| The Online Seller | Vol. 3, Issue 21 |
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Learn 5 ways you can still pick up great seasonal inventory.
by Lisa Suttora
If you haven't yet done your holiday sourcing, you're probably wondering if you're already too late to the game. Even if you did stock up early, it's common to find your store running out of stock early in the season, or you may realize you bypassed purchasing some of the season's hottest items. Read story.
What's Top-Rated About This? Part 1
Even eBay's premier group of sellers has trouble with basic listing etiquette.
by Brad and Debra Schepp
Increase Profits by Reducing Fees
Recognize which fees can add to your business, and which just add cost.
by Dennis L. Prince
Top 5 Ways to Drive Traffic
Get more clicks on your listings with these proven methods.
De-Duping Your Listings
Get the inside scoop on eBay's new Duplicate Listing Policy.
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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Survey finds overall holiday sales expected to surpass last year's total.
More shoppers will get their holiday shopping done early this year compared to last, according to a survey released just before Halloween.
In fact, 39 percent of respondents—4 percent more than last year—say they will have everyone marked off their shopping list by early December. Read story.
eBay Gets a Fresh Look for Fall
New home page design and shopping features greet holiday buyers.
Amazon Wins N.C. Online Tax Case
Marketplace doesn't have to disclose customer information.
Groupon Springs onto eBay
Partnership helps buyers earn bucks to spend in eBay marketplace.
Students Opt for Entrepreneurial Path
Access to low-cost inventory makes business ownership more viable than job market.
eBay Outperforms 3Q Predictions
High hopes for fourth quarter as more holiday shoppers are expected.
Auctiva Blog
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Have you ever reported another seller's eBay listing because of a policy violation? I have to admit I have, but both instances were the result of someone blatantly stealing my images or "creating" a description that was mine, word for word. Read more.
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Is it just me, or has the post office been much faster lately?
Recently, I sold a video game on eBay to a man who lived on the other side of the country. He bought it late Friday night, and sent me a nice note stating that the game was a gift for his grandson's birthday on the following Tuesday. While he knew it was a long shot, he was hoping I could get the game in the mail quickly so it might arrive in time for the big day. Read more.
One-on-One Help. Get your Auctiva Commerce Store up and running in 24 hours with the help of one of our knowledgeable implementation specialists. These specialists will ensure your store is set up properly and will follow up with you to make sure your store is running smoothly. Learn more.
Weird and Wacky Listings
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Don't want your friends and family to know you're home for the holidays? Let them think you're enjoying a glamorous getaway at a desert resort, so you can have some peace and quiet already. Relax and unwind as your holiday cards and packages are sent for you with a postmark from sunny Palm Springs, CA. Just hope that Santa doesn't find out what you're up to—you wouldn't want to get on his naughty list!
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Trick-or-treat time may be over for another year, but that's no reason to put away the costumes. In fact, post-Halloween sales are the best time to score bargains on dress-up gear. You can get this set of four Klingon forehead props for the price of one. Then change your look daily, and make every day an out-of-this-world experience.
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If lately you find your workspace is less than inspiring, add a little flair with this do-it-yourself "Pimp My Cubicle" set. The bling in this box includes a money sign paperweight, gold-colored push pins, disco ball, leopard-print fringe and more. Show your officemates your wild side. Work will never again seem ordinary.
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.
View all Ask Auctiva Articles.
Auctiva User Profile
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When Craig Hudson began selling on eBay for fun, the last thing he expected to do was establish an online business—let alone two.
"Initially, it was something to do; then I started selling off my collection of second-hand books—I had too many—followed by a bunch of old LPs I came across from the '40s and '50s," he muses.
However, six years later, Hudson boasts a feedback score of nearly 10,000 for his eBay Store, TheFozShop, and an Auctiva Commerce Store by the same name that's also doing quite well. 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 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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As the name suggests, Maria Adnitt's shop "Glitters."
While Adnitt doesn't wear much jewelry, herself—she typically dons a simple necklace and her wedding rings—she has filled her Auctiva Commerce Store with a wide range of fashion jewelry and accessories that add a little sparkle to buyers' lives.
It was a venture inspired by her children, faithful collectors of costume and fashion jewelry. "[They] spend their pocket money on jewelry," Adnitt explains.
And she knew there were others out there like her kids, who liked to be "blinged out" with nice pieces decorating their necks, ears, risks, fingers, waists, etc.
"I planned from the beginning to stock mostly costume/fashion jewelry, with only the odd pieces of silver and gold, so I thought of 'Glitters' from the saying 'All that glitters is not gold,'" Adnitt says, explaining her store's name. "The name fits with the jewelry, as it all looks fantastic worn but does not totally empty your wallet, as real gold would!"
The shop's reasonable prices are a big draw for buyers, Adnitt says. But she also takes great care to keep buyers happy after transactions by shipping items within two days of receiving orders, and by using patted mailing bags to prevent damage. "If any item goes missing in the post then I do refund the purchase price and/or replace the item if I still have it in stock," she adds.
Having reasonable prices is a must for Adnitt, who initially began looking for jewelry lots because she thought her kids paid too much for the jewelry they bought, so she offers free shipping within the U.K.
"Everybody loves getting something for free, even if it's only postage," she says.
Giving shoppers one, upfront price also seems to make customers happy and eager to purchase, she says—and keeps them coming back.
At the moment, Glitters is just a hobby for this mother, but she hopes to eventually make it a full-time career. Until then, she'll just enjoy selling jewelry.
"I indulge my love of buying jewelry (that I seldom wear when buying for myself), my children are happy, as they can purchase items and still have pocket money left, and I find it a lot of fun actually running the shop itself," she says.
Visit Glitters.
Set up your own Auctiva Commerce Store and get complete freedom over your shop.
Feedback Forum
In response to "eBay to Overhaul Search," one reader writes: "Frankly, I'm not concerned with eBay's new-and-improved anything until they finish what they have started. They started multiple variations, stopped on them. Item condition areas are still not completed. I could go on and on. eBay, if you read forums, please finish something that is started before starting new large projects!" 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.
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