How to Market Yourself on eBay
I've had a few people ask me, “Danna, what do you sell on eBay?” I give a smile while I answer the question, “I mostly sell myself on eBay!” People will look at me kind of dumbfounded when I answer their question but the truth is, I am selling my consulting services on eBay!
Many businesses overlook the possibilities of selling themselves on eBay. There are many different avenues of selling yourself on eBay depending on your services. A good way to get started is to think of how you could write an advertisement or a commercial for your business. Then condense that commercial into an eBay listing. EBay is not only the world's largest online marketplace; it is also the world's largest online marketing place!
EBay is a brilliant tool for marketing products and services. Getting started is easy! A good way to get started of course is to join! It's completely free to become an eBay member, so the start-up cost is zero for you to launch your own advertising campaign.
First you create an eBay user ID with a name that matches your business. Next I suggest you develop a “me” page. An eBay “Me” page will allow you to tell a bit about yourself. Use this page to “show off” the business.
While developing a “me” page you can include:
- Company Name
- Company Address
- Company Phone Number
- Company Website (review the rules first)
Adding outside links on a “Me” page does have rules and you must abide by the rules or your page will be removed and you may receive a strike on your eBay account. One rule of thumb is to remember the “Two-Click-Rule.”
The two click rule means that you cannot have a link go directly to purchase something that conflicts with eBay. Example: While sitting on a “Me” page there is a link and you CLICK it. This would be ONE CLICK! The one click takes you to view a website that is NOT SELLING ANYTHING! The site cannot be asking for money. However, the site CAN have a link on it for you to CLICK to visit another page or site that NOW can have something for sale. This is the two-click rule!
Next you must decide if you want to open an eBay store or do you want to list a few items and have the items in the system for 30 days and/or run auctions for up to 10 days. If you only have a few products or services to market then you may want to skip the eBay store. However, do keep in mind that an eBay store can be additional marketing tool for you and your business! An eBay store will enhance the exposure and include added marketing strategies!
Listing items one by one will allow you to list them for 30 days and you can even have them the listings repeat themselves automatically if desired. Auction listings may cost you nothing (if you start at 99 cents) or as little as twenty five cents to list an item on eBay depending on what the starting price is.
Bottom line, the advertising cost is very small compared to what you could pay for advertising to rune for 30 days on one of the world's largest online websites! I dare you to take a look at other sites with over 80 million subscribers and see what their advertising rates are?
If you've ever done a Google search many times over eBay listings are coming up in search engines above the actual products because of a natural type of search. Not a paid search but a natural search!
People, products and websites cannot compete with the power of eBay! Forget about the SEO dollars to spend when all you need to do is list yourself on eBay!
5 Comments
CatPurry says:
You are so right Danna. There is no place like eBay to sell and to get your name and brand before the eyes of those you want to attract. Keep up the good word!
PhilipCohen says:
Oh, come on, let's be serious, all this nonsense is coming directly from the eBay Dept of Spin.
You think that 1989 San Bernardino train disaster and its aftermath was spectacular? In my crystal ball I can see an eBay train wreck approaching; it’s due to arrive in the evening of 21 July; this one’s going to be as horrifically spectacular; but as horrific as it is going to be, you simply won’t be able to look away. Mark your diary so you don’t forget to watch, and have your video camera on the ready (catch the train driver—that’s the one behaving like an excited chimpanzee—waving his arms around in the air)—you may be able to sell the footage to the WSJ. (But, don’t worry, if you do happen to miss this event, there will be a repeat episode on 21 October.)
If nothing else it will be interesting to hear who John Donahoe blames this time for the fiasco that has been eBay’s IT operations since April Fools Day; undoubtedly his creative reporting will show that it was all the fault of all those many unwashed, irritating, ignorant, “noisy”, flea-market passengers travelling in third-class—not the criminal fool driving the train, Donahoe himself, of course.
Danna Crawford says:
Thanks for the agreement Pat! You and I both know first had from experience the power of eBay!
Sorry Philip for your anger, geesh.
Gena Cornett says:
Actually, Danna, the advertising cost on eBay is VERY HIGH compared to many other online venues. I daresay that one could spend the amount they are currently spending on eBay to market their own sites on Google Adwords and get a better ROI. Or list on Amazon in an allowed category for free. eBay has become one of the HIGHER cost venues (and costs for many have increased with the latest changes), and reports are that sales and traffic are DOWN, while sales and traffic are UP on Amazon. I don't disagree that eBay can be an important part of one's overall marketing strategy, but it is no longer the only game in town, or the most cost effective.
amberc says:
I think it can be a good place to list products, but with the depth of info out there it most certainly should not be the only place you list your products. I would invest some time in posting on amazon, social media sites, and blogs so that more eyes will be directed to your product. It would be foolish to ignore seo in a time when it is so pivotal to come up on listings on search engines.
Check out gogodropship.com for tips on seo and starting an online business.
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