Entries from December 2006 ↓

SourcingReviews.com has a post about product sourcing company Worldwide Brands and their debut of a redesigned website and sourcing tool called "OneSource".

You can see the entire post here:
http://www.sourcingreviews.com/2006/12/worldwide-brands-debuts-onesource

[tags]worldwide brands, onesource, product sourcing, ebay[/tags]

Popularity: 4% [?]

I have two answers for this question.

1) If you're a dealer. Don't get involved in shipping.

2) If you are the buyer, I'll give you some insight on choosing an [tag]auto transport[/tag] company.

I advise dealers to steer clear of suggesting a shipper to your customers. If you pick the shipper, Mr. Dealer, the buyer will assume you have a "connection" with the company and you're recommending them based on that. Then if the shipper damages the car, guess who gets the flack and negative feedback? You.

I usually recommend a site called transportreviews.com to buyers so they can see what others are recommending. It's a user driven site that reviews transporters from all over the country. They currently have nearly 6,000 reviews. Don't be alarmed by negative comments - most people tend to only leave reviews when they have a complaint. You can sort by number of total customers, company name, location and even by 'popular routes.'

If you are a dealer, explain the process to your buyer. Let them know that [tag]moving a car[/tag] across the country can take a couple of weeks at times. Most buyers don't realize that shipping a car is not like sending a package through the mail. The vehicle may be loaded at the departure location on one truck, then put on a truck to haul it to a depot across country, then put on another 'local' truck to ship it to the destination. The buyer should also know that a vehicle transported a long distance can arrive rather dirty. Does the shipper clean the car at the end of the trip? Some do, it's something to consider.

Choices will face your customer as they choose a shipper. Choices include:

• Open or closed transport? (closed offers more protection)
• Guaranteed top-loading (less moving around on the trailer when delivering vehicles along the way)
• Door-to-door, or depot-to-depot shipping? (Involves driving to the depot to drop-off / pick-up the vehicle)
• What kind of insurance is available?
• Does the shipper own their trucks? or do they contract with independent carriers? (If they own their trucks, it's easier to track, and easier to figure out who's responsible for problems along the way.)

While it may seem confusing to ship a vehicle the first time, it's not impossible - it happens every day thousands of times. Educate your customer if you're a dealer, and if you've purchased a vehicle you should educate yourself.

Personal note: I've worked with the people at Dependable Auto Shippers for many [tag]eBay Motors[/tag] events. I personally trust them greatly and I'd use them if I had a car to ship. They are one of the few shippers that offer an online quote and they have their own trucks - which I like.

[tags]vehicle shipping[/tags]

Popularity: 4% [?]

More eBay Education Specialist news was announced today with the January 8, 2007 release of the "eBay Giving Works" course. The course will focus on training Non-Profit organizations, teaching them how to use eBay as a fundraising tool as well as teaching eBay Sellers how to sell items for non-profits.

I recently taught a workshop for the California Association for Non-Profits and found great interest in the idea of using eBay to raise funds, both by direct selling by the non-profit as well as receiving donations through MissionFish and eBay's GivingWorks program. In fact, in a survey of the attendees new sources of fundraising is the top issue of concern for these organizations.

The course will cost $49 and can be renewed annually for $29. The requirements to be able to teach the class through PowerU / eBay Education Specialist Program will be the same as the Beyond the Basics course.

Popularity: 4% [?]

The January 2007 Education Specialist newsletter has just been release with lots of helpful information. I had the opportunity to contribute one article that discusses setting up an eBay class.

If you're visiting for the first time, I'm glad you're here. I hope you'll consider subscribing to the feed and please feel free to send comments or questions any time.

Popularity: 4% [?]

This question is asked by [tag]auto dealers[/tag] and also by [tag]eBay sellers[/tag] in general quite often. There is a lot written about eBay Store already but I'll try to put the main points in a nutshell.

The main reason to have an eBay Store is to compliment your auctions. Even with this summer's fee increases a store is still a cost-effective, and relatively simple way to have an online presence. A Basic eBay Store is $15.95 per month, and each item is approximately $.10 to list for 30 days. With the immense traffic eBay gets, you are bound to get people to look at your eBay Store quicker than if you have a stand-alone website. If you set your store up correctly, you are also going to be ranked higher by the [tag]search engines[/tag] too.

I generally tell people to think of your [tag]eBay Store[/tag] as a way to compliment your [tag]auctions[/tag]. The auctions are included in standard search results, Store items as a rule are not. So generally your auction or fixed-price eBay.com listings are going to get more traffic. If then you use those listings to [tag]drive traffic to your Store[/tag] you'll sell more.

For example:
Say you're a Toyota dealer and you sell used cars (and a new one once in awhile) on eBay Motors. How can you branch into other areas? Well, the Parts and Accessories segment of eBay Motors is still the fastest growing area of the site with a part or accessory selling every second 24/7. If your dealership has a parts department why not add an eBay Store with accessories for the cars you sell? Imagine a person looking at your listing, bidding and winning, and then you -through your customized Winning Notification email- invite them to look in your eBay store for additional items.
From the other direction, imagine you have parts, accessories, manuals in an eBay Store - and a few up for auction. People looking for those items can also be invited via a link in your listing to browse your other items. You may find someone who was looking to buy an owner's manual will purchase a car as well.

I recommend that dealers have an eBay Store to sell Parts and Accessories. It's an add-on channel for your business which will expand your market reach and help you develop customers that may come back for a much larger purchase later.

Start selling online today! Open a storefront on eBay!

Popularity: 4% [?]

This is perhaps the most common question I get from my eBay Motors dealers. If you're a dealer and you're looking to sell cars on eBay Motors - you may wonder yourself.

70% of the vehicles sold on eBay Motors are everyday vehicles. Specialty and exotic vehicles also do well, as do collector cars and supply constrained vehicles. In fact, eBay Motors eBay Motors was formed just in time to take advantage of the hard-to-find PT Cruiser. When dealers received them, many would put them on eBay and get a premium because of the high initial demand and low supply.

You don't have to have hard to find inventory to sell on eBay Motors though. You can simply move your aged inventory of common vehicles if you use the right strategy. One dealer reported this week (and I've seen this in the dealerships I've worked with) that cars priced $5000 and under move quite well for him. Don't forget people come to eBay looking for a deal.

When searching top searched terms in eBay Motors through eBay Pulse, the terms "salvage" and "project" are in the top four. That should tell you something. When you get a DOA vehicle in and give someone a little on trade for it, throw the thing up on eBay and see what happens. I did this once with a Toyota 4Runner which was a mess. The engine knocked, it was very rusty, and the dealership gave $500 on trade for it. I took photos of it as is and put it on eBay with a thorough description and it sold for $1675.

Also if you're a dealer in the north and you get a convertible in November, you can still sell it to someone in Arizona in the winter. eBay Motors reach makes that possible.

You're not going to get top dollar for cars sold on eBay Motors. Once you get past that, and use eBay as a liquidation tool with international reach, you'll sell cars and you will make more than if you take those cars to the brick and mortar auctions.

See a tutorial on How to Sell on eBay Motors

Popularity: 4% [?]

Earlier this week I spoke for the Detroit Auto Dealers Association regarding selling on eBay Motors. There were approximately 40 in attendance and they ranged from managers to internet salespeople. Some of the questions raised were common for many dealers and I thought I'd cover them in the next few posts. Many relate to eBay in general, and some are dealer specific.
Some very good questions were (in no particular order):

• Should we give out the Reserve Price when asked?
• What cars sell on eBay Motors?
• Should we have an eBay Store?
• How is shipping handled?
• What payment is acceptable, both domestic & international?
• Should we hire a person to handle the eBay listings?
• What duration is best?
• How do we handle the "last 12-hour" rule if a car listed on eBay sells on the lot?
• How can we find tax information on out-of-state sales?

I'll handle these in individual posts in the coming days. Meanwhile, I'm still in Michigan enjoying my Mother's cooking, and the unseasonably warm December weather.

Be back soon...

Popularity: 3% [?]

I'll be teaching two eBay Motors classes in the Detroit area over the next couple of days. The classes are full and some good Motors related questions should come up. It's always good to get questions from the 'troops in the field' and I'll pass a few on over the next week.

Popularity: 3% [?]

When eBay sent me out on my first eBay University in Lincoln, Nebraska, I was a bit nervous and unsure about my role as an instructor. I listened to Marsha Collier and Christopher Spencer the first time out and I noticed how much the audience enjoyed their personal stories. They really tuned in when the instructors talked about their own real experiences and used them in their teaching. We all have unique experiences we can share with our classes. Some smart moves we've made, some not so smart, but still very valuable when teaching your students. Stories reach people's hearts, they help them remember points you make. Even the stories about how we've made mistakes, come on now you have a few of them too. I know I do. For example:

I once bought 1600 Lance Armstrong posters (two pallets) at a pretty good price. I did my research, and they were selling nicely. I sold a lot of those posters, but really 1600? Even if I sold two a day EVERY day it would take over four years to sell them all. I finally sold them as lots and broke even on the deal. Still, not the smartest thing I've done, but a good story when discussing which products to choose to sell and how much inventory to purchase. (Thank goodness my neighbor had a nice dry barn for me to store them in since they wouldn't all fit in my house.)

"But I'm Not a Storyteller"

Yes you are. An eBay seller has to be one of the best storytellers ever. We can entice a stranger to send us money by using only 55 characters in our listing title. We can also start a virtual firestorm of emotion in 88 characters with our feedback comments. We can tell stories. As an Education Specialist teaching a class, you can use your personal experience to really make a point. People remember stories better than facts & figures, it's just the way our minds work. So use stories and illustrations to make a main point stand out.

For example, when I'm discussing how important the 55 character title is, I use an example of the 200 NASCAR coat racks I bought for resale. I sold them for months using "NASCAR Coat Rack" in the title. Then sales slowed a lot. I got to thinking, "who would want a NASCAR coat rack?" Someone with a NASCAR coat! Obviously. So I did a search for NASCAR coat and guess what, none appeared. So, (I thought) "if I want a Dale Earnhardt coat what do I search for?" "NASCAR jacket". So I now began selling "NASCAR Jacket Racks" and sales took off once again. In fact better than before. Changing one word in the title made all the difference. The story is more interesting than just telling them what the book says to tell them.

One caution though. Do not make your presentation all about you. You will come across as a bit conceited and your class will get tired of hearing you. You should only "pepper" your presentation with appropriate experiences.

For example, if you have a class who obviously understands how to write an eBay item description, cover the material and move on. But if that class has a problem understanding aspects of photography, use an appropriate story or illustration to make your point. If you're teaching them about having a good background in their photograph, you can instantly make your point with the eBay Teapot Story, which is now an internet legend (albeit a true one).

You should think of your experiences and stories as songs in your repertoire and use them when appropriate. They are powerful tools. They are uniquely yours. And you'll be able to speak with feeling about them to effectively teach your students.

[tags]ebay, education specialist, ebay class, stories that teach, ebay classes[/tags]

Popularity: 4% [?]

I wrote earlier about my friend with the Mustang asking about reserve prices. He asked whether to make it available to those who ask, and whether he should lower it, and if so, when? In fact, lowering your reserve is a powerful way to re-connect with your bidders near the end of the listing.
In most cases on eBay, if you're going to change anything at all about your listing it must happen before the last 12 hours of the auction. In fact, if your item has bids you can't even end an auction within the last 12 hours. One exception to this is on eBay Motors only. Motors allows you to lower your reserve within its vehicle category within the final 12 hours of the listing. Either way, you should lower your reserve before the 12 hr. limit to get the greatest benefit.

So when is the best time to do this and how much should you lower it?

Most listings ramp up in activity right after their launched. Then they level off and pick up again in the last few hours. During the quiet middle time people come and go, many of the initial bidders are outbid and may just lose interest. If you've started your listing with a low price you'll likely have lots of bidders under the reserve price. How can you get their attention again? Lower your reserve.

When you lower the reserve price a couple of things happen.

1. You get a little icon next to the price which says "Reserve Price Lowered" - that tells potential buyers you're really anxious to sell this item.
2. eBay emails all of your bidders and tells them the seller (you) have lowered the reserve on the item they were bidding on.

So, by lowering your reserve you get eBay to do a little last-minute marketing for you. That's another reason to set starting prices low and encourage people to bid. Get lots of bidders and then when there's about 24 hours left, Lower Your Reserve.

How much do you have to lower the reserve price?

That's another cool thing. You can lower it $1 if you want, and the emails still go out as if you'd slashed prices by 50%. It was my policy to lower the reserve on everything. The bidders can't see how much you'd lowered it, and they still can't view your reserve price - which is another reason for not giving the reserve price out when asked.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Recently, a friend asked me about a 1970 Mustang auction he has running on eBay Motors. He'd received several bids and was waiting through the stagnant time between the initial rush and the final rush of bidders. He asked when (and if) he should consider sharing the reserve price, or lowering the reserve.

First, should you share your reserve price with bidders? This is the most commonly asked question on eBay Motors reserve auctions. There are two schools of thought on that. Bidders like when they know the reserve so they don't waste time when it's out of their reach. They also find out if it IS within reach and they'll stay tuned. That is one of the best arguments to give out the reserve price. I've even included it at the bottom of a listing to see if it makes a difference. I have not found any real difference, positive or negative...except one...

...the second school of thought is to refuse to give the reserve price to anyone. I have definitely seen situations (primarily with vehicles) where a buyer was given the reserve price and waited to bid till the very end of the auction. Then they bid right at the reserve and win the auction. That's fair, however as a seller I would rather just ask sincere bidders to bid what they could afford and what they thought the vehicle was worth. When I do that I see much better results. Often the reserve price is met and two bidders raise the price accordingly in a good old-fashioned auction.

So how do you answer the question, "What's Your Reserve?"

I say something like, "Thanks for your interest in my (item). I encourage everyone to bid what you think the (item) is worth. However I don't make my reserve prices available, in order to be fair to other bidders. I appreciate your understanding. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions. Thanks!"

Once the reserve has been met, bidders can see clearly what it will take to own the vehicle and bid accordingly. I prefer now to simply ask people to bid what they can for the item. I tell them it's to be fair to all bidders (including those who haven't asked for the reserve amount.)

If you answer the "what's your reserve" question through My Messages (in your My eBay page), you can post the answer to your listing along with your response. This helps cut down on future questions.

But what if you have lots of watchers, and not so many bidders? What are they waiting for? Should you lower your reserve? That's what I'll cover in the next post.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Last fall I had the opportunity to teach at the CAN (California Association of Nonprofits) Conference in Los Angeles. The attendees were all interested in new ways of fund raising for their organizations. In fact, in a survey of those who attended fund raising is the topic most on their minds.

If you are an Education Specialist, consider speaking with the non profit organizations in your local area. They receive donatoned items (some good, some not so good) which they have to dispose of in some way. As you can imagine, eBay can really help.

Since nonprofits are trying hard to keep as much of the donation as possible, they cannot often afford to hire eBay Trading Assistants to sell the items they've received. Some TA's charge upwards of 30%, so it would be much better for the nonprofit to have an in-house person handle the eBay auctions. If you can teach them how to handle the items, and steer clear of auction-management companies that would take a large chunk of their proceeds, you are genuinely helping these organizations.
eBay's Giving Works program has been a tremendous force for good in allowing nonprofits to move donated items, as well as allowing generous members of the eBay community to donate to the charity of their choice. eBay has chosen MissionFish as their partner in handling charity auctions. If you're going to teach locally about this, you'll want to make yourself very familiar with the process for:

1. Registering with eBay
2. Registering with MissionFish
3. Fees for charity auctions and how eBay handles them.

These organizations are not always able to pay as much as for-profit businesses. You may have to create a special rate for them and even work out some form of trade. Many of their sites get pretty good traffic and you may ask if they'll include a link to your site on their website. You may also be able to teach a class for your regular rate, invoice them, and then "donate" the class as a tax deduction. (Check with your tax person before doing this though - I'm no tax expert, and laws vary from state to state of course.)

In any case, you'll enjoy working with these interesting organizations that are in place to help others.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The latest news from PowerU, the folks that handle eBay's Education Specialist program is a bright shiny new Store Page for registered instructors.

Improvements include:

• True Cost FedEx Shipping Rates
• Quicker Processing of all Student Manual and Add-On Curriculum items
• Streamlined Program Renewals
• Order History for recordkeeping and reference

Changes Instructors will see include:

• The Store page will direct you to three distinct locations:
• CafePress: eBay Education Specialist items such as mugs, calendars, hats, shirts, etc.
• PowerU Store Items: Continued access to polo-shirts, t-shirts, lapel pins, and more.
• Training Materials: This is where you can order your Instructor Manuals, CDs, and Student Manuals.
• Instructors will take on more of the responsibility in shipping prior to submitting orders. This will however free up PowerU staff and make order processing more timely.
• Instructors will be required to have a current training event in the PowerU system to download or purchase Instructor Manuals and PowerPoint presentations.

This new addition should make the experience of ordering products through the Education Specialist site easier and quicker.

Popularity: 3% [?]