rustygumbo
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posted on August 26, 2004 07:40:53 PM new
I have a few questions. I am just now beginning to set up my store and want to ask a few questions.
1) What is your opinion about Ebay Stores vs. Vendio Stores?
2) Which have you found more fruitful in sales?
3) Which is easier to use?
4) Which is more cost effective?
5) Any suggestions?
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popnrock
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posted on August 26, 2004 07:55:21 PM new
I get sales off of my Ebay store.
My Vendio Stores I rarely get paid.
I like the look of my Vendio Store better.
I think one reason I get more Ebay sales is the link to Ebay is on the Vendio account.
Miss J
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ebayvet
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posted on August 26, 2004 07:55:35 PM new
I can't answer your question directly because I don't have both - However, I will tell you why I have an ebay store, and why I think it makes more sense, and that is because it is on ebay. When I run auctions, my store items appear in my list by seller name. People can buy the item on ebay, and feel comfortable with that. I have items that sell when I am not running auctions, so people are still coming to my store without coming to my auctions first. It cost me $10 a month, and 2 cents per item per month. At those prices, listing 1000 items is $30 per month, so cost is not really a factor in deciding between the two. I know ebay has the FVF, but I think it is easier to get sales on the ebay platform than to have someone go elsewhere (I used to do a website with sales, my results are MUCH better with ebay stores) - Also, with the ebay turbo lister, uploading items is pretty easy...
Friends don't let Friends say stupid things like Friends don't let friends vote Republican!
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rustygumbo
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posted on August 26, 2004 08:04:44 PM new
Lets say I have an inventory of 10 of the same item. Is it better for me to use a Dutch Auction or wait til one is sold and then relist another?
How does search work for Stores? Is the same search engine used?
[ edited by rustygumbo on Aug 26, 2004 08:07 PM ]
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Gtootie
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posted on August 26, 2004 08:15:40 PM new
I have a Vendio Store. It cost $10 per month plus .10 per sale. Once you put an item in the store it is there to stay. You never have to relist it.
At first, I rarely ever sold anything out of my store. Then they added the Gallery feature and sales took off. Add to that, when a customer goes through the checkout they see 4 items from your store. You can set the ones you want shown for each item or go with a random selection.
I have a lot of store customers who use their credit card, which I like because it is cheaper than PayPal.
I also think Vendio stores look better than eBay stores.
All of my items are multiples. I rarely have only one of an item. So I list them all at one time.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
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stopwhining
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posted on August 26, 2004 08:22:38 PM new
how can you have dutch auction in stores??
store has fixed price items.
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
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Gtootie
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posted on August 26, 2004 08:28:16 PM new
It's not a Dutch Auction. But like stopwhining said Fixed Price. If I have 50 of one item, the customer can buy all 50 or just 1. Just like going to a store.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
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neglus
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posted on August 26, 2004 08:28:55 PM new
Rusty - I use the free Vendio Store that comes with my Vendio subscription mostly as a gallery for my eBay listings. The good thing about Vendio store is that it comes up on Froogle search and I don't think that my eBay store does yet, however the Vendio store counter rarely moves - I don't think people use it very much (though I wouldn't know because all items are listed on eBay.) Every once in awhile I get a referral credit (1/2 off of my ebay FVF) and I think that those purchases must have been accessed through the Vendio store. <--WAS THAT THE WORLD"S LONGEST SENTENCE OR WHAT?? YIKES! I THINK I"VE HAD TOO MUCH CAFFEINE! SORRY!
An ebay store item will come up on regular ebay search if there are fewer than 10 items that match the buyer's search. Using keywords in titles is really important!
While most of the ebay boards are full of whackos, the ebay store seller board has a lot of good information about setting up a store. Ebay: "community-->discussion groups-->ebay stores". Members there will even critique your store and make suggestions for improvement if you ask. There are lots of tips for promoting your store ..ie: linking in auctions and getting your store in the search engines and HTML etc help.
I looked at your listings the other day when you posted and it sure looks to me like you are a perfect candidate for ebay stores - can't beat the listing fees and buyers DO go there (may take awhile to establish your store, be patient). I think they are the next best thing to FLD (better actually because they stick around until cancelled.
**********************************
Sig files are too much trouble!
http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards
[ edited by neglus on Aug 26, 2004 08:55 PM ]
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AintRichYet
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posted on August 27, 2004 03:36:39 AM new
gtootie says: At first, I rarely ever sold anything out of my (vendio) store. Then they added the Gallery feature and sales took off.
Gtootie, I thought the 'Gallery feature' of vendio's (the one that we can put inside our ebay listings), did not include listings from our vendio store (only ebay items) ... was I wrong? ... the floating pictures in that Gallery actually show your vendio store items too???
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Gtootie
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posted on August 27, 2004 08:21:03 AM new
It doesn't show your store items, but it has a tag line on it that says See All My Other Items or something like that. It takes them to your eBay auctions in your store. Once they are in the store they can look at everything.
I can't say for sure, but that's the only thing I can think of. It could be that seeing the gallery gets them interested enough to click on the store link. I don't know, but when I added that gallery customers started hitting my store.
I still can't go with just the store, but I sell enough to make it worthwhile.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
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neglus
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posted on August 27, 2004 09:50:52 AM new
Gtootie - when I follow the link to your Vendio store I just see eBay auctions. Do you have another Vendio store with just Vendio store items in it or am I doing something wrong?
I still say that eBay stores are the way to go - for 9.99/mo plus 3 cents a listing (with gallery view) you have a site you can promote the bejesus out of in your regular listings PLUS a gallery view PLUS the items MAY appear in the regular ebay search and DO appear in the "store" search.
My ebay store has 3500 +/- items in it. It costs me $115.00 to run all those items each month and my sales, even when on vacation and not running any auctions, are more than enough to qualify for PS status. My vendio store counter shows 178 people have visited my store since IT OPENED over a year ago (and yes I have the same little Vendio link in all of my auctions - at least 50 of those hits are probably me)..my free store traffic report shows that I average over 800 store visits PER DAY!!
edited because I can't remember how the *&*% to get things to BOLD
**********************************
Sig files are too much trouble!
http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards
[ edited by neglus on Aug 27, 2004 09:52 AM ]
[ edited by neglus on Aug 27, 2004 09:53 AM ]
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Gtootie
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posted on August 27, 2004 10:21:12 AM new
neglus...That's the page the link takes you to, but once there you can click on any of the categories on the left or any of the tabs at the top. Once you get in you can go to any item in the store.
I can't say anything about the eBay stores because I have never had one.
I know what you mean about the Vendio counter. I thought the same think for a while. The counter doesn't go up much, but I keep getting sales. I'm beginning to think that the counter is only for the home page. If a customer comes to an item from froogle or another site and never clicks on the home page, the counter doesn't change. That my theory anyway.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
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neglus
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posted on August 27, 2004 10:23:10 AM new
gtootie - I just reread your post about the Vendio store costing $10/month and .10/sale. Under Vendio's Variable Power plan, the store is free and the FVF is 1% (i think - not more than 1.25% anyway..so it's 5 cents on a $5 item and not 10 cents). You have 600 auctions running right now - I don't know what Vendio plan you are using but you might want to check out which one is most cost effective. Vendio will crunch the numbers for you if you ask (or at least they used to).
The ebay store listings last forever too (GTC) so you don't have to redo listings or relist as long as you list as GTC and not 30, 60, 90 days.
**********************************
Sig files are too much trouble!
http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards
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neglus
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posted on August 27, 2004 10:29:25 AM new
I see it now - so the "see my item" list takes you to your Vendio store category "ebay auctions" and then you can click on categories or sort by site to see your Vendio exclusive items..cool. Here I've had a VD store for over a year and don't even know how to use them!! Nice store BTW
**********************************
Sig files are too much trouble!
http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards
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Kevinatgrannys
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posted on August 27, 2004 10:47:30 AM new
I have both stores and my sales are 100% more out of the ebay store than the vendio store (in fact, I haven't sold a thing out of the Vendio store and just pulled a bunch to put on ebay) however, I use the vendio store as a launch point for new contacts because it is just one link and they get to see everything. I have about half of my monthly sales that come out of the ebay store, which surprises me. I now list heavier in the ebay store than the auctions. I keep a couple of "representatives" in each category out in the auctions. Hope that this is of some help.
Kevin (Who needs a lot more coffee!!)
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Gtootie
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posted on August 27, 2004 10:48:12 AM new
neglus...I already have, but I may ask them again since it has been a while.
This is (or was) the best plan for me because I have that many running most of the time. If you notice almost all of my items are new, and not one item sales. Most go for the BIN. I rarely have one that doesn't. So, as soon as it sales it is relisted.
I do have a lot of $5 items, but I have others that range form $20 to $100. And those are the ones that I sell out of my store. So, the .10 per item is the best way for me to go.
Another thing I like about a Vendio store is that I have a website. Verisign stopped supporting stores about a year ago and at the time I didn't have the money to get set up with another shopping cart. I was also going through a bad time and wasn't up to setting a store up again. So, I just added a link to my Vendio store and worked on it. I really don't want to send those customers to eBay. That could be where my hits are coming from also. Traffic has been going up at a steady pace.
Thanks for the compliment on my store.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
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rustygumbo
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posted on August 27, 2004 11:40:09 AM new
this is all great info. i appreciate it.
i know listing will be much less expensive.
my only concern is using the Search Engine. I guess Ebay's Search doesn't normally include Ebay Stores.
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neglus
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posted on August 27, 2004 11:56:11 AM new
no - that's why it costs just 2 cents to list there. If you do have "rare" or hard to find items, and a regular ebay search brings up fewer than 10 items, your item WILL show in the search.
The strategy is to run auctions (more at first and less when you establish your presence) with PROMINENT SHAMELESS links to your store and to try to get your store picked up by the search engines (they tell you how to do that on the ebay store board).
**********************************
Sig files are too much trouble!
http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards
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AintRichYet
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posted on August 27, 2004 12:04:20 PM new
neglus ,... so you have ebay stores, vendio stores, and vendio image hosting? .... do you have any problems with your images getting lost after 90 days (unless they're 'clicked on')? ....
I'm just real confused and am all FOR getting more sales .... we have a few hundred items available at any given time, and i use vendio stores and ebay auctions .. (no, not TOO many sales out of my stores) .... oh, also, i do not use vendio 'gallery' (i think that would be expensive for us?) .... i'm really trying to figure out a new plan of attack. LOL
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Gtootie
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posted on August 27, 2004 12:06:18 PM new
Another thing to consider is what you sell. I would think some items would not work as well as others in a store.
My customer base buys on emotions. Once they get started they will fill a shopping cart and not care what it cost. I can't see someone buying antiques and collectibles doing that. I may be wrong, but I think it matters what you sell.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
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Gtootie
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posted on August 27, 2004 12:10:39 PM new
I check my image recycle bin about once a week. That can be a pain, but the system will be changing soon. There's a Vendio announcement about it.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
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AintRichYet
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posted on August 27, 2004 12:15:59 PM new
yah, GT ... i notice they have "permanent image storage" coming up soon .... have you noticed they have NOT mentioned that it will be 'free'? ... i think they will charge for it ... what do you think?
......... oh, and yes, our things are antiques and collectibles, all varied.
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AintRichYet
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posted on August 27, 2004 12:18:56 PM new
GT said, "I know what you mean about the Vendio counter. I thought the same thing for a while. The counter doesn't go up much, but I keep getting sales. I'm beginning to think that the counter is only for the home page."
yes, that counter only goes up when someone visits the 'home page' of your vendio store, but our permissible 'link' to our vendio gallery doesn't take them to the 'home page'
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neroter12
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posted on August 27, 2004 12:24:37 PM new
This is a good thread. I have been giving both alot of consideration myself.
..
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~~ Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues(forces)of life..Proverbs 4:23~~
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iareateacher
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posted on August 27, 2004 12:24:53 PM new
Gtootie: Nice looking Vendio Store.
--
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Gtootie
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posted on August 27, 2004 12:26:54 PM new
Oh, I'm sure we will pay in some way if there's not a fee involved up front.
In other words, the counter is not worth a hill of beans. It's just there to look ugly.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
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Gtootie
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posted on August 27, 2004 12:30:48 PM new
Thanks Teacher...it was hard work to get it started, but it's easy to maintain and add to.
Since most of you have looked at my store, do you see what I meant by buying on emotions? Buy a key chain and can't live without the Christmas ornament.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
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iareateacher
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posted on August 27, 2004 12:39:50 PM new
Truthfully, knickknacks aren't really my cup of chai.
My grandma would have loved it, though. She was always buying this stuff.
--
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neglus
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posted on August 27, 2004 12:50:29 PM new
re images: I check my image recycle bin almost daily...you have something like 15 days before they are deleted for good. I mass undelete the images (sometimes it's 400+)..takes a couple of minutes. I decided to just keep them all since i have unlimited storage & VENDIO said that would be alright..can't wait for their new image handling folders etc!
**********************************
Sig files are too much trouble!
http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards
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Gtootie
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posted on August 27, 2004 01:02:11 PM new
Teacher...It's not knick knack thing. It's a dog thang.
By the way, Somebody send Tom in. I have lots of little Ralphies (and a car payment due).
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
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