Joe Queenan in the Wall Street Journal tells us it's our patriotic duty to spend this year. At least some. But he says there is no one super-hot product like there has been in the past; Tickle Me Elmos and the like.
In this season of wish lists, I've been thinking of what features or changes I'd like to see from eBay. I'm going to be blogging about them in the weeks to come. One thing I've been missing is the thumbnail images in the Feedback Forum. They seem to have spaces for thumbnail images now but they don't always come in. I'm not sure why.
In any event, I remember there being some foofaraw about privacy issues with displaying these images in a member's feedback area, so eBay has tinkered with the settings there. But it is sometimes hard to remember what something looked like or exactly what it was when you go to leave feedback, especially when there are similar items.
And did you know that as a seller you can customize your selling manager display so you can see thumbnail images with your listings? (It's the "Customize Display" link on the upper right of the Selling Manager page). I just discovered that setting and turned it on, and it will make viewing my listings so much easier, especially since many of my listings have similar names.
eBay's new ad campaign slogan is "Come to think of it, eBay." As people have not come to think of eBay as they once may have, maybe getting that out there is the right thing to do. On the other hand, it does underscore the site is not as popular as it once was.
But my issue with the slogan is it does not convey the value people can find, and have been able to find for a long time, on eBay. Especially now, in these recessionary times.
And yes, I have a modest proposal for another slogan...how about this: "Better check eBay first."
Scenario: two women are talking. "Have you seen those new knee-high Cole Haan boots? They have 3-inch heels but they have Nike sneaker techology in them so they feel like sneakers."
woman #2: "Girl, have you seen the price tag on those things? We're talking almost $500."
woman #1: "Well, I don't pay *retail*, girl. I check eBay first."
woman #2: "You found those on there?"
woman #1: "You bet I did. Paid half of retail..someone wore 'em once. Saves me $250."
woman #1: "Get out, girl! I'm gonna get myself a pair!"
woman #2: [Laughs] "You better check eBay first."
Well, you get the idea. And for the record, I did buy a pair of Cole Haan NIke air boots on eBay. I paid half of retail and I've worn them three seasons a year for two years.
See a sample ad from eBay's new campaign, from the Wall Street Journal's site:
eBay's new ad campaign tagline is "Come to think of it, eBay." The double-entendre on this is cute, but it underscores the fact that people have not been coming to think of eBay so much as they used to. But is acknowledging that a good thing -- will it work?
I know reselling textbooks is profitable because I do it myself..when I can find them at yard and estate sales or thrift shops. But so valuable that it prompts some people to steal textbooks from a public library? That surprised me.
12 people were charged with theft after $87K worth of textbook materials went a-walkin' from Prince George's County Maryland libraries.
According to some reports, many of the textbooks were in the sciences, such as nursing. And ironically, one was about ethics. Hmmmm.
If you're looking for textbooks to resell (legally!), here are the latest top-dollar sellers on eBay. Some of the top sellers are actually in the professional/post-graduate educational realm:
- 2009 BECKER CPA REVIEW COMPLETE SET W/COURSE CD SEALED - multiple sales, including $1399.95 and $1250
- PLI Patent Bar Home Study Course - $825.00
- FLORIDA GENERAL CONTRACTORS EXAM BOOKS - COMPLETE SET - $750.00
Have you seen these Rachel Ray brand "garbage" bowls? They are simple melamine bowls but they are selling like hot cakes. One woman got one at Kohl's for about 50 cents by using a $10 coupon she had from previous shopping. She listed it on eBay and it sold before she was done eating dinner!
Also keep an eye out for them at yard sales.
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Though I am based in the U.S., I have noticed some of my shipments taking longer than usual to get to the U.K. If you ship within the UK, you may have your eBay or other business affected by the Royal Mail strike.
I got a note about this service which you may want to try, myHermes at https://www.myhermes.co.uk/. I have not tried it myself, being U.S.-based, but here are the details, from a rep there:
"Hermes UK, who operate
their own independent courier network delivering over 100 million parcels each
year on behalf of some of the UK’s largest online retailers including Next
Directory, QVC, JD Williams and Debenhams.
MyHermes is a door to
door parcel delivery service, ideal for anyone who would like to save time and
money on their shipping costs. No more time wasted travelling or queuing to
deliver or receive a parcel, we take care of that for you and from as little as
£3.99!
MyHermes will carry parcels that
weigh up to 15
kilos and have a combined length and girth of 2.25m
with a maximum length of 1.2m on the longest side.
Parcels are collected by a
local courier (some exceptions for volume shippers) and end to end delivery is
expected within 3-5
working days.
More information on the
eBay offer is available here –
The eBay Sellers Challenge Winners have just been announced.The four winners, one in each of the four categories, voted on by the eBay community are:
· First-time Sellers on eBay: Tori Nichel, a first-time eBay seller who will use the site as a way to establish an e-commerce presence for her growing Brooklyn-based fashion apparel business
· Part-time Sellers on eBay: Ryan Pugh, a longtime eBay member who recently decided to make her Las Vegas-based eBay business a full-time job, selling products she believes help people to “live clean”
· Full-time Sellers on eBay: Janell Anderson-Ehrke, a full-time eBay seller who helps low-income artisans and micro-entrepreneurs in Nebraska to connect with a community of buyers on eBay
· U.S. Veterans and Service Members: Thomas Costello, a Lance Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and Chicago-based eBay seller who uses eBay to take advantage of a growing market for used computer equipment
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