Not sure if you're ready to take the leap for a store? The site features a "fee illustrator" tool for potential store-owners to determine which store level is best for their business. Just enter basic information like how many items you list per month and how much your typical item sells for, and the calculator generates a chart comparing monthly fees without a store to those of each store level. For example, a "basic store" has a monthly fee of $15.95, and charges 20 cents per listing, while an "anchor store" (the highest level) is $299.95 a month, and only 3 cents per listing.

Health Top Tips Nutrition Love Lifestyle Happiness Weight Loss 

Building an Ebay Storefront: Brand Yourself

Many sellers who decide to make the transition to a store recognize it as a chance to transform into a "brand," and also create a more personalized buying experience for the user.

Lynn Dralle is a prime example. She operates her eBay store TheQueenofAuctions from Los Angeles, selling antiques and collectibles. She estimates she's sold around 8,000 items on eBay since she started in 1998. Along the way, Dralle has become something of an auction expert – and an identifiable brand herself: She's written six books about selling on eBay.

Dralle says one of the things that appealed to her about launching a store is the fact that one can categorize items, and have a store banner and logo. She also utilizes other tools the store affords sellers, like sending out a free newsletter to her 1,200 loyal buyers.

Experts say that customers tend to feel a more personal connection to the seller when they buy an item from a store, as opposed to purchasing a random item at auction. "There's an 'about me' page, where you can talk all about who you are and what you do," says Mark Le Vine of Bubblefast. "Branding and letting people know who you are is very important to having a successful store. It allows you to differentiate yourself from any other seller."

Bubblefast and TheQueenofAuctions both note that the platform also lets sellers feature promotion boxes to highlight products on sale – and once a seller marks down a price, it will automatically alert the frequent shoppers with an e-mail.

Building an Ebay Storefront: Focus on Customer Service

According to Sarah Davis of Fashionphile, quality customer service is invaluable when selling any product – but even more so for the luxury handbag business. "With what we sell, there are so many counterfeits and we recognize that buyers are jittery. Even with a positive 10,000 feedback [score], people are still hesitant," she says. "We do a lot of handholding, and are as responsive as we can possibly be. We offer 100 percent refund if there is any issue, and we stand by our refund policy 100 percent."

Dralle stresses that customer satisfaction is almost as important as the products themselves. She makes sure every package includes a personalized note that says "thanks for doing business with us, and if for whatever reason you're unhappy, please let us know." Customers also receive an automatic e-mail with a tracking number upon purchasing an item.

Dralle feels that eBay has done a fantastic job of streamlining the selling process, making it extremely user-friendly. "I was so afraid of it when I first started 12 years ago. I was not Internet-savvy at all," she says. "But now I tell people 'don't be afraid! Jump in and try it!' It's so easy – there's even an app that lets you literally list something from your iPhone. I have my 13-year-old doing it for me!"

上一页  [1] [2]