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MoneymanPawn
Posts: 18
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 Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:44 pm Post subject: Another "Critique My Shop" Post |
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Hi.
I have sold a lot on eBay for many years but came here a little while ago looking to expand or (hopefully) move away from eBay all together.
But since I have been here, which is approx 9 months, I have had only 1 sale.
So I guess I will ask the assistance of you as a consumer. What can I do differently? |
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TyreeTrading
Posts: 1608
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| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:58 pm Post subject: |
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List more items. 57 isn't really that many.
List regularly.
What are you doing to promote your store? |
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MoonwishesStore
moderator
Posts: 17389
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| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Sterling Silver
Pill Box
This is a beautiful sterling silver pill box!
It is in very nice condition!
You can enlarge the pictures for more detail
It features a beautiful Sard Chalcedony in lid of the heart
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I finally found this on page 5 of the main google search. I didn't find it at all on Google Shopping. Are you using Google attributes? That may be one problem.
Another problem that you have which time has helped you with is the search engines aren't real interested in sites that haven't been around for awhile but after 6 months you start seeing more traffic and the longer you are there, in one spot, the better.
Aother other thing is Tyree is right. In on line sales 57 items is barely a drop in the bucket. You should be listing lots more things. I think the tendancy is to just list a few things to see how it all works out before going to the 'trouble' of listing more. Jump in to the deep end with both feet, list what you have! The more I have listed, the better my sales and after about a year my sales had passed what I had been making on ebay although my net income was much better much sooner without all the ebay fees (also less stress, less nonsense, etc.  )
Be sure you are promoting your store and marketing it. Your about us page seems to show that you have a B&M store as well? The About us page seems to be more of an ad for the B&M store than about your ecrater store--you also mention Western Union and I suspect in the context of people can send Western Union Money orders from your store but it could be taken here as a payment service you will take which is against ecrater terms so you might want to consider taking down that portion so you don't get suspended.
I would also add a bit more to your listing descriptions including things like (for the item above) heart shaped box, what color the stone is and what in the world that type of stone is. Just because you know what you are talking about doesn't mean your customer does and on line it is hard to ask. I think it is a lovely item by the way! Is it certified by your gemologist? Just because you mention that you have one on your about us page doesn't mean buyers will have seen the blurb about her.
Hope that helps. |
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thelivesandlovesofmaggiethecat
Posts: 10159
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| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with the above sentiments that your main problem is probably lack of items. If you are a pawn broker with a b/m shop that employs a jeweler and a certified gemologist then I'm sure you have more than 57 items you can list.
The items you have are very nice and well photographed and I think your descriptions are good also except that silver "pill" box is not really a pillbox if it is filligree as it appears to me. The pills would go bad if air was getting to them, not to mention dirty and dangerous.
Definitely edit your about page. You have much good to say in it but as others have stated, you are promoting your store and I live on the west coast. I won't be going there. I think it is important that you state the services of your pawn shop in the first paragraph and then spend the rest of it explaining how you and your staff ensure that the items sold are accurately described and cared for/ repaired etc.
One lack I found in a description is that silver bolo you are selling for over $500. Before I would consider buying a silver item that price I would want to know the weight of it. It is quite a piece but that definitely needs to be added.
Another thing you might look at is if you are selling the same items on eBay. If so Google may be bowing to eBay and ignoring duplicate listings on eCRATER since they are newer. |
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MoneymanPawn
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 7:47 am Post subject: |
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Awesome thank you. These are all great things.
My about me page mostly feature the B&M store because I wanted to establish creditably for myself since I haven't been on eCrater too long. But I can see where people might wonder what all this has to do with the online store.
Thank you for pointing out the ideas of adding the Gemologist info and things into the listings. You are absolutely right, when I know the information is from my Gemologist I forget that everyone else doesn't.
The lack of items is more because we are still coming up with a good system in our store for keeping track on in-store and online inventory. I had a case where something sold in the store and I was not notified so it sold online too! 
So I had to limit it for the time being, to items I knew were available because I personally run both this store and ebay.
I will take what I have learned so far and adjust to make a better store.
If anyone else has ideas to add PLEASE feel free!
Thank you guys so much! |
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FoxAndFish
Posts: 1585
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 7:47 am Post subject: Re: Another "Critique My Shop" Post |
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| MoneymanPawn wrote: | | But since I have been here, which is approx 9 months, I have had only 1 sale. |
What are you doing to promote your eCrater store? This is not a known venue on the order of eBay that attracts its own traffic. Each seller needs to promote his/her own store and items. There are many ways to do this, covered in a number of threads in the archives and elsewhere in your store.
| MoneymanPawn wrote: | | I will ask the assistance of you as a consumer. What can I do differently? |
As a consumer, I want you to help me see what I'm looking at. As a seller, you want to give the customer a reason to buy...and help the customer see that item in their lives.
Nearly all of your jewelry and collectible items have the same refrain:
This is a beautiful sterling silver pill box!
This is a beautiful sterling silver bookmark
This is a beautiful sterling silver charm
This is a very nice Sterling silver keychain
This is a very nice charm!
This is a great pendant!
This is a great stainless steel band
That doesn't tell me anything about the product except your opinion of it...and since you have a vested interest in promoting a positive image, the adjectives don't carry much weight, esp if they are constantly repeated.
In some cases, such as the Pulsar watch, you don't provide enough information about the product, which should be described in the listing as if there were no photograph or headline. What color is the dial? What shape is the face? What style are the markers? What is the movement? What type of wristband? Etc. And why are those attributes important to me? Is the watch easy to read? Comfortable to wear? Currently stylish? Retro? Goes with everything? Durable for daily use? Dressy for special occasions? What?
In other cases, you have some kernels of necessary information, such as about weight and condition. But it is spread in single lines with numerous breaks down the page, which requires scrolling and, more important, some of which will get cut off when your page appears on the eCrater marketplace (as opposed to your store). I just looked at your fairy pendant on the marketplace. The only text showing is: "This pendant is in great condition!" and "You can enlarge the pictures for more details!" If the customer doesn't open "full description," none of the other information is visible. This is a misuse of valuable real estate and a missed opportunity to grab your customer's attention. If I'm looking for a charm or watch or whatever, what is going to make me buy this one...and buy it from you? That's the information that goes in the listing. |
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MoonwishesStore
moderator
Posts: 17389
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:50 am Post subject: |
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Thank you so much for actually returning and thanking us for our comments and not blasting us and giving excuses for why your shop is the way it is and that's the way you are going to keep it and all we said is a bunch of nonsense. So many folks ask our opinions, we give them, they tell us we don't know anything, and then constantly keep asking why their junk doesn't sell. I'm busy so I have learned to not answer those that don't appreciate the time and energy some of us take to help someone get up off the ground with ecrater. This is a great place to sell and the more great sellers we have here the better it is for all of us which is why I try to help, but am learning not to pour pearls before swine.
Thanks again. Wishing you every success! |
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MoneymanPawn
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:26 am Post subject: |
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Promotion is something I am still learning about. eBay didnt require it so much so I have never really needed to look into it.
So far I have: Tried to use Google Attributes as much as possible, I have an eCrater items add scroll thing on my personal blog as well as the pawn shops blog.
I have a facebook page for the online store, and I have it linked from our store website. One thing I have also tried to do more is be active in the forums. I read a thread somewhere that said Google uses the forums for searches too. I'm not sure how it works but I have tried to use the promotions threads.
So if there is anymore Promotion ideas I am up for it!
I like the idea of using the description for more...well description! I have relied heavily on the pictures so I will get out of the habit of that. I was not aware of the way it shows up on the Marketplace so I will have to look into that and use that to my advantage.
Thank you Moonwishesstore for the great compliment. I have seen you often in the forums and have used your store a couple times for inspiration so I am flattered by your compliments. |
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FoxAndFish
Posts: 1585
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:56 am Post subject: |
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| MoneymanPawn wrote: | | Promotion is something I am still learning about. eBay didnt require it so much so I have never really needed to look into it. |
Exactly. eBay is a household-word destination site. Each eCrater seller needs to make his/her store a destination. Use what's great about you...longtime selling experience, gemologist, product range, price, whatever...to make your store worth going to.
| MoneymanPawn wrote: | | So far I have: Tried to use Google Attributes as much as possible, I have an eCrater items add scroll thing on my personal blog as well as the pawn shops blog. I have a facebook page for the online store, and I have it linked from our store website. |
All good. Getting your products and your store link in front of the eyes of likely buyers is a perpetual task. You are competing with millions of other sellers.
| MoneymanPawn wrote: | | I have tried to use the promotions threads. |
The Promote Your eCrater Store forum has directions at the top in a sticky message.
| MoneymanPawn wrote: | | So if there is anymore Promotion ideas I am up for it! |
Check the FAQs forum and the Promote My Store link in your admin, for starters. There are many threads in the archives on the subject.
| MoneymanPawn wrote: | | I like the idea of using the description for more...well description! I have relied heavily on the pictures so I will get out of the habit of that. |
Again, we need to help the customers see what they're looking at. Nobody really needs a fairy pendant, for example, and there are countless places to buy one if I want one, so use the description to perk my interest in it and my trust in you...without stretching the truth, resorting to hyperbole, or being hard-sell aggressive. This is the art of direct selling. |
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MoonwishesStore
moderator
Posts: 17389
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 10:14 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Thank you Moonwishesstore for the great compliment |
You are very welcome! |
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MoneymanPawn
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | I just looked at your fairy pendant on the marketplace. The only text showing is: "This pendant is in great condition!" and "You can enlarge the pictures for more details!" |
I tried to look into the Marketplace and see what was showing to learn how to use it better. But all I see are pictures and the title. Can someone help me with where is it showing the first couple lines in my listing? I think I may be looking in the wrong place.
Thanks! |
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maggiethehousecat
Posts: 2457
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 3:45 pm Post subject: |
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| When I look at your listings I see the whole description. I have not googled them however. |
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FoxAndFish
Posts: 1585
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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| MoneymanPawn wrote: | | Can someone help me with where is it showing the first couple lines in my listing? |
Here you go:
http://www.ecrater.com/p/13428049/sterling-silver-fairy-charm-fantasy?keywords=fantasy+faerie
That is the link for your fairy pendant in the eCrater marketplace (not your store). Earlier today, only 2 lines of text were showing, as I mentioned. Now, at least on my monitor, there are 4 lines, with diff. text, ending with "The design of this charm is wonderfully done" before the "full description" link comes up. That is, the size, weight, and gift juice is not visible until the viewer clicks the link. |
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MoneymanPawn
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 7:37 am Post subject: |
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Ah, I see what you mean! Thank you!
I did edit it yesterday trying to find new wording per your suggestion (still learning the art of selling )
Now I understand what you are referring to. I can check out my listings once I post them to make sure all of the releveant or eye catching information is there.
Big Help! Thanks again! |
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