Question
The name of a store
how important is it?
how searchable is the name itself?
does it affect your opinion?
how about the colors, logo and graphics, are they important?
Or are you just looking to scoop a deal or find your rare widget or the right size of underwear?
when you get there, do you sort by category or do you look at it all?
Please inform us of your shopping habits and your opinions please.
Answer
No one shopping in the stores these days?
Answer
Gabs..when I shop, I'm looking for an item.
I don't browse much...
Logo, name, graphics..don't do near as much as the item (at least for me)..so I guess I'd have to say that to get my bidder bucks..the more in the store the better..because I WILL buy additional items if I see the ONE I want..
Best bet to get my biz? offer a discount on mulitple purchases..If you have the ONE item I'm looking for..I'll get it..but if you offer me something for buying more than one, I'll browse..
crystal
Answer
gabs,
not a buyer but a seller here. several threads on the ebay stores board say that the name of your store is important to getting it googled (keywords need to be in title).
as a (very seldom buyer) the name means absolutely nothing to me and I usually don't even notice.
I'd like to know the answers to your questions too, though (too bad ebay doesn't publish how most people find and browse stores, I'm sure they know).
mel-
Answer
I just set up our store for the trial. Cheaper than the auctions I think. I can list more products for longer periods and manage it better. Not sure about cheaper upfront but, with our inventory I can go forever and replenish items fairly easily. The name is easy enough it's our store name. I have plenty of inventory so I plan on pushing the heck out of it wherever I can for the next two months at least. i think it's a good investment as we don't know what the future brings after elections etc. as well as gas prices jumping up. I'll hope to make the trip to the post office worth it.
Answer
Gabs,
When I shop on eBay, I'm also looking for an item, though I do have some sellers bookmarked and check them regularly.
The look of the store doesn't much matter to me, though some folks have really nice logos and I always wonder if one of our here logo folks did them when I see a nice one.
The name and description of your store is more important for a Google search than it is (I think) for an eBay search.
Peace,
Sadie
Answer
Hope you don't mind my asking some different questions in this thread. Am thinking of opening a store, but I have auctions running.
1) Will they be put in the store automatically?
2) If so, will ebay name my store categories the same as ebay categories?
3) Will the store be "open" right away, even though it won't be ready to be seen?
Thanks!
Answer
1) Will they be put in the store automatically?
YES.
2) If so, will ebay name my store categories the same as ebay categories?
When you create your store, you can create 19 custom categories. The 20th category is the default custom store category called "other items." So, when you list an item either as an auction or as a store item, in addition to the usual eBay category, you can also indicate the store category. If you don't state a custom category the item will show up in the default store category called "other items."
3) Will the store be "open" right away, even though it won't be ready to be seen?
YES. Don't let that hold you back. In the "manage store" section, eBay provides professional store templates to get you off to a good start, within minutes. You can continue to tweek and make alterations to the appearance of your store at any time.
If you've never had a store before, there is no subscription fee of $9.95 is for the first month. You only have to pay 2 cents for a store listing plus 1 cent if you want gallery.
Answer
Thanks Irene! Just want to be clear on this ... as I'm opening the store, it will give me a chance to put my existing auctions in the categories I name?
Answer
You should be able to do so, Karen, as long as the auctions don't have any bids (and maybe you can even if they do - I can't remember). You'd have to revise the auctions after your store is activated and you've created the custom categories though. When revising, you select the specific custom category for your auction in a dropdown box in the section "edit pictures and details".
I was changing my custom category names a couple of weeks ago and I was able to go into my active store listings and change the custom category I had originally selected.