help with eBay and my websites

[princessmirandajo]

For lack of a better title,

I have a website for clothes and accessories and I'm working on one for my books. What I'm wondering/debating is, should I leave my eBay store open, pay the $15.95/mo and use the pages and meta tags and stuff and somehow direct traffic from there (LEGALLY) or just close it all together and maybe put the $16 elsewhere.

Thoughts??

[bargainbloodhound]

should I leave my eBay store open,

If you're turning a profit, yes, leave it open until you've built up sales on your websites/other venues.

[princessmirandajo]

My point is, I am moving items and would leave the store open just for the pages but not have any items, but maybe an auction now or then.

I decided I'd rather build on my website than take my little profit from eBay. I have a jewelry business also that is profitable so I can afford the time off from eBay while building my websites.

[FiberGuy]

Hi princessmirandajo,

ebay store items are already partially (mostly?) hidden anyway.  If you want to drive ebay customers to your web site, the most immediate and cost-effective way to do it is through periodic auctions, rather than store items.  There are literally thousands of ebay surfers who would prefer to buy from a merchant's web site... I'm convinced of this!

Spend your time on your web site, as you stated.

Here's some ebay advertising tips:

1) me page ------> web site
2) FULL email address with your domain in your auction pages (makes domain legally visible in auction pages)
3) package inserts with every ebay item you sell directing them to your web site - perhaps even a special incentive for ebay customers to buy from your web site
4) profusely use your business name (sans any "dot com" names) in your auctions

Have at it!

Best of luck...

Cheers

ETA - I should mention that a 30 cent auction is, in my opinion, more valuable advertisement than 30 cent PPC ad.

[princessmirandajo]

I would run maybe one auction a week. Worth keeping my store open for that? I am not going to list store inventory items, just auctions to send out packages. I have some other advertising ideas up my sleeve. Nothing exciting. I don't mind slow growth. Just wondering if the store pages, custom pages, and me page is worth the $15.95 a month to utilize those pages and if so ,how?

[eclectica]

[quote author=princessmirandajo link=topic=11377.msg54815#msg54815 date=1180124482]
I would run maybe one auction a week. Worth keeping my store open for that? I am not going to list store inventory items, just auctions to send out packages. I have some other advertising ideas up my sleeve. Nothing exciting. I don't mind slow growth. Just wondering if the store pages, custom pages, and me page is worth the $15.95 a month to utilize those pages and if so ,how?
[/quote]

Hey Miranda!

If you're going to run strictly auctions, I wouldn't bother with the added store expense. You'll still have the ME page and really all you'll be losing is the ability to use the custom pages. If it were me, I'd ditch the store.

Have a great weekend!!

[sneakymagenta]

If it were me, I'd ditch the store.

:ditto:

[amy]

ETA - I should mention that a 30 cent auction is, in my opinion, more valuable advertisement than 30 cent PPC ad.

I'll agree.