| The Online Seller | Vol. 3, Issue 13 |
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10 strategies to discover the 'it' item for your niche.
by Lisa Suttora
The "it" products—every holiday season has them! What products will your buyers snap up this year?
When it comes to holiday sourcing, there's no doubt about it, the more prepared you are, the more you'll profit. While you may think of "hot holiday products" as toys or the latest video games, holiday sales happen in many product categories. Read story.
Keys to Relisting Auction Items
Simple adjustments can increase the chance of a sale the next time around.
by Dennis L. Prince
Best Blogs for eBay Sellers
Stay up to date on news and trends relevant to your online business.
by Brad and Debra Schepp
Your Own Listings Showroom
Auctiva Stores are a free, yet powerful promotional tool for eBay listings.
Project: Online Store Design
Design pros share the dos and don'ts of creating a welcoming Web site.
Free eBay Shipping Service from Stamps.com! Simplify your eBay shipping. Stamps.com imports order data from eBay, posts tracking information back to your store, and it's compatible with First Class Mail International, so you can ship worldwide without ever going to the post office. Best of all, you can print eBay shipping labels for free. Sign up today and get a $55 bonus!
News Stories
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Pay-per-click program will end Aug.4 on U.S., Canada sites.
eBay will retire its pay-per-click advertising program in early August on its U.S. and Canada sites, the company announced late last week. Read story.
Amazon Acquires Woot
Colorful deal-of-the-day retailer will operate independently.
eBay Continues Its Mobile Push
Site adds Blackberry app to its arsenal, becomes top mobile retailer.
Thailand Post Partners with eBay
Seller discounts, easier tracking aimed at spurring international trade.
Amazon Outage Lasts Several Hours
No explanation from the company, but Twitter is abuzz with reactions.
eBay Asks for More Time in Class Action Suit
Grievance alleges PayPal requirement violates antitrust laws.
Auctiva Blog
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As the temperature starts heating up here in Chico, CA, so does the in-office competition for a friendly eBay sales challenge.
It all started when Robert Green, our in-house "spokes model" (or communications manager, whatever you want to call him), successfully sold a few items on eBay this month. I was biding my time and hadn't sold anything yet in June. Read more.
Weird and Wacky Listings
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For the person who tends to hang around long after the party's over: This drink koozie doubles as a night light, so if they turn out the lights on you, you'll still be able to find your beverage in the dark. And if you're so inclined, the koozie's glow will help you find your way to the door, or the bathroom, or—hey, why not—the 'fridge.
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Become a celebrity in your neighborhood, and on the national airwaves, when ESPN Radio's popular Mike and Mike in the Morning show broadcasts live from your home or yard. A $50 donation to The V Foundation for Cancer Research buys you an entry in the sweepstakes. Just think, nearly 12 million listeners will know where you live…
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Can't afford to upgrade to the hot new iPhone 4? Don't let that stop you from keeping up appearances as a technology trend-setter. Just place this empty Apple iPhone 4 box on your desk. Then walk around grumbling about so many dropped calls. You'll be the envy of all your friends and co-workers.
Get 250 FREE Business Cards from Vistaprint! Include one in every shipment to promote your brand or site and encourage repeat customers. Vistaprint lets you quickly and easily customize your business cards to ensure buyers will remember you and your 5-star service. Order your FREE business cards today!
Ask Auctiva
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Got a burning question about Auctiva, eBay or e-commerce in general? Through our Ask Auctiva program, you can speak directly to Auctiva's top managers. All you have to do is send an e-mail to "AskAuctiva" at the Auctiva dot com domain. Selected questions will be answered by Auctiva managers and published in an article on the Auctiva Education tab. Read some recent Auctiva Q&A articles here.
Please do not submit inquiries requiring an immediate response. Instead, please file a support request for technical or account-related issues.
Auctiva User Profile
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In the beginning, there were Beanie Babies. Then along came Pokémon, followed by sports collectibles, furniture, antiques and glassware. These things and more now overflow from Auntie Tina's Attic.
"I have six storage units full of items I've collected over the years," laughs Auntie Tina, also known as Christina Santia. Read story.
Get Featured Here
Got a success story you want to share? What amazing garage sale finds have you turned into monster profits online? How has using Auctiva's free templates and auction management tools improved your eBay business? Drop a line and tell us in 50 words or less about an outstanding e-sale experience, and perhaps we'll feature your story in an upcoming issue of The Online Seller newsletter. Submit your story.
Auctiva Commerce Store Spotlight
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April Norrell began selling online in 2007 so she could quite her day job.
"After eight years of medical transcription, I was ready for something different," she recalls, noting the eight-plus hours she used to spend in front of her computer. "I knew I wanted an eBay Store, but I wasn't sure yet what I wanted to sell. I had $100 to invest. I knew I wanted to keep my items as small as possible in order to ship cheaply and, when I could, ship free."
Norrell initially settled on sourcing balloons, Christmas ornaments and costume jewelry, but customers didn't respond as well as she had hoped. By 2009, the economy's state had really affected sales, and she knew something had to change.
"That's when I decided to can the balloon, ornament and costume jewelry idea," she says. "I found a reasonable sterling silver wholesale company. I was only able to buy a few pieces at a time and really took a gamble, as I had no idea where it was going to go and at that point I was really afraid of wasting more money."
The gamble paid off. Interest picked up in her high-quality sterling jewelry, which she offers at reasonable prices. Her top seller became a heart-shaped promise ring, although she also offers wedding ring sets, engagement rings, pendants, bracelets and more.
After selling on eBay for three years, Norrell decided she wanted another change: her own online store. So in March, she opened an Auctiva Commerce Store. Upfront FAQs and store policies let shoppers know what they can expect when they shop in Sterling Silver Jewelry Gallery.
What sets her apart? Free shipping on every item, she says.
Visit Sterling Silver Jewelry Gallery.
Set up your own Auctiva Commerce Store and get complete freedom over your shop.
Feedback Forum
In response to "Stamps.com Simplifies Shipping," one reader writes: "This is great news for us… We've been considering using Stamps.com due to our high volume of international business, but were reluctant to incur the extra costs of having a Stamps.com account. It's too bad eBay doesn't communicate this out to its sellers." Read the entire thread, and post your response.
If you'd like to comment on this newsletter, any article contained within, or on topics you'd like to see us cover in the future, Auctiva editors would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback.
Sent by Auctiva Corp.
360 6th St., Chico, CA 95928