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Welcome to all of our new subscribers!!
Welcome to the eBay Success Newsletter. This month's exciting features include:
Life is good….very good.
It is beautiful outside; the trees surrounding my lake are starting to show their majestic fall colors, the air is crisp. My favorite sport’s season, football, has started (Go Niners…please – lol).
I have already made it out onto the new curling ice (yes, the Olympic sport with brooms, stones and ice) at our Curling Club. And the fabulous holiday shoppers have already started their shopping online.
I have been living on a plane a lot lately (I definitely need to find the time to start my travel blog) and had the delightful honor of meeting many amazing eBayers from the Dallas and Tampa area (although we did have people fly in from all over, including Los Angeles, just to attend). This quarter’s eBay U’s are a bit different than our typical one day sessions. Now they are two days, with the attendee choosing up to 8 classes out of 20 offered to attend. These classes range anywhere from eBay Basics, to integrating Skype into your business, to International Selling, to advanced search engine optimization classes and of course incredible Tax classes taught by the famous Cliff Ennico. eBay has even included 4 amazing classes taught by eBay Certified Providers on Sourcing, Branding, Accounting and Research. Attendees had the opportunity to speak to product guru Rob Cowie of
WorldWideBrands about what is selling on eBay and how to source it. And Dave Frey, marketing genius from
Terapeak intrigued audiences with divulging how easy it is to determine your buyer’s spending behavior – and showed how that translated into increased profits for your business. Both eBay University events were well attended with my favoritest type of people – entrepreneurs who are driven by their goals of success and do everything they can to achieve those dreams. I was beaming from ear to ear after both sessions – so incredibly proud of all of you and how hard you are working at becoming even more successful.
eBay is providing two more opportunities this year for you to attend one of these incredible eBay Universities…New York at Digital Life (October 12-15) and Los Angeles (October 20-21). You can sign up at
http://www.digitallife.com/eBay_University.html
and www.ebay.com/university
respectively. And, if you have never been to Digital Life, I highly recommend going – this is THE tradeshow for all us gadget geeks. The press shows up in droves as this is where many of the newest/hottest electronics are announced. Great jumpstart on sourcing for your business. Plus, how could you pass up New York in the Fall time? I’m actually taking 4 extra days in NY to play before heading to Los Angeles, just to walk around the city and especially the Park. It is going to be amazing to catch up with all my dear friends from that area…plus, I snagged tickets to see the sold-out show of Madama Butterfly at the
Metropolitan Opera
House.
I wanted to share one of the amazing emails I received this previous month:
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Hi Janelle --
I just wanted to share my excitement with you over my new Power Seller status! I've been working very hard on growing my eBay business since last spring. I took your class at the WA Convention Center in May, and have been slowly but surely implementing many of the tips you gave me.
My goal at this moment is to net $1,000/month, and an intermediate goal to getting there was making Power Seller. I've met that goal! WOO HOO!!!
I love your newsletter & look forward to reading it each month. I always try & make the meetings in Crossroads, but with 14 month old twins at home, it's pretty tough, lol! :) I haven't made it to one yet, but it is on my list of things to do!
One question for you, and you don't need to reply to me personally, but maybe it's something you could put in the newsletter in the future.
What does one PUT in a newsletter?? I've been trying to get subscribers (not trying super hard, as I don't know what to put in it!) for a couple weeks now, and have one (although she's a good friend of mine!). I feel like now that I have a subscriber, even if she's a friend, I need to send something out, but have no clue what to put in it! I don't have a super small niche (mostly children's clothes & other random goodies), and anything I can think of to put in the newsletter would possibly drive business away from my store (like news of upcoming sales at children's clothing stores). Any ideas??
Anyhow, even though we don't know each other personally, you were one of the first people I thought of to let know I made my Power Seller status.
So, yay me! And yay Janelle for your help! :D
Fondly,
Katie
www.twintasticmom.com |
Katie – I am so very proud of you…you have made daily decisions to be successful (especially with 14 month old twins) and I love hearing about your successes. Your enthusiasm, drive, and continued desire to seek additional information to help your business is refreshing and contagious. Your email truly made my day. Congrats!
Now, I’ll answer your great question (which MANY other eBay Sellers also asked this month after the fabulous tips the PowerSellers provided
last month
about acquiring new sign-ups for your newsletters.) in a minute. But first, I have HUGE news about eBay Stores’ newsletters:
1. Coming soon – eBay is going to allow you to automate your newsletters!! This is incredible news. You know how important it is to automate as much of your business as possible so that it can grow…now you’ll have the opportunity to stay on top of sending out newsletters much easier.
2. Just a reminder…if you utilize the referral id (?refid=store) at the end of the listings you include in your Store Newsletter, eBay will pay you 75% off your final value fees for sending customers into your eBay Store! Nice little loophole…since technically an eBay Newsletter IS sending people from outside of eBay into your eBay Store…thus qualifying for the referral credit. Learn more about utilizing the referral id at:
www.JanelleElms.com/eBayStoreTips
A recent report from some of the top e-commerce marketers stated that your most powerful marketing tool is an email newsletter. How fabulous of eBay to provide us Store owners one for FREE! But it won’t do you any good if you never send one out…aren’t actively seeking new subscribers…or think that you just don’t have anything to include in a newsletter.
Recommendations in this report included sending out a short email newsletter once a week. That way you are constantly in front of your customer and they won’t have an opportunity to seek out (& spend money with) your competitor. Also, they reminded business owners that it usually takes up to 7 contacts (newsletters) before a buyer takes action and purchases something. Make sure you always include a way for your customer to actually PURCHASE the item(s) they want. I just received an email from a company that was talking about just getting in a new, rare, shipment of vinyl toys that I collect. Well, they were obviously SO excited about their new arrivals that they forgot to include anything else in the newsletter including their website, much less the link to the toys. Make it easy for your buyers to spend money with you.
Here are some ideas for your newsletters:
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The ‘we just got in…’ newsletter – listing your newest inventory items
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The theme newsletter – this one is perfect for the upcoming holiday season. Send out one for Halloween, Hostess Gifts for those Holiday Parties, and Gift Ideas. I even saw one PowerSeller who would send out ‘color’ themed newsletters…pink, blue, purple – lol!
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The ‘education’ newsletter – teach your buyers the benefits of purchasing your product. Don’t just tell them to buy the new widget…….. But also tell them how to use the product, different uses for it, gift recommendations. Most newsletters include Features for products – these are Facts about the item. Instead, give your buyer’s a buying experience and include the Benefits or Bonuses of your product.
Now you can also have newsletters that aren’t ‘pitching’ products. The e-commerce marketing report stated that buyer’s (no big surprise) want a lot of value if they are going to allow another piece of email to enter their cluttered world. They also mentioned that your buyer’s feel more loyal if you create an emotional, community feel to your newsletter. There are many ways you can do this:
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Give them something for free – if you sell ‘health products’, include health conscious recipes, if you sell children’s clothing, include a list of your top 10 tips on time management (Katie – with twins and a successful eBay business, your customers would LOVE this), or if you sell DVD’s, you could include a list of the hottest movies that are on the holiday gift lists this year. (Did you know that they have just reissued in a collector’s edition the very first Godzilla movie? You know what is going on my Christmas list!!)
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Along that same line…offer a free shipping coupon, or money off, for your newsletter buyers
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Another hot marketing technique that is returning some very nice profit numbers are ‘customer recommendations’. Ask your buyer’s to write recommendations, and in exchange offer to promote their eBay business in your newsletter if they will allow you to use their quote in your newsletter. People responding to a recent survey said that ‘other buyer’s comments’ figure into what they choose to buy 96% of the time!!
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A great newsletter to have come out here soon (and I would probably repeat it again at least once a month until the holiday season is done) is what you are going to do to make your buyer’s life easier during this upcoming hectic holiday time. This could include your return policy, gift-wrapping options with gift cards, shipping directly to everyone on their gift list and offering easy bundling ideas of your products. This last one really helps that shopper who is looking for something unique and also increases your average sales price.
If you sell golf items, then perhaps in your newsletter you offer to put together a gift basket of any of the golf items you sell – include the gift wrapping/basket for free.
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Teach your buyer’s HOW to buy on eBay (and of course from you). Include safe buying tips, how to spot fake products, and new technology
(reviews & guides, RSS – www.rssreader.com).
Thanks again Katie for the great question – keep up the incredible work! And congratulations again.
Make sure you, your friends, your family, and anyone you know is signed up on this
newsletter. I will be sending out a very exciting announcement in a couple of weeks with a specially priced offer JUST for my newsletter readers
for a limited time only. If you are ready to set up your eBay Store correctly and be one of the 1% who are profitably running their eBay Stores, then you’ll want to hear about this. I have been working on this project for almost a year now to make sure you have all of the most complete and updated information you need to be successful and am thrilled to be able to finally share this powerful information with all of you. Make sure you are receiving the newsletter announcements by adding
newsletter@janelleelms.com
to your email list.
I am honored to be speaking for this organization, Ladies Who Launch, in Portland, OR, Vancouver, BC, New York and back in my hometown of Seattle, WA. When they announced they had launched their eBay Store with a unique perspective, I of course had to check them out. The Store is different than most eBay Stores. Instead of a company selling their products, the
Ladies Who Launch
Store sells products for other women who belong to their organization. You can read their story here:
http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=ladieswholaunch
I just bought a beautiful wrap to wear to the opera in NY
and they have many other beautiful things for your home,
your family
and you.
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I sent out an email a few weeks ago about a gentleman who has terminal cancer and a wonderful Trading Assistant, Donna, who was helping him sell some of his items and raise money for his bills. So many of you bid on these items, sent encouraging notes and even donated money straight to Mr. Trail. This is what I love about the eBay Community. The incredible outpouring of kindness to others. Donna was able to raise $500 to give him for his glass items.
Here is Donna’s update from Mr. Trail….
“I just spoke with Mr. Trail & he was so excited about our venture.
He told me that Hospice has been brought in. I asked him what does that mean (I knew because I lost my Mom 4.5 yrs ago to cancer) but just didn’t want to come out & ask him how long he has.
He said 6 months or less. By his appearance, I'm thinking much less.
But wanted to share this with you.
as you see by the pic below, Mr. Trail was so happy.
& still has a couple tears.”
Huge thanks to everyone who participated – blessings.
5
Tips
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NEW Column
– Donna Bond, who is a Featured eBay Education Specialist, Trading Assistant and carries the title, “Online Auction Princess” shares her
“5 Expert Tips on Becoming a Successful eBay Seller” |
I was delighted when
Donna Bond agreed to write a monthly column for the eBay Success Newsletter titled, “5 Expert Tips about eBay”, with a different topic each month.
Donna is a PowerSeller, one of the top 15 eBay Education Specialist in the country, a Trading Assistant, and has been featured in newspapers, books, and even Entrepreneur Magazine. To see her full bio, and check out what she just bought because of her success on eBay, go to:
www.janelleelms.com/donna
For those of you in the Chattanooga, TN area, please note that Donna has teamed up with Steve Espinosa and their eBay Education Tour will begin October 7th in your area. Check out
http://online-auction-princess.com/Chattanooga_TN_Class.php
for additional information as well as other tour dates and places upcoming.
5 tips on fabulous Customer Service
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Use the “Golden Rule”
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In other Words, give the customer the same customer service you would expect as a buyer. Fast, efficient, friendly service.
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Have a well defined fair return policy that is easy to understand and easy to follow.
Including a business card, flyer or any type of marketing material with your return policy stated is wonderful & makes for an easy return & a possible repeat customer.
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Great customer service will set you apart from the competition and create a life-long customer.
Include a print out receipt/invoice/packing slip through PayPal, or eBay. This requires no typing.
Use new materials as this will show you as a professional. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received a poorly packaged item with nothing inside but old, crumbled newspaper and not so much as a thank you note, or receipt.
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Give your customers more than they expect!
I like to include a Hershey’s Kiss, peppermint or candy canes at the holiday season attached to a flyer, or whatever kind of candy you I may have available!
Everyone loves chocolate & sweets and I want them to remember my auction with a smile and hopefully, add me to their favorites.
I do this year round.
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In conclusion, just keep all your customers happy.
Maybe send your new eBay shopper & especially your 0 feedback buyers a % off discount coupon on there next purchase or a coupon for free shipping. A nice little note to those new 0 feedback buyers just saying “welcome to eBay” means a lot to them & you will give them the security to come back & remember you.
Frequent repeat buyers love these coupons. These customers will also remember you for your wonderful customer service & will return & also leave you glowing Feedback.
Donna Bond is one of the top 15 eBay Education Specialist in the country and an eBay PowerSeller. See her education bio here:
http://www.poweru.net/ebay/instructor/insBioFull.asp?id=29
And check out additional information about the upcoming Southern Tour here:
www.online-auction-princess.com
Entrepreneur Time-Saving Tips
There is a group of us in the online community that work very hard to bring to you the most legitimate products & services to help you achieve your dreams of success in the entrepreneur world. We have no desire to spin your wheels and just want to see you succeed. We also work as hard to shut down those companies that are just out there to take your money and leave you with nothing but an e-book with regurgitated information, or an unusable website, or products that you would never be able to sell. Every single tour stop I have heard story after story about how good intentioned people have been scammed out of hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars from these companies.
It always makes me very sad to receive an email like the one below. I know how tempting the thought of ‘getting rich overnight’ is…and these unsavory companies cater, quite well, to that thought process. But you would save yourself a TON of time, money and headaches to understand you CAN be wildly successful, but it will come with hard work. I thank the eBayer who sent me this line of communication they had with one of these companies. Hopefully the email below will help at least one of you to not be taken by these companies.
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Welcome to Blue Institute. Were excited that you have taken advantage of our 11 Secrets of the Powersellers Kit offer. This is your activation email for your Blue Institute account. Just by receiving our 11 Secrets of the Powersellers Kit, we have also given you a 10-Day TRIAL to the Blue Institute site.
To get started right now, use the following website, username and password below to login to your account.
Login URL: http://www.blueinstitute.com
We have processed your order and you have been charged $2.87 for shipping of the 11 Secrets of the Powersellers Kit.
Your monthly fees will begin on 10/12/2006, at which time your account ending in 6011 will be charged $49.95. This will be a recurring transaction, and your account ending in 6011 will be charged $49.95 every month thereafter.
Together with our extensive help system and your Blue Institute software, you will be able to become an Online Auction Master in no time at all.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for improvement, please contact a Customer Support Representative via email at support@blueinstitute.com.
We look forward to serving you!
Thank you,
Blue Institute Customer Support Team,
866-616-1119
support@blueinstitute.com
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According to your email I was not to be charged the monthly fee until October, yet, the 49.95 has already been charged to my credit card. It was charged on the 12th of September!
I've had your kit for 2 days and have not even begun my 10 day trial - I was going to start it this weekend.
I want to go ahead and CANCEL this subscription. I need for you to reverse the credit card charge of $49.95 and remove it from my credit card. I was told one thing, and yet something different occurred. This does not build any trust with me and now I want out.
Tell me if I need to do something to cancel this, or is this email sufficient to get it cancelled.
Do you want me to return the unopened package back to you?
thank you
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2nd request:
I have had no response to the email I had sent earlier to CANCEL THIS SUBSCRIPTION, and I checked today and the charge remains on my credit card.
PLEASE CONFIRM RECEIPT OF THIS EMAIL AND THAT YOU WILL CANCEL THIS TRANSACTION AND SUBSCRIPTION.
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3rd REQUEST:
I've written twice in an effort to CANCEL this subscription. As of today, I still have had NO
response from you or your company.
If this is an example of the customer service quality, then I am doubly glad that I have chosen to cancel. Not only do you bill a month before you claim, you won't issue a credit and you won't return emails or acknowledge this CANCELLATION.
I WANT TO CANCEL.
PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO TO CONFIRM THIS CANCELLATION. Can you please take a moment to acknowledge and confirm cancellation?
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Here is a part of my reply to the original writer of this email…
This is very similar (& probably the same company) as
this… http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000107619&start=0
I suggest you read this thread as you are in for an uphill battle.
You’ll also want this information:
The spokesperson for the Utah Division of Consumer Protection said consumers should lodge complaints by going to
http://www.commerce.utah.gov
A direct link to information about filing complaints:
http://www.commerce.utah.gov/dcp/enforcement/complaint.html
There isn’t a shortcut guys…if there was…I would have taken it a long time ago – and of course shared it with you!
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With more than 50% of the buyers on eBay living outside of the US, your global reach has just doubled – as long as you ship internationally (see
www.janelleelms.com/international
for a resource page on everything international). The two top countries…Germany and the UK. A recent research study that was commissioned by PayPal states that British online shoppers will increase by 10 million…reaching almost 25 million by 2010. But more importantly, their spending will reach over $41 billion by then! |
Getting Ready for the Holidays...
 It’s hard to miss that the holidays are on their way! Walk into any chain store and the aisles are full of holiday promotions. The brick and mortar stores are revving up for the holidays and the same holds true for online retailers. E-tailers are stocking up on inventory, getting promotions in place and spending gobs of money running marketing and pay per click campaigns to promote holiday sales. According to
Entrepreneur Magazine and CNNmoney.com, holiday online sales are expected to
sizzle this year and will account for more than ½ of an online retailer’s total sales for the
entire year!
The great news is that, while we still have to prepare for the holidays just like other e-tailers, we eBayers have an elite advantage. The fantastic eBay holiday marketing blitz has begun! Did you catch the slick eBay Express catalogue that was just released chock full of beautiful pictures and even shopping stickers? How about the new eBay ads airing during popular prime-time shows and on cable networks? All of this fabulous marketing is created to entice buyers to shop with you on eBay for the holidays!
We are so lucky…can you imagine the kind of money you would need to spend to promote your business like this? Now we simply have to take advantage of eBay’s holiday merchandising campaigns and do a little “decorating”. So grab a cup of cocoa and get your business on eBay ready for the great holiday sales rush with these easy “decorating” tips:
Stuff the Stockings:
(a more exciting term for – yawn – build your
inventory)
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If you're not sure what to sell, check out the
Holiday Hotlist. Find out what's hot and in short supply, grab it and sell it. This is also a great opportunity to sell similarly sought after items. For instance, die cutting machines are really big this season. Pig and Panda now carries
Cricut, THE hottest die cut machine on the market by Provo Craft.
Cricut
isn't one of the top brands that folks are searching for on eBay but that's because not a lot of people can get their hands on the
Cricut
to sell. I'm going to take advantage of the die cut buzz and use it to sell my
Cricut
line. Ho! Ho! Ho!
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Check out eBay Pulse, a daily snapshot of current trends, hot picks, and cool stuff on
eBay. See what buyers are asking for and give it to them! Today, the number one searched item is the season's biggest toy,
Tmx
Elmo. In the
craft category, fabric and scrapbooking materials are highly sought after. I know that my
Cricut
is going to do quite well!
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If you purchase merchandise from distributors for resale, like we do at
Pig and Panda, get your holiday orders in now so you have plenty of time to list and promote your goodies and you won't run out of the inventory that your buyers need. I just received a large shipment of the
Cricut
line but am placing another order now because I know they're going to sell out before the holidays pass. I want to make sure that I have plenty of merchandise to keep my customers happy.
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Time your listings with eBay's Holiday Merchandising Calendar. Take advantage of posting goodies when eBay is focusing their site promotions in your category. It looks like the crafts category was being heavily promoted at the end of September and will continue all the way through late December. You can bet
Pig and Panda is going to take advantage of eBay's site advertising during this time because we sell a lot of craft supplies!
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Jump on eBay Express - especially while those slick catalogues are being distributed. Buyers can make purchases from up to ten different experienced eBay merchants and pay for everything at one time with a credit card or
PayPal. Purchases are shipped anywhere in the U.S. and are covered by
Buyer Protection.
Certain conditions apply as to how make your listings show up on eBay Express. For instance, item specifics must be filled out for each listing. A handy tool is available to help you determine if your listing qualifies for eBay Express. Check out the
eBay Express Listing Eligibility Tool.
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Light the Candles:
Create a good listing so customers get excited about your item and know exactly what you're selling. Writing a good title and description increases the chances of your listing being found and sold.
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Build a strong title. Call your item what it is. If you get stuck ask a friend or family member what they would call your item. I use this technique with our
Pig and Panda listings because sometimes I get stuck knowing how the manufacturer identifies the product and forget what a buyer would call the product.
Most buyers find items using keyword searches so once you have identified your item use words that buyers would use to search for your item. Use significant synonyms and related keyword and USE UP THOSE 55 CHARACTERS! Don't forget that the title is prime real estate and you need to use every bit of it. If you get stuck with a keyword, use the
Overture Keyword Tool.
If you have an unusual item or are offering a special promotion like free shipping, you can stand out more by using a
subtitle. You also have 55 characters so be creative and informative so your listing stands out. Keep in mind that subtitles cost an additional .50 per listing.
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Write an interesting description. This is your chance to grab the buyer's attention and get them excited about your item. Tell them WHAT they're getting and WHY they need it. In my
Cricut listing I tell my customers that they're getting the full Cricut line and they must have it because not only is it the hottest must-have tool on the market but it will take their paper crafting to a new level of beauty and professionalism. Everyone wants their craft projects to look beautiful, sophisticated and professionally finished!
Be sure to include details in your description like model number, color, size and brand name. Describe interesting details and facts about your item such how old it is, where did it come from and who was the previous owner. Be sure to mention the item's condition; are there scratches, is it new, NIB (new in box), mint condition, etc.
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Include your payment policy, customer service policy, return policy and shipping policy in your description as well as in the designated spots that eBay offers. If you're wondering how to write these policies, feel free to check out
Pig and Panda's policies and research other sellers on eBay as well.
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Let your customers know when and how you would like to be paid. Do you take PayPal (you better!), credit cards and checks? How soon do you expect payment? Do you sell internationally (I hope you said yes!)?
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Tell your customers what they can expect when they do business with you. Do you answer inquiries the same day? Do you process their orders in 24 hours? How do you treat your customers?
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State your return policy. A clear return policy has been shown to increase bidding and buying because you provide assurance and confidence. Pig and Panda has a 100% money back guarantee, no quibble return policy. In the past two years, we have only had 2 returns. Other sellers report that actual returns are rare as well.
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Provide your shipping policy. eBay has a free shipping calculator
to include in your listings. Be sure to charge fairly for shipping and handling. eBay is cracking down on excessive shipping fees; besides, it really turns customers off. Be sure to offer combined shipping discounts for multiple item orders. Buyers love it and it will help you sell more. You can set up this option in your eBay Preferences.
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We all know how important it is to take a good photo. If you purchase merchandise from other suppliers, you may be able to use their stock photos in your listings. If you have to take your own pictures, be sure to set the item on a white or neutral background and take a close up picture. If your item has several interesting features take more pictures because it will help your item sell. Keep in mind that the first picture is free and any additional pictures will cost you .15 using eBay Picture Services. eBay also offers a picture pack which costs $1.00 for up to 6 pictures or $1.50 for 7 to 12 pictures. If you don't want to use eBay Picture Services, you will need you host your own pictures with another internet services provider.
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Always add a gallery photo to your listings. It costs .35 and is totally worth it. When I'm browsing the auction site and I see a listing without a gallery image, I skip over it. The competition is fierce and I don't have time to open a listing and hope that a picture is included in the listing. Gallery images do capture interest.
Infact, gallery images have been shown to increase the likelihood of selling by 10% and sometimes increase the increase the final price by an average of 12%!
eBay had added a new picture service called Gallery Plus. When you use Gallery Plus, a large icon displays below your gallery image on search results pages. A buyer can click or hover over the icon with their mouse, and a larger version of the picture will appear. Gallery Plus can be selected in the SYI form, eBay Seller Tools and most 3rd Party Tools. Keep in mind that this service costs .75 per picture and is only available for images hosted through eBay Picture Services.
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Deck the Halls:
Now's the chance to show off your holiday spirit and get customers in the mood!
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Give your listing template and/or store some holiday glitz. Add some holiday icons, cheery colors or charming images to your listings.
If you own an eBay Store, design a more professional look with your own
custom listing header. Create some holiday store categories to help buyers shop by recipient (for him, for her, kids, pets, etc.) or by holiday (Halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, etc) or by color, theme, toy, etc (you get the idea).
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Create an
About Me Page or spruce up an existing About Me Page with seasonal imagery. You can direct people off eBay from your About Me Page (it's the only place that is permissible). Use this to your advantage and link to other sites of interest or significance. All those links increase your visibility in internet searches which could mean more sales for you! For instance,
Pig and Panda
donates 5% of our monthly proceeds to Diabetes Research. The holidays are all about giving and I want to make sure that our customers know that their purchases help others in need.
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Write Reviews and Guides. Chances are very good that you know a lot about what you're selling and that makes you an expert! Write reviews & guides for all your items. This not only boosts buyer confidence but results in increased traffic to your listings. It also makes you eligible to get a cool little Top Reviewer icon next to your eBay ID which shows you're a pro! Best of all, it's fast, easy, and free. Just be sure to include links in your review or guide to the item or category you're selling in so people know where to get it. We've written
three guides so far at
Pig and Panda. Check them out at
http://search.reviews.ebay.com/members/pigandpanda
and don't forget to vote! Each time you receive a helpful vote, your chances of getting the cool little Top Reviewer icon next to your eBay ID increases (wink wink).
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Cross-Promote your products. This handy option, only available to eBay Store sellers, helps increase multiple purchases with you. At the bottom of your listings, buyers can view a selection of other products you sell. You can control which items are displayed on your Item, Bid Confirm and Purchase Confirm pages by
changing your cross promotions.
Another neat and FREE cross promotion tool is called Film Loop. We met them at eBay Live! in Las Vegas this past summer. They will (or you can follow simple instructions on their website) create a film strip that continuously loops the 25 most recently listed items in your store. Check out one of Pig and Panda's film loops. Just scroll to the bottom of our
Elmer's Magnetic Cutting System.
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If you have a store, use your email
newsletter once a week. Simply send a customized email newsletter to buyers. It's free and there is no better way to build your customer base. A weekly newsletter reminds customers that you're still there for them. Each time we send out a newsletter, Pig and Panda sees an increase in sales!
Be sure to change the name of your newsletter from General Interest to something more appealing like Creative Crafts or Bookworm News. This will draw more interest. AND, use one of the top two promotions boxes to get people to join your exclusive mailing list. You can create and control promotions boxes from My
eBay>manage my store>promotion boxes.
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Spread Good Cheer:
Make it easy for your customers to shop with you!
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Offer free gift wrapping and gift card services in your listings.
Pig and Panda
offers these goodies year round and customers are quite pleased when they can take advantage of the service. For an additional .25 you can flag your listings by using the cute little
Gift Services icon that looks like a blue box and bow.
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Include a personal touch to your packages.
Pig and Panda
wraps each item loosely in pink tissue paper before boxing. We also include a colorful postcard with a handwritten note to the customer wishing them Happy Holidays! There are lots of ways you can add a personal touch. Be creative and have fun! This helps your positive feedback grow and you gain loyal customers who will shop with you again.
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You really should be doing this throughout the year but it doesn't hurt to remember to keep communications open during the holiday season. Make sure your emails don't YELL at customers and that you answer inquiries in a timely manner. If something happens and you can't get to them right away, simply apologize for the delay and be extra accommodating. Also, during the holiday season we use part time elves. If you use part time help, too, make sure they know you expect them to be friendly and professional when answering the phone and emails. They're representatives of your business on eBay so make sure they use good customer service skills.
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Help the customer select a gift. Offer suggestions for complimentary items. Last year a client bought several different kinds of yarns for a gift. I suggested an unusual sized knitting needle to create a unique gift. The client loved the idea and so did the recipient. You might toss in a freebie like extra batteries or a sheet of stickers. There are lots of ways you can be creative while building good will and return business.
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Offer to ship gifts directly to a recipient. Many last minute shoppers won't have time to receive a gift and ship it themselves. You can save them plenty of hand wringing by sending their gift wrapped purchase directly to their loved ones.
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Trim the Tree:
Offer customers extra special services during the holidays.
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Be on your toes and offer quick shipping, especially during the holiday season. Your customers will love you for it!
Be sure to offer rush shipping options because holiday shoppers need to know that their packages will arrive on time. Provide them with shipping deadlines and options for last minute purchases. In addition to
USPS, Pig and Panda offers carriers like UPS and FedEx for overnight and super speedy deliveries. Keep in mind that there are some locations that simply won't qualify for overnight delivery. You need to check with the carriers before you make a promise.
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Tell buyers about the expedited shipping services you offer in your listing. When you list an item, select the
Get It Fast feature. It's free and allows buyers to search easily for listings to buy and receive in a hurry.
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During the holidays many e-tailers take advantage of the chance to build return business by promoting free shipping. Buyers, including myself, are really motivated by free shipping. If you're uneasy, try it out with a couple of listings and see what happens. You'll be surprised at the response! When you list your item, just enter "0" in the first service under Payment & Shipping and the word "Free" will appear in the shipping cost field of your listing.
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If you have a feedback rating of 10 or higher, you can offer
Buy It Now and Fixed Price listings on the main eBay auction site. These listings allow many holiday shoppers to buy gifts right away rather than wait for auctions to end. You'll see sales on these types of listings increase as we get closer to the holidays. In addition, if you own an eBay Store, this is a well-known technique used to drive traffic to your store!
As we get closer to the holidays and buyers are frantic for quick transactions, meet the demand and sell your items faster! Try listing items as Fixed Price (with our without Best Offer), 1 day listings or Auction-type listings with a Buy It Now option. Keep in mind that there is an additional
fee for the Buy It Now listing upgrade.
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Offer PayPal because buyers trust and know PayPal. It's safe, fast and easy. Holiday buyers often filter for PayPal listings to ensure they'll receive their items faster. Providing PayPal is a no-brainer way to reach buyers.
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Give Yourself Some Figgy Pudding:
You've worked really hard to make sure things are good for your customers. Here are a few tips for making your life easier:
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Use the new
Turbo Lister. It's very user friendly, fast and efficient. eBay does offer the SYI form but if you're looking for a more efficient way to list and store your listing templates for future use, go with the shiny new, improved and FREE Turbo Lister.
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Use Endicia for your USPS postage. This cool tool has several levels of service. Pig and Panda uses the Premium Service which costs about $16 a month. I don't waste my precious time standing in line at the Post Office which can take hours especially during the holidays. You know your time is worth more than $16 an hour so this is a wise investment. I also like it because I can create and print postage for domestic and international shipments, including customs forms.
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Once you've printed postage for your packages, don't waste time driving to the nearest drop box. Schedule a
FREE Carrier Pickup™
online with The U.S. Postal Service®. The post office comes right to your door and whisks your packages away!
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Take a few minutes and brush up on
eBay best practices. It doesn't take very long and it's extremely helpful. I highly recommend that any elves helping you in the coming months read this information. And while you're taking a little refresher course, visit the
eBay fees page. It's a helpful spot to refer to when you want to know how much insertion fees or listing upgrade fees cost.
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Automate your feedback.
Pig and Panda
leaves feedback for every transaction as soon as the customer pays for the item. We don't hold our feedback conditional upon a customer's feedback because we feel it's a good practice to reward the customer for their timely payment and trust in doing business with us.
You're going to be so busy processing transactions you'll want to automate your feedback! Go to your My eBay and select the Automation Preferences link in the left hand navigation bar and follow the directions for automating feedback. Click on the Edit Stored Comments link and you can fill out ten different kinds of positive feedback. Be sure to mention your eBay ID or Store Name so when others look at their feedback you might gain a new visitor to your listings. One of Pig and Panda's feedbacks say:
Great customer! Thanks for buying your arts & crafts supplies at Pig and Panda!
The holiday season is a great time to give your business a permanent boost. Have fun "decorating" your business on eBay by offering great products and gold star customer service all while finding new customers and building their loyalty so they shop with you throughout the year!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rebecca L. Shapiro is the Artist and Creative Director for
Pig and Panda.
Rebecca, who was classically trained at Smith College in Northampton, MA & studied printmaking at the Glassell School of Art in Houston, TX, has enjoyed over 20 group and solo painting exhibitions since 1999. Her works hang in private & public collections in Massachusetts, Washington & Oregon. In addition to illustration and painting, Rebecca has worked with beads and fibers for more than 20 years and loves texture, form and color...especially when she can experiment with materials, techniques and unusual applications. She has taught painting, drawing, jewelry and knitting classes to children and adults and loves sharing her experiments, successes and surprises! You can also see Rebecca’s alter art ego at her new eBay store
Rebecca Shapiro The Artist
presenting art lovers and collectors with an opportunity to purchase her original pieces, limited edition prints & ACEO cards!
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Our monthly columns
eBay Meetings
Local eBay Meetings –
www.janelleelms.com/free-ebay-meetings
eBay Success Group Meeting – 10/29 – special guest speaker
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. On eBay it can be more valuable than that! This one hour free workshop covers simple techniques used to create eye catching product photos. Learn what to look for in a digital camera, composition and lighting. Included will be an introduction to simple set-ups that produce professional looking results on a shoe-string budget.
Cindy Shebley
author: Easy Auction Photography
Tour
Schedule
http://stores.ebay.com/Auction-Profit-Education-Consulting/Tour-Schedule.html
eBay
workshops:
Topic:
eBay
Workshop: eBay My World - An Introduction to
Getting Started on My World!
Host: eBay Staff
Date: Thursday 10/05
Time: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm PT
Description:
Just launched on eBay, My World is a new tool that
allows members to showcase their personalities, interact
with others, and display their listings, interests
and more! eBay Staff will be on hand to discuss My
world, to help you get started, and to answer your
questions!
Topic:
Member
Workshop: Know the Best Time to List
Host: terapeak
Date: Friday 10/06
Time: 11:00 am to 12:00 pm PT
Description:
Terapeak marketing team Sarah Taheri, Dave Frey, and
Morgan Brooks will be hosting a workshop introducing you
to some tools that you can use to find the best times to
end your auctions. There are a variety of free and paid
tools that eBay Sellers can use to find out how long to
list an item, what time of the day or week to end an
auction, or what times of year see big spikes in demand.
We will even show you a few cool trends that illustrate
the huge spikes in sales that occur over the holiday
season! Come join us as we show you some of the research
tools available to eBay sellers! Come join us as we show
you some of the research tools available to eBay
sellers!
Topic:
eBay
Workshop: eBay Giving Works Spotlight On Breast
Cancer
Host: eBay Staff
Date: Monday 10/09
Time: 11:00 am to 12:00 pm PT
Description:
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and eBay
Giving Works is rallying the Community to raise money to
fight this disease. Find out how you can help save
women's lives by buying and selling on behalf of this
worthy cause.
Topic:
eBay Workshop: Learn
to use Blackthorne Basic
Host: eBay Staff
Date: Tuesday 10/10
Time: 11:00 am to 12:00 pm PT
Description: Join
the Blackthorne Software team for this workshop to learn
about Blackthorne Basic, the redesigned
Seller'sAssistant Basic. This end-to-end sales
management tool can help you sell more in less time. To
learn more, go to theBlackthorne
Basic page .
Topic:
eBay
Workshop: Learn to use Blackthorne Pro
Host: eBay Staff
Date: Wednesday 10/11
Time: 11:00 am to 12:00 pm PT
Description:
Join the Blackthorne Software team for this workshop to
learn about Blackthorne Pro, the redesigned Seller's
Assistant Pro. This top-of-the-line sales management
tool can help you scale your eBay business. To learn
more, go to the Blackthorne
Pro page.
Topic: Member
Workshop: Finding the Best Time to sell Motors
Parts & Accessories
Host: terapeak
Date: Friday 10/13
Time:
11:00
am - 12:00 pm PT
Description:
Terapeak marketing team Sara Taheri, Dave Frey, and
Morgan Brooks will be hosting a workshop introducing you
to some tools that you can use to find the best
time of Day, Week, and Year to Sell. There are a variety
of free and paid tools that eBay sellers can use
to find out how long to list an item and what time of
the day or week to end an auction. We will talk
about using market research to find the best times to
close your auctions and use analysis from Terapeak
Motors Parts & Accessories tool to illustrate
how you can increase your success rate.
Topic:
Member Workshop: Avoiding the Evil Middleman
Host:
worldwidebrandsinc
Date: Monday 10/16
Time: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm PT
Description:
Pitfalls and traps abound in eCommerce. In
particular, many people struggle when they try to find
sources of products that they can sell online. Robin
Cowie, president of WorldwideBrands.com, will describe
how to differentiate the good guys from the bad guys. He
will cover the gamut of product sourcing relationships
from drop shipping to liquidation and point out
techniques that can save you thousands. Further he will
share quick tools and mechanisms that can help you test
the waters.
Topic: Member Workshop: 10 Tips to Skyrocket Your Holiday Sales
Host: whatdoisell
Date: Tuesday 10/17
Time: 11:00 am to 12:00 pm PT
Description:
Holiday
sales can represent a huge portion of your yearly sales
and profits, If you capitalize on this opportunity when
shoppers are out in full force! There are several things
that you can do to ignite your sales and draw customers
to your business like a magnet. Please join Lisa Suttora
Founder/CEO of What Do I Sell.com and best-selling
author of "What to Sell on eBay and Where to Get
It" (from McGraw-Hill publishers) as she shares the
top 10 tips that will skyrocket your holiday sales.
Whether a beginning eBay seller or PowerSeller, these
strategies will help you maximize your profits during
these all-important holiday selling weeks ahead.
Topic:
Member Workshop: 25 Tax Mistakes That Can Cost You
an IRS Audit
Host:
dkennedycpa
Date: Wednesday 10/18
Time: 10:00 am to 11:00 am PT
Description:
Every year millions of Americans make
mistakes that red flag their tax returns for audit. Each
year, the IRStells us what they're looking for and who
is at risk for audit. Learn how to avoid the mistakes
that make the IRS come knocking and "audit
proof" your return to reduce the risk of an IRS
audit.
Topic: Member
Workshop: Education Specialist trained by eBay -
Teaching What You Love!
Host: danse
Date:
Thursday 10/19
Time:
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm PT
Description:
The eBay Education Specialist program is designed to
give you the opportunity to teach people to buy and sell safely
and effectively on eBay. It is part of the
eBay
University
program and offers authentic and professionally designed
materials for presentation and instruction. Add an
excellent support system from other Education
Specialists through the Education Specialist
Message board and once qualified you are read to go.
Please join Joyce Banbury, eBay Certified Education Specialist,
as she shares her experiences in setting up workshops,
how to find venues, becoming the local eBay expert and
some of her great experiences in holding workshops.
Sharon Guldner, Manager, eBay Education Programs,
Christy Johnson,
Power
University
will also be there to answer questions and offer
additional information about the eBay Education
Specialist program.
Topic: eBay
Workshop: Use Turbo Lister for Faster and
Easier Holiday Selling
Host:
eBay Staff
Date: Monday 10/23
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm PT
Description:
If you're new to selling on eBay this
holiday season, be sure to download eBay's free listing
tool, Turbo Lister, to create professional-looking
listings in less time. Join us for this workshop to
learn more. You can download Turbo Lister at
ebay.com/turbo_lister.
Topic:
Member Workshop: Two Important Tax Benefits
for the eBay Business Owner
Host: keepmore
Date: Tuesday 10/24
Time:
11:00
am - 12:00 pm PT
Description:
Most small business owners fail to
realize these tax benefits; or worse yet, fail to take
full advantage of them. Please join Phyllis
Wischer, Lead Business Coach from Certified Provider
KeepMore.net, as she discusses two of the best tax
benefits for the eBay Business Owner. The first will be
a discussion of the tax benefits of having an ‘office
in your home'; and the second will be the tax
advantage of the ‘business use of a personal auto'.
Ms. Wischer, speaking from experience with 20 plus
years working with small business owners, will be on
hand to answer your questions.
Topic:
Member Workshop: eBay Stores Basic Marketing
Host: jill.of.all.trades
Date: Wednesday 10/25
Time: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm PT
Description:
Your eBay Store comes equipped with powerful
Marketing tools and resources to help you with buyer
acquisition and retention (e.g. About Me page,
Cross-promos, Listing Frame, Email Marketing, etc.) as
well as how to measure your Store performance through
Sales & Traffic Reports. Join Janelle Elms,
eBay
University
Instructor and Dean of eBay Business for L.A. College
International and eBay Stores staff as they show you how
to take full advantage of the Marketing tools that come
with your eBay Stores subscription. Get the information
you need to grow your business!
Topic:
eBay Workshop: Customer Service Tools and Tips For
eBay Sellers
Host: eBay Staff
Date: Thursday 10/26
Time: 10:00 am to 11:00 am PT
Description:
Providing great customer service for
your buyers is a great way to differentiate yourself as
an eBay seller. As you prepare for the busy holiday
selling season, come learn about existing eBay tools
such as our Frequently Asked Questions and best
practices to convert one time buyers intro repeat
customers!
Topic:
eBay
Workshop: Selling Manager Enhancements for
eBay Store Sellers
Host: eBay Staff
Date: Thursday 10/26
Time: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm PT
Description:
Do you use Selling Manager or
Selling Manager Pro and have an eBay Stores
subscription? If so, you'll want to join us for this
workshop to how to take advantage of recent enhancements
to the Selling Manager products. These seller requested
changes help make it easier to identify, locate and
manage your eBay Stores inventory. and track your
shipments all in a few easy steps.
Topic: Member
Workshop: Putting a Face on Your eBay Brand
Host: planthabit and
jill.of.all.trades
Date: Friday 10/27
Time:
2:00 pm
- 3:00 pm PT
Description:
Please join Janelle Elms,
eBay
University
instructor, author, and Silver PowerSeller and Phil
Dunn, marketing and advertising writer, for the third
installment of The 7 Essential Steps to Successful eBay
Marketing workshop series. This session will help you
design listings that sell faster and make you more
money. We'll cover critical presentation and visual
techniques, including layout, design, buyer psychology,
photography and more.
Topic: eBay
Workshop: Increase Buyer Traffic this Holiday
Season
Host: eBay Staff
Date: Monday 10/30
Time: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm PT
Description: eBay
Stores' Email Marketing- a feature available only to
eBay Store sellers- is a great way to promote your
items. The tool allows you to quickly and easily send
promotional messages to your subscribers who have
opted-in to your email list and encourage those buyers
to return to your eBay Store! Build a relationship
you're your subscribers… they want to hear from you!
Next
Month
And don’t forget to get a sneak peak of what’s coming next month…
Learn how to grow your email list
Need some help generating new ideas?
A surprise update on one of my eBay Live companies
Have fun jumping in the piles of leaves…and enjoy those early holiday shoppers!
Janelle
=====================
Copyright Information
=====================
Copyright 2006 The Winston Group Inc.
You MAY reprint any of the articles in this newsletter
in your blog, newsletter, About Me Page, or for any
other purpose. However, no portion of the article can be
modified in any way. You MUST also include the
following tag line at the bottom:
Presented with permission from Janelle Elms
Janelle Elms,
eBay University instructor, best-selling author and Dean
of eBay Business for L.A. College International,
specializes in coaching individuals and companies to
build successful eBay businesses and maximize their
profits. Check out her wildly successful eBay Stores
Video Series at www.StoresSuccessVideo.com
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