About Andrea

Website: http://OnlineAuctionResources.com
admin has written 78 articles so far, you can find them below.

Should you change your eBay usernames when you open a Store

Here is another question I have had recently from a reader of my blog.

My business lately has been going so well that I’m considering opening an eBay Store.  As I’ve been selling on eBay for quite a few years and always had the same eBay username I feel it is time to change it to something more professional that reflects the theme of my store.  The worry I have is that my past customers may not be able to find me if I change my username.  Did you have this problem when you opened up any of your eBay Stores?  And did changing over to an eBay store impact on your sales?

Here is my answer to MM’s question.

Hi MM,

I had the same issue as you when I opened my eBay Store.  I’ve been on eBay for over 10 years now and have been selling for more than 6 years on two separate eBay accounts, both accounts have Bronze Powerseller status.

I’ve read the opinions of all the ‘experts’ that state your eBay name should reflect the items you sell.  The only problem I have found with this is what do you do if after a period of time you decide to change your product line to something totally different, or if you sell products from many differing categories?

The fantastic thing about running your own eBay business is that no one is forcing you to stay within the one category of products.  If you have a specialised niche that you are going to dedicate yourself to that is great.  But if sales fall, or a product is no longer popular, you have the ability to totally change what you sell.  This year you may sell a popular child’s toy, but trends come and go, so next year you may sell accessories for the latest smart phone and the year after that it will change again.

My personal advise would be to stick with your current eBay name.  If you want you can give your eBay Store a name something that reflects your product line and change that whenever you need to.  But changing your eBay username can be damaging, not just by people not being able to find you when you change it, but when new buyers view your details and see that you have had several usernames they can become suspicious of buying from you.

I’ve only changed my eBay username once in the 10 years I’ve been on eBay and that was only because someone hacked into my account somehow.  eBay quickly rectified it but I was advised to change the username and passwords immediately.

You can do some of your own research on this subject quite easily to view others usernames.  Do a search in any category and see the sellers who have an eBay Store and huge feedback scores.  Their usernames aren’t always something that reflects their product line.  So there username isn’t what is making them sell loads of items, it’s what they are selling and the service they give that is making them successful.

As for having an eBay Store, or just a regular account, you need to look at how you are going to sell and how many listings you are going to have per month.  Basically if you are going to do mostly auctions you are better off NOT opening a store.  If you want to do mostly ‘Buy It Now’ listings and take advantage of the 30 day or ‘Good Til Cancelled’ options then YES a store is the way to go.

I hope this help!

I also have this article published as an eBay Guide.
Click here to help me out by voting for it if you found it helpful!

Do many sellers offer pickup?

Here is a question I have had recently from a reader of my blog.

Do very many sellers offer pick up for the items that buyers have purchased?  If you have done this could you please let me know what you experiences have been?  The reason for the question is that I have some large items to sell that are too large to post so the buyer would need to come and get them.  I’m just concerned about having someone know where I live and that they may change their minds when they get there.  Any advise would be helpful.  JV

Here is my answer to JV’s question.

Hi JV,

I offer pick up on all my listings and have found that hardly anyone uses this option even if they live close by.  The more options for payment and delivery that you can offer the more attractive your item will look.  Plus, offering pick up means that you are willing to have face-to-face contact with your buyers, not just faceless, written communication via emails.

Funnily enough I have had the odd person pick a small item, like a book, just to save on postage costs, but the petrol and time they used to drive to my house far exceeded the postage.  And in some cases the post would have got the item to them quicker than the number of days it took to find a day when it was convenient for both buyer and seller to be available.

I also once had one man come from about 50kms away to pick up a $0.99 personal development (self-help) book that would have only cost $1.20 to post just so he could ‘pitch’ me his home-based business opportunity.  I was polite and listened to him talk and then just said, “No thanks, but good luck with your business”.  He then bought more books off me a few weeks later but opted for postage.

People are just really funny!!

Obviously for large items pick up is the only way that they are going to get to their new owner.

Here’s what I do when someone is coming to pick something up.

On the day of the scheduled pick up I just make sure that I have the item ready at the front door or in the garage (depending on what the item is).  I also make sure that I have some change ready in case the buyer does not give me the right money.  By doing these things the buyer has no need to come into the house and it is a fast process.

You will find that most buyers are just as weary of going to someone’s house and picking something up as you are of having them at your house.  Buyers also have the fear of what do they do if they get there and the item isn’t exactly what they thought they were buying.  So there is caution on both sides!

If in doubt have someone home with you when the pick is happening.  This is easy to do as the buyer will contact you to arrange a suitable time.  All you need to do is give them a day and time when you are not at home alone.

Oh, and here is another helpful hint.  Offer ‘payment on pickup’.  This way if the buyer gives you cash on the day you avoid having to pay PayPal fees.  This is extra money in your pocket.  This is totally within the eBay rules as ‘payment on pickup’ is an option you can select when listing your item.

I hope this helps!!

Interested in selling on other sites like Amazon?

For those of you who are interested in selling on other online sites like Amazon and having it automated so you don’t have to do much of the work anymore here is a fantastic new course from Jim Cockrum.  Jim is the author of the best selling book, “The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay”.  Other contributors to this course are Skip McGrath & Suzanne Wells (my own eBay mentor and also known as “The eBay Coach”).

The “Proven Amazon Course” (PAC) specifically teaches you how to set up a “Fulfillment By Amazon” business.  This is where you ship your products to an Amazon warehouse and they pack and ship your items for you after they have sold.

Click on the link below to find out more about the course.

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