Question
I live by lists.
I wish I had a better check list and used it when I was starting my eBay Store.
I presently have more Store lists than ever and I expect the number will grow.
I thought we might discuss lists and the general steps that apply to starting and maintaining a Store.
After this thread wanders through the topic we might produce a summary and have that a sticky thread or otherwise made available as a reference source.
While my experience is with an eBay Store I expect 90% or more would also apply to any off eBay venue.
Planning first is desirable but the reality is that many of us have been selling for a while and tend to be ahead of any plan. That results in having to determine where we are, going back to fix/change some stuff and also looking ahead to where we are going.
I hope that's all right because that's the way it always seems to be for me.
I think the first thing we need is a business plan. It's seldom done first, in any formal way, as we often just wing it based on what we have been thinking about.
At some point it should be written down (a yellow pad or WordPad file is fine as it will constantly change)
I think of it as being in three parts. Where am I, where do I want to go, what do I need to do to get there?
Another way to look at it would be what would an experienced and successful Store owner tell a good friend to do to avoid all the problems they encountered and to achieve the best results in the shortest time.
I don't believe there is only one road that leads to having a successful Store. For one thing people define success differently and it can be approached from many directions.
I do think that every path likely has some common characteristic and steps that will have to be dealt with and those are what I hope will emerge in this thread.
A starting point well might be "Why do you want a Store and what do you plan to sell?"
For those with a Store, sharing what you think it offers you and the general range of items your offering might help others and set the stage for the where do you go from here discussion.
I firmly believe that most full time and many part time sellers will be best served by having one or more Stores (on and/or off eBay)
While "How, when, where and why?" are logical questions at the beginning, I find I'm constantly asking them at ever step of the process.
And "Change" is going to be a constant companion on this entire journey so just get use to that and become comfortable with having it as your travel mate.
So, where are you, what worked in you getting here, where do you want to go and how do you plan to get there?
Answer
Ray, you made some very good points in your list. Not the least of which is that many of us have just been "winging it" or as I like to say, "making it up as I go along." I very recently realized just how overwhelmed I am with eBay stuff (which surrounds me and it threatening to kill me ) as well as other issues related to sales and working for myself. Now, I have been doing this since 1997 but it seems to have SWARMED on me in the past year or so. I may have too many pots on the stove, so I sat down and prioritized and started "shaping up my business plan." (You need to know that I am an organizational and management specialist ...yes indeed I have been a paid consultant with multi-million dollar companies who has come in and helped them settle issues just like this, but managing my eBay company at home I am hanging my head in shame, but acceptance is the first step toward getting your "feces" together. )
So, I have decided to narrow my focus for the time being. I am concentrating on ONE eBay store (I have had up to four at one time) and the auctions associated with my primary selling ID. I am trying to organize what I am doing with my primary seller ID and "beef up" my store as has been my plan for over a year. I have made some positive strides in the past month since I had the epiphany mentioned above. I do need to tighten up my plan but I will say that for right now I cannot see me having more than one eBay store at the present. It would be more efficient in some ways to do so but I am so "split" between other obligations I am going to have to maintain the more narrow focus of one for now.
I could list all of the things that have been demanding my attention and decreasing my productivity but suffice it to say that I have tried to diversify too much and that doing so was a bad idea.
So, I am focusing, centralizing, organizing and trying to plow through the eBay "stuff" in my house so that I don't feel that my life is in peril.
Cheers,
SageMoon-Cottage
Answer
I have a store with about 3,000 items on it. One mistake I made was making sure the description jived with my Turbo Lister details. ie. Postage and details for our International buyers.
Also, one thing I did that cost me money was to list for 60 days and then relist it when I just should put it on indefinetly and pay the 2 cents per month. I think it's less work.
Also with USPS coming up with an increase for shipping in January. You may want to check your prices now and shore them up if need be.
Not sure what else you may mean but I'm willing to work on ideas as well. Thanks
Answer
The good news about an eBay Store is that you can change everything at a future time so initial mistakes can be corrected and if you find "better ideas" at a later time they can be included.
The bad news is that making changes can be a lot of work particularly when it involves modifying a large number of listings.
While you don't want to delay opening the Store endlessly while you "think" about it, there are some initial steps worth taking.
You want a Store and you know what you will sell. A next step is the name.
Worth a little time and testing (Testing as in coming here and asking for opinions on your choices)
Beyond the words are additional choices like, Your Name, YourName, YOURNAME, Your-Name or Your_Name.
Then you need to find out if it's available on eBay and can be registered as a URL. (GoDaddy.com is a good site to test availability)
I believe it's important to register the URL (about $9.00 per year) and it's much easier to use a registered URL (www.YourName.com) for advertising than the long and often changing URL eBay provides for Stores.
Spend time on the eBay Store Board. It's a rich resource and the users are very helpful.
I see the Store Board as having four distinct sections of information.
On the right are links to the eBay provided information.
On top are "sticky" threads where eBay is saying something and/or users have provided summaries.
Third are the individual threads. Search and you will find every question discussed. Don't find or understand, ask.
The fourth, which is less obvious but maybe most helpful, are the Stores of the regular users. The group has tweaked their Stores, moving in several directions and are a virtual sampling of what can be done.
They have formed an online mall, Doors2Stores, and viewing the individual Stores will give insight on the nearly endless variety possible.
Visuals are important. eBay offers templates, if you have the knowledge you can modify appearance and designers are available from among the regular board posters if you want to hire help.
Even more important than appearance is the wording of the descriptions. Unlike regular auctions the Store listings also need to inform a potential customer that you have a Store, more items of this type/theme are available and invite them to click on a link which brings them to your Store front page or the category of the specific item.
Read the descriptions of the successful store owners. You will see they have a distinct difference from usual auction listings and are strongly promoting their Store and savings from combined shipping. They are advertising their Store as much as the individual item.
If you want a Store, have a salable product line, get a reasonable name, use the basic eBay templates and write your descriptions to encourage people to visit the Store you will have sales.
You can then spend the rest of your life making improvements, adding enhancements, learning SEO, finding new products, making money and never being quite satisfied. (How i know that is because my own Store is in the process of a complete redesign after which i will correct some poor images, modify a lot of descriptions and add new products).
A eBay Store is the easiest way to learn to build and maintain what is in many ways a website, so you might as well get started now for you will likely end up with your own stand alone website in the future and this is the best schooling available.