Another eBay Community Board that I frequent is the Pottery and Glass Thread on the Category Specific Boards. The Pottery and Glass people are the absolute best when it comes to helping identify pottery and glass collectibles. The PGP people also host their own sales, with challenges and prizes. Over the years, I have experienced great success in participating in their monthly sales. The Christmas in July TAGSALE is in full swing over there as well.
There are a couple of specifics about the TAGSALE that make it so successful. One is that they require a link be placed on the logo that is inserted into the description of your auction. This allows a quick link for buyers to click on to gain access to everyone else’s auctions. This is a extremely effective tool for driving added traffic to your auction. The other thing that I like so much about the TAGSALE, as well as the EALC, is that there are rules to be followed. Exclusive to the TAGSALE, is that there are no limits on the amount of auctions you list, as long as they follow the other guidelines….AND you have a window of entire week to list your items, and are allowed to relist each of them once if the item does not sell. To me, this gives a great return on your investment of time to prepare your auctions with the TAGSALE logo and info. All TAGSALE info is removed after the auctions close.
Check out all the special items offered at the Christmas in July TAGSALE by clicking on the logo below!
Join us for our TagSale,
$9.99 Maximum start bid with No Reserve!
Use the keyword “TagSale“ to search for all sale items!
Did you know that there were eBay Communities and Groups where you could visit with other sellers with similar interests? At the top right of any eBay page you will find a “Community” button that will display several choices in a drop down box. The Discussion Forums and Help pages list a plethora of choices for varied interests. Under the Community Help Forums, I often visit the Auction Listings threads and more specifically the EALC (eBay Auction Listing Challenge) thread. Several times a year, this wonderful group of people self host a listing challenge with prizes and tons of encouragement. By placing EALC in the title of your auction during the challenge, the other members or those buyers who are familiar can search for your items by using the search term “EALC”.
Currently EALC is hosting a Christmas in July challenge. Click on the icon below, to see the current auctions listed.
Through facebook, many of you know that our dear sweet Blondie suffered a stroke on July 4th. She is definitely a part of our family and we have been completely saddened by her illness. Fortunately she is showing some progress and we are somewhat encouraged.
As I was looking through some of the items that I was going to list in the eBay EALC Challenge, I came across an adorable Lhasa Apso Christmas Ornament. Blondie is a mixed breed that looks like a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Corgi (when she is not shaved). Do you have that picture in your head? It sounds horrible, but she is just a cutie. Anyhow, I was getting this ornament ready to list, I began to think how nice it would be to have a Christmas Ornament that looked like Blondie. With her uniqueness I suspect that we will be hard pressed to find that special ornament, but I am hoping that this Lhasa Apso ornament makes its way to a good home filled with love for their little darling. I know that if I ever DID find the perfect Blondie ornament, I would spend a pretty penny to get it.
Since upgrading to a Premium eBay store, I have been concentrating so hard on fixed priced listings that I have totally ignored adding any auctions. With the eBay free auction listing fee promotion for any starting price, I felt compelled to get a few auctions up. The only problem is that I own a store and that disqualifies me for this great discount. Well, when there is a will, there is a way.
My daughter and I share an eBay ID that is not attached to a store….so guess where my listings went. That’s right…over to that ID.
The eBay Auction Listing Group over in the Community forums is having their Christmas in July EALC challenge and I didn’t want to miss it. If you have never strolled through the Community Discussion Forums, I encourage you to go visit. There is a forum for just about every eBay related (and beyond) that you could imagine. Friendships are forged in these forums and they are a wealth of information.
In the meantime, if you are looking for some great bargains check out the EALC Auctions on eBay.
When you are shipping your eBay packages, do you include any “little gifts” or extra advertising? From October to December last year, I included small candy bars attached to seasonal messages with all of my orders. The seasonal message cards included my store name, blog url, my facebook and Twitter info. After the first of the year, I stopped sending chocolate candy bars because so many people are dieting. In the spring and summer, sending chocolate is a dangerous idea with the issue of melting. argh!
For some time now I have been contemplating a new design for the cards that I include in my packages. Recently, I purchased something from The eBay Shop and in the package was a professional looking “Thank you for your order!” card. It looked so much better than my computer generated cards, so I finally took the plunge and hit Vistaprint to design my own. I ordered business cards, package insert cards, a banner to use at my classes, and much, much more!
Check out my package inserts….
Here’s another with a place to write a personal note on the back….
Adding a short note thanking a buyer really adds a personal touch and I believe has helped my Detailed Seller Ratings. Using this medium for getting your social media avenues to your buyers will only help your business. When the buyer opens their package, you have a captive audience for spreading the word about your business. It may only be a short window for holding their attention, so designing attractive and informative inserts is important. I do not claim to be an expert on this topic, but I do feel that using small amounts of info on these cards will quickly get the point across.
After much consideration, I have finally taken the plunge. Over the years, I have helped many friends and relatives with their eBay adventures. Even in the most challenging situations, I have been excited to bring the ‘Joy of eBay” to those who have asked for help.
One year, I helped a friend sell his deer permits, then set up an account for another friend so that he could sell his time vacations. Recently, I helped someone set up their email, eBay and PayPal accounts so that they could purchase machinery parts online. It gave me goosebumps when he hit the button for his first bid.
Until recently, my eBay adventures have been totally on my own with only my personal experiences guiding me to help others. I am now proud to say that I am a full-fledged Education Specialist Trained by eBay.
Becoming an EdSpec is part of an overall goal of becoming more active in the eBay Community. By looking at the Education Specialist Program webpages, I see that I am the only Education Specialist trained by eBay in Southwest Kansas and only one of six total in the entire state of Kansas.
Though I am not a Powerseller, and it’s unlikely that I ever will be, I know that there are other people who could benefit from my eight years of experience buying and selling on eBay. Living in such a remote area of Kansas, I find that in order to attend attend any eBay training or seminars, I often must travel hundreds of miles. When I began on eBay in 2002, I had no one to help me with understanding best practices or to offer time/money saving hints. Everything I learned, I learned on my own… either through trial and error or by searching forums and the eBay University Learning Center. There were many times that I wished I had a real person that I could call to ask simple questions. My hope is that I can be that go-to person for a novice or wannabe ebay buyer or seller. There is nothing better than seeing the excitement of helping someon to win that first auction or sell that first item on eBay…now I can enjoy it with a new title….Education Specialist Trained by eBay.
Dallas, Texas
May 7, 8
Hyatt Regency Dallas
The new eBay on Location site registration is now open. People in the know tell us that this event will fill up quickly and that those who wait until the last moment may be without a ticket. The first event in Atlanta filled slowly, however with the large eBay groups in the Dallas area tickets to this eBay on Location Event will be a hot commodity.
From the eBay Announcements Page…
“Attention small business and part-time sellers in the Dallas area!
Join us May 7-8 for an action-packed event to help you grow your business on eBay. This is a great chance to network and learn in the company of eBay experts, national speakers, and other sellers like you.
On Friday May 7, we kick things off with a welcome reception where you can meet other sellers in your area and chat in person with the experts. Saturday May 8 is a full day of sessions led by eBay and business experts.
You’ll learn:
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How to delight your customers and keep them coming back
- Secrets of success from Top-rated sellers
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When to list Auction-style or Fixed Price
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Tips and tools to sell more in less time
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How to tap into social media And much more!
Space is limited! Grab your spot early and save $10.
Registration is available on a first-come, first served basis, so don’t wait! Register now, before April 13th* to get the special Early Bird rate of just $35.”
Feb
22
The two month e-hiatus is over and we are getting back on track. The winter blahs will soon be replaced with thoughts of spring and spring activities…prom, graduation, babies, and even wedding plans…not necessarily in that order or one immediately following the other.
In our household, we are looking at Prom dresses, which sent me to the bridal store for inspiration. Hais is 6′2″, so formal dress shopping is quite a chore! There are so many wonderful designs in the stores, many with wonderfully hefty price tags included. Choosing a pattern and a seamstress is often a great choice for the possibility of saving a bit of money or, in our case, getting the perfect fit.
One of the formal dress patterns that we listed in our store last week is very similar to one of the past prom dresses from this household. The dress was a huge hit!
Formal dresses at Simply My Business
Another similar choice is the McCall’s Pattern M5807. I would prefer to see Hais choose View A…the wedding gown version in a beautiful black, shimmery lace overlay.
Unfortunately, Mom’s do not always get their way.
Prom and Bridal Dress Patterns at Simply My Business
With Prom coming up in April, choices must be made and a more proficient seamstress found.
Our first FacebookCyber Monday Party Challenge Gift!
Don’t you just love the “bling” on this cute little eBay keychain? Not just everyone has one of these! This is the first item to be offered in a drawing as soon as we have reached 30 participants. So invite everyone you know to join in our celebration of Cyber Monday!
Everyone is encouraged to participate…etsy, bonanzle, ebay….and I am sure there are other e-commerce business that do not belong to any of these categories that could benefit from extra exposure, as well enjoy the fun and games!
Everyone wants a successful, BLACK holiday season. Retailers call their break even day BLACK Friday….online retailers call it CYBER MONDAY. eBay, etsy, and Bonanzle sellers are no different….we all want a GREEN HOLIDAY. With all the auctions and seller booths out there, we often need to find ways of gaining more customers to our own sites. Simply My Business has created the CYBER MONDAY PARTY event on Facebook. Anyone is welcome to join…buyers and sellers alike.
A successful holiday selling season is definitely time consuming and a considerable amount of work, but we can make it a fun gathering of the minds and the goods at the CYBER MONDAY PARTY.
Games and drawings for some cool prizes will add to the celebration on Monday, November 30th, but don’t wait until then to get started. Go upload some of your items TODAY! OH…and bring your friends!