What exactly is an eBay store, and why do I need one? It all comes down to two reasons. To save money, and to stake out your own turf on eBay, where your buyers can always easily find you.
An eBay Store ranges in price from $15.95 to $299.95 per month. How do you know which is right for you?
Types of eBay Stores
EBay offers three store levels: standard, premium and anchor.
The Standard Store is probably a good starting point for most small eBay sellers. It gives you an inexpensive point to jump in and test the waters, without spending a whole lot of money. Monthly fees are just $15.95, and per listing fees are only 3 cents each. Compare that to 25 cents to $4.95 each for auction listings, and you will see the savings add up. Standard store sellers can list an unlimited number of items in their store. You are also allowed to give your store a custom look, so you can create your own BRAND, or loyal following on eBay. You also get 5 custom pages you can use to display any special information about your business, or products.
The Premium Store offers enough features to satisfy 98 percent of all eBay sellers. Cost is $49.95 per month. It gives you more visibility, making it easier for buyers to find your merchandise, and still lets you list an unlimited number of items for only 3 cents each per month. If you have more information to share about your business, it also gives you ten custom pages. The other big advantage is with a special store feature called Markdown Manager. Markdown Manager allows sellers to feature individual items with a special sale sign on them to entice more buyers. Premium Store owners can mark down up to 2500 items per day, while Standard store owners are only allowed to mark down 250 items per day. So if you have a lot of items, this feature alone makes the Premium Store worth the extra money.
The Anchor Store offers more features, but carries a hefty price tag at $299.95 per month. The Anchor Store offers maximum ability to customize it, as well as the most visibility, so if your goal is to be seen, and grow your sales, this may be the right store for you. Sellers are allowed 15 custom pages. They are also allowed to feature 5,000 sale items per day using Markdown Manager. Another great feature is that Anchor Stores rotate through display on the gateway to eBay stores, so more people see them.
Why Should I Have An eBay Store?
If the above information has not convinced you that you need an eBay Store, consider this. On average, only 25 percent to 35 percent of all eBay auction listings sell on the first try. Many take two, three, five or even 10 times to find a willing buyer. At even 25 cents a listing, that’s lot of money to spend trying to sell one item. What smart store sellers do is list the item once as a regular auction then sock it away in their eBay store where buyers can still find it, but the cost to list it is much much less.
Smarter store owners have a separate auction and store listing strategy, where they have different price points, and use auction listing to drive more buyers to their store listings.
Other Points To Keep In Mind
* eBay store listings do not show up in regular searches, so they receive much less traffic.
* Successful stores require a lot of work. You need to keep them up to date and make sure you are constantly adding new products.
* You need to develop a store selling strategy. Some sellers price store items higher, some price them lower. You need to decide which will work best for you.
* Initial listing fees are less, only three cents each, but final value fees are much higher 12 percent.
My advice is every one should at least try an eBay Store, and see how you can make it work for you.
