......and how does it work?
An eBay shop is basically a seller's products that have additional branding and are displayed in a way that is easy to navigate. The shop can have it's own identity and appearance, the shop front page can be utilised to promote various aspects of the sellers service or goods and extra promotional pages can be used to further demonstrate the products.
From a buyers point of view an on-line shop should be an easy place to browse because the goods for sale are put into designated categories (unlike a normal sellers list of items) and there is likely to be an opportunity to buy a number of items from this specialist seller 'under one roof' and have the postage costs discounted because of this.
If you compare it to a High Street shop it should be where a buyer can 'walk' around the shop, visit various sections, view the displays, take note of special offers and discounts and feel comfortable that this is a good place to spend their money and have confidence that their purchase will be handled professionally.
From a sellers point of view an eBay shop is wonderful in many ways!
- If you list more than 75 items per month you'll save on listing fees, they are half the price that non-shop sellers pay
-
You can make a brand for yourself with a logo on all of your pages and invoices
- You can use the shop front page to tell the buyer about your goods, either in words or by using slideshow images (see my shop, the link is below)
- You can use the shop front page to highlight various promotions such as new stock, discounts or price reductions
-
You can tidy up all of your listings from the unordered list of a non-shop owner to a neatly categorised department store
-
Having a shop gives you the opportunity to actively cross promote your items so you can up-sell or show the customer items that will go together or complement each other
- You can use eBays systems to do a proper reduced price sale with strike-through prices and percentage reductions
- You can use Custom Pages to provide extra information about your goods or service, these pages could also be used to fill in some background information about your product such as how it's made or how it can be used, you can show photos too. This additional information shows that you are knowledgable and have confidence in your product, it all helps the browser turn into a buyer
- Your shop is Search Engine friendly and you can use keywords to make the essential link between the buyers and your goods
Is an eBay shop right for you?
If you plan on selling on a regular basis and will specialise on a broad type of product then I say YES - subject, of course, to you doing the usual research to check that eBaying is right for your product.
You'll need to find out if the market for your proposed merchandise is already over-subscribed and check what prices are being achieved for similar goods before you commit to buying the stock, I'll advise on how to do this.
I'll assist with all aspects of getting your shop set up, steering you in the right direction, avoiding pitfalls and holding your hand for as long as you need help.
This logo is a link to my main shop, The Great Wall Of China Shop. At the moment my china shop is looking very understocked and neglected, just like the old adage of the cobbler's children not having any shoes. I've been spending a great deal of time with other sellers shops and have had no time to buy and list any new stock so it's not as full and vibrant as I'd like it to be.
Notice that I have my logo on all of my pages, it's also on the communications with my customers. You'll see that I'm promoting my stock with various visuals and I've written custom pages to provide extra points of communication.
©advicebay.co.uk2009