The little tool that helps you build eBay titles that rank well in best match is back!
If you're worried about how your listings are ranking in best match, and you haven't check out this tool, get a move on (click)!
Side Note: Take a look at the huge terms and disclaimers section they've added at the top. It's amazing the flak you get when you offer a free tool!
I remember when MySpace pages were all the rage on the eBay Powerseller forum. Turns out that I was witnessing the beginnings of proof that social networking can drive a significant amount of traffic to your eBay business.
Well now web2.0 allstar Squidoo has Squidbids, "The place for trusted eBay sellers to strut their stuff, showcase their auctions and stores, and get more traffic." I think it'll be worth spending a few minutes creating a SquidBids profile. At the very least, another valuable incoming link to your business can only help your search engine rankings.
Amazon has recently put up a survey to help it improve the Amazon Marketplace. If you've been following this blog, you probably already know that I'm not the biggest fan of their selling experience. If you're currently selling on the venue, I encourage you to head to the Amazon Seller Community and take the survey!
If you've been a participant of the eBay seller community through the past couple of years, you probably heard of a hacker named Vladuz. He taunted eBay and other users by posting lists of usernames and addresses and logging into administrator accounts. Take a look at the auctionbytes article for a more in depth account:
http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y08/m04/i18/s01
My only question here is, did eBay learn anything? Have the security holes been patched? I can't seem to find any type of response to that question on the net yet. If you find anything, leave me a comment. Thanks!
Early February, PayPal announced it would be giving special benefits to powersellers. Especially of interest, transactions without confirmed addresses would qualify for Paypal Seller Protection.
Well, it's finally come to pass. Just remember...you have to sign up for it! Enroll for expanded seller protection here.
Read the following excert from the eBay Powerseller Program Benefits page to learn more:
PowerSellers that reside in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Hong
Kong with a registered PayPal account in one of these countries that is linked
to their eBay account are eligible for expanded PayPal seller protection against
claims, charge backs, reversals for unauthorized payments, and merchandise not
received. The expanded protection covers transactions on eBay paid through
PayPal. It's free, there's no annual limit, and transactions no
longer require confirmed addresses to be covered.
Ebay's Kristina Klausen recently posted a "Shipping Update" that implys some heavy hitting changes.
Beginning in the next "few months," all sellers will be required to use eBay's shipping calculator instead of other 3rd party tools. Let's touch on the pros and cons...
The Good:
Ebay has been focusing on improving and standardizing the buyer experience. This is definitely a step in the right direction.
The Bad:
Ebay's calculator is very limiting in both shipping carriers (only supports USPS and UPS) and concurrent service level offerings. Is eBay expecting all sellers to ditch DHL and Fedex?
The reality is that many people still distrust buying on eBay. With all the heavy changes lately, eBay has obviously decided that it will no longer be entrusting the important aspects of the buyer experience to its sellers. And, while it's causing a lot of drastic changes for sellers, remember that eBay's end goal is increased traffic, ASPs (Average Sale Prices), and STR (Sell Through Rate).
As a side note, Amazon doesn't even let sellers specify their own shipping rates on most products.
Here's a quick summary of the points in the announcement:
1. Reiteration of shipping costs factored into best match
2. New policies to require specified shipping through eBay instead of description
3. USPS Large Flat Rate Box integrated into calculator
Extra Note to Laris Customers: We're opening up the eBay shipping calculator beta integration to current customers to help get ready for the change.
Shortly after I posted Selling on Amazon.com, a Seller's Nightmare, I decided to sign up with Amazon again to see if they had improved. The answer, of course, is no. Here are the results...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
