Vzaar Video for Business Video for eBay Video for Marketing – It’s Just Vzaar!

vzaar_logo_powering_video1It's Just Vzaar!

I have been aware of the Vzaar video embed service for eBay sellers and Internet merchants since they started back in 2007.  Not being a big user of video though I really did not spend a lot of time checking the company out. To tell the truth, this could be one of my biggest mistakes in the last 2 years!

Video ENGAGE!

Diamond Seller on vzaar - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

(I apologize to Captain Jean-Luc Picard - I couldn't resist!)

Everyone is now aware of the power of video for product presentations, for engagement of the audience and to more effectively present any service on a website (or in this case any eBay listing) in a fashion that is accepted worldwide. Viewers may not speak your language but a video can explain your product or service to them - it is that effective.

A picture may be worth a 1000 words! What is the extrapolation for video? - a Billion words?

Yet I have not paid as much attention to video as I should have. Frankly I was blithely wandering through life with my own little writers mentality enjoying ignorant bliss.  Wow, did I miss the boat on this one!

Jamie Parkins

Jamie Parkins

Jamie Parkins of Vzaar tried to show me the way at eBay Live in Chicago 2008.  We met on the solutions floor about, oh... a dozen times it seems. Jamie was actively trying to get my attention for his product and to be honest he had a great story to tell.  I listened, I watched and I found it all very interesting but I have to admit something...  In the back of my head was what I thought was a huge question about this paid video embed service...

What about YouTube or Viddler? Continue reading “Vzaar Video for Business Video for eBay Video for Marketing – It’s Just Vzaar!” »

eBay Fees ? Amazon Fees ? Etsy Fees ? Overstock Fees ? Try eBCalc

 eBCalc the venerable online fee calculator for eBay and PayPal has been used by knowledgeable eBay sellers for years.

Many of us long standing eBay sellers are very familiar with the interface and usefulness of this nifty free program found at the following URL: http://v1.ebcalc.com/

You may not be aware that eBCalc has changed,

...at least I was surprised to see that the simple eBay & PayPal fee calculator has undergone a growth spurt.  eBCalc is now much more than a tool for eBay & PayPal and it seems we have a certain Mr. Doug Boudreau to thank. 

eBCalc is now a multi-channel fee calculator with more functionality than ever before.  Not only will eBCalc return results for eBay's many marketplaces and fee structures at the following URL: eBay Fee Calculator but it will now also help with fee calculation for many other marketplaces such as Amazon.com, Overstock.com and Etsy (among others).  Continue reading “eBay Fees ? Amazon Fees ? Etsy Fees ? Overstock Fees ? Try eBCalc” »

Google Base Store Connector – Broken? – eBay Stores Owners Try This

Google Base is a wonderful thing, when it works... With Google Base and the store connector (works with more than eBay) a feed of product can be uploaded to Google shopping (the old Froogle) for free!

The idea is to create a data feed from your eBay or Yahoo store, directly to Google shopping.  All of the information to populate a listing in Google is scraped from your eBay store or yahoo stores listings - automatically.

The only problem being that the Google Base Store connector mysteriously stopped working.  I can't speculate on the cause of this mysterious failure (possible re-kindling of the eBay/Google feud?) but in any case this connection is a vital part of eBay stores marketing and I have been searching for a way to get it up and running.

It seems the only way to use Google Base at this time is manually and I have had trouble with that at times.  It may be a bit of a bother, but if you put it in your schedule once a week or so, it should help you to put your eBay stores products in front of more shoppers.  (This is a feature which should be built in to eBay Stores accounts with an automatic feed, but....)

So, I found this great step by step instruction guideline posted by a Google Base help board user "Collectorgirl".   Thanks Collectorgirl, I hope your time and effort in creating these well written instructions helps many eBay & Yahoo stores owners!

-------------------------
By collectorgirl:
JUST UPDATED THESE INSTRUCTIONS....JUNE 18, 2008 - 1:38pm
I don't work for Google, but I have an eBay store on eBay. My seller
name on eBay is snifflesmouse.

I am sharing how I successfully scheduled eBay store items for upload
to Google Base because I want to help other people like me, but any
use of this information is your responsibility. Only store items will
be uploaded, not fixed price or auction items.

How to Schedule your eBay Store Items for automatic upload to Google
Base:
1. Go to eBay and click "My eBay"
2. Click "Manage My Store" on the left side of the page
3. Click on "Listing Distribution" under promotional tools
4. Click "Activate your Store listings via RSS. (not sure if this
is needed for Google)
5. Click "Make a file of your Store Inventory listings available"
6. May need to wait at least 12 hours before you continue with
these instructions
7. When eBay provides you with a URL of your Google Base-specific
file, COPY THE URL - looks something like: http://esssl.ebay.com/GetListings/yourstorename?fmt=g
8. Login to Google Base
9. Click the "Settings" tab
10. Change your Website URL to match the Google Base URL provided by
eBay - again, looks something like: http://esssl.ebay.com/GetListings/yourstorename?fmt=g
11. Click the "My Items" tab
12. Click on the "Data Feeds" link
13. Click the "New Data Feed" button
14. Type a file name with the .xml extention - should be the name of
your store with no spaces - for example, "mystorename.xml"
15. Change the item type in the drop down menu to "Products"
16. Click the button that says: "Register data feed and continue to
formatting instructions"
17. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the button that
says: "I'm done formatting my file. Continue to upload"
18. If you need to, click the "My Items" tab, then click on the "Data
Feeds" link (or continue to step 19 below)
19. Click the "create" link next to Schedule
20. Choose when and how often you would like Google to upload your
file
21. Type the URL of the file - should match the URL provided by eBay
- the same one used in step 10 above
22. CLICK THE SCHEDULE BUTTON
23. Come back and check to see if your products have been uploaded as
scheduled - login to Google Base, click the "my items" tab, click the
"active items" link. You should see all of your store items listed
(they will not upload auction or fixed price listings)
HOPE THIS HELPS!!

Readers - Let us know if you have found a quicker, easier, or automatic solution which works....

eBay Opens up Third Party Application Development Within Selling Manager

Breaking News from Devcon 2008 - eBay Loosens Up!

eBay to Open up Merchant Tool to Developers


eBay will open a tool used by 700,000 of its merchants to external developers, the next step in an ongoing effort to promote the creation of applications for its online marketplace.

For the first time eBay will feature third-party applications within Selling Manager, a tool merchants use to manage their eBay listings, the company plans to announce Monday at its annual eBay Developers Conference in Chicago.

"We're taking our open [application development] platform to the next level," said Max Mancini, eBay's Senior Director of Mobile Platform and Disruptive Innovation.

Selling Manager is the most popular tool among eBay merchants, but so far has only featured applications created by the company. However, eBay now recognizes that it can't extend the tool's functionality on its own in a way that meets all of its users' demands and requirements, Mancini said. Continue reading “eBay Opens up Third Party Application Development Within Selling Manager” »

eBay Estimator Title Tool Will Return – Will BEST MATCH Bug be Corrected?

eBay enlists the help of PeSA/ECMTA to calm the storm of debate regarding the eBay Best Match Title Tool eBay estimator removed last week due to a story in eBay Strategies by Scot Wingo.

We followed up with a story here and added our own opinion that the removal of the tool was not due to a problem with the tool itself, but due to the exposure it gained in Scot Wingo's eBay Strategies blog and the open reporting of a serious bug in the Best Match algorithm. Continue reading “eBay Estimator Title Tool Will Return – Will BEST MATCH Bug be Corrected?” »

Hot Stuff On eBay? Find Out With The NEW Terapeak 5.0

Terapeak

Terapeak MarketPlace Research has a whole new look and feel. 

With "Hot" new features for eBay sellers and Internet eCommerce professionals alike.  The search is much faster, the interface cleaner and the features more robust. The graphs are much better and I feel the entire program is much faster and easier to use...

New Features in Terapeak 5.0 - Hot Research

  • New Hot Products
  • New Hot Buyer Searches
  • New Hot Seller Titles
  • New Hot Media International
  • New Hot Categories International
  • New Top Titles by Seller
  • New Top Titles by Category
  • Revealed Top Seller Usernames
  • Revealed Category Trend Numbers
  • Improved Report Page
  • Improved Page Navigation
  • Improved Date Navigation
  • Improved Browser Compatibility
  • Improved Search Speed
  • Improved Page Load Speed

Our sister publication AllBusinessAuctions/blog published a quick review of the new product recently...

Terapeak 5.0 What's Hot Hot Hot

Terapeak

Follow the Hot Hot link above and read about the new version of Terapeak. You can even find a link to a free version of Terapeak Research in the Article on AllBusinessAuctions.com/blog

 

 

What Kind of eBay Seller Are You?

Think of eBay as an ecosystem...

eBay Ecosystem

As in any ecosystem, members of the community depend upon one another. The eBay ecosystem is composed of buyers and sellers - without one or the other the system falters and all become extinct.  As in any ecosystem, different classes of organisms compete for survival.

The sellers in this ecosystem are comprised of occasional sellers, part time sellers, somewhat professional sellers, Powersellers and the Mega Conglomerate Super-sellers.

The question is, what kind of eBay seller are you? 

I see eBay as a community, and as in every community there are different status levels, income levels, outlooks, thoughts and fears among those who participate in the community.  The community as a whole seems cohesive from the outside, but when one wades into the inner workings of any community, a whole range of thoughts and ideas about the community ecosystem and its rules will become apparent.

As eBay members and sellers, we must keep in mind the simple facts of life in any community. Some rules work fine for some members, yet the same rules are looked upon as a poison by other members.

As a community grows and becomes larger, the dominant forces gain more control.  The rules are set by those people and as in any community, those people should have the greater good of all of the community members in mind when creating new rules or laws or fees.

Do you think the powerful members of this eBay community have the entire ecosystem's health in mind when they undertake the task of changing how the community operates?  If you believe in the people who are holding the reigns and think they have our best interests at heart, try to take a step back and see what kind of real effect any new rule will have on the entire ecosystem, not just your small part.

If you do not believe in the idea that the people in charge of this community have the greater good in mind when setting the rules, then it may be time to find another community.

These are the harsh realities of the community in which we live and do business in every day.  Times change, life goes on.  No one ever said eBay would be a fixed price deal.  No one ever promised it would always stay the same.

You do not have to agree, but you should think about putting the energy you have wasted on complaining about changes to work in a new and creative way.  Find a new marketplace, adjust to the changes and use eBay in a different way.

eBay is simply a tool - nothing more.  It is a very large and somewhat costly tool if you do not know how to use it correctly.  But in the hands of a skilled craftsman, even the most expensive tools can save money when compared to using cheap tools which waste time or energy.

What kind of eBay seller are you?  One who uses cheap tools or a real craftsman who knows how to make expensive tools save money?

Top 10 New Years eBay Store Resolutions for Small Business Owners

Magic of New Years ResolutionsTis the season for New Years Resolutions

As a small business owner do you have an eBay plan for 2008?

Small business owners are bombarded by multiple ideas, emails and suggestions concerning how they should run, improve and increase business this time of year. Among these New Years Resolutions ideas is one which I consider to be the most likely to provide a return on investment for any business owner... I suggest any small business should research the viability of adding an eBay marketing plan, including the use of an eBay store, to the present marketing budget. If you have not already looked into the potential of eBay and eBay Stores, you should designate this as one of the top priorities for your company in 2008.

No matter if your business has an established eCommerce Internet website or not, adding an eBay business/marketing plan to your retail or wholesale operation is not only a revenue producing sales tool but also a promotional venue with an unlimited potential to increase your businesses bottom line and overall worldwide branding exposure and recognition. So lets make looking into eBay a primary New Years resolution for your company, here are 10 resolution ideas and the possible benefits of following our advice:

Top 10 New Years eBay Store Resolutions for Small Business Owners

  1. OPEN and eBay store and stock it with merchandise- This is the first step! Once you make this initial step, your business will be on its way towards gaining worldwide exposure for your brand and a robust and lively new customer base. All built in to the incredible and free built in SEO advantages of an eBay store. Question: Are you aware that more searches are initiated for products on eBay each day than on Google? In fact there are more searches completed each day on eBay than on Google's entire system and every search within eBay is initiated by a consumer looking for a product to buy. People search on Google for free information. Which place do you want your products found?
  2. Build up your positive feedback number- By building the eBay account feedback through purchases and the sales of your store merchandise new and exciting features of your eBay account will become available. Once your feedback rating exceeds 100 all of your fixed price and store listings will be gaining even more Internet exposure on eBay express and you will qualify for many other programs within eBay. When your sales exceed $1000.00 per month, your business will be listed as a PowerSeller. Powerseller status indicates to the consumer that you are a steady and reliable resource and that they can have confidence buying from you. Additionally, when your sales surpass $3000.00 per month, your business will qualify for a reduction in PayPal fees.
  3. Advertise your business locally via eBay - Create excitement and build confidence with your current customers by telling them about your new and exciting eBay store. Your customers will all know what eBay is and you will be amazed at how they will react to the news of your businesses move into eBay. Immediately you will gain a reputation for being cutting edge and Internet savvy.
  4. Set up a Trade - In / Trade - Up Program for new equipment sales - With your company eBay store and Continue reading “Top 10 New Years eBay Store Resolutions for Small Business Owners” »

DesignLogic Created Frooition Powered eBay-Stores Design for Cornerstone Supply

 

We have have just created this new eBay stores design with our DesignLogic team in conjunction with Frooition in the U.K.

Cornerstone Supply is an established brick and mortar supplier of commercial carpet cleaning equipment and cleaning agents, specializing in heavy duty truck mounted carpet cleaning machines.

Our iBusinessLogic team of professionals and solutions will be bringing this company to eCommerce in a big way - starting with an eBay store designed by DesignLogic and powered by Frooition. Listing services provided by AuctionLogic will keep the inventory of this operation online via eBay with a minimal learning curve and maximizing uptime of inventory.

After our initial eBay stores setup and implementation we plan on designing and launching a eCommerce website and blog for this company.

Wish us luck as we hope to provide these types of services for brick and mortar businesses for the foreseeable future.

Ebay – Does Your Business Use This Tool?


Does your business use eBay as a tool?

This may seem like an odd term for the largest online sales producer on the planet... but in reality, no matter how large or small your business is, eBay is an effective and often under utilized tool.

eBay is not the only tool in your marketing toolbox and even though it is a very effective device, eBay should not be the only tool your company uses to generate online sales. Other tools are more familiar, website marketing, Google Adwords, Amazon.com to name a few.

But why should any business consider using eBay as a part of their online marketing plan? - Numbers - Search - Rankings - Sales - All of the Above Continue reading “Ebay – Does Your Business Use This Tool?” »