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August 31, 2006
The Seiko SND255 Chronograph
The Seiko SND255 is an example of a great eBay product. It is gorgeous, extremely popular and the competition isn't too awful.
Why is it a great seller?
1. The price doesn't gag us out too much. It's around $200.
2. It has lots of gadgets - and we all know how much westerners love gadgets!
3. It's extremely popular because:
* It's a Seiko
* It's a sports watch
* Most people think it looks cool
A lot of the jewelry categories on eBay are incredibly crowded and cut throat. This isn't one of them, though, and it's highly recommended as a product. Go for it.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 1:49 PM | TrackBack
August 29, 2006
The Simple eBay Sign In Procedure
On a recent blog I was surprised to see several question about the eBay sign in method. It is incredibly simple - and yet what a powerful action that is. Where else can you spend a mere five minutes and have a business in operation? Almost no time, certainly zero dollars. That's truly amazing when you think about it and certainly is due to the remarkable Internet that so many of us love. Imagine trying to open your business doors, so to speak, 25 years ago in such a simply and inexpensive way. I certainly am blessed to live in the time of the Net, and so are you.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 1:19 PM | TrackBack
August 27, 2006
eBay Auction Store: Best Looking 2006
Every year eBay holds a contest for the best eBay auction store and this year's best looking store is Puffy Pillow Productions {http://stores.ebay.com/The-Pink-Thimble}, alias The Pink Thimble.
The first impression is that is is really, REALLY ... pink. It sells pillows and fabric and it's very well done:
* The Pink Thimble prominently displays important sections:
- Store Home
- Contact Us
- Press: it has been mentioned in O at Home and Kids' Rooms Magazine
- About Us
- Care Info: this is a smart addition since it reassures prospective buyers that they can keep their fabrics and pillows looking great
* There is a search box that enables buyers to quickly find anything in the store
* You are offered an opportunity to sign up for their two newsletters Pillow Talk and Fabric Chatter
* Further search opportunities include a way to search fabric (color, type & maker) and pillows (collections, fabric, color)
Congrats, Pink Thimble. Very well done.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 4:38 PM | TrackBack
August 24, 2006
Tellman Knudsen Doesn't Honor His Word
I have been a subscriber to Tellman Knudsen's ezine for a while but I've recently been whittling down on the number of ezines I receive. There simply isn't time enough for all of them. I unsubscribed to his ezine, following his own directions. I received a notice that I was removed from the list and wouldn't get any more emails.
Yet ... I keep getting his unwanted newsletter!
I have unsubscribed three times, over a period of about 4-6 weeks, but they won't stop coming.
It's too bad when an Internet marketer doesn't honor his word.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 4:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 22, 2006
Overstock Auctions Allies Itself With Google & Froogle
Overstock Auctions has announced that all its "Make It Mine" auctions will begin displaying in Google/Froogle:
"We began sending Google Base a bulk upload file containing all MIM (Make It Mine) auctions. We expect that sellers should start seeing their MIM Overstock.com Auctions items in search results on the Froogle and Google websites."
Contrast this with eBay's attitude - it refused to allow eBay users to offer the Google payment plan. eBay claims this is to protect buyers but that claim fools no one. After all, all kinds of payments options - besides the Google one - is offered on eBay.
We suspect that cooperation will serve Overstock better than eBay's tactics.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 1:30 PM | TrackBack
August 19, 2006
eBay Selling With Video Auctions
Video has been a long time coming to the Net. It wasn't because of the lack of video technology because it's been around for a while. The reason it's taken years is because most computers were on dial up (horrors!). As Internet and eBay marketers, we have to match our audience and a video on dial up is disaster. It can take - literally - hours to load, depending on the length of the video and is almost impossible to play.
However, now we've crossed the line and the majority of our customers have high speed connection - either DSL or Broadband - and the time for video is here, now. eBay buyers are no exception. So we can add video to our auctions and profit from this technology. But why would we want to?
1. The majority of folks today would rather 'watch' than read. Personally, I think that's a sad reflection of our culture, but that's the way it is. Video games, computers, TV - much more popular than books. We definitely have shorter attention spans and are attracted to the inherent movement of video.
2. Right now, video is very unusual on eBay and other auction sites. I am guesstimating that anyone using video will have a huge advantage over other sellers for a couple of years. Of course, video might catch on more quickly than I expect - or it might take even longer. But, for now, video auctions will set you way apart from other sellers. Your auctions will be memorable.
3. Once you master the skills of video-making, it's truly easier than the traditional way of writing an auction listing. Truly, all you need is a headline and your video.
But HOW do I make videos?
I didn't know how, either, until just recently. My good friends Jim Edwards and Mike Stewart taught me how. You probably know Jim as one of the savviest sellers on the Net. He's been using video for quite some time. And the reason Jim has used video is because of his buddy Mike Stewart. Mike taught Jim, my partner and me how to use video. He's been in the business for decades and has worked on well known commercials and movies, including the Blair Witch Project, among many others.
We're experimenting with video on the home page of our Auction Genius Course and will have it up soon. Thanks you, Mike.
There are a couple of companies now existing that will put your auctions on eBay - but they all have a monthly fee. I've found charges as high as $49/month. The good news: there's absolutely no reason for you to pay anybody any fees. You can be your own recording studio and just isn't that hard.
And - don't settle for just auction videos. Use them everywhere! We're taking our video camera to England.
And here's a cool tip: you don't have to host these videos
Hosting videos can be a problem. It takes a lot of "bandwidth' for videos, but thanks to Mike, we're not hosting any of them ourselves. We've use "OPB" - Other People's Bandwidth - and you can, too.
Ever heard of the Home Shopping Network? QVC?
Create your own version of these wildly successful video shopping networks.
Mike & Jim will teach you everything you need to know to make your own videos. Their package even includes proprietary software called "Auction Presentation Wizard" that creates your listing, and uploads your video to the web, or lets you use free video playback sites (like we do) with just a few clicks. Hey, if I can do this, anyone can, because I'm definitely not a high tech person.
Check out Jim & Mike's new auction video course and see all the videos on the site!
http://video.auctionknowhow.com
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 1:20 PM | TrackBack
August 16, 2006
Making It Easier To Sell Things On eBay
Making it easier to sell things on eBay obviously is a priority of the famous auction site. To accomplish this, eBay is experimenting with a new search results page. The new design shows more information for each listing than the current pages.
The changes include:
1. The space allotted to each listing will be bigger
2. eBay is making it easier to locate key information. For example:
* Price information will be shown in a larger size and a new color
* They're including an "Add to Watch list" link on each item, so buyers can add interesting listings to their Watch lists right away.
3. Most listing rows will also have a link called "See quick details." When a buyer clicks this link, or hovers over it with their mouse, they'll see a new section pop up that contains key information such as the shipping & handling charges and accepted payment methods.
Later in August, buyers selected at random, will begin viewing the new pages on eBay, include eBay Motors.
http://pages.ebay.com/buyandsell/find-it/index.html?ssPageName=CMDV:AB
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 12:12 PM | TrackBack
August 13, 2006
PayPal Launches Online Merchant Network
PayPal has recenly created an information site called the Online Merchant Network. According to their mission statement, the goal is:
PayPal has established the Online Merchant Network (OMN) to create a place where merchants can network with each other and share useful information and advice. The goal of the OMN is to build an objective, open, and welcoming environment for the exchange of ideas about business. Although the OMN is hosted by PayPal, we encourage and welcome any healthy discussion about all payment providers, both pros and cons. And from time to time PayPal, as well as third-party contributors, will provide content about topics concerning online businesses. In essence, we're building the OMN to help businesses grow - and thrive.
It's interesting that PayPal claims to welcome discussion about other payment providers. We'll see.
http://www.onlinemerchantnetwork.com
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:58 AM | TrackBack
August 10, 2006
Website Hosting For e-Commerce Websites
I was speaking at a seminar in 2005 and the speaker before me was asked about who to use for website hosting for e-eommerce websites. The speaker replied that it really didn't matter because all web hosting companies are alike.
That is absolutely NOT so!
Back in my early Internet days, my #1 consideration for choosing any product or service was cost. Accordingly, I chose a web hosting company for my new website, seeing huge numbers of e=Commerce dollars in my future. But to my horror, I woke up one morning and discovered that my precious site loaded with an obscene cartoon and all kinds of pornographic words and descriptions (what kind of loser spends his life hacking sites for this purpose?)
1. The website host didn't inform his clients about this disaster.
2. About two weeks later, we received an email that admitted the hacking - and asked the hosting customers for suggestions on what to do! Like I had the faintest clue.
Needless to say, I was gone the very day I discovered this atrocity and have been much more discriminating since.
If you'd like to know our favorite website hosting company, read this to find out a whopping 23 reasons why we love this company.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:37 AM | TrackBack
August 7, 2006
eBay Selling: eBay Store Fee Increases, Part 7
Is selling on eBay still worthwhile?
That is a completely unanswerable question. Any conclusion must be carefully decided upon by each individual seller. I can only answer for myself and the answer is a loud and clear YES! I have been an Internet seller for 11 years and the essence of successful selling is a two-part equation. Half of that equation is about traffic. Customers. Interested prospects. Serious buyers.
Consider the two most popular ways to get traffic to whatever you're selling:
1. Pay Per Clicks: if you think eBay is expensive, check out the PPC market! Google has just raised the minimum price on many clicks from 5-10 <cents> to 5-10 <dollars>. And that price is for one click. Compare that to an insertion fee of 5-10 cents for 30 days with no limit on the number of people who click on your listing.
2. The "free" search engines ... this is my primary game and I can tell you that there's nothing free at all about getting high ratings in Google, Yahoo and MSN. My company spends many thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of work in getting - and maintaining - our high search engine positions in a constantly changing and extremely competitive environment.
The bottom line for us: eBay is an awesome place to do business because:
1. It's incredibly cheap compared to other 2. It's where the buyers are |
Keep in mind that's my decision. When trying to make your own choices about eBay, do your best to get past any emotional response and look at your situation as objectively as possible. Your business will prosper if you do.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 3:19 PM | TrackBack
August 4, 2006
eBay Selling: eBay Store Fee Increases, Part 6
Am I Defending eBay?
No, not at all. I'm simply being as objective as possible. In fact, I think eBay has made some poor decisions and some choices that I don't understand at all.
First, at eBay Live in June, eBay promised no fee increases in 2006. Yet, one month later they announce what amounts to a 6% increase in store fees. Bad joss, eBay.
Meg Whitman, eBay's CEO, said the store inventory format has "diluted the magic of eBay," and that, "We are trying to get back to the essence of eBay." Oh, please, Meg! If she would say that eBay has made a financial error in heavily promoting stores and it's not economically viable to continue down that path, I could respect that.
This is similar to a recent eBay ruling that they wouldn't allow eBay sellers to use the new "Google Checkout" payment system. Google Checkout is a payment system similar to PayPal, which is owned by eBay, of course. Google Checkout has been dangling economic incentives to lure e-commerce sellers to its payment system. eBay expressed concerns for "safety" as the basis for its refusal. This is hogwash! eBay is protecting its turf and has a perfect right to do so. I am not going to sell my competitors products on my web properties and neither would you. I can respect that reasoning, so just admit it. Don't assume we're stupid and gullible.
In addition, the entire purpose of eBay Express (EE) seems to be compromised. EE is supposed to be a shopping system that will allow buyers to purchase from multiple eBay Express merchants yet pay for everything — including shipping—in a single, secure payment using PayPal or a credit card. If auction listings are going to appear in EE - and above store listings - how is this going to be different from regular eBay? At this time, it's only auction listings that include Buy It Now, but if they're pressuring sellers to get "the magic" back, will regular auctions soon be included? Only time will tell.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 3:18 PM | TrackBack
August 1, 2006
The Auction Genius Course: One Year Later
I recently received a report from an Auction Genius Course student, Will Robertson. He took the course one year ago and very kindly sent me a result of his year. I am so thrilled that he took the time and his results make this entire business worthwhile. Thank you, Will!
Sydney,
Well, it’s been a little over a year since I’ve taken your Auction Genius Course; and it’s been a great year, with over $700,000 in sales! I’ve built my eBay business based solely upon the knowledge I gained from your program. Of course, I’ve continued to learn throughout the year; but it has all grown out of the seed you gave me.
We just celebrated my wife’s one year anniversary of quitting her JOB as a computer programmer, and we have been attracting a lot of attention from family, friends, and neighbors. They see us at home all day, coming and going as we please, vacationing on the weekdays, and it naturally leads to questions.
Two years ago, I was running a successful construction company; but it was wearing me out, and I never got to see my family. We lived the normal working class American life: work, eat, sleep, do it again. But now we work when we want and play when we want. It’s a cliché, but it’s true for us.
Several people have asked me how I do it. Now, I realize that most people would love to live our life, and trying to explain it to everybody would take up a huge chunk of my time, so I just point them all to your course.
I tell them, “Ok, go to auction-genius-course.com, buy the course, listen to what Sydney tells you, and do it.” Then they say, “Well ok, maybe I’ll check into it, but I don’t know if I have that in my budget right now.” So I tell them, “Hey, I earned the cost of the course back in a month. It was easy. The information is really there. It’s no fluff course.” And they say, “Yeah well, we’ll see.”
That’s it! Unbelievable! People see what they want in my lifestyle, have the proof that it’s possible because they see me doing it, and then pass the door of opportunity because of a small startup fee. It’s like seeing a person lost in the desert pass up an oasis of spring water because they are looking for a bottle of water. Just because what I give them looks different from what they are expecting (caviar on a gold platter, I think), they aren’t willing to take the risk.
These people really give me a feeling of job security! It seems that most people aren’t willing to invest into learning a new business even when the hard, clear facts of the road to success are presented.
I even had one guy offer to hire me as his coach, and I refused. I told him, “Listen, Sydney is the ‘Queen Genius.’ I’m not going to say anything that can beat what she has to offer. She’s been an educator for a long time, taught this course many times, and really knows what she’s doing. She’s put a lot of time into developing this course. You’d have to pay me 10 times the amount she’s charging just to come up with a course that covers the basics of what she does.”
He was hoping for 2 or 3 hours of coaching for $100 or something. I’m not sure what his plan was. He’s a smart, nice guy; but he’s still working his uneventful, flat salary job.
But not everyone is mentally stuck. Some people have a vision for a better life, are willing to judge the merits of success accurately and invest to make their life better. To these people, based upon my personal experience with you, I can unequivocally recommend your course. In combination with hard work and real mental application, it is the easiest, fastest, and best way I know to build an eBay business, or any business online.
Sydney, thank you for helping me along on my way.
Your friend,
Will Robertson
http://www.myluxurymattress.com
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 2:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
