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062413

Why You're Getting This Newsletter 
 
Hi eBay Friend, Client &/or Associate...

I've decided to start this newsletter to share info about eBay with you - if you're interested. (If not, please click the unsubscribe link above.)

I've just returned from the eBay Radio Party in Las Vegas. I love going to eBay events - get to see other eBay sellers and staffers I've met or chatted with over the years. And, I also learn some new things and get inspired. (See the article below about eBay Radio if you're not familiar with it.)

In this newsletter will be info I've learned about eBay or things that may be of interest to other eBayers. My main areas of interest are eBay stores and pages design as well as Blackthorne and SixBit training, so expect to read a bit about that. Of course, I have a little bit of a life beyond eBay so expect to hear a personal tidbit or two on occasion.

I hope you find this of value!
eBay Radio - Are You Tuned In? 

 

On Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 11am Pacific Time, eBay Radio can be found on the web. eBay experts (sellers, staffers and suppliers) entertain and inform.

Hosts Jim "Griff" Griffith and Lee Mirabel offer great discussion on the show - and allow sellers to call in with questions and comments at certain times during the shows. You can even call in to get your listing dished - Lee and Griff will evaluate one of your listings, providing valuable feedback for improvement, if needed - or kudos to point out things you've done well.

I recommend joining the eBay Radio Group at groups.ebay.com/forum/Ebay-Radio-Town/Welcome/1278. Under the Preferences, sign up to receive emails so you'll get a reminder the morning of the show. Then, at show time, click on the Listen Live orange bubble to tune in. At the radio page, you may want to click on the Group Chat link to take you to the discussion forum which is live while the show is in progress; you can ask questions and make comments with others who are tuned it.

eBay Radio is a treasure in which you'll find nuggets useful to you and your eBay business!

 

Why You Must Have an eBay Store
 
For many years, sellers subscribed to an eBay Store because of the savings on listing fees when they had a certain number of listings. Since eBay instituted a plan in which a number of listings can be made at no additional charge, that consideration has become moot for the most part.

(However, if you want to see what your eBay fees would be for a typical month without or with one of the 3 levels of eBay Stores, plug your numbers into the
Fee Illustrator.)

Regardless of any fee savings, much more important to me are the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) benefits! Your store name, the store category names, your store description and store page/store category keywords as well as custom pages all will help your SEO!

"Jane's Clothing and Fine Jewelry" with categories such as "Women's Shirts", "Women's Dresses" and "Gold Rings" are much better than "Jane's Store" with categories such as "Clothing", "Rings" and "Necklaces".

If you use one of eBay's standard store headers, make sure you include the "store description"! "Thank you for visiting my store" is NOT what you should write! List your typical items and brands - keywords - to be found by search engines. (A quick thank you is nice, but that section's for the search engines, not shoppers.)



Store page and store category keywords is something to take the time to do! In your Manage My Store, click on the "Search Engine Keywords" section under "Store Design". That'll take you to a page at which you can enter keywords to boost your SEO. One seller I know sells postcards. She spent the time to fill out state and city names for her category pages to increase the possibilities for internet shoppers to find her eBay offerings.

Custom store pages are great for SEO! I do recommend having a FAQ as a custom page for your shoppers' convenience, but it's the informative custom pages which'll do you much good! Tell about the history of your items. Tell shoppers how to use those items. Include size and measuring charts if appropriate. When someone googles, for example, "how to plant prickly pear cactus pads", over time, an eBay store page with that info will appear higher in the results. (I don't currently find any good eBay results for that phrase, by the way...) Such pages will not appear in google results soon, but over time, with your cross-linking to that page wherever you can, your results will improve - and you'll benefit from the SEO.
 
eBay Radio Party Goofy Fun
 
The theme of the eBay Radio Party this year was the Rat Pack. My fellow Tucson eBay sellers, Laura and Sandra, joined me in dressing up as the main 3 rat packers and entertained (well, sorta) the audience as seen in this video:
eBay Rat Pack Video
 
Stuff I like
 

SixBit.com


Ware-Milo on Facebook


Shipscript on eBay