Simplx Blog

eBay stores are eBay’s version of an independent online webstore. An eBay store is a series of customizable pages, hosted on eBay, where you can post a special type of extended-duration, fixed price auction. In essence, you populate your store with a variety of Buy it Now products.

In some ways, an eBay store is sort of like a really elaborate MyWorld page. You have a certain level of control over its appearance and content, and you can add modules and features to it to give visitors access to your products. Listings on an eBay store have lower insertion fees and longer durations, but the Final Value Fees are quite a bit higher than the ones for a typical auction.

The Types of eBay Store
There are three different levels of eBay store, each with progressively higher monthly fees but also additional features and greater customizability. Even the basic store is not intended for amateur eBay users however; we don’t suggest signing up for an eBay store until you are making a strong number of regular sales per month. But, for users who are making a consistently high number of sales, eBay stores can significantly increase revenue.

Basic
Basic stores are the simplest to set up and use, but offer limited reporting and marketing tools. They are also relatively inexpensive, making them a good choice for hobbyists and part-timers.

Premium
A Premium store adds features for tracking your sales and gives you more advanced tools for marketing. Owners of Premium stores also have access to 24-hour-a-day technical support. These are a good choice for someone who is an established presence on eBay and is selling on eBay as a career.

Anchor
Anchor stores are meant for the most advanced, high-volume sellers. The subscription fees for having this store (before Insertion and Final Value fees) are over $3,600 a year, and many of the features are too advanced to be helpful for casual users.

More information about the three types of eBay store subscription is available here.

Store Inventory Format
Probably the single biggest reason to open an eBay store is access to the Store Inventory Format for your listings. Store Inventory Format behaves very much like Fixed Price Format; the buyer does not bid against other buyers for the item being listed, but simply agrees to purchase a certain quantity at a “Buy it Now” price. Store Inventory Format listings can also have significantly longer duration than normal listings. In fact, they can have a duration of as much as 30 days.

The Insertion Fee for Store Inventory Format doesn’t change with the quantity of items listed. That means the fee will be the same for listing a thousand of a particular item as it would be for listing one. Incidentally, Store Inventory Format cannot be used for items that have a price of less than $1.00.

Additionally, Store Inventory Format has a unique option available called GTC. GTC stands for “Good ‘Till Canceled,” meaning that GTC listings will automatically renew until the seller either cancels them. This allows you to have a particular item continuously available for sale, while paying the lowest possible Insertion Fee every month for doing so. GTC listings won’t stop auto-renewing until the quantity of items in the listing drops to zero or you cancel the listing.

Store Inventory Format does have its disadvantages, however. First and foremost, items listed for sale in an eBay store do not have the same visibility that standard auctions do. Listings that use Store Inventory Format don’t come up in an eBay search unless one of two things happen:

The potential customer specifically searches for results in eBay Stores (most don’t)
The search returns fewer than 30 results (very uncommon)
That means the vast majority of potential customers won’t even see listings in your store when they do a normal search, even if they are searching for exactly the product you carry. How does anyone ever sell things from their eBay store?

Getting Customers into your eBay Store
The thing to remember about Store Inventory Format is that, for the most part, it relies on getting potential customers into your store so that they can browse your products. Most of the time, successful eBay store owners do this by running a few standard auctions of their hottest items while keeping other items up for sale in their store. When potential customers are already considering bidding on those listings, they often tend to visit the seller’s eBay store to see if they can find other interesting deals.

This is where Niche Marketing fits into the equation. Successful eBay stores sell items that are related in some way, so that customers who visit the store through another listing find themselves in a place full of other things they might want to buy. This is where your potential customers will find related products that they never would have searched for on their own, because they didn’t even know about them!

Conclusion
eBay stores aren’t a benefit for every eBay seller, but they can be a powerful tool for those who are in a position to take advantage of them. Furthermore, managing an eBay store is excellent practice for managing an online business outside of eBay—many of the same procedures and techniques apply.

Popularity: 2% [?]

New Merchants:
Avis Rend a Car – 3% commission
Avis Rent A Car is one of the most recognized and respected car rental companies in the world. Founded in 1946, Avis has been one of the world’s top brands for customer loyalty, providing business and leisure customers with a wide range of services worldwide. Our exceptional brand and reputation can help you drive traffic, conversions and sales!

Big Al’s Online – 6% commission
The largest online retailer of pet supplies in North America. A trusted name for more than 30 years in premium, branded aquatics supplies. We stock over 4 million dollars in inventory and currently offer over 7,000 aquatic products from over 100 manufacturers.

DD’s Online Superstore – 12% commission
We are an online provider of a huge selection of electronics, giftware, home decor & housewares, toys, computer equipment and much more for a fast growing number of customers. We have built a solid reputation as reliable, efficient and dependable business, offering our clients enormous variety of products at rock bottom prices.

eWatches.com – 7% commission
eWatches.com is an authorized dealer of high quality, name brand watches. We guarantee customer satisfaction on every transaction by providing excellent customer service, some of the lowest prices on the internet, and by only offering watches and watch lines of proven quality, backed up by full manufacturers’ warranties.

Personal Protection Experts – 10% commission
Welcome to Personal Protection Experts! We are your best source for self defense products, security products, safety products, spy devices, and gadgets. We carry a large selection of pepper spray, stun guns, motion alarms, chimes, diversion safes, key hiders, dummy cameras, voice changers, listening devices, laser pointers and much much more!

Deactivated Merchants:
Leaps and Bounds
World’s Finest Chocolate

Popularity: 2% [?]

New Merchants:
AT&T Business – $50 commission
AT&T is setting the standard for a new era of communications and entertainment. It is the largest telecommunications company in the United States and one of the largest in the world. Sign up for a High-Speed Internet to receive the rebate.

BeyondBikes.com – 7% commission
Beyondbikes.com serves bicycle enthusiasts around the world with a huge inventory of all the latest and greatest cycling merchandise. Since its beginning in 1999, Beyondbikes.com has experienced continuous growth, and has become one of the largest & best known online retailers of bicycle parts and cycling accessories.

Bobby Berk Home – 7% commission
We want to welcome you to Bobby Berk Home. Based in the fashion capital of the world, New York City, we are the best destination for modern furniture, mid-century modern sofas, modern lighting, modern home accessories as well as many types of modern art for the office & home.

iFloor.com – 5% commission
Buy flooring online at substantial savings over traditional land based stores. This tangible savings ranges depending on the size of the order, but many of our clients and told us that they have saved $1000.00 or more on larger orders. Find Brand name products link Pergo, Wilsonart, Formica and others.

Steve Madden – 12% commission
Steve Madden, the footwear fashion mogul of the 21st century, has immersed his company into virtually every aspect of the fashion industry. Expanding now into other accessories such as handbags, belts, socks, watches, as well as the apparel segment with dresses and outerwear, Steve Madden is evolving into a lifestyle brand.

Deactivated Merchants:
Black Hound New York
Delightful Deliveries

Popularity: 4% [?]

New Merchants:
Akademiks – 6% commission
Akademiks was founded in 1999, with the principle “in pursuit of truth.” Their mission is to inspire and lead the youth fashion revolution, by offering affordable premuim denim with superior craftmanship. Akademiks clothing exceeds the expectations of its customers with innovation, keen attention to detail, quiality and outstanding fit. Akademiks represents the future thinkers and doers of tomorrow.

BeddingStyle – 10% commission
Bedding Style offers top bedding brands at discount prices: Tommy Hilfiger, Laura Ashley, Anne Klein, Nicole Miller, Dean Miller and more.

Blinds Express – 4% commission
Blindsexpress.com is one of the largest and most affordable Blind, Shade and Shutter company in the world! We sell only the biggest and best brand names in the industry: Levolor, Bali, Comfortex, Graber, Hunter Douglas, Kirsch, Norman Shutters and More!

DYMO – 5% commission
DYMO is fast-becoming the worldwide leader in providing innovative labeling solutions that help people organize and identify their world: home, office or worksite. DYMO offers a complete range of products, from simple embossers, manual label makers and desktop products to industrial portables and computer-connected products only. And DYMO label makers offer diverse functionality, including: bar coding, address checking, and much more.

Peachpit – 10% commission
Peachpit has been publishing top-notch books on the latest in graphic design, desktop publishing, multimedia, Web design and development, digital video, and general computing since 1986.  Our award-winning products feature step-by-step explanations, timesaving techniques, savvy insider tips, and expert advice for computer users of all sorts.

Deactivated Merchants:
Home Visions
Montgomery Ward

Popularity: 6% [?]

New Merchants:
Barse.com – 7% commission
The Barse brand can be found in retail settings from major department stores to specialty boutiques throughout the U.S. and internationally. Our talented in-house design team continually creates a turnover of fresh collections that reflect a constantly changing fashion arena.

Kansas City Steak Co – 7% commission
Kansas City Steak Company prides itself on providing a fantastic value on the highest quality meats and other delicious fine foods. And they’ve been doing just that since 1932. At the Kansas City Steak Company an outstanding, top-of-the-line cut is their standard. Once you’ve tried a meal with a flavorful, Super Trimmed filet mignon they’re sure you’ll want to come back again and again. Kansas City Steak Company is based firmly on family values - that’s why they’ve been in business for over 75 years. Those standards of integrity, quality and hard work have made them a company you can trust.

InformIT – 10% commission
InformIT is the online presence of the family of information technology publishers and brands of Pearson Education, the world’s largest educational publisher. InformIT is home to the leading technology publishing imprints Addison-Wesley Professional, Cisco Press, ExamCram, IBM Press, Prentice Hall Professional, QUE, and Sams. Here you will gain access to trusted and quality content and resources from the authors, creators, innovators, and leaders of technology. Whether you’re looking for a book on a new technology, a helpful article, timely newsletters or access to the Safari Books Online digital library, InformIT has a solution for you.

PersonalThrows – 10% commission
PersonalThrows creates personalized photo throws, tapestries, pillows, bags and custom photo wall hangings, which are jacquard woven works of art or custom knitted to perfection. We offer one of the biggest selections in personalized gifts! We stand behind our products 100% and Guarantee its quality and workmanship.

Teleflora – 10% commission
By choosing Teleflora when you order flowers you know that you are sending the most beautiful, high-quality floral arrangement possible. Unlike other online flowers , every Teleflora flower arrangement is designed and hand-delivered by a professional florist whose flower shop is in the same neighborhood as the recipient of your thoughtful gift. So your flower delivery arrives fresh and beautiful. It’s the only way to send flowers, plants and gift baskets. When you want the best, that is. If you’re looking for the widest selection of the freshest and most beautiful flowers, plants and gift baskets, you’ve come to the right place.

Deactivated Merchants:
Sears Room For Kids
Sears Home Center

Popularity: 8% [?]

New Merchants:
DefySupply – 5% commission
DefySupply allows anybody, anywhere, to buy directly from the world’s top manufacturers.  We carry all types of home and office furniture, and our prices are impossible to beat.

DVD Planet – 5% commission
Your online source for DVD’s.  All DVD’s are 25% off.  Some titles under $6.00.

JewelsForMe – 10% commission
The largest gemstone jewelry specialist on the internet with over 20,000 rings, earrings, pendants and bracelets to choose from! With our robust inventory, easy to use and atheistically pleasing site as well as acclaimed customer service, customers are happy to buy from us.

RCToys4Less – 10% commission
The best place to shop for remote control toys and hobby items for the kids or adults with kid hearts! At RCToys4Less.com you will find the latest remote control, or RC, toys and RC hobby items on the market today. RCToys4Less.com is not only bringing you wonderful RC toys, we also sell them at everyday low cost directly to the public.

WPS Wholesale – 10% commission
WPS Wholesale carries a wide and constantly growing assortment of craft supplies, pet supplies, medical supplies, hardware, sewing supplies, hair accessories, and more at wholesale prices.  WPS Wholesale has additional discount programs for Businesses, Non-Profits, Schools, Government Sectors, and Premier Customers.

Deactivated Merchants:
eToys
.Mac

Popularity: 8% [?]

What is a Niche? What Has It Got to do With My Online Business?
A “niche” in economics refers to a very particular segment of the marketplace that is set apart, for one reason or another, from the mainstream. If you think of the economic marketplace as a literal marketplace or bazaar, niches are the isolated little corners, away from the main promenades where most people shop. The places where the mysterious and rare items are bought and sold, by mysterious and rare people.

What isn’t a Niche?
One useful way to define the idea of a niche is by establishing what it isn’t, rather than what it is. Niches are not the place for high-volume, “economy of scale” businesses. A niche doesn’t just sell jewelry; it sells a particular kind of jewelry. A business that is interested in a niche market doesn’t carry large inventories of dissimilar items; every product that it carries and sells is related to some very specific purpose or activity.

Why do Niches Form?
Niches are the natural side-effect of the “one-size-fits-all” trends in the mainstream marketplace. Most people, most of the time, shop for things that are similar to what other people around them are shopping for too, so big retailers compete for the attention of customers in those areas. But occasionally individuals are interested in something different from the norm, and that’s where niche markets flourish.

Take your typical supermarket as an example: despite their different names, all supermarkets sell pretty much the same stuff, for pretty much the same price, right? Occasionally a customer might want a something that is different from the norm though, and the supermarket doesn’t carry it. In those cases, the consumer heads for some sort of specialty store to get their product instead.

Niches aren’t always about the availability of products, either. They can form for all sorts of reasons:

• Price: for bargain-hunters, people who are more concerned with price than the mainstream shopper.

• Performance or Quality: for people interested in a higher grade of the same product than the mainstream shopper.

• Quantity: for people who are interested in buying larger commodities than the mainstream shopper.

• Special Needs: for people who have particular requirements that the mainstream shopper doesn’t have.

• Special Application: for people who are looking for products all based around a specific, unusual task.

• Exclusivity: for people who want something the mainstream shopper don’t have access to.

And these are only a few ideas; niches form for all sorts of reasons beyond these. Additionally, sometimes the reason for a particular niche will overlap. Costco and Sam’s Club base their business models on serving clients who have particular interests in price and quantity.

The watchword of Niche Marketing is focus. A business that is successfully focusing on niche marketing has a very specific reason for carrying the products that they do. They know the needs of their customers (more closely than most mainstream business do, in fact) and are doing their best to fulfill those particular needs.

Why Focus on a Niche?
So, why are we encouraging you, the small business entrepreneur, to study out, select, and sell to a particular niche? Why not go for the mainstream instead, where there are more customers (and thus, more money)? It has everything to do with the economics of competition.

Big retailers (like WalMart, for example) run their business in a very particular way. Their corporate model involves carrying a large amount of very popular items and selling them at very low margins but doing it as quickly as they can. It’s a pretty safe bet that anything you see on a shelf at WalMart hasn’t been there for very long, simply because the store knows that turning over inventory is the key to profitability for them.

That’s a fine way to do business, but it actually places some pretty stern limitations on what a big retailer can carry: WalMart has to carry the products and sell them at prices that will make them fly off the shelves fastest. They don’t carry the highest quality products. They don’t carry the cheapest products. They don’t carry specialty products. They don’t carry the most effective products. They don’t carry the most interesting products. They carry the fastest selling products. Period.

When you think about it that way, you’ll start to see what makes niches the more interesting parts of the marketplace. A business in a niche market isn’t a slave to turnover the way a mainstream retailer is, which makes them free to base their business strategy on something more than simple product popularity. A niche can be focused on things like product quality, or performance, or price, or rarity, or application or all sorts of other things. Choosing a niche offers an entrepreneur more freedom.

Why a Niche Online?
Online businesses have a lot more success targeting niches then big retailers in brick-and-mortar retail stores ever could. In fact, they are probably the biggest reason why e-commerce has changed the way the world does business.

Before the internet, if someone wanted to buy something they pretty much had one choice: find and go to a store that sold it. That meant the store owner could only make a living by selling a product that people near his store wanted to buy. Most brick-and-mortar stores were stuck following the mainstream model of selling what was popular because their wasn’t any choice; you weren’t going to sell exotic food if there were only three people within a twenty mile radius who want to buy it.

E-commerce changes all of that. If you have an online store, the world becomes your marketplace. You can sell something that no one in your hemisphere wants to buy, and still make a living doing it, if there are enough people on the other side of the world who want it. That means you can sell to any niche you want to when your business is online.

Conclusion
Finding and focusing your business on a Niche isn’t the only way to make money online, but it’s certainly one of the very best ones for a small business entrepreneur. It lets you be creative, focus your attention on something you are really interested in, and tailor your business to the customers you want, all while avoiding the restrictions of being a normal retailer or selling from a brick-and-mortar store. All it takes from you is knowing what niche you want to pursue, and being willing to learn that niche inside and out.

Popularity: 14% [?]

New Merchants:
Bigger and Brighter – 9% commission
BiggerAndBrighter.com is the one-stop-shop for book lights and magnifiers. We offer a wide variety of stylish designs under the LightWedge and Great Point Light brands. We are always adding new items and re-introducing product lines in new color palettes. Serving book lovers, travelers and crafters, BiggerAndBrighter.com is especially relevant for the aging boomer population.

CarParts.com – 6% commission
CarParts.com has all the brands your customers know ready to ship direct to them from the warehouse. In addition to the over 57,000 parts in their warehouse near Chicago, Illinois, they work with a vast network of warehouses across the U.S.A. to find the best possible price on great quality items for most vehicles.

James Allen – 5% commission
James Allen is one of the leading online jewelry companies, offering the world’s most beautiful diamond engagement rings and fine jewelry coupled with the finest laboratory graded diamonds. We also offer free FedEx Shipping, 30 day returns and outstanding customer service on every order.

Vera Bradley – 7% commission
Vera Bradley has earned a reputation as a leader in the gift industry. Creating stylish quilted cotton handbags, accessories and travel items, the company combines smart product designs with distinctive and colorful fabrics and trims.

WatchOrbit – 7% commission
Watch Orbit is a new shopping destination for watch enthusiasts and collectors. This new site focuses on the latest trends and features some of the most unique collections of watches and limited edition collections ever assembled on one site. Their brands include Baume and Mercier, Bedat & Co, Edox, Gucci and Tag Heuer.

Popularity: 13% [?]

You’re a business owner! Whether on eBay or through your own custom website, you regularly provide products for customers to buy, and you are ultimately responsible to that they get what they ask for. Since your business is online, most of your contact with those customers will come through e-mail. What can you do to make sure that correspondence is positive?

Limitations of E-Mail
Talking to someone through e-mail isn’t like having a conversation face-to-face. In fact, it isn’t even like having a conversation over the telephone or using an instant-messaging service like Microsoft Instant Messenger. Instead, e-mail is very much its own method of communication, with special rules and courtesies that you need to keep in mind as you compose. If you don’t follow the rules, an e-mail can be easily misunderstood. And the last thing you want is for your customers to misunderstand you!

Twelve Rules to Improve Your E-Mail Skills
These twelve rules will help you to keep your e-mails sounding professional and clear so that your customers will get what they need and want out of them.

Rule #1: Answer Quickly
Customers expect a quick reply when they send an e-mail! Never make your customers wait more than 24 hours before they hear back from you; you should get used to checking your e-mail box at least once a day, and usually more often than that. If you cannot completely answer an e-mail query when you receive it, send a reply answering what you can and promise to get back to them once you have the information they need. Always keep your promise.

Rule #2: Answer All of Your Customer’s Questions, and Pre-empt Further ones
Make sure you read incoming e-mails carefully, and double check them before you send your reply to make certain that you’ve covered everything the customer needed to know. At the same time, use what you know about your customer to predict additional things they will need. Customers appreciate a business that takes time to anticipate and attend to their needs.

Rule #3: Be Concise and to the Point
Never make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. Reading an e-mail isn’t like reading a printed letter; don’t intimidate your customers with something long and unwieldy! Sending an e-mail that is too long can make your reader feel like skimming what you have to say, which is often a sure recipe for misunderstanding.

Rule #4: Use Proper Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation
Remember, grammar rules are there for a very good reason: they make your text easier to understand. If you neglect your spelling or punctuation, it doesn’t just make your business look unprofessional; it makes what you are writing difficult to understand. Most e-mail programs have spellcheckers now, be sure to use them!

Rule #5: Personalize
Sometimes it’s appropriate to use a template for responding to your customers, but do everything you can to avoid letting your e-mails sound canned. Use your customers name, and make whatever changes to the text are necessary to specifically address their questions and concerns.

Rule #6: Mind Your Structure & Layout
Since reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper, take care to structure the text of your e-mail in a way that will be easy on the eyes. In general, use short paragraphs and simple sentences and make sure your e-mail software leaves enough space between the lines. Also keep in mind options like bulleted and numbered lists.

Rule #7: Never Write in ALL CAPITALS
Remember; uppercase letters are designed to make text easier to read when they are used in combination with lowercase ones. Uppercase letters by themselves indicate shouting however, which is rude as well as difficult to read. It’s best to simply never use all capitals at all.

Rule #8: Always Read the E-Mail Before you Send it
Although it might seem silly, it’s amazing to see how many people are too quick to click the “Send” button. Take a second after you compose your e-mail to make sure it reads well, is appropriately personalized, and covers all of the points that it should.

Rule #9: Be Careful With Formatting
Remember that different e-mail services have different formatting abilities. As a general rule, keep formatting simple, with few colors, and keep everything easy to read against a white background.

Rule #10: Use a Meaningful Subject
Always use a subject for your e-mails, and make sure it is specific and useful. Generic subject lines can be easily mistaken for spam, either by the user or by automatic spam filters, and your carefully crafted e-mail could end up being discarded without being read. It is usually best to include your name (or company name) as well as the name of the product your customer is purchasing.

Rule #11: Avoid Long Sentences
As a general rule, sentences in an e-mail shouldn’t be longer than twenty words. Your customer is going to want to get the message quickly; don’t make your sentences too complicated or you risk them missing something important.

Rule #12: Use Active Voice
Sometimes, in an attempt to sound formal or well educated, e-mail writers use passive voice. Remember: “We will process your order today” sounds far better to your customer than “your order will be processed today.” The second example doesn’t just sound stuffy; it sounds like the task of processing the order has been passed on to someone else.

Conclusion
Your business exists to serve your customers, and you want your e-mails to reflect that fact. Follow the rules outlined above, and your communications with your customers will always be clear and effective.

Popularity: 16% [?]

New Merchants:
Created Natural – 10% commission
Created Natural ™ Mineral Cosmetics and Organic Skin Care are specifically designed for everyday women who want a look that is easy to apply, clean looking and all natural.

Department 56 – 9% commission
Since 1976, Department 56 has been a leader in the giftware, collectibles and holiday decorating industry offering nearly 3,000 different products.  As a subsidiary of Lenox Group, Department 56 has quality products, personalization, established brand and strong brand equity.

FAO Schwarz – 10% commission
FAO Schwarz is a 145-year-old company, specializing in toys, collectible toys, high-end plush (stuffed animals), and baby items.

Geoff & Drew’s – 10% commission
Geoff and Drew’s has been in business since September of 2001 and has been building a cult following in Boston that has lead to their recent induction in the Boston Business Hall of Fame. Their cookies and brownies have earned rave reviews in print and broadcast media including the Food Network, the Today Show, MSNBC, Gourmet Magazine, Inc. Magazine and were featured as the Snack of the Day on Every Day with Rachel Ray.

MyStrollers.com – 5% commission
MyStrollers.com is a leading specialty retailer of high quality baby gear. From preconception and pregnancy through baby, toddler and preschooler stages, MyStrollers.com has everything parents need.

Deactivated Merchants:
REI
CartoonNetwork

Popularity: 15% [?]