Considering an eBay Store?

One question I often hear from eBay sellers is: “Should I open an eBay store?” Terapeak is sponsoring a free webinar to help eBay sellers make that decision.

eBay seller, Kat Simpson, will make a 45-minute presentation this week where she will discuss:

How an eBay store can improve your brand awareness, and increase sales

The top five most important benefits to having an eBay store

How to use Terapeak to optimize your store listings

The webinar will talk creating an eBay store and is geared toward both the new eBayer and the seasoned one.

The presentation will be held Wednesday, March 6 at 2:00pm ET/11:00 am PT. If you would like more information or wish to register, visit this page.

Related:

eBay Seller FAQ: Should I Open an eBay Store?

Drive Traffic to Your eBay Store - FREE

Yes, Virginia, I Really Sell on eBay !

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How Much Will this Sell for on eBay?

I get this question several times a day, along with:

Should I do an auction with or without buy it now?

Should I do an auction or a fixed price?

At what price should I start my auction?

Should I do a 3, 5, or 7 day auction?

And many others. You don't have to ask me or anyone else - use Terapeak! It will tell you! A research tool is CRITICAL in becoming a successful seller on eBay because you can look at historical sales and make informed, intelligent decisions WITHOUT GUESSING. Your decisions will be based on hard data, not on what somebody told you - and that somebody may not have all the facts.

Look at it this way. You must have the proper tools to do any job successfully. If you were starting another home business such as a catering company, you would make sure you had all the tools to do the job as efficiently as possible. eBay is the same. Terapeak costs $24.95 a month but it can give you a world of valuable information that will prevent you from making costly mistakes or buying products that won't sell.

Sellers today don't know how good they have it. When I started eBay many years ago, we didn't have research tools. We relied on trial and error, intuition, and luck. eBay selling has been refined to a science and Terapeak will help you make more money. For less than the cost of an average cell phone bill, you can have access to information that will help you make money and prevent you from making costly mistakes.

See these articles and videos about Terapeak to learn more.

Terapeak Data - Robert Graham Shirts 70% Sell Through Rate (STR)

Terapeak Data - Remington Razors 54% STR

Terapeak Data - Smith Corona Typewriter Ribbons 81% STR

Terapeak Data - Sure Max Deodorant 86% STR

Using Terapeak to Choose the Best Keywords

Examining STRs on Terapeak

iPhone Terapeak App

Happy Selling!

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Smith Corona Typewriter Ribbons - 81% Sell Through Rate

Here is a cool item you may find a garage sales, thrift stores, or estate sales. Typewriter ribbons - specifically, Smith Corona typewriter ribbons. According to Terapeak, these have an 81% sell through rate when offered on a fixed price listing:



You will notice that the price of an individual ribbon isn't very high. Most sellers are offering these in lots of 2 or more, such as in this listing:



You will also see some listings where Smith Corona typewriter ribbons are being sold with the actual typewriter. Add this item to your BOLO list for when you are out scouting items to sell on eBay.

Happy Selling!

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Free Version of Terapeak

There has been a lot of discussion on my Facebook group about Terapeak, if it is worth the $25 a month, how to use it, and how to get a free trial. There is actually a free version of Terapeak you can use by following these steps.

Click here to go to Terapeak.

Scroll to the bottom and look on the left. You will see this:



Click SAMPLE REPORT. Then you will see this screen:



Click the SIGN UP button. The free version only gives you access to 14 days of history and you don't get access to the hot categories or hot searches. But it is enough of a trial so that you can determine if you want to try the paid version. Terapeak is what I use to create my Hot Lists of discontinued items, research drop ship products, and determine pricing on every single item that I list.

Click here to try Terapeak and start making more money on eBay. the $25 a month will come back to you many times over.

For information on personal coaching to learn this process, click here for a free consultation.

Happy Selling!

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eBay Research Tip - How to Examine Sell Through Rates

When researching a product to sell on eBay, one factor you should always look at is the sell through rate, or STR. This is also called the listing success rate, or LSR. This information can only be found on a research tool such as Terapeak - it is not available in the completed listings search.

I recently found some Wii Fit Balance Board mats at Tuesday morning marked down to $9.99. Here is how I made my decision of whether or not to buy them to resell on eBay.



If you are not using a research tool, click here to try Terapeak. $24.95 a month might seem like a lot to pay for an eBay tool, but based on the time and money you will save using it, the investment is really very small over the long run.

Are you looking for someone to guide you along in your eBay business and help you reach the next level? If so, contact me at eBaycoach@yahoo.com to discuss personal coaching.

Happy Selling!

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FREE Keyword Title Builder Tool on eBay

Your 55 character title is the most important part of your eBay listing. If buyers can't find your item on searches, you are limited to them haphazardly finding your listings through browsing. There is a great little FREE tool hiding on eBay that can help you improve your titles which will result in more views, more bids, and more sales. Here is how it works:


Summary:

1. Click on the applications tab
2. Find the Terapeak Keywords application
3. Click "Get It"
4. Go back to your applications tab to access
5. Start writing better titles!

The title builder is just one small aspect of what Terapeak can do. Click here to see some demo videos about what the full version can do. Terapeak subscriptions start at $24.95 a month - you can recover that investment in one sale. Give it a try and take the guesswork out of which keywords you should use and gain insight to what products sell the best.

Happy Selling!

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eBay Coach's Top Five Ways to Get More Bids on eBay Items

You found a fantastic item. Several people are watching it. No bids yet. Should you worry? NO! One reason is because many buyers use sniping tools and their bids are not placed until the last few seconds. I received an email from a reader the other day arguing that XYZ item (that I had blogged about) was NOT a good seller because it didn't have any bids on it - the item had 4 days left. Hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don't think this person understood sniping and how much it is used.

Sniping aside, there are things you can do to increase the likelihood of bids being placed.

1) Spend time researching keywords. This is how your buyer finds your item in the first place. I have mentioned this concept many times before. You can get a free trial at both Hammertap and Terapeak. Each is about $20 per month. And, in my opinion, the best $20 you can spend on your eBay business. At least take the free trial and see what these tools can do.

2) Have a fair return policy. Give buyers the option to return the item if they aren't satisfied. You will gain much more than you lose when offering a fair return policy. I am often criticized for this. Sellers say, "Well, I want to sell my item not rent it." Make sure you are specific about your return policy - item must be in original condition, not used, with all packaging, with tags, must not smell like cigarette smoke, or be covered in pet hair. Buyer will pay return shipping. Use common sense. Click here to learn how to write your return policy.

3) Provide clear photos, and more than just one photo. The only thing between you and your buyer is a computer monitor. You MUST take the time to take, edit, and post a great photo. Show several views of the product, and always include close-ups of details. You don't need an expensive set up. Here is an article about how to make an eBay backdrop for less than $1.

4) Offer international shipping and / or visibility on international sites. We live in a millennium of the global economy. Time zones and distance does not matter. You may not even sell the item to an international customer, but they sure help increase the bidding. I see this all the time on my own auctions. Not sure how to ship an item internationally? No problem. Click here for instructions.

5) Use common sense and treat customers the way you would like to be treated as a customer. Be professional, courteous, and friendly. Just like mom always said, "You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

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iPhone Terapeak App for eBay Research on the Go

Thanks to John S. for sending in this tip:

"I don't know if you have an iphone or not but if you do or know someone with one, Terapeak has an app for it. They just released it and of course I had to get it. It is free but you do have to have an active Terapeak account. The app is awesome! Very fast even using the edge network. Has all the info you need to make snap decisions out on the hunt. It will search 7,30 or 45 days and give avg price, listings and sell thru % along with listings in descending sold price."

And according to ResearchAdanced.com, on their December 8th post, "Terapeak Marketplace Research, Powered by AERS, today announced the launch of an iPhone application that allows users to conduct eBay market research on the go. Available free as part of all North American Terapeak subscriptions, the application will see users simply key their search term(s) into one screen, and with one click access item-specific data based on 45 days of closed eBay listings."

How cool is this? I remember the days of yesteryear (like 4 years ago), when you had to guess, go with your gut, or just take a risk buying something to resell. Now you can determine on the spot in the store or at the estate sale if the item is going to be a profitable item on eBay. If you have an iPhone, you should definitely take advantage of this! What a huge time saver. Click here to sign up for Terapeak.

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