i deal Auction Seller Resource

Grade Ebay Auction Pro Stores Website

2005-11-25T05:22:00.000-08:00

Hi Auction Sellers, I wanted to update you with information about Pro Stores another Ebay product for ecommerce selling off Ebay's Auctions site. Well the grade is in and it is a D. I have worked with the product for 4 months and have to give you the information behind the grade.

First I like to say that the platform itself is basically user friendly for the most part but could use some work but ok overall, the customer service was very disapointing. Example: questions could not be answered, problems behind the scenes were fixed days later in some cases, and overall seem like they themselves new nothing about Pro Stores. Another thing that really concerned me was that Pro Stores purposely blocks meta tag information from search engine spiders as well as blocks most link and additional information you ad to your own website template, now after calling them and looking over there control panel I found out that they do this so you have to pay them to market your site for you to Price Comparison engines / sites, etc. Sound formilliar Auction Sellers, of course it does. Ebay just being Ebay I guess showing there customers how much they appriciate us all by finding another way to charge fees.

So my suggestion if considering a ecommerce site stay away from Pro Stores a great option with much more tools and flexibility would be webmasters.com a better value at a cheaper overall cost.

Google Base Go's Live Watch Out Ebay Auction!

2005-11-22T18:19:00.000-08:00

Google base has afficially gone live and I have had the chance to check it out and experiment a bit with it. First I would like to say I'm glad to see the response on my last post on Google Base a potential real competitor your comments are important and respected. Now back to Google Base, I have put some items online in this new platform from Google.

It is easy has plenty of options to add what ever you want and really makes it easy for small and novice ecommerce sellers to sell product with out a website and with out any website optimization issues. Ebay Sellers should take notice, the information gathered from accross the internet all point to the fact that Google is targeting Ebay and Craigs list. This multi function search engine slash classified slash market place is fast as far as response on quaries and is has a very targeted result. Now this new item is still in the starting stages as far as growth so Auction Sellers don't go and close your Ebay Stores as of yet, but It looks like the real deal and it is FREE. I'm sure that is refreshing news since we all know that Ebay tends to nickle and dime every one with out really paying attention to customers / Auction Sellers. With Ebay annually raising fees this could change the way we all run our ecommerce business.

Here is a link to Google Base so you can experiment for it yourself.

Auction Ebay Site Compition?

2005-11-02T18:57:00.000-08:00

Compition for Auction Ebay Site may be comming sooner than Auction Sellers may think. Now the question has been who can compete with the online auction king. Not Overstock, Not Yahoo, and certainly not Ioffer. The big battle may finally begin with the arrival of Google Base. The news has been buzzing around the internet with a so called leak with screen shots of the up coming Google Base a free online data base and selling engine and it is FREE. Auction Sellers should take notice of this potentially internet changing posibility. No one dominates the internet more than Google and Action Ebay Site has taken notice as stocks fell the day Google Base was discovered. This may be a big money making forum for small internet marketers. The information is still new and Google has since pulled the screen shots but do admit to the creation of such a monster tool. I will continue to research for new developments.

More Resources
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051025-5480.html

Sales Down for Ecommerce Auction Home Business.

2005-09-26T05:52:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you have noticed a significan decrease in you online ecommerce auctions home business sales. We'll its not just you or anything your doing. Ecommerce business sales are down across the board. Alot of the reason for the decearse in sales is being pointed to gas prices increaseing due to the Hurricane disaster in New Orleans. When gas prices increase by 50 - 75% in a very short period of time it will effect disposible income for online ecommerce shoppers. But dont panic it look bad at the moment but new studies are showing that ecommerce / auction home business sales will reach all time highs with the upcoming holidays season fast upproaching. So hand in there the clouds will clear, don't give in it the situation will improve.

A great way to position your ecommerce home business is to create great online sales options like FREE SHIPPING, Discounts on items, and other great promotions that will increase sales for customers looking to save as much as they can due to gas hikes.......

Tera Peak Successful Ebay Auctions FREE Price Research Tool

2005-09-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

This FREE tool is a great way to research pricing for successful Auction items that have sold. I have done some research for my Ebay Auction items and used the information to adjust some my online auctions to increase sell through. The tool can also be used to look at new items being sold on Ebay that you may have not thaught about and see starting price and ending auction selling price. It also can provide some insite on search terms being used in some successful Auction Titles and copy being used in ads. Take a look at this FREE tool for yourself Ebay Price Research it could help increase you sell through rate as well as help you with understanding item value on Ebay.

Build More Traffic to Your Online Aution Home Business!

2005-09-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

Bringing more traffic to your online auctions is crucial to you success in you ecommerce home business. Sure sites like Ebay Auctions and Overstock Auctions help bring a good attention to your auctions. Things like good item descriptions, good photo's, and a overall right product are all extremly important another consideration is bring in traffic from outside of ebay. If you have an Ebay Store or another online ecommerce site that is connected to your online auctions a true way to bring in new targeted prospects is search engines. Internet Market you Ebay Store or Website by getting listed in Google, Yahoo, MSN etc. I realize that is not a simple task but with some research you could double your monthly visits to your online auctions. Link building is a great way to catch the attention of search engines. List to online FREE directories. Get your items listed in FROOGLE for FREE. Look into other FREE online auction sites and ecommerce product listing sites. Don't Just rely on the traffic provided by Ebay or Overstock Auctions you can increase sales build you business faster and more successful with outside resources.

My next post will give more detail on getting great rankings and link building for Search Engines.

Ebay Online Auction Sales Scam BEWARE!

2005-09-01T03:09:00.000-07:00

I have come across a new Ebay online auction scam which consist of a so called seller sends an email informing you that you better pay for an item you purchased or seller will report you to Ebay security. One problem I have not purchased anything. The email has a link to a fake Ebay site which records your password and then high jaks your account. Never use the link in the email, always connect to your Ebay account through a seperate internet window and go in that way. Then check your messages in my Ebay. When I checked my ebay account I discovered NO message sent exsisted. SCAM!!!

FREE Wholesale Dropship Source for you Ebay Auctions!

2005-08-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Everybody serious about building there online Auctions business has to find a reliable source for the items they want to sell. Sure its great to sell the unwanted items you currently have in your home but once they are gone there gone. Now like myself you have to start planning on sourcing your items to keep your Online Auction business bringing in profits. I have attched a couple of great places to locate dropship wholesale suppliers for you to use in your Ebay, Overstock Auctions.
Go Wholesale
Wholesale 411

These two directories are the most used FREE Online Wholesale directories for Ebay and Ecommerce sellers.

Note: Always look into each company you choose from any one of these list to ensure there real Drop ship Wholesalers. Unlike World Wide Brands wich does a indepth screening before listing each company in there directory, there is a potential for a bad company to be listed in these FREE directories. But there are also alot of great dependible companies listed as well.

FREE Auction Trend Report What Is Selling And When to Sell It On Ebay?

2005-08-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

Ebay has released a great FREE tool that shows Ebay buying trends month to month. A great way to evaluate what is selling and when is the best time to sell items. Take advantage of this market research report to improve your selling practices. Click Here Ebay Trend Report. Its FREE!

How To Get More Exposer To Your Ebay Online Auctions

2005-08-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

Looking for a way to bring more attention to you online ebay auctions with paying any extra fees? This simple technique is easy, not talked about and in the guidlines according Ebay. Now I start buy explaining how auctions are displayed and listed online when search term is entered in ebay. The auctions closest to ending are listed before auctions that are new with a - example: a seven day auction. Ebay allows you to make as many updates to your online auctions as long as if the auction has zero bids and atleast 12 hours remaining on auction. So the idea is to bring your online auction items to the front of the line for more exposer. How do you do that? Start your auctions as one day auction. Keep track of the amount of time left being sure not to miss the 12 hour mark. If you have no bids revise auction to a 3 day auction. Again track the time remaining on your auction not to miss the 12 hour cut off. If no bids revise / extend to a five day auction, then to a seven day auction. You may not want to extend to a ten day auction seing that it increases your fee. This simple technique will keep your auction up front for a longer period of time than your compition. Resulting in more exposer which could equal more sales..

Try it out, I have implemented this technique to good results it may do the same for you.

Beware of Paypal Payments Listed as Uncomfirmed!

2005-08-12T03:24:00.000-07:00

I have stumbled on a problem that seems to be the trend these days with Paypal payments listed as uncomfirmed. I have since changed the payment details on my Online Auction ads stating that any payment made by Paypal listed as unconfirmed must be updated to confirmed with in 10 days for item to ship. If account payment remains uncomfirmed after the 10 day period payment will be refunded and sale void.

What happens is items are paid for with either a bad, stolen credit card number or items is purposely purchased with CC that is not confirmed in Paypal account. So once you ship item out after receiving this Paypal payment and item is received by the so called customer a Charge back is placed against your account and Paypal does pretty much nothing to protect you. They take the funds out of your account, charge you for trying to keep the funds and your left with a loss. So keep an eye out for this growing scam, It only costs me a small lost ( thankfully ) but could have been much worse.

Make the proper adjustments as needed to your Online Auction ads. I got burned so you dont have to. I love Paypal but this problem could be something for them to work on and hopefully soon.

Overstock Online Auctions Expeariment Review Part 3

2005-08-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

Ok after we started the small expeariment to veiw and look at Overstock Online Auctions as another selling platform the thought was how does it stand up to Ebay, but soon I realized that Overstock attracts a different type of shopper, offers a differnent type of selling format. Do I think that Overstock is worth it? The truth is YES! I beleive that you should never put all your eggs in one basket and with the changes Ebay is making - good or bad, having another marketing forum is a great idea.

Now my approach to Overstock Auctions will differ than that of Ebay the goal remains the same BUILDING MY BUSINESS.

I also took a look at Overstock Auctions costs + hits to my auction ads and what I found was that if you were to break down the visits to your ads + costs into a pay per click module the truth is that there isn't much of a differnce between the two.

I will continue to expeariment with Overstock Auctions and all they have to offer and will update information for others to follow and learn.

Overstock Auctions Expeariment Update Part 2

2005-08-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

Well the results are in for week one with Overstock auctions selling expeariment. Auctions closed with zero sales, but hits looked promising so I have gone ahead and made a few adjustments to see if this helps close the sale. I extended the length of the online auction ad now having it close on a monday after noon. I was surprised to see that activity was head to head with the same ebay ad ( wich didn't sell ). I have made the same adjustment to the ebay auction ad. I will keep you updated with information, corrections etc. If I can prevent a mistake for you than it helped after all. If you have any pointers feel free to fill me in I will be more than happy to look at all angles to find a fit.

Overstock Online Auction experiment update 1

2005-07-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Ok well I have the ads place on both Ebay Auctions and Overstock Auctions, so far both selling platforms seem to be pretty close in results. Now the big difference is of course the fees Ebay is atleast 35% more than Overstock Auctions fees. The approach I chose for the first experiment is and Auction option with no buy it now and no researve price. The starting price on the auctions is well below item retail value but not rediculously low were item true value is lost or destroyed ( part of the problem with Ebay ). And were in the business of making money not loosing money.
Now this approach may not be the propper approach for this type of item but that wont be determined untill Auction closing were hits and bids can be avaluated. Stay turned for updates..

Ebay Auctions Intergrading Online Game Play?

2005-07-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

The secret is out, I found out today that Ebay tends to have games intergraded into there auction platform. These games will give you the opportunity to win prizes and cash. Now Ebay will have a pop up appear as customers enter a search term and a game matches search keywords. Does this sound like fun? for me NO and it should be concerning because customers could be destracted away from your ads or even leave your ad completely to play these online games. Now Ebay will be charging to play these games ( of course they charge a fee ). In reallity Ebay can possibly be making money twice from you, once with insertion fee and then again when your potential customers get leared away from your ad to play a game they found with yours and other sellers key words. Thats Great the Ebay carnival continues. Just keep your eye out and build your own oppinion about this move, there is alot of Ebay propaganda flowing around on the net from Ebay employees, again always feeding positve thoughts and avoiding the real issues at hand, you the seller and your business.......

Overstock Auction Product Selling Experiment!

2005-07-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

There has been some very good buzz about Overstock Auctions and what the platform has to offer. I know that Ebay is the giant of auctions but I also know that I do not want to put all my eggs in one basket. So I have decided to do a Auction experiment in Overstock trying different techniques, selling catagories, starting prices, etc. and I will post the results as I they develope. There is alot of options that Overstock offers that Ebay tends to ignore and I have seen growing activity in this Ebay Auction Alternitive. Keep checking in to see the results of this online auction test....

Bulk Email Marketing For Your Online Sales!

2005-07-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

When I mention bulk email marketing Im not talking about email spamming. I mean creating targeted email marketing. How do you gain good emails? Well the answer may be right in your email box already. When ever a customer responds to you Ebay Autions or Ebay Store ads they are considered to be opt in. You now have the ok to persue cross promoting items related to the items they are interested in or purchased. Remember to always allow leads in your bulk email marketing campaign to option to cancel any further emails. You can also gain great email list online for a great price, targeted traffic, more bids and higher Auction selling price.

Keep this marketing option in mind when building your business..

About Prostores Ecommerce Ebay Online Store Platform.

2005-07-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

Ok now I have had some time to review, experiment, and try Prostores Ebay's new ecommerce plateform. I found the Prostores Platform to be slow, sluggish, unforgiving in some screens, and A overall grade of C. I don't like the set up or the lack of fundamentals. I would love to here about other people experience with the new Ebay product. My view is that it is missing something. Ecrater.com offers a much easier more upfront option to ecommerce store building. I have closed my account and have moved on. I'm sure that ebay will adjust the flaws in this new venture but until then I am out.

Give me your feedback!

Bring More Traffic To Your Ebay Store And Auctions!

2005-07-19T03:19:00.000-07:00

A great way to bring more traffic to you Ebay Store and Ebay Auctions is FREE. Just sign up as a new member and participate. This great traffic generating source is Discussion Forums. Find a forum that relates to the type of item you sell in you Online Auctions and read through the threads and participate by answering question other may have, give your opinions, and leave a link to your website or Online Auction. Now keep in mind you do not want to spam the forums with ad after ad, make your link to your Auctions a answer to a problem, make it an example to a question asked, etc. If you leave spamming type ads the forum may delete your thread and may even ban you from forum. The Traffic generated from disussion forums is surprising, the threads stay out there for months and even years. Search engines list these threads high because of the content rich information provided, so with out even relizing it you Auction ads links are found in search engines.

Now try to find a forum that has high traffic and found on search engines, because some discussion forums by leaving a link and help you PR rating for your website wich helps Google crawl your website and Auction Ads and list them in search.

Just spend about a 1/2 hour to an hour participating in the forums, read posts, and be sure to post your own messages. remember leave a link back to Auction ADS or Website. It is worth the cost FREE!!!!

The Advantages To Having a Ebay Store VS a Normal Website.

2005-07-13T03:16:00.000-07:00

The question that I come accross in forums and chat pages is should I have an Ebay Store. The answer to that is yes. Reasons for having an Ebay Store include:
Cross Promotion of Ebay Auction Items, Ebay Online Search Presence on Keywords for your items, Easy Set up for xml pages for Froogle, and much more. Keep in mind that you store items do not show up in Auction section of Ebay but you auction items do show in Store. Using your Auction Items to promote store items is done by using Ebay's FREE Cross Promotion Bar which shows 4 other items you are selling. The cost to have an Ebay Store Starts at $15.99 and for the promotion they give you for FREE it is well worth it.

The reasons for having and Ebay Store is growing all the time. Ebay pays alot for search keywords and I have found alot of my items showing up in google search near top of page. I know I said your ebay items do not show up in Auction portion of site but there is a case in which you ads do show up in the Auction portion for FREE. If a search term returns 10 items or less in Auction Portion, Ebay Store items will show in Auctions. Another reason to use an ebay store is that you have the power to optimize you store for search and you are backed by the Ebay name. The ebay brand has become a trusted well known brand for you store.

Check into opening a store, it is a great way to promote other items without spending a ton of Ebay Auction Fees. My Store sales have gone up in the past few months, and seems to improve more and more. Try it out ebay offers the first month FREE.

FREE Online Auction Ad Template Software !!!

2005-07-11T00:35:00.000-07:00

One way to help build sell through rate on your auctions is to have professional looking Online Auction Ads. I have found a great FREE Auction Ad Template Software you can use to create these ads for you Ebay, Ioffer, Overstock Auctions, Yahoo Auctions, and more. These professional designed FREE Templates work on almost all Online Auction Platforms.

Heres another great FREE Online Auction Template Creator Software for you to use to make great looking Ads.

Online Auction Giant Ebay Has Ecommerce Stores Outside of Ebay Auctions

2005-07-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Ebay the Online Auction Giant wich recently purchased Shopping.com have jumped into the ring of online Ecommerce Stores. I'm not talking about Ebay Stores ( in Ebay Auction Platform ), I'm talking about ProStores . Now it seems a bit more clear on why the purchase was made for Shopping.com, I'm sure there is more reasons than just the new ecommerce forum, but it make sense now.

ProStores is a great platform for building and hosting a Ecommerce store, they give you the first month FREE to get in and try it out. ProStores does a automatic data feed to the top market place search engines like: Shopping.com, Froogle, Yahoo Shopping, and Shopzilla daily to help market your products and produce more sales. ProStores also is intergraded with ebay to import listings to you new website or even place items for auction on Ebay. This platform also has many helpful reports, it also tracks visitor stats, connects to Quickbooks, easy to use site builder, and much more.

ProStores has a couple of different store options to fit your needs, and the price seems great for what you get in Marketing and site admin tools. Its FREE try it out, it may be a new selling venue for you.

What is the Best Day To Start My Online Auctions

2005-07-05T03:14:00.000-07:00

What day to start your auctions is probably the biggest question I here. Starting your Online Auction Ads on the right day will determin a large amount of last minute bidders. I find that Sunday is the best day to post your auctions because you get a full weekend and two Sundays to sell you items.

The worst days to post your Online Auctions are Friday and Saturday because alot of people party on fridays or go away for the weekend. Not a great amount of people online shopping for your items.

Other great day to Post your Online Auctions is Wedsday and Thursday.

Now What time of day is the best time to post your Auction Ads is another important thing to remember. A great time to start your auction is 9:00pm east - 6:00pm west ( 3 hour differnce ). People are home from being away and have had time settle in or are home from work. You dont want to post to early or to late, it may cost you. There other considerations to determine what time to start your online auctions, depending on what you are selling but these days and times are a good even starting point for most items.

Drop Shipper Wholesale Sources For Your Online Auction Business.

2005-06-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

Were to find product to sell in my Online Auctions was a hard and time consuming process. Who can you trust, what Drop Shippers are real, and are they dependible. I hered about a Online Auction Product Source that I had to look into. I found them while listing to an online interview, the company had a real Wholesale Dropship Directory that was put together by having each company having to be approved after a detailed aplication before even being considered in there directory. World Wide Brands seperates the FAKES from the real Wholesale Drop Shippers out there. I signed up with them and have been using them to source almost all of my products. They have great customer service that actualy contacts you back with any questions you have in less than 24 hours. This is a great Wholesale Drop Shipper with a fine reputation and a amazing amount of brand name products to source. Check them out....

Ebay Auctions Store Discount Coupon Code!

2005-06-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

I am releasing my first Online Auctions Discount Code to be used for any purchase $25.00 or more in my Ebay Auction Store or Online Auction. Just give coupon code number with payment and discount will be applied to your online auction item.

Code #: 715593R11
Discount: FREE SHIPPING
Date: July 3, 2005

click the link below.
Ideal Auctions Ebay Store

Code only good for date listed above. If Auction discount code is submitted after date listed coupon will be VOID.