Using Selling Manager To Boost Your eBay Home Business

By Vickie Sayce in Ecommerce

One of the wonderful things about eBay is that they offer a wide variety of different tools to help sellers generate more business. One of the more popular tools that eBay offers its sellers in the eBay Selling Manager, which is a sales management tool that can help you manage your auctions more efficiently. eBay also offers a more inclusive version of their selling tool, called Selling Manager Pro. Both of these tools do come with a low monthly fee that is added to your eBay statement, unless you run an eBay store, in which case it is free.

Deciding which version of the eBay selling tool you need can be tough. To start out, go for the basic package. You can always upgrade if you find you need to later. At the present time, the basic version is only $4.99 per month, so it won’t put a big dent in your budget. If you have a small to medium amount of sales to manage per month, this is all you need. You also get a 30 day free trial with the basic version, so if you decide it’s not right for you and your business needs, you can cancel before your trial is up and not waste any money.

The Pro version offers more tools for higher volumes of sales. If you have a large inventory to manage, the Pro version is probably a better choice for your business. At the moment, the pro version is just $14.99 per month, and it also offers a 30 days free trial. The basic Selling Manager is also free for basic store subscribers, and the Selling Manager Pro tool is available for free to those with a premium or anchored store.

Both tools have software that needs to be downloaded to be utilized. Both software programs support just about any operating system, so you shouldn’t have a problem with compatibility issues. Once the software is downloaded, your eBay selling links will automatically be replaced with your Selling Manager links, making it easy to use the selling tool with your current selling methods.

The software makes it easy to list and re-list your auctions, view scheduled listings, sold items, and closed auctions. You can track your sales, sent bulk invoices and e-mails to customers, and easily leave feedback for all of your buyers using the software. For record keeping purposes, the Selling Manager also lets you download or import your sale information to your computer or into a new Excel spreadsheet, making it easy to track your sales for tax purposes, or for your bookkeeping needs.

The Selling Manager can make boring and tedious tasks quick and easy to manage. You can keep track of your auctions with ease, and stay in contact with your buyers with the click of a button. This eBay tool makes it simple to manage your eBay home business right from your computer without needing to log into eBay, and can boost your efficiency, working like a dedicated employee for you around the clock.
If you want to make money on eBay while still raising the kids, visit http://AuctionPaydayKidsPlay.com to find out how. Vickie Sayce (dotcom) teaches others how to get started on eBay, and has been buying and selling on eBay since 2001. She has written a very informative book on starting an eBay business to make money from home while raising the kids.

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On eBay, Pricing Is Key To Selling Your Items

By Vickie Sayce in Ecommerce

Pricing your items that you want to list on eBay can be difficult for those who have never done it before. List your items too high, and you won’t receive any bidders. List your items too low, however, and you run the risk of not making money - or worse, landing yourself in the negative. If you consistently price your items incorrectly, you can find yourself with little to no business, or owing money at the end of the day. Pricing your items correctly from the get go can severely cut down on how often this happens.

When you have done your research and know what items are popular on eBay, you should know what items you are looking for and their average selling costs. If not, you need to look up the most popular items on eBay by category, narrow down the products that you are interested in selling, and figure out what the average final selling price for each item you are interested in is. When you have a general idea, then you can start looking for where to purchase the item.

Purchasing items to resell on eBay can be tricky. You don’t want to spend too much money up front and risk having overstock that doesn’t sell, but you also don’t want to spend more money on each item by buying less at a time, leaving you a smaller margin of profit. The best route to go is to find an item you want to sell going for at least half the price of what you want to sell it at. This gives you plenty of wiggle room to make money, without setting your starting bid to high.

When you list your items on eBay, list them as low as possible for you to break even. This includes your final value fee, your listing fee, and your shipping costs, along with the total price you paid for one item. If the item you are selling cost you $50, and additional costs, including eBay fees, totals $10, then the absolute lowest starting price for your item should be $60. This way, if only one person bids, you will at least break even on the transaction.

If you are feeling a bit risky, you may even want to list your item slightly lower than what your total costs for it are. Starting your bid lower than the other bids for the same item on eBay can get you more hits, and in turn, more bids. Many sellers often balk at the idea of setting their starting bid too low, but really, these are the sellers who probably see the most money for their auctions. Buyers are drawn to what they think is a deal, and once they get caught in a bidding war, there’s no telling how high the final price could soar.

Be cautious not to set your starting bid too high, or you could effectively drive away potential bidders. Bids that start close to what the final price of the item should be, or bids that are significantly higher than the starting bids for the same items from other sellers, are far more likely to be passed over with no bids.
If you want to make money on eBay while raising the kids, visit http://AuctionPaydayKidsPlay.com to find out how. Vickie Sayce teaches others how to get started on eBay (VickieSayce.com), and has been buying and selling on eBay since 2001. She has written a very informative book on starting an eBay business to make money from home while raising the kids.

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Cancelling A Listing On eBay

By Vickie Sayce in Ecommerce

When you are running your own home business on eBay, you may find occasionally that you’ve listed something in error, or someone wants you to split an auction, so you need to cancel a current listing you are running. Cancelling a listing is easy, it’s perfectly okay to do on eBay. There are some things to know before you start, however.

Cancelling a listing is not necessary if you simply need to make changes to your current auction. Simply go in and edit the erroneous information, and it should be updated immediately. If you are making a drastic change, however, you must have no bidders on your auction to do so.

Cancelling an auction simply because the bidding price is not high enough is against eBay’s terms of service, and can get you suspended or banned from eBay if you do so.

If you need to cancel your eBay auction listing, log into your account on eBay. Visit your selling section, and you will see a current list of all the items you are currently selling, both active and inactive. Find the listing that you need to cancel, and copy the item number of that listing. Visit “Related Links,” and choose “More.” You’ll see an option for ending your listing early; this is where to input your auction number.

If your listing currently has bids when you want to cancel it, you have the choice to either cancel all of the existing bids, or award the item to the highest bidder. If you have decided to cancel all of your bids, or you had no bids before cancelling the item, you will then need to explain to eBay why you are cancelling the auction. After you submit this information, the listing will be cancelled.

Reasons for cancelling your eBay auction may include restructuring a listing for a potential buyer - for instance, if you have multiple items in one listing, and a buyer only wants to purchase one of the items, you may want to “split” the auction for them and create a new listing so that they can purchase the single item. There is no guarantee that the buyer will bid and purchase the item, however, so exercise caution, because the potential buyer is not required to bid solely because you created a special auction for them. You may also want to end the listing early to award the item to the highest bidder if you have reached the price you were hoping for, and want to hurry up and ship out the item.

It is also important to note that eBay does not refund the listing fee for cancelled auctions. While you won’t have to pay a final value fee - unless you award the auction to the highest bidder at the time of cancellation - you still have to pay the original fee that you were charged when you listed the item. This is usually very small, but for larger auctions, this may be something to consider before cancelling an auction if you don’t want to lose a lot of money.
If you want to make money on eBay while raising the kids, visit http://AuctionPaydayKidsPlay.com to find out how. Vickie Sayce teaches others how to get started on eBay (VickieSayce.com), and has been buying and selling on eBay since 2001. She has written a very informative book on starting an eBay business to make money from home while raising the kids.

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How To Make Your eBay Business Seem More Reputable

By Vickie Sayce in Ecommerce

Your home business on eBay depends on your reputation. Without a good reputation, you’ve got nothing. Your buyers don’t know who you are, they don’t know if they can trust you, and you won’t drum up much business. But when you are just starting out on eBay, building up a good reputation can be tough. It’s a bit of a catch-22: without a reputation, you won’t make any sales, but without any sales, you won’t build up a good reputation. So what can you do to make your eBay home business seem more reputable?

When you are just starting as a seller on eBay, the easiest, and perhaps most surprising way, to build up a good reputation is actually by buying. Starting out as a buyer not only gives you a great way to build up your positive feedback, it helps you better understand the buyer process. When you understand how the buying process works, you can offer your customers better service as a seller.

To get started as a buyer, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. Purchase the things you would normally need to purchase on eBay instead of going to the store. Spending money you would have had to spend anyway won’t leave you in the negative. You can also bid on some cheap auctions to build up your feedback. One you have received the item, be sure to leave positive feedback for the seller to illicit a response. If you don’t receive one after a few days, you can always contact the seller to explain you are trying to build up your feedback so you can start selling. Since they have also been in your position at one point in time, they are likely to return the favor.

Once you have a good, solid list of positive feedbacks under your belt, you can focus your attention on building your customer service policy. Offering your buyers a generous return policy, if only during the start up of your business, can help gain potential customers’ trust. Offer to accept returns within a certain about of time with no questions asked, for a full refund. This will help your customers feel much better about their purchase, if they know they can return it with no hassle if they discover they have a problem with the item.

Work hard to keep your positive feedback up. You can do this by leaving feedback as soon as you know the buyer has received their item, to boost your chances of receiving reciprocal feedback. Give your customers no reason to leave you anything but positive feedback by going the extra mile: offer your contact information directly on your auctions for customers to reach you with questions, and try to add something extra with your own personal touch to each package you send out. As your customers see how far you go to make them happy, they’ll not only leave you positive feedback, they’ll be more than glad to spread the word about your eBay business. A happy customer is the most reputable form of marketing you can receive, so strive to impress every buyer you get, and you’ll see your eBay home business take off in no time.
Vickie Sayce - If you want to make money on eBay while raising the kids, visit http://AuctionPaydayKidsPlay.com to find out how. Vickie Sayce teaches others how to get started on eBay (VickieSayce.com), and has been buying and selling on eBay since 2001. She has written a very informative book on starting an eBay business to make money from home while raising the kids.

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Ecommerce Websites - 3 Tips To Avoid Liability For Actions of Your Online Resellers

By Chip Cooper in Ecommerce

Recent case law confirms once again: if online agreements are presented properly to end-users, they’re legally enforceable.

This continuing trend is good news for websites that contract with registered users though SaaS Agreements, Membership Agreements, Subscription Agreements, Terms of Sale, Content License Agreements, and the like.

Why? Among other things, this means that important legal disclaimers and limitations of liability are legally enforceable.

But what about liability exposure arising out of customer contracts entered into by your resellers? Are you liable for actions of your resellers?

The Direct Revenue Case

In the case of People v. Direct Revenue, the New York Attorney General in 2008 attempted to nail Direct Revenue for its distribution of software that served pop-up advertising software on consumers’ computers.

Direct Revenue is in the advertising business. It’s software client serves pop-up advertisements to consumer’s computer screens through the Internet. Direct Revenue does not charge fees to consumers. Instead, it charges fees to the companies whose products it advertises.

It’s interesting to note that one line of attack by the New York Attorney General focused on Direct Revenue’s “click-wrapped” (where the user clicks on “I ACCEPT”) end user license agreement (EULA) and Direct Revenue’s alleged deceptive and illegal practices. The court granted Direct Revenue’s motion to dismiss the claims noting that sufficient disclosure was given in the EULA, and the required elements for an enforceable agreement were followed.

Having failed with its first line of attack, New York’s additional line of attack focused on the customer agreements of Direct Revenue’s resellers in an attempt to hold Direct Revenue liable. The result was the same as with the EULA — Direct Revenue was held not liable.

New York conceded that Direct Revenue’s resellers were independent contractors rather than agents. Generally, a principal is not liable for acts of an independent contractor due to the lack of control over how the contractor’s work is performed. In addition, the court noted that Direct Revenue’s software distribution agreement required its distributors to obtain consent of consumers consistent with the EULA and prohibited distributors from holding themselves out as agents of Direct Revenue.

New York argued that Direct Revenue should be liable because it’s servers interacted with the consumers’ computers in the software installation process. The court pointed out that participation in installation was not enough for liability in the absence of participation in deceptive conduct that induced the installation.

Finally, New York argued that Direct Revenue should be held liable for the actions of its resellers on the ground that Direct Revenue ratified the conduct of its resellers. The court ruled that mere knowledge of consumer complaints was insufficient to impose liability on Direct Revenue, especially in light of the fact that when Direct Revenue had actual knowledge of a reseller misconduct, it took steps to remedy the problem.

3 Tips To Avoid Liability For Actions of Resellers

Potential liability for acts of online resellers is a major concern of ecommerce businesses which use reseller networks.

The Direct Revenue case teaches us that ecommerce sites may not be held liable for actions of their resellers if these 3 tips are followed:

1. if you transfer anything to a user’s computer, require your resellers to obtain consent of end-users consistent with your EULA - this means consent in clear and easy-to-understand (not deceptive) terms,
2. prohibit your resellers from holding themselves out as your agents, and
3. if a reseller does engage in misconduct, take affirmative steps to deal with the situation, including termination, if warranted (particularly if the reseller’s actions tend to indicate an agency relationship).

These 3 tips won’t guarantee that you have no exposure, but they’ll go a long way to protecting you from liability for actions of your resellers.
Chip Cooper is a leading intellectual property, software, and Internet attorney who’s advised software and online businesses nationwide for 25+ years. Visit Chip’s http://www.digicontracts.com site and download his FREE newsletter and Special Reports: “Determine Which Legal Documents Your Website Really Needs”, “Draft Your Own Privacy Policy”, and “Write Your Own Website Marketing Copy — Legally”.
How to Supercharge Your Selling Online
01 2009 Friday
16
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By Diego Norte in Ecommerce

The Internet has changed the way we do business, and the way we do marketing. Ten years ago, it was enough to have a print ad in the Yellow Pages and a quick radio spot to spread the word about your business. Now there are new ways to market your business on the Web, and they’re wonderfully cost-efficient.

The internet is such a huge market place. People from all points of the globe are going online on a daily basis looking for products to buy. This huge demand has prompted a lot of marketers to take their business on the World Wide Web. Are you one of them?

Whether you are selling your own products or promoting affiliate products, it is very important that you know the elements and the tools that you need to use in order to secure great sales potential in the online arena.

Here’s how you can sell more over the internet:

1. The first thing that you need to do is to create your own website.

No matter how good you are and no matter how great your products are, people will not possibly take you seriously if you don’t have your own place over the internet. Hire a professional web designer to create an ecommerce website for you where you can showcase your products and services. Ensure that your website is easy to navigate, secure, and loaded with valuable information that are closely related to your offerings and to your chosen niche.

2. Drive traffic to your website.

Think of your website as a shopping mall. You will need to attract people to give it a visit before you can actually make a sale. Use different traffic-generating tools that can help you drive interested people to your website. You can promote your website on relevant forums, blogs, discussion boards, and social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, etc.). You can also use article marketing and various link building campaigns that can make your website highly valuable to the eyes of various search engines.

3. Promote your products.

Promote product awareness by properly advertising your offerings online. For this, you can use PPC advertising, search engine marketing, paid links, banner ads, ezine publishing, email marketing, etc. Since promoting your products using all available tools can be exhausting and time-consuming, you may opt to hire professional internet marketers to help you out. You will need to share a certain percentage of your earnings with these people in exchange of their services.

4. Take good care of your customers.

As they say, the most effective advertising strategy is word-of-mouth advertising. Ensure that you keep all your customers happy and satisfied through your products and through your customer service. By doing so, these people will surely recommend you to their friends and family members who might need your offerings.

For more information about running a successful Internet business, visit Diego Norte’s blog here: http://www.DiegoNorte.com/blog/

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7 ecommerce strategies for standing out in a digital world

By Jan Riley in Ecommerce

Even in a dismal economy internet sales are growing. As people become more confident with ecommerce transactions and savvy with search, selling online just makes good business sense. The drawback is that more and more businesses are vying for a piece of the pie. As your customer reach expands so does the level of competition. The internet is gigantic and your customers are an impatient bunch.

Be unique or go home

That is why it is so important for web marketplaces and ecommerce stores to differentiate themselves from the crowd. It’s no longer sufficient to declare you have the best prices or selection, because the fact is, your visitors can compare these statements faster than you can spell them out on the page. The good news it that technology and creativity now make it easier than ever for small web stores to offer a shopping experience second to none.

Here are 7 ecommerce strategies for standing out in a digital world.

1. Use expanded descriptions, multiple product views to convey the real value of your products. You wouldn’t nail down shirts in a clothing store so why would you only offer one view of your products? This doesn’t have to use elaborate or expensive technology, multiple views, close-ups and live use photos can provide a lot of information other stores don’t bother to share.

2. Invite customer opinion with customer product reviews and real life testimonials. Consider adding customer comments as audio clips. Adding customers audio testimonials can be a simple as taping a phone conversation. (With permission of course) Using audio clips is simple, inexpensive and does not require technical expertise or expensive online tools. By itself an audio testimonial may not make the sale but it is a very effective tipping tool, helping to nudge reticent buyers over their hesitation and into a sale.

3. Offer relevant information that doesn’t sell. You heard me right, give people information for free without trying to sell them anything. Remember that the main reason people are online is to get information -period. That is the primary goal especially before they buy. Statistics show that the longer people stay on your website the more likely they are to buy from your store (even if they decide to buy at a brick and mortar store) Use an irresistible giveaway to capture emails of people not yet ready to buy and use your content to keep them engaged until they are ready.

You can write articles, give teleclasses, offer whitepapers, provide downloads, share interviews, recipes or helpful hints. Make sure the information is informative, entertaining and relevant to your customers rather than a veiled attempt to sell. People can smell hype a mile away and this is the kiss of death online. Always remember your competitors are only a click away.

4. Get into video. A brief welcome message that shares your value proposition can give s a call to action can engage visitors and move them down the buying path. Use videos to educate your visitors on product uses or assembly. Create a short comparing product features or demonstrate the product in use. Keep your videos short (under 3 minutes) and clear. Host your videos on public sites like Viddler or Youtube and post them on your website. Here are a few examples talking about connecting with your website visitors.

It might seem that video clips within product descriptions are a luxury but I foresee video product descriptions as being the norm within 5 years. According to Internet tracking firm comScore’s Video Metrix, Americans watched about 14.8 billion videos in January 2009, or roughly 101 videos per U.S. Internet user. Todays online shoppers are using alternate avenues like YouTube to research product. Get a jump on the competition by giving your online shoppers a bigger experience, not by lowering your prices.

5. Put a face on your store - people buy form people not computers. Yes they use the computer to do it but they want to know there are real people who will back up their purchases, especially with higher ticket items, or products they are not sure they need. This will become increasingly important in a slow economy because buyers are not as willing to risk a purchase if they feel their concerns will get lost in cyberspace.

Consider adding human pictures to your about us page. Include staff picks or reviews and encourage your employees to write on the blog, social media sites and to contribute articles. After all these are the people your virtual customers will interact with. Don’t hide behind a virtual storefront - don’t be afraid to let your customers get to know the people they are buying from.

6. Make sure your online store has a clear value proposition that speaks to your target market. This value statement must answer the question that is on your best customers mind; “Why should I buy form you over the other guys?” If your website cannot convey this critical piece of information then your visitors will definitely miss it. Your ideal customer should immediately recognize that they are in the perfect place when they land on your ecommerce site.

Many online stores resist crafting a clear value proposition that targets a particular type of customer for fear of alienating other visitors. Look at your statistics and you might see that you make most of your money from a niche group or groups. A clear value proposition targets these customers and tells them exactly why you are the best solution to their problem.

7. Use social media to establish relationships and get feedback. Believe it or not your customers are hanging out in communities online. No, you may not visit Facebook or Linked in but social media sites are doubling every year. They aren’t just for teenagers anymore. The purpose of social media sites is to share opinions and interests. Connect with target market through blogs, twitter, linked in, Facebook, Stumbleupon or any of the dozens of niche social media sites.

Your customers are having conversations with or without you so schedule in an hour a week to schmooze online. This is a way to make connections, not sales - keep it authentic , informative and reap the benefits of worldwide word of mouth referrals.

The way people buy has changed forever with internet ecommerce. The world is literally your marketplace and customers can live just about anywhere. Using just one of these suggestions could immediately increase your ecommerce store profits. Now imagine what implementing all 7 could do!

These simple ecommerce strategies can help your online store stand out in a digital world.

Jan Riley is the CEO and founder of LeadMastersUSA, a website marketing company founded in 2004 and based in Atlanta, Ga. Her entrepreneurial spirit and internet experience along with a talented staff has made LeadMastersUSA synonymous with innovative marketing tactics, increased ecommerce profits and business websites that build relationships. We believe that the true power of the internet is NOT technology – it is communication. People buy from people. Discover how your website can connect, capture and convert visitors into customers with our 3 minute weekly video series at www.LeadMastersUSA.com You can contact Jan at jan@LeadMastersUSA.com or call 678 318 7515.

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Your Shopping Cart Setup: How To Grease the Tube

By Michael A Jones in Ecommerce

How is your online shopping cart setup? Does it make the transition from interest to closing the sale slippery so the prospect just slides along and automatically hits the Pay button? Or are there catches along the way which frustrate the client so they end up abandoning the shopping cart?

It is obvious that ‘greasing the tube’ so the client effortlessly glides through the ordering and payment procedure can make a huge difference to your profits. If you just reduced shopping cart abandonment by 10-20%, what would that do for your business?

When thinking about your shopping cart setup, it’s always helpful to compare your online shopping process with your own personal offline shopping experience. When you select items in a shop and make your way to the Pay Desk, what things irritate you or would irritate you? Have you ever selected a number of items and then had to look around for the Pay Desk. If it is hidden in some corner and you go round for 10 minutes trying to find it you know how you feel by the time you get there.

What if the cashier delayed your check out by trying to offer you other items, even trying a hard sell approach? Some may not mind, but I suggest that the vast majority would prefer to just take their items straight to the check out, pay for them, and leave the store to get on to other business.

Is a potential customer’s mindset any different online? Not really. Most people see what they want, and then just want to pay for it, and move on.

With the offline shopping experience in mind, here is a list of key points to bear in mind when considering your online shopping cart setup:

1. If you have “Add to Cart” buttons by each product, be sure to include a “Check Out” button beside it so the customer can easily go and pay for whatever they have selected quickly.

2. Let the customer check out easily with trying to push extra products on them. This is not to say you can’t try an upsell arrangement, but it has to be done gently and discreetly. One main domain registrar I use, mainly their prices are low, does irritate me with the number of options and extra bells and whistles they try to thrust on you before you can check out. At times I have a problem finding the checkout button because the page is so loaded with offers. I find that annoying and frustrating. Perhaps you do to.

On the other hand, Amazon have mastered the art of discreet upselling. Along the bottom of the screen once you have made your selection they gently tell you that other customers who were interested in ‘this’, were also interested in ‘that’. When I buy on Amazon, I don’t get the pressured feeling I do on the domain registrar site. The whole upsell process is carefully and discreetly woven into the shopping cart setup.

3. Make it easy for your customers to change their order. Your shopping cart should provide the option to delete or change the quantity of any item at any time with a convenient button in the cart.

4. Reassure, reassure, and reassure the customer that their ordering information is secure. Briefly explain the security measures you have in place or put badges and certificates alongside that indicate the whole procedure is going through a secure connection.

5. Minimize the number of steps to the final Pay button and make the buttons clear. Don’t confuse the issue with gawdy graphics and unnecessary steps. It’s a good idea to count how many times the user has to hit the enter key or mouse button from the time they add an item to the cart, to the click on the Pay button which actually processes the transaction. Your aim should be to eliminate any unnecessary steps. So within 2 to 4 clicks, the whole thing is finished and the payment is in your account.

If you’ve ever enjoyed a day at a water park with the family and taken a ride down the water chute, you know once you take that first step over the edge, there is no going back! You are on your way. Likewise with your shopping cart setup. Be sure to grease the tube by making the payment process, clean, simple, and as effortless as possible.

Scrutinize every step, familiarize yourself with all your shopping cart setup features, and utilize them fully. Rather than throwing money at more advertising, why not re-examine your shopping cart setup and add to your profits considerably.
For a free walk-through tutorial highlighting ways to customize your shopping cart for maximum sales, see how Michael A Jones has setup the shopping cart on his body care site: http://www.net-vault.com/online-shopping-cart

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Internet Shopping Cart: Make More Money With Reports and Bundles

By Michael A Jones in Ecommerce

Most internet shopping cart software packages come with a host of features. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the potential of your shopping cart. This article examines how to use reports and bundle offers so you don’t run the risk of leaving money on the table with each customer who engages the shopping cart process.

First off, let’s see how internet shopping cart reports can save you money and make you money.

Here are three examples:

Filter Sales By Customer

If your shopping cart software allows you to filter the database according to client, you will be able to see where most of your sales are coming from.

You need to extract from the report the volume of sales for each client so you can target this group of customers with special discounts for bulk orders or something similiar.

Filter Sales By Date

Use this feature to see if there are specific times in the year when sales volume dramatically increases. You may have a general idea and know which month(s) are the peak sales months.

However, by using a Sales By Date feature you can pinpoint specific times in the year you may not be aware of where sales volume is higher than normal, especially if those times are spread over just one or two weeks. Increase advertising dollars and promotions accordingly at those times and bring in even more sales.

Filter Sales By Credit Card

Do you know which credit cards most of your customers are using? Probably Visa or Mastercard. What about other credit cards such as Discover, American Express, Diner’s Club, Delta? What are your merchant account charges for those other cards?

By checking on Sales By Credit Card you will see whether it is economically viable to continue offering those cards as an option relative to the number of sales you get. If it’s not, drop the uneconomical ones and save money.

Surely this underscores the importance of getting internet shopping cart software that provides a robust reporting feature.

Now we will turn our attention to another way you can increase sales and make more money from your internet shopping cart. It involves bundle offers.

An internet shopping cart setup can learn much from the bricks and mortar world. The Happy Meal by McDonalds is an example. Travel agents do it with their package deals. What are we talking about?

Bundle offers or the upsell - an amazingly simple way to increase sales value and revenue yet so under-developed in many internet shopping carts.

Once a customer has already committed themselves to buying you simply add on related items and increase the value.

If for example you are selling exercise equipment, exercise clothing, or body care products could be put together with the original purchase at a discount price to make a Bundle Offer.

Good internet shopping cart software packages should have this feature included with simple setup instructions. Once the client gets to the page that reviews the contents of the shopping cart, the Bundle Offer can appear. The client can then add the bonus items with just one mouse click.

Push Without Being Pushy

Carefully choose the wording when describing the Bundle Offer to avoid coming over too pushy which may turn clients off. Don’t just make a slashed price offer. Be sure to emphasise the benefits to the user as well.

For example, “Enjoy a refreshing, invigorating shower after your workout with our exercise equipment, with the all natural, herbal shower gel (brand name). For an additional $x you can have a pack of 5 sent with your order.”

When choosing an internet shopping cart, make sure you have this facility so you don’t leave money on the table.

The beauty of this is that bundle offers don’t really require much extra effort yet they can produce substantial sales over the months. The customer is already in the buy mode, having committed to the first purchase. The second purchase is much easier!
See an actual demonstration of an online shopping cart optimized for good sales by visiting Michael’s site here: http://www.net-vault.com/online-shopping-cart

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My 7 Secrets Will Teach You How To Sell On eBay For Maximum Profits

By Amanda OBrien in Ecommerce

f you are looking to make money online to either supplement your current income or as a full time income, learning how to sell on eBay UK is by far the best place to start. This way, one of the hardest parts of running a successful online business has already been done for you. This is marketing. Driving potential customers to your products and making sales. Once you list your products ready to sell on eBay, you have the potential to attract millions of buyers from all over the world, not just from the UK. Worldwide, people spend more time on eBay than any other website!

Where else can you start an online business in just a few hours that allows you to attract immediate traffic to your products? Learn how to sell on eBay and you will find that this is a fantastic opportunity to make as much or as little money as you want. Whoever you are, you can learn how to sell on eBay and make money.

Here are 7 ‘How To Sell On eBay’ tips to help you:

How To Sell On eBay 1:

Your eBay listings must have a relevant title. This is extremely important when learning how to sell on eBay because if your title is not relevant and does not contain the right keywords relating to your product, then eBay buyers searching will not be able to find it. Include all the related keywords you can think of and don’t use up your limited title space with words that are not required.

How To Sell On eBay 2:

Write a detailed description. Make sure that your eBay listing includes all the important details about your product. This might include the size, colour, brand, model number, whether new or used, any special features etc. Highlight the good things about the product but don’t forget to mention if there are any flaws or faults with the item too, but make these less obvious. Learning how to sell on eBay includes being honest in your eBay listing description.

How To Sell On eBay 3:

Spell-check your listing. eBay buyers are put off by listings littered with spelling errors and it looks very unprofessional. When you are learning how to sell on eBay, thoroughly check before you submit your eBay listing and make sure that important points are bold.

How To Sell On eBay 4:

Use good quality photographs. People like to see before they buy. Use a good digital camera and take 2 or 3 photographs from different angles to use as your gallery picture and within your eBay listing. This will attract more bidders and buyers and will help you get more experience as you learn how to sell on eBay.

How To Sell On eBay 5:

Always answer questions from potential bidders. You will receive questions and queries from potential buyers. And you must remember that this is exactly what they are - POTENTIAL BUYERS. Always try and answer any questions that come through eBay messages, within 24 hours, sooner if you can, even if you feel that it’s a silly question. If you frequently receive the same question then post it to your eBay listing so that everyone can see it.

How To Sell On eBay 6:

Be polite and friendly. eBay buyers like friendliness and professionalism from eBay sellers. So, it’s best to be polite and enthusiastic when corresponding, but not too casual. Don’t use ‘text speak’ in your emails as this is very unprofessional, but show a good sense of humour, honesty and politeness.

How To Sell On eBay 7:

Dispatch goods promptly. eBay buyers do not like to be kept waiting! So, make it your business to dispatch all orders promptly, preferably within a couple of days maximum. This is good service and will ensure that you get positive feedback whilst you are still learning how to sell on eBay!
Amanda O’Brien - Subscribe to Amanda’s Blog at any time for regularly updated eBay tips, techniques and secrets.

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11 Things Every Successful Website Needs

By Merle (c) 2009 MerlesWorld.com

So you've put together a spectacular website, and you're ready to go live on the Internet for the whole world to see. Not so fast there Bucky. In case you didn't know, there are a few essential requirements that every site needs to include in order to be successful.

Let's review, shall we:

1) Privacy Policy/Disclaimer: Now, I'm not a lawyer and don't claim to be one, but these two documents should be standard issue for every site you have. People want to know how you're going to use their personal information, and a "privacy policy" does just that.

In today's litigious society you'll also need to include a disclaímer/terms of use page. This protects you and spells out to your visitors what they're agreeing to by using your website. If you don't know where to start in generating these documents, you'll find plenty of help online.

• DMA Privacy Policy Generator
• OECD Privacy Statement Generator
• Google Adsense & other Ad Networks Privacy Policy Generator
• Privacy Policy Generator
• Free Site Disclaímer

This is not legal advice, and if you need help in this department, consult with a local attorney.

2) Contact Us Information: I can't tell you how many sites I've been to that fail to include a way to contact the owner. If you can't include a phone number, at the very least have an email address or a "contact us" form. By providing this information, you'll make your visitors feel more comfortable knowing there's a way to reach you should the need arise.

If you need a form and don't know how to create one, try these free form services.

• Bravenet
• Freedback
• Email Me

3) Search Box/Site Map: If your site is rather large, you'll also want to include a way to search, or have what is called a "site map". There are many ways to add a search function to your site, the easiest being to use Google's free service or try PicoSearch A site map sounds technical, but it's just one web page that contains links to every page of your site, usually broken down by category. Some resources to help can be found at FreeFind.

4) Google Analytics/Tracking System: Once your site is up and running you'll want to keep your eye on traffic. Who's visiting your website, what pages are the most popular, where is the traffic coming from. All of these questions and more can be answered by using a good analytics program.

There are several ways to add a thorough tracking system to your site, but the easiest and one that won't cost you a dime is Google Analytics Once registered, you can add as many sites as you like all under one user ID and password. You'll be given some code to copy and paste on your pages. Simple, easy, and you're done.

5) Newsletter Sign Up/RSS Feed: There's an old saying that people won't buy from you the very first time they come to your website, so you need a way to stay in touch with them to bring them back again and again. By offering a newsletter, also known as an ezine, you'll be building a list of possible prospects which is invaluable to any site owner.

You'll find a multitude of free and low cost newsletter services online. It's up to you, depending on your needs and what you can afford. If you don't want to pay anything, my favorite free services are:

• FreeAutoBot
• Yahoo Groups

You can also provide an RSS feed for your newsletter, or updates to your blog or site. This makes it easy for others to keep up with your most recent posts. The best service for this is FeedBurner.

6) Consistent Navigation: This might sound like a no brainer, but many folks get it wrong. No matter what type of menu system you decide upon, make sure it stays the same across the board on all pages of your site.

Your job is to guide your visitors through your website, making sure they always know where they are and how to get to where they need to go.

For more see:

• Eye on Web
• Web Page Mistakes

7) Search Engine Optimized Copy: At first glance you might not think this is so important, but trust me it is. You want your pages to rank well with the search engines and there are a few steps you can take to ensure this happens.

Each page of your website should be optimized for 2, or at the most 3 keywords/phrases. Weave the keywords into your titles and into the body of each page. You can also include them in your image titles, alt tags, even in the names you give your pages. Look at each page individually and decide what it's about, then optimize accordingly.

For help see:

• MarketLeap
• CopyBlogger

8) Social Media Share Button: With the popularity of social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, you'd be foolish not to include an easy way for your content to be shared with others.

You'll find many free services that will give you the code you need to instantly add a "share button" to your web pages so that visitors can instantly share them with their friends.

To generate your buttons see:

• AddThis
• TwitThis

Read the rest of Merle's article "11 Things Every Successful Website Needs" at:

http://www.sitepronews.com/2009/05/21/11-things-every-successful-website-need/

About The Author
Merle's Mission Blog - "Rants, Raves and Random Acts of Kindness" a self proclaimed "Internet Junkie" with a passion for net marketing, affiliate marketing, social networking. An avid Blogger and writer with several niche sites to her credít. Find out more at http://merlesworld.blogspot.com .

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Internet Marketing For Your Online Business

Oleh : Internet Marketing Tips

What's the importance of internet marketing in online business ? In any kind of business, you have to remember that in order to become successful, you need to market your products or services. Without it, people won't know what you are offering or know that your business exists.

As you can see, marketing is important for any business. You can even say that it's the key to its success.

When it comes to running an online business, internet marketing is the best way to promote your products or services. However, you have to remember that marketing in the real world is very different from marketing on the internet. In fact, even the best marketers in the real world will have trouble marketing on the internet.

Internet marketing is far more complicated than marketing in the real world. You have to work harder and you will also encounter a lot of competition. With the large amount of people doing business online, it is important to remember that getting your website known can be quite difficult to do, especially if you don't market it.

Marketing on the internet will mean that you have to create targeted traffic for your website. With targeted traffic, you will have much better chances of selling your products of services, whatever it may be. You just don't tell people who is surfing the internet to go into your website, but you give them a reason why. You need to tell them what to expect on your website. By doing so, you will be able to filter the amount of people going in and out of your website.

Some of you may think that the more people entering your website, the better. However, if the traffic entering your website is untargeted traffic, you will never sell any of your products or services. And, huge amounts of traffic are not always good as it will overwhelm the server, which will result in a slower connection.

These are the things that you need to consider.

So, just how do you create targeted traffic?

Many expert internet marketers will agree that you need to write articles. This is one of the best ways to attract targeted traffic to your website. So, what can writing articles do, you may ask?

First of all, you need to write articles that are related to the products or services you are selling. Then, you need to publish these articles on online publishing websites. By doing so, you will be able to get interested people to read the article you wrote and if they like what they read, they will eventually want to enter your website.

If they are now in your website and likes the products or services you offer, they will want to buy it from you. As mentioned before, you need to give the people a reason why they should enter your website.

So, another way to do this is by entering forum websites that discusses topics that are related to the products or services your online business sells. You will encounter a lot of questions regarding the products or services you are selling in your website. Now, try answering these questions. By doing so, you will be able to be known in the forum website as an expert on the topic and the forum members will want to find out more about your website.


All these things will mean targeted traffic. Although not everyone interested will end up buying your products or services, but the point is that you will be able to attract people who are interested in what you have to offer. This will increase the likelihood of selling your products and services and also significantly increase your sales.

These are the things that you need to remember whenever you try marketing online. Through proper internet marketing, you will be able to attract targeted traffic to your website, and you will also be able to increase your chances of selling a product or service.

These methods are just two of the many internet marketing strategies that you should learn about. However, if you are just beginning in the world of internet marketing, you will see that these two methods will be more than sufficient to help your online business get started.

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