eBay’s Spring Seller Update was announced on April 5!
It was full of great news for sellers with the emphasis on optimizing eBay listings for mobile shoppers, eBay‘s Seller Hub rolling out this summer for all eBay US sellers, the importance of Product Reviews, changes in categories and specific improvements for jewelry sellers. I analysed the update in my previous blog post Must Have Tips To Understand eBay’s Spring Seller Update!
A crucial part of the update was the changes for eBay stores. The prices and amount of listings are changing for eBay store sellers.
There are 4 important dates for eBay store owners relating to the Spring Seller update.
With the increase in the number of listings for each category that go into effect in May 2016, some store owners may want to downgrade their store. If a seller wishes to downgrade BEFORE the new fee structure goes into place it needs to be done by April 30. All eBay store sellers will be paying the fees at the new higher levels, but a different store level choice can be wise for some sellers. Switching before the increase can be a savings in that the seller will be a Basic Store rather than a Premium, or a Premium store rather than an eBay Anchor store when the new fees are calculated May 6! eBay store owners will be able to change their store levels WITHOUT penalties until June 4th. My FREE Spring Seller Update Tips will help you pick the right eBay store level for you. Click HERE to get yours!
eBay store sellers will get the new structure of listings effective May 1.
While the increase in fees goes into effect May 6, starting May 1 all eBay Stores get more listings!
Basic stores will get an increase of 50 fixed price listings, and increase of 150 auction listings in fashion and collectibles. This will mean Basic store owners will have a monthly allotment of 250 fixed price listings and 250 in auctions, with category restrictions for auctions. This is fully laid out by eBay click HERE for all the details.
Premium eBay stores will go from 500 to 1,000 fixed price listings monthly.
In addition to the increase in fixed price listings, eBay Premium store owners will see their monthly allotment of auctions listings in certain categories increase from 100 to 500. This is a significant increase in listings for Premium store owners. For all the details on information click HERE. Some Anchor store owners that find they are not listing at high levels may want to get their calculators out and look at a Premium store. Premium eBay store owners that are not listing at the high end of what they are allotted with the new eBay store structure may also want to get their calculators out and look at new listing allotments for the Basic store.
Anchor stores are seeing a large increase with the new store fees and listing allotments.
eBay Anchor store fixed price listings is skyrocketing from 2,500 to 10,000! Anchor stores are seeing an increase from 100 auctions listings in certain categories to 1,000!
There are additional benefits to eBay store owners of coupons toward eBay branded shipping supplies. Anchor store owner will have a credit toward using eBay‘s paid service Promoted Listings. The top level eBay Anchor store owners will also as of July 1 have access to high level customer service representatives by phone.
If you plan to downgrade your eBay store before the new prices go into effect you need to do so by April 30. All eBay store owners will see the increase in listings to their chosen store level May 1. The increase in fees for the various eBay store levels commences May 6.
As a store owners should you chose to change your store level up or down, change to monthly or yearly you can do so without penalty until June 4.
Mark your calendars eBay store owners , and grab your calculators and check you are at the right level for you eBay business!
Once you’ve settled on the right eBay store category for you, you know what to do eBay store sellers! That’s right it’s time for you to list list list!
How are your Mother’s Day sales going online seller?
Are you crushing it on eBay, Etsy and Amazon? If yes, good for you! If like many online sellers you are disappointed with your results so far, I have good news for you!
Often sellers limit their success during Mother’s Day by what they think a Mother’s Day gift item is!
Have you decided that only jewelry, perfume and flowers are Mother’s Day gifts?
To achieve great sales results right now it’s time to reconsider what is a suitable Mother’s Day gift!
How do I Get More Mother’s Day Sales?
Mom’s are a wonderfully diverse bunch with dozens of interests and talents to be celebrated with Mother’s Day Gifts! Think about your own Mom. What did she love? Did Mom love clothing, home decor, her collection(s) or something new for her car or kitchen?
Was Mom an avid tennis player, reader and/ or pet lover?
Moms have dozens if not hundreds of interests! Mother’s Day is the perfect time to help shoppers find the perfect gift for their Mother to celebrate her uniqueness!
Moms love lots of items as gifts!
I’ve worked in brick and mortar retail for over 25 years. I put on my retail thinking cap and I’ve come up with a product list of over 35 items that make excellent Mother’s Day gifts. With my product list in your hand you can re think your product offerings. You’ll see how you can approach Mother’s Day sales and increase the cash flow for your online business!
With my FREE HOT products tips sheet in hand go through your existing inventory! That’s right, with my tip sheet you can sort through your existing items without any additional purchases and find great items for you to feature for Mother’s Day shoppers! Once selected think through how to promote your selections to welcome online customers!
If you’re selling on eBay, this blog post from eBay For Business has tips for you on how to best showcase your eBay items for Mother’s Day shoppers using eBay collections, social media and more!
With the right research, yes it can! I will tell you simple research secrets that will enable you to grow your business from information you already have!
Look at your sales on eBay and or Etsy for the past 6 months.
What categories and items have been your top sellers?
What sells best for you?
What do your eBay and Etsy shoppers like to buy from you? Do you find that your best selling items are men’s clothing, women’s clothing, automotive accessories, kid’s toys, video games or housewares? Within each category that sells well for you dig deeper. Locate within that top selling category the items that are bringing you shoppers.
Make a list of your top sellers.
Make A List!
Be sure and take the time to note the color and sizes of items most in demand. With your list in hand think where you bought the items that sold so well. Can you get more? If the answer is no, are there other places to buy the items? If the item was a closeout look on the internet and see if you can find other sources of the same or similar inventory. I often buy lots off eBay and break the lots down. I list items in smaller product groups and or sell them as single products. Larger bundles can be broken into smaller bundles for a nice profit. I detail this process in my successful class on product bundling Secret Spice for Online Sales.
If you’re items are unique and one of a kind start scouting all your local auctions, thrift shops, consignment shops and Craig’s List. You can advertise for items in local papers. Have you tried joining Facebook groups for people in your area selling items to source products? Always check the rules for buying and selling groups. Look at Instagram. I’m finding lots of sellers there. With the low fees on Instagram and other sites bargains can be found.
The internet is a wide and wonderful place to sell. It’s also a very wide and wonderful place place to buy.
Shop The Internet For Inventory!
Equipped with your list, you are set to use Google search to scour sites for inventory.
Don’t neglect local buying and selling sites to acquire inventory, being mindful of rules.
eBay begins it’s Spring Seller Update with the importance of optimization for mobile shoppers!
eBay stresses the importance of mobile shoppers on the eBay platform. Throughout the Spring Seller Update eBay lets sellers know what eBay is doing to attract mobile customers and keep them coming back and shopping more and more!
Optimize For Mobile Shoppers!
To help mobile shoppers buy with ease eBay will display 800 characters of a seller’s listing when the seller keeps their listing descriptions to 800 characters or less. Currently eBay uses an algorithm to pull 250 characters from seller’s description. With this newest update sellers have the opportunity for more of their listing’s description to show! Keeping an eye on your character count and keep your listings to under 800 characters! I explain the importance of this and how this helps sellers in my FREE Spring Seller Update Tips sheet. Click HERE for yours.
There are important changes for Jewelry Sellers!
eBay is making major changes in the jewelry category to benefit sellers and make it easier for buyers to understand what they are purchasing!
Good News For Jewelry Sellers!
There is an expansion of metals and stones that can be listed in the jewelry category.
Important changes are in effect for fine metals and how they are to be listed. There are updated item specifics for jewelry sellers to use in their listings. If you sell items with “enhanced” diamonds it must be noted in the item’s title, item specifics and description. If a natural gemstone is “treated” it must be duly noted in the title, item specifics and description! Click HERE for all the complete jewelry policy.
eBay shoppers love and look for product reviews. When your buyer leaves a review, your seller name appears with the review! Sellers can also review products that they sell! Click HERE for my tips how to use the Spring Seller Update to benefit your eBay listings.
Seller Hub will be available to all US sellers Summer of 2016!
eBay’s advanced selling dashboard Seller Hub is currently in Beta. US sellers can look forward to Seller Hub rolling out to all sellers for their eBay business this summer!
Fees for all levels of eBay stores increase May 1, 2016. The fees increases range from $5 a month for Basic store subscriptions to $170.965 and $199.95 for the top level Anchor Stores. All store levels get an increase in store allotment listings and auction listings. All store levels get quarterly coupons for eBay branded shipping supplies. The top level Anchor Store subscribers get an 800 number with access by phone with the high level customer service agents. For the full dollar breakdown read my Spring Seller Update Free Tip Sheet.
Sellers can look forward the opportunity to have more of their description show easily to mobile shoppers, Product Reviews to bring more consumers to eBay, increased store fees come with an increased number of listings, great updates to the jewelry category, Seller Hub rolling out for all US sellers and more category changes coming soon.
All the Spring Seller Updates have 1 thing in common. The Spring Update continues to make eBay a vibrant shopping place that is attractive and easy to use whether you’re on a computer or mobile device, but particularly easy for the ever increasing number of mobile shoppers!
eBay Spring Seller release says sellers be ready for more and more mobile shoppers and here are tools to help you!
Daily sellers come to me asking, “Kathy, how do I increase my sales on eBay? Kathy, how do I make more money on Etsy?”
How Do I Increase My Sales?
When I talk with sellers with failing or slow sales often I witness people using strategies with no real idea of why they are doing what they are doing. They read a post, or watch a YouTube describing how someone had success doing XX so the online seller looking to increase their cash flow jumps on the tip looking for instant sales results! I totally understand this predicament. When online sales are slow, out of desperation an entrepreneur will grab at tips often without checking the date and validity of the information!
When implementing sales strategies for eBay and Etsy check the date of the advice. If the post is more than 1-2 years old it’s very likely not up to date with what is currently effective for eBay, Etsy or Google search.
Step 1 to increase your sales on eBay, Etsy is slow down and think.
Take pen and paper or use an app like Evernote and consider what you want to accomplish. Then think through how you plan to do it.
It’s Important To Plan!
Take time and ponder, “How can I increase my sales?”
Do I need to list more? Do I need to carry a great variety of inventory? Do I need to offer a greater variety of price points to my shoppers?
When researching on eBay using eBay’s advanced search can help you get information you need. To get more in depth insights look at the professional eBay research tool Terapeak. Check your item’s price to make sure you are competitive not just on eBay or Etsy but on the worldwide web.For Etsysellers Flipper Tools can help you with product sold price research.
Step 2 to increasing your online sales is to prioritize!
When sales are slow it’s easy to panic and start taking a series of random actions, similar to throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what sticks!
Setting your priorities in the steps you want to take to increase your sales on eBay and Etsy will help you make wise choices with your time each day.
Step 3 is do your plan!
How often have you made a plan to increase increase your online inventory and then not done the necessary research, product shopping or listing? Have you gone to list an item and not taken the time to research what are the best choices for you to make on eBay that get you the most money? My hit eBook The Secret to eBay Search For Sellers walks you step by step through your eBay listing giving you the tools to write a winning eBay listing and maximize your sales profits! It’s not just a matter of buying winning inventory to sell! Listing your eBay product in an optimized format gains you the maximum sales results you want!
Step 4 is enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Congratulations! You looked at what it would take to move your eBay or Etsy business to the next level! You took the time to research and made a practical plan to increase your online sales. You then set your priorities and equipped yourself with good information and put your strategy to work! Reward yourself with a special treat! Perhaps it’s time for a luxurious manicure pedicure or you might prefer a delicious meal at your favorite restaurant, or both?! Enjoy the fruits of your labor!
I recently experienced a slow period for my eBay and Etsy sales as I took some family time. During my time with my family I stepped aside from my usual routine as a seller and my sales slowed down to a trickle!
I turned to eBay and Etsy sales basics.
I want to share with you exactly what I did that worked to turn my eBay and Etsy sales from a trickle to a steady stream of sales.
Breathe!
When sales slow down or stop altogether one’s first instinct is to panic!
The number one key to sales success online is take a moment to breathe and calm your thoughts. I know this can be hard when you’re looking at a stack of bills, but taking a deep breath and doing your best to let go of panic and stress is the best beginning.
OK, I’ve completed step one and I’m breathing deeply and relatively calm, now what?
The number two way to get your sales flowing on eBay and Etsy!
List!
The reason listing is key to increase sales is two fold. First when you list you give the eBay or Etsy search spiders new information for them to crawl. This also applies to the search spiders of Google, Yahoo and Bing. The other reason why listing is key to increase your online sales is more inventory means more potential customers. If you have 200 items listed, that’s 200 potential shoppers arriving to look at your online merchandise. If you have 100 listed, that’s 100 etc. I go into great detail explaining this in my new hit eBook The Secret To eBay Search For Sellers.
The basic rule of thumb is more listings means more shoppers!
The third key that reignited my eBay sales was I ran a sale! One of the great benefits of having an eBay store is that you can run a sale just like a brick and mortar retail establishment.
Run A Sale!
A sale in your eBay store accomplishes several things.
When you run a sale on eBay you get slash through pricing. Slash pricing catches the eye of online shoppers. When your price is lowered on eBay it can help your products to get better placement in eBay‘s Best Match search. Best Match is the default search on eBay. There are 3 ways to run a sale on eBay. You can use Markdown Manager, Promotions Manager, and/or the paid app CampaignGO. I like CampaignGO as I find it much faster than Markdown Manager. In addition I like the data it stores for on my sales results. CampaignGo is adding a Repeat Buyer Alert, so I can know when my previous customer(s) return to shop with me! You can create a sale that attracts shoppers on Etsy using coupons!
Breathe, list and run a sale to increase sales online!
When sales are slow you are looking for strategies that bring shoppers to your merchandise. Staying calm, listing and running a sale are proven successful strategies to increase profits on eBay, Etsy and anywhere you sell!
Join our Premier eBay Tips to get the next practical tip for building a successful eBay business.
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