Hi All,
I've just gone for an eBay basic shop because my listings are slow sellers and the longer and cheaper shop format more than counters the slightly higher final value fees.
For me the Auctiva Store is effectively a shop window on all your listings, and even with an eBay store, for me at least, it continues to be. The Categories in the Auctiva Store work differently and, in my opinion, better for my basic needs than the eBay categories which (unless I'm missing it - quite possible!!) are a manual process, though I accept I am only just getting into it!!
Purely on a Store verses Store basis (and again for my basic needs) there is nothing in it in my opinion. For me it was all all about reducing listing costs.
Another subtlety that I missed is that before my eBay shop, my listings contained a link to my Auctiva store, now they contain a link to my eBay shop (because I am paying for that). The net result is that I don’t think that my Auctiva store has *any* visibility!!!
As the poster above states shop format listings don’t appear in normal searches, unless an option box is checked OR the search returns very few results. Consequently you can be in a situation where your eBay store has *limited* visibility. The answer, I understand, is to still post some cheaper items in a BIN or auction format in an attempt to drive buyers to your shop.
Hope this helps.
GTL.