Re: New Question: E-bay / Marketing / Sales

I think there is a problem getting enough paying customers to a web site. To sell from a web site you have to deal with the web site, domain, and advertising. >

ahh - didn't realize this was what Vicki meant. I don't find having my own website that expensive. Additionally, if you are running a legitimate BUSINESS and keeping records and paying taxes on it - (like you should be.... ahem), then all of those expenses are totally deductible. I do a considerable amount of business direct from my website... more than 3/4 of my sales are from my website, I just do the "one off and unusual" stuff through my Justbeads.com auctions. Cheryl of DRAGON BEADS Flameworked beads and glass

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@aol.combeads (Cheryl) :

]but - you can always find me on Justbeads.com... LOL

yes. but those are still auctions. **sigh**

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@aol.combeads (Cheryl) :

]I do a considerable amount of business direct from my website... ]more than 3/4 of my sales are from my website, I just do the "one off and ]unusual" stuff through my Justbeads.com auctions.

taking notes and making lists!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

No - that would be fee avoidance - a major no-no on eBay. If I did this, I could get kicked off, and that would be a bad thing for me, sorry. If you see something of mine for sale on eBay, it should be purchased through eBay. eBay is fairly harmless for buyers.

Oh, yes. :) Lots.

They didn't for us, and they don't help much on my regular web site either. Most of my web site customers first saw me on eBay. :) Search engines are also a big help, but take a lot of time to list sites.

I sure wish I could get the same prices on Justbeads as I do on eBay, because I would love to sell there. But there just isn't the same customer base. Wonderful place to sell, if you have a following there, though.

It's very simple - you "buy it know" whatever beads you want - I send you an email with the total and the CORRECT amount of shipping (which is why I don't use eBay's checkout - it doesn't calculate the correct shipping for multiple item purchases), and then you either pay me by check or money order through snail mail OR you can pay through PayPal OR you can call me with your credit card information and I'll charge your credit card account directly through own merchant account just like you were at a bead store.

I no longer maintain my website store because I had to divide my stock between what was in the store and what I put on eBay. Seemed stupid to keep stuff off eBay when I was doing 99% of my business through the auctions and then starting last year, through my eBay store. I wasn't getting new customers through the website - they all came from eBay.

Mj

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Mj" :

]It's very simple - you "buy it know" whatever beads you want - I send you an ]email with the total and the CORRECT amount of shipping (which is why I ]don't use eBay's checkout - it doesn't calculate the correct shipping for ]multiple item purchases),

okay - so i go ahead and use their checkout, but ignore the total it gives me, is what you mean? so i still need to sign up with E-bay?

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Kandice Seeber" :

]Oh, yes. :) Lots.

Cool.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Kandice Seeber" :

]If you ]see something of mine for sale on eBay, it should be purchased through eBay. ]eBay is fairly harmless for buyers.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

but the trick is in getting the large numbers of buyers to come in to the site.<

Exactly. It's all about tagging a site properly to be discovered, and it's not easy to do out on your own. It really IS all about bandwidth. Dayum. ;-)

-- KarenK Desert Dreamer Designs

Kandice, if you can afford the time and effort, DO think about Justbeads too. I had "issues" with them for a while (long story) but I have to say I'm very pleased with them since I've gone back the last several months. My last crop of auctions I sold one of 6 items on Ebay, and 4 of 6 on Justbeads, and THREE of them had multiple bids. I think there is a bit more focused buying there, as opposed to bargain hunting on Ebay. Just a hunch, though. I've said for years (going back to when I sold on Ebay, Justbeads, AND Amazon) that it's a crap shoot, no matter what. Must be sunspots.

-- KarenK Desert Dreamer Designs

I know I am not MJ, but I have purchased from her 2x now. You don't follow the E-bay checkout thing when you purchase from her. She sends you an Email and THEN you send her money via Paypal (directly from their sight not through E-bay checkout links) or money order or check, but NOT using E-bay's Checkout. HTH!!

Marissa

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Karen_AZ" :

]It's all about tagging a site properly to be discovered, and it's ]not easy to do out on your own.

well, yes, and no. DH has made quite a study of it. especially for Google, since that's where we usually come up within the top five for our authors. but yes, you do have to know what you're doing, and i can see "creatives" not wanting to devote that kind of time to it.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

It would seem to me that a place like Wet Canvas would be a central place where serious artists could be accessed. I guess you have to be invited into the group. But even if they had a list of participants it would give access to a list of artists known to be serious, and who make their own beads.

Tina

But I think people follow those bids a while even if they don't buy til the very end. And they use proxy bid that may have been put in quite a while before.

Tina

I prefer looking on JustBeads because it's not so overwhelming. I can actually see what's coming up in the next days, instead of having to really work to get through eBay's next 24 hours.

Is there a way I can remove specific seller when I look on eBay? The ones who sell Indian lampwork.

Tina