Thanks to a member of the SAHMs eBay Seller Group on Facebook for sharing this tip about Free eBay Store Templates. If you are looking to jazz up your store pages or give them a facelift, try the free templates.

Four templates are available. To use the templates:

1) Choose from one of the four templates.
2) Download it to your desktop.
3) Follow the directions from the installation file.
4) Log into your store to add the HTML for your customized page.

Fast and easy, and you will be amazed at the difference.

[Image Source: Flickr, eBay Coach Photos]

Post from: EveryJoe

eBay Stores – Free Store Templates

1. Study the eBay Store Traffic Reports. With this information, you can make educated adjustments to your store that will improve sales.

2. Run low-reserve and 1-cent auctions to drive traffic to your store. Think of these auctions as “advertisements” that will drive shoppers into your store.

3. List your entire inventory in your eBay Store. Shoppers can’t buy what they can’t see.

4. Register and assign a domain name to your eBay Store. You can assign any domain to your eBay Store through your store manager.

5. Accept PayPal as a payment method. Over 80% of eBay users have Paypal, and use it as their preferred method of payment.

6. Do your homework regarding key words. Make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck and using those 55 characters in your title wisely.

7. Use your store categories wisely. eBay allows you to create up to 300 product categories for easy buyer navigation. This category structure not only insures that buyers will be able to find what they are looking for, but it also increases the likelihood that your store will be indexed with Google, Yahoo, and other search engines.

8. Have a fair return policy. Customers may not use it, but they may buy from you over your competition if you have a fair return policy, and the competition doesn’t.

9. Keep your shipping fees fair and competitive. Check on your competition to see what they charge for similar items, and make sure you are in line with the mainstream.

10. Use the promotion boxes provided on MANAGE YOUR STORE. Be creative and add a slide show or featured items.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

10 Tips for a Successful eBay Store

Stumble Upon is a bookmarking social networking site with over 5 million members (called stumblers). eBay acquired SU back in April, 2007.

In a nutshell, users download a toolbar that allows them to stumble, or rate web pages they find on the internet. When a site is stumbled, other members see it, visit it, and may also rate it. The site has a very high “hit rate” as new content is constantly being added.

More and more entrpreneurs are using SU for business purposes. eBay sellers can use Stumble Upon to promote their eBay stores and listings. You can stumble your store pages, About Me page, item listings, and so on. If you submit new items to SU on a regular basis, the traffic will come. Stumble Upon works over time. Check your store traffic reports to verify that SU is sending you traffic. Click here for the exact steps on how to use Stumble Upon for your eBay items.

If you join Stumble Upon, be sure to add me to your friends!

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

Use Stumble Upon to Drive Traffic to Your eBay Listings

This is a common question from new eBay sellers, and the answer will vary from seller to seller. So, I will answer this question with a few other questions.

How much time do you have to dedicate to listing items each day? 30 minutes, one hour, or more? Once you are selling on eBay, you will also need time for shipping your items, answering questions, shopping for new items to sell, and other home office duties. eBay is much more than just listing items.

Do you have a room full of items ready to sell, or will you have to go out and buy inventory? If you have a stash of items ready to sell, you can go on a listing rampage and knock out quite a few in a day. If you have to buy items to sell, you will gradually list items as you acquire them.

Do you have a store yet? You can put unsold auction items there for a fixed price with the best offer feature for about 5 cents for a 30 day listing.

The bottom line: Llist as many items as you comfortably can. Don’t let eBay take over your life. But, people can’t buy what they can’t see if it isn’t listed! Find the balance and do what works for you. There is not a magic number of listings per day that will generate a certain amount of sales. As your business grows, you will constantly be adding items to your store and your inventory will grow.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

eBay FAQ #9 – How Many Items Should I List Per Day?

Opening a store is crucial if you want to sell on eBay as a business, rather than a hobby.

First of all, the listing fees are only 3 cents per item for a 30-day listing. You can list hundreds of items in your store inventory for practically nothing, as opposed to running all auctions for between 25 cents and one dollar per item. The final value fees are higher on store inventory versus auctions, but you don’t pay these fees unless an item sells. You can display hundreds of items very inexpensively by setting up an eBay store.

Second, having a store is like your home base on eBay. Buyers may check out your auctions, but if you have a store, they can look for other things that may interest them. If you offer combined or discounted shipping for multiple items purchased, customers will be compelled to buy more from you at one time. A store also allows sellers to use features like Markdown Manager that are not available to non-store owners. Having a store gives you brand recognition - you can build a customer base and customers will return if they like your service and your products.

Learn more from the eBay Help Index about opening an eBay Store.

Post from: EveryJoe

eBay FAQ #2 – Should I Open an eBay Store?