2006 July 27

Should I Open an eBay Store?

July 27th, 2006 |

Author: admin

Dear eBay Queen;

I have been thinking about opening an eBay Store. Last Wednesday I received the email from Bill Cobb (President of eBay North America) stating they were raising the store fees. Do you think an eBay store is worth the money? What is the advantage to having a store?

Auction Only Man

Dear Auction Only Man;

An eBay Store is the best way to help medium to large sellers maximize their online business. With a Store, sellers can display all their listings, regardless of listing format all in one place.

Some of the benefits of owning an eBay Store:

· Customize your Store to determine the look and feel (colors, graphics, content, etc.)

· List items in Store Inventory format for longer durations (up to 30 days)

· Organize and display your items with your own Store categories

· Enable buyers to perform keyword searches within your Store

· Receive a unique Web address (URL) for your Store that you can promote to buyers

· Obtain free sales and visitor traffic reports to inform your business strategies

· Receive exposure on eBay Stores pages on eBay.com and eBay.ca

The fees for owning a basic store are 15.95 per month, after August 22, 2006 the stores listing and final value fees will be raised. They will be:

Starting Price

New Insertion Fee

Current Fee

$0.01 — 24.99

5¢

2¢

$25.00 and higher

10¢

2¢

Selling Price	New Final Value Fee	Current Fee
$0.01 — 25.00	10%	8%
$25.01 — 100.00	7%	5%
$100.01 — 1,000.00	5% (no change)	5%
$1,000.01 and higher	3% (no change)	3%

I still have my store open, and will probably keep it up until after the holidays. Just like many other eBay sellers, I am not very happy with the new final value fee. But I am very happy eBay is back to promoting the core of eBay… auctions.

Dear eBay Queen;

I am working on setting up my About Me page on eBay. I don’t know why I get so nervous about every little aspect of setting up my business. I was so worried I’d say something foolish, or not say enough, or misrepresent myself in some way, that I put off the simple act of setting up my About Me page, even though I know it is necessary to build lasting relationships with my customers, which is an important part of my business plan. I finally sat down and put something in words. I am thinking about adding pictures of my gardens, since my eBay name has to do with gardens. Also is it okay to put pictures of your children up there, or is this a safety risk?

Worried About Me

Dear Worried;

It can be a little nerve wracking starting up any business. Did you look at other sellers and buyers About Me pages? That way you can get a good idea of what other people say about themselves and their business.

I recommend putting the following on your About Me page;

· Payment information. Do you take Paypal, Money orders and Checks? How fast do you expect payment?

· Shipping policies. How fast do you ship? Do you charge a handling fee? Do you combine shipping?

· Return Policy. Do you have one? Will you accept a return for any reason? Do you refund shipping also?

Personal information is nice, but I would limit that information. You can talk about your family, but to be safe, I wouldn’t put any photos of your children on your About Me page. Many people put a photo of themselves up, because it is nice to see who your trading partner is. You could share information and photos about what you collect, or how you came to start selling on eBay. Don’t be afraid of your About Me Page, it’s the one thing you should know the most about, yourself! Here’s a link to help get you started: http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/about-me.html

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 250008384074 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). Could it be Christmas in July? Antique German Bird Christmas Ornament Sold $688.55 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250008384074

Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com.