top eBay sales tip to keep customers happy!

Luckily, in most cases, making customers happy doesn’t have to be difficult. It just takes some thought, care, and attention to detail. Here are top tips for successful holiday shipping.

‘By now you should have reviewed your shipping workflow and revised it if necessary. But if you’ve been putting that off, or just want a quick refresher course, read my recent blog post. Remember, saving 5 minutes of packing time per item adds up quickly!

You also should be offering paid shipping upgrades, including overnight express delivery.

Again, if you’ve been procrastinating, sit down at your computer — desktop or laptop — and bulk edit your listings to add those additional shipping options.

Most importantly, pack each item appropriately AND attractively so that it arrives in one piece, dry, and looking its best!

Remember, ‘tis the season for snow, sleet, and just plain rain. Boxes are highly susceptible to moisture, and even polyvinyl mailing envelopes rip or may leak.

So pack your items for shipping with wet weather in mind.

eBay top sales tips includes think of the weather when packing!

For example, clothing should be sealed in plastic bags; if you typically wrap apparel items in tissue, do that first, then seal the wrapped garment in a plastic bag. Ziplock bags work particularly well for this, and store brands are typically not expensive. You should also put clear tape over the addresses on your shipping label (just don’t tape over the bar code).

As for other items, don’t expect even the biggest, reddest FRAGILE sticker ever to protect your goods. Because it won’t; by some accounts, packages bearing FRAGILE stickers may even be treated MORE roughly than other packages!

Instead, pack everything so that it can be dropped 4 feet without breaking.

(Hint: Test this with a generic item you don’t mind destroying, NOT your sold item!) That means lots of bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and possibly using a box within a box for super-breakable stuff. When in doubt, add more bubble wrap and another layer of peanuts! If the bubble wrap doesn’t seal the item away from moisture sufficiently, put the bubble-wrapped item into a plastic bag before placing it in its nest of packing peanuts.

Speaking of bubble wrap, it’s made with different sizes of bubbles for a reason. Multiple layers of the small bubbles protect differently than do the large bubbles, and it doesn’t necessarily correspond to the size of the item. Some items will ship most safely swathed in small bubbles with an outer layer of large bubbles. Experiment to figure out what works best. Very delicate items may even need to be carefully swathed in soft cotton batting rather than bubble wrapped.

Air pillows are another type of what shipping professionals call “void fill solutions”. Certain types of corrugated boxes are more protective than others, too. All of these packing materials (and much more) are available from Bubblefast.com.  Use code esnbes and save 10% on your entire order.

Now you’ve got your marching orders…pa-rumpa-pum-pum…and a recipe for happy customers:

  1. Keep streamlining your workflow to make shipping faster and easier

  2. Offer paid shipping upgrades, including overnight express delivery

  3. Pack each item appropriately, and make sure it’s weatherproof

So put the shipping pedal to the metal, and get those sold items flying out the door!

3 Ways To Supercharge eBay Holiday Sales!

by | Oct 22, 2018 | eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay

The Holidays, Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwaanza are just around the corner. Together, they comprise the year’s most profitable retail moment.

But how do sellers supercharge this year’s eBay Holiday sales?

There’s plenty of competition for customers’ dollars. So, what can you do to stand out in the e-commerce crowd, so you can garner more sales? Here are my three top tips for outselling your competition.

#1 – First, remember that when it comes to shipping, buyers like choices.

Give shoppers choices this Holiday shopping season!

So offer them options: For example, you might ship USPS First Class for free while providing paid upgrades to USPS Priority Mail and USPS Priority Express.

Be sure to also give your buyers the choice of having their package shipped to them overnight. That could make all the difference when it comes to scoring a last-minute sale!

Overnight shipping is not just for higher-end purchases, either. I once had a buyer pay $20 to have a $9.99 item shipped via USPS Priority Express Mail; it was that important to them to receive their item ASAP.

Giving buyers their choice of shipping class is especially important if you’re eligible for eBay Guaranteed Delivery. Guaranteed Delivery is eBay’s promise that an item will be delivered in three days or less. Do try to qualify for Guaranteed Delivery if you can. It gives your listings additional visibility. Buyers can even filter search results to see only items within the Guaranteed Delivery program. The more shipping options you offer, the more Guaranteed Delivery filters your listing shows in. More visibility means more sales.

Not sure what it takes to participate in eBay Guaranteed Delivery, or hazy on the details of requirements and benefits? Get the full scoop at ebay.com/GuaranteedDelivery.

Here’s my video “Did You Know eBay May Pay For This So You Don’t Have To”. It has important information on eBay’s Guaranteed Delivery for you.

#2 – Second, consider bundling complementary products together to generate additional sales.

Welcome shoppers with eBay Holiday bundles!

You can even make your bundle holiday-centric; why not have it include, say, a cheerful gift bag and colorful tissue paper? Learn more about bundles in my online class Secret Spice for Online Sales. It includes a bonus PDF with 60 bundling tips you can use right now!

#3 – Third, think mobile.

Be ready for Holiday shoppers by being mobile optimized!

More than 60% of all eBay transactions are touched by mobile. That means the majority of eBay shoppers are shopping via their mobile devices. So your listings have to look good on smartphones and tablets, not just on desktop and laptop computers.

To ensure your listings will do so, use the Mobile-Friendly checker at the upper right-hand corner of the description box in the Sell Your Item (SYI) form. Then every week, spot-check at least one listing in each of your main selling categories to see how it looks on a mobile device. Check out your competitors’ listings as well; whose look better?

Here’s an infographic to give you a better handle on these 3 holiday selling tips. Use them wisely and well to boost your Q4 profits.

Here are 3 Ways To Supercharge Your eBay Holiday Sales!

Let the eBay Holiday shopping begin! With these three ways to supercharge your eBay Holiday sales, you’re ready! Fa, la, la, la!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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