Question
I've moved most of our inventory to an ebay store - now I get to learn how to promote it. I want to put a link to the store in the items we are still running as "auctions". Can I say this in a tshirt "auction" - visit our store to see other tshirts designs, shop by size and view other items such as kids' shirts, prints, nightshirts, totebags, and more? I can't imagine anyone searches for "totebags" (and if they do they deserve the milliion hits they get) so it doesn't seem like keyword spamming to me but what would ebay think?
Can descriptions include our email address? Can it be a link? If not, how do I make it not linkable (that's probably a stupid question but I tried revising an auction yesterday and every time I typed an email address it immediately turned itself in to a link)? I'm such a computer guru (NOT).
Thanks
Maryanne Dubbs, Cat Rescue of Maryland
Answer
I don't know how many auctions you plan to run at a time, but if it's a reasonable number just go ahead and include the ad copy in your descriptions, and put in an active link to your store, too. It's one of the links that you are allowed to make.
If there is a problem of keyword spamming, eBay will simply warn you, or perhaps cancel your auctions and refund your listing fees. (This assumes that your "nose is clean" with the eBay police.) That's where a "reasonable number" of auctions comes in... if you're only going to have a dozen auctions with this ad copy running, it's easy enough to relist them, without the offending section, if it comes to that. If you're going to have a couple hundred auctions running, that's a different story.
Last I knew you were allowed to have your email addy in your description, although I stopped putting mine in a long time ago in an effort to combat harvesting. In HTML, what makes an addy linkable is the addition of the term "mailto:" directly in front of the addy. If you don't add that, it should be treated as simple text. Did you try to revise the auction you spoke of on eBay's Revise Your Auction page, or in some other program? A word processor, for example, will by default automatically make anything with an "at" symbol (which, BTW, Jim has made unprintable on this site... it shows as a * instead) into a linkable email addy...
I can't speak for any of the auction tools programs because I don't use them, but unless eBay itself has changed something, if you are editing your auction at eBay in HTML, just backspace over the mailto: and your addy should appear as simple text.
I could ask why you wouldn't want it to be linkable, but I won't.
Answer
Here is a link to an here thread that discusses Store promotion including links.
Store Promotion
I think the here Resource Center is still under development but using here search above and inserting Store Promotion will pull up additional posts/threads.
It's generally agreed that every listings should have one or more links to the Store. This includes not just the Fixed Price and Auction listings on the main site but Store listings as they might come up as additional items in search or can be found through search engines and you can't assume shoppers know you have a Store just because they find an individual Store item.
What I'm doing is a work in progress as I see additional methods used by other sellers. Some use one link but others insert 6, 8 or more links. The wording varies as some promote their Store in general, others point to a specific category, mention that items can be purchased immediately, savings on combined shipping or promote a wide range of items they carry.
What eBay will allow is, as always, an unknown.
Putting a number of words into a listing that do not apply to the item listed is a definition of key word spamming but a good argument can be made that a paragraph stating "visit my eBay Store where I have ..........." is valid. How any eBay Nation employee will view your specific listing on any given day is uncertain.
It appears that sellers are being allowed wide latitude to refer to other items that they offer but maybe others have some insights on this issue.
This is likely much more information than you wanted to your specific question but I don't think there is any one answer and links become used not only in listings but in emails etc. and are just one part of Store promotion.
Answer
I include links to different products in my store generally for my cross-promotion (I also may include a link to the related category in my store).
Sensitive to KWS issues, instead of putting a text link, use a picture link : create a .jpg with "Totebags" on it, and make that a clickable link to your Totebag department. Because the word appears on a .jpg its not searchable, and therefore is not KWS.
One of my listings : here is an example of what I'm doing now in auction listings to drive more store traffic.
Answer
if yoiu list directly through ebay they have a little clickey thing that will insert your store link for you, so no reason why you can't
we have had our email addy in there for years, no problems here...........it helps for people who are new and can't figure out the page right away.
Answer
Thanks for all the great ideas. I've certainly got my work cut out for me. I'm trying to get us in position for holiday sales this year. Most years we are SO busy in the fall that by the time I'm ready to think about ebay it's December (too late!)
Re email link - I'm not sure I want it at all and if I do, I'd like it to be clickable, I've just got something way back in my memory banks that says I read somewhere it isn't allowed to be so thought I'd ask.
A picture link is intriguing and may be worth my trying to learn to do.
Revising all our store items (again) is just so daunting (and boring (gg)). I do understand the point made about having the link in those. In addition, we have a link to andale gallery and I really think that should come out and we should save those dollars. Going to our store where the items are organized by size has to be nicer for folks than the andale gallery. Maybe this will give me the incenteive to at least consider revising all the store items.
I've save many of the threads on here about store promotion and I plan to return to those. Never too much information!
Thanks, Maryanne Dubbs, Cat Rescue of Maryland
Answer
Re email link - I'm not sure I want it at all and if I do, I'd like it to be clickable, I've just got something way back in my memory banks that says I read somewhere it isn't allowed to be so thought I'd ask.
Thanks, Maryanne Dubbs, Cat Rescue of Maryland
It better be allowed! I've had one in my description for a few years now.
Check into the custom listing header and the store search box. You can't have too much promotion in your auctions.
Pat