The $1000 A Month Thrift Store Challenge

The figures are in for the Auction Rebel who decided to test the eBay market and see if $1000 a month could be made by shopping thrift stores and reselling on eBay. The results are here. I thought this was a very interesting test and highly recommend reading the results, especially if you are wondering about the up coming garage sale season.

New Fun & FREE Little Viral Marketing Website

I just found this FREE little viral marketing traffic generator. Not sure how much traffic it'll generate, but if we all participate we might bring in a few visitors.

Click below to view my viral page - and please join in the fun!

Send me One Million FREE Guaranteed Visitors

Want To Win $2,500?
Send Out An eBay Store Newsletter

For those who still haven't created a newsletter, you still have a chance to win 2,500 from eBay. Simply send out a newsletter from your eBay store and you'll be automatically entered. Deadline is March 31st - so get to it!
To help you I created a short video (about 7 minutes long) to show you how.

http://clovercitysells.com/newsletter/newsletter.html

Good Luck!
Cindy

eBay Town Hall Meeting In Seattle

The group from eBay came to Seattle March 15, 2007 and invited buyers and sellers to participate in a Town Hall style meeting.

I was among one of the lucky ones to be invited.

The meeting was held at the Marriot Hotel. We were treated to an excellent buffet style dinner, including a whole table full of chocolate desserts – be still my heart!

A table full of chocolate!

The eBay employees were very friendly and approachable. As we signed in Bill Cobb was there to shake hands and talk about baseball, or eBay, or just say “hello.”


The eBay staff mingle and ask questions during the reception

As soon as I entered the reception room I ran into Jim Griff Griffith, and was delighted to be able to introduce myself and talk to him a little about the education specialist program.

I got to meet Griff!

The main event of the evening was the opportunity to ask questions of the eBay group and give them feedback about our user experience.


Griff takes a photo of us during the opening introductions

Among the many issues brought up were:

Customer Service and tech support issues. Sellers are experiencing frustrating replies to from tech support indicating emails are not being fully read.

Griff responded that's one of the areas the eBay staff is focusing on this year. Better communication with the community members is their goal. It was not stated, but it was my thought that this town hall meeting might be just one of those ways eBay is reaching out to us.

Store sellers saw an increase in sales when the listings went into the natural search and are disappointed that the feature was withdrawn.


Bill Cobb

Bill Cobb responded that eBay saw a dramatic drop in the number of buyers on the site, that when polled these buyers were overwhelmed with the amount of items available and leaving the site. The bottom line was eBay was starting to see a decrease in sales. The decision was made to pull back the store inventory search availability.

Concerns were voiced about Net Neutrality

Bill Cobb addressed this issue. His feelings were expressed by the statement “Net Neutrality is harmful to business and is harmful to consumers.” He and Meg Whitman recently traveled to Washington to address the issue. He assured us that he is “not giving up on this issue.” eBay is joined with Google, Amazon, Microsoft and other net giants to fight this.

Griff reminded us that with over ¾ of a million people now making a part or full time living on eBay (according to recent nelson ratings) of the power of the eBay sellers to unite and fight this issue.

Bill added “don’t underestimate the power you guys have” While eBay sellers are busy just selling and may not consider it, eBayers are creating jobs. Not just any jobs, high tech jobs! Bill told us know how important that is to politicians. The legislators in Washington want to be able to report back to their voters that there are jobs being created. Remember, he added, we can affect the outcome and change both individually and collectively.

The question was raised about a recent quotes stated they had “plans to remove unproductive products.” The quote has had the message boards in an uproar. What did eBay mean?

We were reassured that this was a misquote from the press and that no such plans were in the works.

The topic of excessive shipping and handling came up – it is still on the forefront of buyer and sellers minds.

Bill and staff assured us that they are addressing the issue with the new feedback 2.0, they are considering having a sort by total cost feature and other methods of dealing with this issue. Brian from the eBay staff summed it up for all of us: “excessive shipping and handing is a difficult issue.”



Another concern was about seller fees. The fees to list and sell items for $9.99 and under are excessive. To list and sell the total in fees is $2.20 – a disproportionately high percent compared to higher value items.

I didn’t hear any real response from the eBay team on this, other than they thought it was great feedback. Guess there’s no plans to change the fee schedule anytime soon. This is an issue I face daily when choosing items to sell. To have a well rounded inventory mix in my store I must keep lower value items in stock – but with the high cost of selling them, there is no profit in them. Personally I was disappointed in lack of response from the team.

Many other questions and concerns were raised during the evening, among them: slow load time on the site, adding more bulk editing capabilities, assorted requests for tweaks in search, frustrations with site changes that seem to be untested before going live, buyer confidence and branding, and many different issues concerning PayPal.

The meeting was like a mini eBay Live! Anyone who has been to an eBay Live knows only a few people get a chance to talk – this meeting was different. Everyone who had a question or comment had time to voice it to the staff.

After the main meeting the eBay group stayed to answer questions, talk more on concerns and generally get to know their sellers.

30 Day Trial Offer on eBay Stores

If you have not opened an eBay Store this may be the time to jump in. From now until March 18th eBay is offering a free 30 day trail.

A store gives sellers the opportunity to list items for longer times at a fraction of the normal listing fees. They provide templates, logos and customizable categories to help you brand your unique seller ID. Best of all, eBay provides back end support that builds your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so more potential buyers can find your products.

More information about the Free eBay Store Offer can be found here: http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/start.html

CameraGal.info

I have heard so much about Dave's Cool Little Website that I decided to give one a try. It's only about affiliate income.

I generally think of these types of websites as a waste of time, but I got to thinking: "what if it was another way to drive traffic into my eBay store?"

So, I plunked down the money and started to set it up. There are video tutorials the whole way through - so the set up is pretty easy. For ease I'd give it an A+++

I'm not sure how it will pay in the end - but, if I do a little SEO work, I might be drive more traffic my way. I'll keep you posted as it starts to get picked up by the spiders.

For now, if you'd like to see my cool little website please take a look: http://www.cameragal.info

eBay Reminder: Daylight Savings Time
Daylight Saving Time Reminder*** March 08, 2007 01:28PM PST/PT
It's that time of year again - time to spring forward with Daylight Saving! If it seems like this is earlier than normal, you're right. An energy bill passed by Congress kicks in this year, so Daylight Saving will now start on the second Sunday of March. We will be setting our clocks ahead one hour at 2:00 a.m. Pacific time on Sunday, March 11th. As a reminder, all listings that are running during the Daylight Saving change will still receive the full amount of exposure. For example, if you have a 1-day listing that you started at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday the 10th, it will end at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday the 11th.

From the eBay Announcement Page

PayPal Phone Numbers

Ever wonder how to talk to a PayPal customer service representative?
I've had a few people ask me where to find their phone number, so if you are wondering here they are:


Customer Service Center
For general questions: 888-215-5506
For technical questions (API's, Sandbox, etc.): 800-852-1973


Hours of Service:6:00 AM to 11:00 PM CST Monday through Friday
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM CST Saturday and Sunday

PayPal will only discuss an account with the account-holder.

Niche Market: Natural & Organic Goods

Here's a niche market that has many smaller niches inside.

Selling Natural & Organic Products.

There's so many micro niches within that broad category. For example I made a nice living selling natural & organic garden supplies during the 90's.
Another example, natural baby products. Many parents are concerned about their baby's health and wellness. There is large consumer base looking for all natural diapers, food, clothes and more.
If this niche interests you, check out the annual Natural Products Expo West.
More Information:
Naturally, It’s All Here in One Package. Natural Products Expo West combines all the right ingredients—thousands of products, cutting-edge trends, engaging speakers, informative seminars and endless networking opportunities. Experience the entire natural and organic industry conveniently packaged to your specifications. Get face-to-face with more than 1,700 exhibitors, sample tons of new products and explore new ideas and information, all designed to help you diversify your business and get ahead.

Location: Anaheim CAAnaheim Convention CenterMarch 8-11th
More information: http://www.expowest.com/attend/index.cfm

Subject Lines For Newsletters.

I just read this great article on Newsletter Subject Lines.
Thought I'd pass it along.

Getting the Subject Line Right
The approaches and "secrets" behind great subject lines
by Gail Goodman, Constant Contact CEO

Ask a question — One of the best ways to get a reader's attention is to ask a question. But—like a trial lawyer questioning a witness on the stand—make sure you get the response you are looking for. "What's the best way to grow your business?" is a great subject line for business owners. After all, what business owner wouldn't want to grow his or her business? Or let's say you run a health club. An email with the subject line, "How can you lose 5 pounds in one month?" would certainly be compelling. It's important that your question be relevant to your audience.

Be a tease — A clever subject line can be enticing. When it's done right, reader curiosity is piqued. They want to know more—and they open your email. Writing a "teaser" style subject line requires some creativity, and the content needs to deliver on the teaser. A company that sells high-definition televisions could use the subject line, "You're not going to believe your eyes" as a teaser to introduce a new addition to their product line.

Tell it like it is — Often, what works best is to say exactly what you want your reader to know. Examples of this straightforward approach are, "Sale on all sweaters this weekend," "Master jazz pianist plays live this Friday" and "The seven secrets of a profitable business." This "just the facts" approach works especially well when you can appeal directly to your audience's interests. It also is the best approach to use when you send a newsletter.

Remember "WIIFM" — When a person gets your email, the first thing they consider is "what's in it for me?" (WIIFM). They have a decision to make. Do they open your email, leave it for later, or delete it? If there isn't something about the subject line that lets them know why it's worth their precious time to see what's inside, then the choice will be clear. Delete. Keep WIIFM in mind when creating every aspect of your emails, including the offer, content, images—and most definitely the subject line. It's all about them. They know that. Just make sure you know it too!

Get personal — The more you can make each contact feel that you are speaking directly to them, the more effective your communication will be. Whatever style of subject line you use, you can make it personal by using the word "you." Professional copywriters know the secret of using this powerful little word. Look around at advertisements, mail, and email you receive, and you will see it's true. Incorporate this copywriting secret when you write your subject lines and you'll understand why the pros do it—it gets results. A few examples are "Find the right swimsuit for you," "You can save 50% on travel" and "You'd look phenomenal in a custom-tailored suit." (Note: "you" is ideal, but "your" works too!)

Not sure which approach is right for you? Try them all, then show a friend or colleague to get their feedback. Pick the one you believe will be most effective for your audience. Whichever approach you choose, it's always worth spending the time and effort required to write a great subject line. Because if your readers don't open your email, they'll never have the chance to read the important message you've created for them inside!

More information about Constant Contact