eBay Changes And Misinformation
I’ve been busy revamping my eBay ebook sales to comply with the ban on digital delivery. I finally got a system set up and have been getting sales. It appears that many - maybe most - of the sellers of ebooks haven’t made the transition to getting their books onto CD. Demand for the books is there, folks are buying and willing to pay a bit more plus postage. Now it’s a matter of getting my listing numbers up. So, I’m just busy, busy, busy!
I’ve been concerned about the quality of some of the information being put out there on the eBay changes. The eBay rules about links from anywhere on an eBay page - their classified ads, sales pages, about me pages, any page you have on eBay - are now crystal clear. As of July 1 you CANNOT include a link off of eBay to your web page, nor can you have an opt-in box for your newsletter. You can’t even show your web site URL information with no link. One fellow in a forum related how he’d had his listings pulled because the picture of the CD he was selling had his website address on it.
Be very clear. eBay wants no promotion of any business but eBay to appear on their site. Your business promotion to your customers will have to be through included material you send to your buyer.
So, if you see a product being promoted that promises secrets and tips for classified ads, approach with caution. If there’s any mention of placing a link or opt-in box or even paypal button, you know the writer didn’t do any homework. Actually, I’ve unsubscribed to a few lists because of these kinds of product offers. How could I possibly trust their information on other subjects? One promoter got quite snippy with me when I pointed out that the product she was promoting was clearly giving information that would get an eBay seller in trouble. After waiting through several issues of her newsletter to see a correction (which didn’t come) I unsubscribed. I think that’s incredibly irresponsible marketing.
There was another package being heavily promoted through teaser videos. In the first video, this guy bragged on how he was able to increase the price of a training package being offered on eBay by $20, simply because of the perceived added value of a physical product. No problem there. He lost me, however, when he also bragged that he was able to add a $6 handling fee. I think that’s going to get him into trouble with eBay, as one of the things they are harping on with the changes is to clamp down on folks overcharging on postage and handling. Again, very bad information to be promoting. On top of that, his course on how to do this was being sold for a whopping $1,500!
There have been a couple of new products offered to help in the transition to getting your products onto CDs, but the focus seems to be on using a packaging/mailing service. If you’re selling a whoop-e-do package, I can see where you’d want the spiffy jewel case and label. And the cost of $1.75 for processing and additional postage charges would certainly be justified. But I’m not selling those, and I want the control of doing the mailing myself. So I was delighted when John Thornhill, through my Mentorship Monthly subscription, set out a very clear and beautifully put together package for producing my own professional-looking CD package. It includes a great header that I easily modified to include the SmilingPartners name, files and pages that take little editing, a place to put a bonus or two, and even a great upsell offer. This package alone is worth many times the $10 a month subscription.
I spent some time yesterday reading blog posts from attendees of eBay’s gathering in Chicago. Not a pretty picture. There is a great deal of concern about the new feedback rules, especially the detailed seller rating system. eBay admits there’s some work to be done, but the attitude seemed to very much be “this is our sandbox, we make the rules.” Not quite to the point of telling sellers to take their toys and go home, but the presenters didn’t seem to be overly involved with the concerns. Search YouTube for eBay Live videos for some interesting moments.
I’m back to my listing chores. I have something like 50 items in my store and/or auctions, and my goal is to at least double that this week.
Be well - and look out for those eBay gurus who don’t know what they’re doing!