opening a free store

I haven't tried a vstore but I do use eCrater and I like it.

My guess is that either would be fine for sales but the trick is that you have to advertise and promote like crazy to get people there (because there's not such a built-in customer base like eBay has). Of course, eCrater (maybe vstores, too, I don't know) uploads all of your products to Froogle so I know I must be getting traffic from there.

I haven't gotten a ton of sales there (but I sell to a niche market anyway) but they're pretty nice when they come. When PayPal fees are the only fees you have to worry about then it seems like nothing!

Do as many stores as you can.

This will bump you up higher in Google and other search engines ranking.

Do a search on Google for free hosted sites and make a site on those.

The more times your link is out there the better.

Even if you only make a site that just points to your eBay..that's another time the search engines find you.

I LOVE my ecrater stores.

My Best Chelsea!
Donna

I LOVE ECRATERS!

I have 5, or is it 6 now? - stores there!

If you need help setting it up, it's easy - you can go to the community and read the store set up forum - still need help just post your question. Someone will help you!

IMPORTANT thing is DO NOT run a test listing UNLESS you put your store on hold FIRST! The crawler will shut you down!

Test listing? Am showing some age here, but would love to know more...what, when & why?

quote:

Originally posted by Fatman:
Test listing? Am showing some age here, but would love to know more...what, when & why?

WHAT = www.ecrater.com
WHEN = been around since December 2004
WHY = because it's totally free

It's like having your own website. ecrater.com will feed to googlebase/froogle. You do all the rest of your advertising. The more you advertise, the more you sell - just like if you had your own site.

Is there a direction you could point me here about the best way to advertise, or is there a quick how-to you could just put up.

I'm still new and still poking around here and it's probably already here somewhere, but...you know!

Thanks for the quick response

quote:

Originally posted by Fatman:
Is there a direction you could point me here about the best way to advertise, or is there a quick how-to you could just put up.

I don't know really what's here. Just been doing this forum about a month. I know in the ecrater.com community there is a whole thread of ideas.

I'll start a thread here in a second. It deserves it's own place not to get lost in this topic

Great! I'll be looking!

I would first buy a domain name.

Then have that URL directed to your eBay listings UNTIL you can get your ecrater store(s) up and working.

Work on meta tags for your website that get you into the search engines AND pull members into your site to buy from you.

Always use a strong keyword base. Search out even avenue to find strong key words for your auctions, sales, meta tags and more.

http://buy.ebay.com/
http://buy.ebay.com/index_A-1
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

If you have a store...read this link.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?forumID=21&threadID=410200930

It is VERY important to diversify.

Find free sites, put up pages there leading back to your selling sites. Google search: Free website hosting

Join forums and in those forums have your links in your signature. Google and other search engines send out bots and will grab those.

The secret is getting yourself HIGH in the rankings as many have said.

My Best,
Donna

Hi all,

Is it better to have your Domain name pointed to a store like Ecrater or to your geocites webpage which directs them to several of your stores? I'm going to try to do that tomorrow and I was wondering which way was more effective? Opinions are welcome.
Thanks
Rosemary

My domain name points to my ecrater stores.

That will be changing in the next month or two.

I will be getting my domain name up instead of forwarding to my ecraters..I'll have it be a real working webstore.

Then the ecraters can sell on their own as they are meta tag strong with key words..I feel they can do well on their own.

This is all going to be time consuming but worth it in the long run.

I accept GBuy and I want my domain name to be able to be a working site so I can actively promote GoogleBuy.

My Best Rosemary,
Donna

yep.. i think donna has a good way with all this...yep .. do and keep ecrater stores..but get a real domain name and webstore and do ones marketing for this.. let the ecrater stores get their sales from ecraters system..it looks like it will become more and more important in getting ones own domain and webstore working with froogle as it develops.....

using search in froogle brings up your item but with your own site and domain... there is your sites name right beside and clickable to see sellers other items... if one has the products on ecrater .. it will just show the ecrater name and a click to the sites listings.. and with a real domain name would make it easier to market with just ones name and .com yep do alot of ecrater stores get more up in froogle this way..... but just advertize ones own domain and use the webstore for serious integration into the googel.. froogle gbuy system....

quote:

will be getting my domain name up instead of forwarding to my ecraters..I'll have it be a real working webstore.

Can I ask Donna who you are going with to set up your "webstore"?

I have started looking around today at online store providers and am still in the initial stages of figuring out what to do. I plan on doing an ecrater store but am getting the itch to have my own webstore as well and am willing to pay to get things set up.

Has anyone tried "freewebs.com"? Looks like another type of ecrater but was just wondering if anyone had any experience with them. I know we mainly talk about ecrater here.

Marcia

quote:

Originally posted by marciay96:

quote:

will be getting my domain name up instead of forwarding to my ecraters..I'll have it be a real working webstore.

Can I ask Donna who you are going with to set up your "webstore"?

I have started looking around today at online store providers and am still in the initial stages of figuring out what to do. I plan on doing an ecrater store but am getting the itch to have my own webstore as well and am willing to pay to get things set up.

Has anyone tried "freewebs.com"? Looks like another type of ecrater but was just wondering if anyone had any experience with them. I know we mainly talk about ecrater here.

Marcia

Sure Marcia..ask me most anything..I don't care.

I will be doing the website building on several domain names that I purchased. The more domain names the higher placement on the search engines.

I already have several ecraters..and opened another this morning with another name. <smile>

I signed up for a va store and will be filling that also.

I sell also on Bluejay and heard back from Bidville that they will be incorporating GBuy. I haven't touched Yahoo in ages..but with the talk being they are going to go in with MSN and eventually trying to buy eBay..who knows?

I do know someone that uses freewebs..and mainly put it up to get the Google placement to go along with their own domain site.

I'm going to be building my website from scratch and will be doing that within the next few weeks.

The ecraters and va are free the more you do, the higher your placement.

Statistics show that most buyers don't go past page five of searches on the internet. So you have to insure that you're getting as high in the SEO as possible. Using strong keywords and meta tag placement.

If anything..buy your domain name (I use namecheap.com) and have the URL forwarded to your eBay until you get ready to move forward.

I know some great designers too that could help you get established with your own site, too.

My Best,
Donna

Thanks Donna for all the info!

I did take your advice early on and bought my domain name at namecheap and that is directed right now to my ebay store. I go on vacation tomorrow but when I get back will be working feverishly to set up my ecraters and everything else I can add. I just do not want to put much work into ebay right now with the way they are treating us.

I am struggling with one aspect of listing my wares in different places on the internet...how do you deal with the inventory issue? Some items I only have one of and do I list them in more than one place? What is the likelihood that I have two buyers buying the same items from two different sites on the same day or time? (Okay maybe not that likely but these are the things that keep me awake at night...that and my three year daughter roaming the house at 3AM in her sleep) Could anyone offer advice on that little dilemma (not the sleeping walking daughter)?

Thanks and have a great day!

Marcia

Very good question Marcia. I wonder the same thing.

Someone will jump in with some wisdom...I just know it!

Hi Marciay96,

I have 3 sites that I use and i list the items in all three sites. I sometimes only have one item so if it sells on site (a) then I edit/remove the product from site (b&c) before I reply to the buyer incase of a problem.However I have to date not had several buyers after one product. Is that lucky or bad marketing on my part

Hope that helps a little,

quote:

Originally posted by simco:
Hi Marciay96,

I have 3 sites that I use and i list the items in all three sites. I sometimes only have one item so if it sells on site (a) then I edit/remove the product from site (b&c) before I reply to the buyer incase of a problem.However I have to date not had several buyers after one product. Is that lucky or bad marketing on my part

Hope that helps a little,

Hi fatman don't know if that is wisdom

If you have 3 sites, and you have the ability to make a product link. Then show the picture of the "one" item. They show a price, but have them click the link to the actual location on one of the sites the item is listed. If the item is sold, then the inventory for the item will show zero, no matter where they came in from to where the item was located.

Recap: When you list the item, it gets located on one of the 3 websites. That item on that website has an inventory control so that when it it sold, it goes to zero. On the other 2 wesites, you post the pictures, the price, description and a link to where the actual item is website located.

Hi daddyo,so if I had a product link then when the item is sold on the (a) site theother sites (b&c) would also show as sold ?Is that what you mean.How could you product link .Sorry if it's a dull question but I think i follow what you say but do not know how to put it in place.

No, its just that if they try to buy the item and click the link to the page, then try to purchase the item, it shows up as not available. A link is the address at the top of any page on your browser. The link would be the webaddress where the item is located. There is a way of making a "click here to purchase item" link. Someone else knows it by heart I imagine. I have to look it up every time I do it.

ecrater stores have no real inventory control.

I been listing my items in 2 places. When one sells I go edit the other. It's not been a problem for me YET. I do with I had a inventory program but I don't. With over 500 items in my ecrater store- just one store - and normally 500+ items on ebay it can get to be a PITA.
But for now I MAKE IT WORK!

What is va stores?
Thanks
Rosemary

quote:

Originally posted by leahyrlw:
What is va stores?
Thanks
Rosemary

I see you found it. I'm lost.
<smile>
I had to contact William in the hopes of walking me through.

I don't feel so bad as he told me it took him a month to make his.

If I can just get by the first stumbling blocks then I might be...Good to Go.

Lemme know when you get your va store up and running.

Take care, Donna

I suggest if you want to build your own website or at least a a basic template ... go to oscommerce.com

I am pretty sure that's the website. I used that to build my own website and it's pretty easy. If you decide to use it and have any problems let me know. There is also a forum on there you can also ask.

It looks pretty good... well since my skill level isn't that great.. I think mine turned out okey. If you want to check it out www.nobostore.com

You can change the colors and the layout.