by Kathy Terrill | Apr 12, 2019 | eCommerce Tips, Pinterest Tips for online sellers!, Social Media Tips
eBay sellers turn to Pinterest for it’s sales power.
It is a fruitful and profitable social media platform for eBay sellers. That is because your Pinterest pins live on for a very long time. This means that the time and effort you spend posting there will pay sales dividends for weeks, months, even years to come. Your pins done correctly will continue to direct buyers to your online products for a long, long time. So, your time spent pinning what you sell, is time well spent.
According to digital marketing agency Omnicore , there are more than 250 million Pinterest users worldwide.
There are 250 million pinners worldwide!
Half of them live in the USA, and 2 million of them save shopping pins every day. So, that’s a lot of prospective buyers!
But there’s recently been a big change in how pins work.
Seller used to be able to edit the address (URL) of their pins to direct traffic to a category in their eBay store, or to a search within their eBay store, once a one-off item sold. This was very helpful for sellers of unique items.
But that’s no longer the case.
When you pin to Pinterest with either Pinterest’s browser extension or eBay’s Share button, the address leading to the exact item is displayed to shoppers. That’s great if you’re selling multiple quantities of something, but not so great for sellers who have only one of an item. Here’s why: Once your item sells out, if a Pinterest user clicks on your pin, eBay will redirect them to similar items. For example, if your pin was for a red shirt, eBay shows them other red shirts.
But eBay doesn’t necessarily redirect the Pinterest user to your items; they direct them where eBay thinks best for eBay!
I explain how this works in my video, “What Happened To Pinterest?”
You’ve done the work, but you don’t reap the sales ad traffic benefits.
So what to do? First, build a pin . It takes about 5-10 minutes to learn how to do so; once you get the hang of it, it’s a snap. Basically, you upload your photo, then write a title and description. But for the URL, instead of the listing’s web address, put your nearest eBay store category’s URL or the link to a search in your store. If you don’t have an eBay store, then your best bet is to use the URL for your seller ID.
I give all the details and show you how to do this in my above YouTube video “What Happened to Pinterest? HUGE Impact for Sellers!”
Sellers, you deserve the sales from your social media work. Check out my YouTube, so you don’t lose sales because of this new change to Pinterest. Then get busy pinning!
by Kathy Terrill | Mar 25, 2019 | eCommerce Selling Tips, eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay
Enter the eBay seller’s best friend SellHound!
Over and over sellers say the hardest part of selling is getting their inventory listed quickly and accurately. With the Sellhound App, enter a dream come true for sellers. Sellhound is an eBay seller’s best friend and selling assistant. Furthermore, Sellhound is a way to list, that all you do is take photos of your items. Sellhound then researches and writes descriptions for you.
You’re not dreaming. Here is SellHound.
eBay seller Suzanne Wouk and her team of fellow sellers created SellHound. It is now released as an iPhone app (Android version coming soon). SellHound is an eBay seller’s best friend. It is your virtual selling assistant.
So, what do you do?
SellHound is an eBay Seller’s best friend!
You snap pics of your item. SellHound does the rest. It researches comparable items across multiple marketplaces. Then SellHound creates an awesome listing. Your listing is sent in an email to you. Approve and/ or edit your listing. Once accepted by you, the listing is submitted to eBay.
The approval feature is handy.
You can have a helper do your pictures with the SellHound App. The listing doesn’t go live on eBay, until it’s approved. So, you’re in control all the along the way. SellHound automates your work flow, giving you more time and more listings!
Unlisted inventory is money staring at you.
Additionally, think of the adage,”If it’s not listed, it can’t sell!” SellHound solves that dilemma for you.
Furthermore, SellHound is not a one-trick pony.
SellHound is no one trick pony!
Fetch, their popular price comparison search tool, is built into SellHound’s smartphone apps. That means you can use Fetch as your go to research tool. When you are shopping thrift stores, yard sales and or doing retail arbitrage, in seconds Fetch shows you the sold price for comparable items! And did I mention that Fetch is a free service? Cha ching sellers!
And, it’s not just eBay sellers who are impressed by SellHound.
This cool tool recently won a NEXTie award for Most Innovative Business.
Right now, for a limited time all of SellHound‘s capabilities are free to users.
Yup, that’s right, FREE! Suzanne and the rest of the SellHound gang value your feedback and really want you to give SellHound a workout. Get those death piles of unlisted inventory listed. While you’re listing with SellHound, let them how it’s working for you!
To that end, they’ve come up with an incentivizer to help get you motivated: SellHound’s “Show Us Your Stuff!” campaign.
Use SellHound’s new mobile app to list an item on eBay; then email that listing’s URL to alicia@sellhound.com. SellHound will feature your listing on their website and in their social media. It’s a win-win, because you get extra marketing exposure for your item while helping SellHound to tell the story of what they do.
In closing, sellers, gone are excuses for unlisted inventory!
SellHound is that extra pair of hands you’ve wanted Now is the perfect time to download SellHound from the Apple App Store. Android users, you’ll have it soon too. Remember, for a short time only, all for SellHound‘s features are available to you for no extra cost. Now truly is the perfect time to kill off your death piles once and for all!
by Kathy Terrill | Feb 5, 2019 | eCommerce News, eCommerce Selling Tips, eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay
Sellers once again its time to listen up about eBay’s structured data initiative.
To begin, eBay CEO Devin Wenig kicked off the structured data conversation at the eBay 20 conference in 2015. Furthermore, he’s been talking about it every year since the eBay Open. It’s also been a crucial part of every Seller Update. Additionally, it is increasingly mandated in categories, as eBay moves toward a product-based shopping experience.
So, what is structured data?
So, what exactly is structured data?
Simply put, structured data is any type of data with predefined attributes. That includes product identifiers such as UPCs, ISBNs, and MPNs. It’s standardized information that enables shoppers to more easily find specific products.
Also, structured data makes it easy to check your competitors’ prices. So if you have SKU-based inventory, it’s time to look at repricing tools. Few eBay sellers use repricing tools. There are lots of Amazon repricing tools, but for eBay, not so many.
Enter the eBay professional repricing tool, StreetPricer.
Founded by Cardy Chung, a top seller on eBay, StreetPricer is a professional repricing tool that can give you a legitimate edge over your competition. You control the repricing; StreetPricer works at your command. Pricing your item right is crucial to boosting sales and profit!
When you shop online, what would you normally do?
You decide what you’re going to buy, and then you shop around for the best price from a seller with a good online reputation. Customers buy on price; we know that. I am amazed by sellers who list their items at unrealistic prices. What are they thinking? Setting the right prices is so easy to do, but so often overlooked.
Simply, competitive pricing equal more sales.
Using StreetPricer to compete, means more sales!
Time and again, you’ve been selling an item…and suddenly, sales slow down or come to a complete stop. Then, you check your competitors’ pricing! Oh no…Once the price is set properly, it starts again, right?
So, consider what is your best business strategy.
Look at your margins. Watch your cash flow. Do regular sales with a sightly lower profit make sense for your business? With StreetPricer you set the parameters for the tool. You are in charge.
I asked Cardy Chung, “Is this a race to the bottom?”
His answer is “absolutely not!” He explained, “We’ve all had the experience of competing with foolish sellers who brought your prices right down to the floor 2 months ago. Then find he’s been out of stock for 3 weeks, and we’re still listing our items at that foolish price! If your competitors move their prices up, you want to be the first one to know about it. StreetPricer lets you do that!”
Cardy explained, “With the vendor data I have seen at conferences, the number of “ups” vs “downs” in repricing is usually 50-50. It’s a matter of constantly responding and optimizing the pricing according to market. ”
There are some repricers out there that claim to do Amazon and eBay.
Keep in mind it’s wise to pick software that’s designed for eBay, not Amazon. Lots of Amazon repricers claim they can reprice on eBay, too, but they struggle to deal with eBay’s unique way of organizing its search, item specifics and catalog data.
In closing, if you have a SKU based inventory and not using a repricing tool, you are losing sales.
Streetpricer is the ideal repricing tool for eBay sellers. It understands and responds to the uniqueness of the eBay marketplace. Don’t race to the bottom, rather maximize sales. Armed with StreetPricer you’re competitive and know when to raise your prices. Now that’s music to a sellers’s ears!
by Kathy Terrill | 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!
by Kathy Terrill | Jul 20, 2018 | eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay
Feeling slow summertime eBay sales blues?
Contrary to what the old song says, there IS a cure for any eBay sales summertime blues. I’ll list the ingredients; then it’s up to you to concoct the mixture that works best for your business.
The first step towards stirring up eBay sales is to check prices.
Keep an eye on prices for your listings on eBay!
Market values can change over time…demand for your item may increase or decrease…new competitors may undercut you; there are lots of reasons why it’s important to stay current on pricing.
Check out my “Advanced Search” YouTube video to learn how to quickly research SOLD prices on eBay so that you know what your item is selling for. If necessary, adjust your pricing. Don’t forget to note whether sold items offered free or paid shipping, so you can take that into consideration. In addition, be sure to check the size and condition of sold items to ensure they’re truly comparable to what you’re selling.
Also, consider shipping. If you’re not yet selling internationally, you’re missing out on millions of potential customers.
Open your business up to that world of possibilities by going global. For heavier items, expensive items, and items shipping to countries that do not yet offer USPS First Class International’s Electronic Delivery Confirmation (eDelCon), opt into eBay’s Global Shipping Program at ebay.com/GSP. GSP users have seen their sales increase by up to 15%!
And it’s easy: With GSP, you create a shipping label through eBay as usual to generate a global tracking number. It’s automatically uploaded to your and your buyer’s My eBay page. Then you ship the item to eBay’s Global Shipping Center in Kentucky. eBay does the rest, including filling out customs forms, paying import fees, and providing international shipping to your buyer.
Small and/or lightweight and/or inexpensive items may be shipped directly via USPS First Class International with eDelCon. eBay Labels and third-party providers automatically generate and fill out customs forms. For more details enjoy my blog post International Sales Mean Cash
Selling internationally increases eBay sales!
So you’ve checked your pricing and are shipping worldwide. Now let’s check your listings’ formats.
It’s best to have a mix of fixed price and auction listings because while some shoppers love to bid, others prefer to Buy It Now.
For fixed price listings, add the Best Offer option. Best Offer lets the buyer know that you’re willing to haggle a bit. If you get an unacceptable offer, always counteroffer, with a note thanking the buyer and telling them how much of a discount you’re offering and why your item is worth it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how many lowball offers can be turned into sales!
You can also send Private Offers in response to questions received through My Messages.
Just click “Reply with an offer” in the upper right-hand corner of the message. Again, add a note explaining your offer is for $X, which is Y% off.
Promotions Manager is free to eBay Store subscribers; use it to create special offers, discounts, and sale events. Store subscribers and Top Rated Sellers can also use Promoted Listings to boost item visibility by 30%.
Pull ahead in sales with eBay Promotions!
With Promoted Listings, you choose an ad rate: a percentage you’re willing to pay if your item sells from its promoted listing. You only pay if a buyer clicks on your ad AND purchases the item within 30 days. Top Rated Sellers receive a quarterly $30 Promotions Listing credit, while Anchor and Enterprise Store subscribers receive a $25 credit. Top-Rated Anchor and Enterprise Store subscribers receive both.
So go ahead and cure those slow summer sales blues.
Now that you know the ingredients — check pricing; sell internationally; vary your listing formats; use Best Offer and Private Offer; try Promotions Manager and Promoted Listings — you’re sure to be able to cook up a recipe for success!
P.S. For even more summer sales success tips, listen to my recent interview on eBay Radio.
