In a recent podcast interview, AuctionBytes editor, Ina Steiner, talks with Seth Godin about his new book, "The Dip: A little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick)". During their discussion, Seth talks a little bit about the way he sees eBay commerce:

"eBay is a haystack, and your auction is a needle. You can sharpen your needle all you want, but it's still going to be a needle in a really big haystack. I think the way you win is by getting out of the haystack." Seth goes on to mention several different ways to do that, such as blogging and building your online social network.

At ClassifiedFlyerAds.com, we provide a way for eBay sellers to get their listings "out of the haystack" in an efficient and cost-effective way. Through our bulk upload option, eBay sellers can advertise all of their listings online in one step, simply by using the file feed or RSS feed of their listing inventory. Our system automatically places each listing into it's own web page and posts them to over a dozen online search directories. With each listing on it's own webpage (complete with links to the listing on eBay, photos, and seller contact info), that's major outside-of-the-haystack promotion!

You may also want to visit our eBay store to view our Auction Templates.

Pictures are powerful. Successful companies invest heavily in that power for print and online advertising; magazines, websites, and catalogs would just not have the same impact without pictures. Imagine receiving a clothing catalog in your mailbox without any pictures of the items it was trying to sell... would you buy anything from it? What about an online advertisement that offers sports memorobilia for sale, but no pictures... would you buy from them? Probably not. People want to see what they are going to buy before they buy it.

With that said, eBay items for sale need to have a picture. Yes - it's more hassle, more time, and more money, but it's going to produce much more interest in your products! Buyers on eBay have unlimited ocean of choices for all types of products, and thus is a very competitive market for sellers. This means that sellers must make their items stand out and catch the roaming eyes of the buyers before they roam right on by. But simply having a picture of the item will not guarantee that it won't be overlooked.

Most sellers and storeowners realize the power of pictures and have used them for their products. In order for items to be truly competitive, product pictures need to be what I call the "Three C's": clear, colorful, and clutter-free. Images that are pixelated or blurry don't give the buyer a good look at the item and appear unprofessional. Black-and-white photos are boring and do not communicate to the buyer as effectively as something in color. Products with distracting items in the background (or a background that is itself distracting) take the focus away from what you are trying to sell.

There are many other ways to make your eBay items stand out, but having a great picture is a good place to start.

So you've got an eBay store with tons of great items - now what? Sure, you've told your friends and family about it, maybe even your classmates or co-workers, but is that going to get you the amount of traffic you're looking for? Likely not.

You need to advertise your eBay store. If you're serious about having a successful eBay store, you need to treat it like you would a business. When a new storefront opens in your town, do they open their doors and just sit around hoping that masses of people flood in? No, of course not! They plan and promote and advertise their new store; and that's just what a new eBay store owner must do as well. In fact, eBay has become an increasingly competitive place to sell items, since there is so much to choose from. ClassifiedFlyerAds.com has developed a system that makes it so simple to effectively advertise your store and eBay items.

The service uses a file of your eBay store listings to promote those items outside of eBay. They place each of your items on a unique webpage - automatically - then submit all items to online classified directories. So now, instead of your eBay items being only on eBay, they are all over the internet. A great added benefit is that with all of those links (from your item webpages) pointing back to your eBay store, it actually improves your eBay store's overall ranking in Google and other search engines.
 

Remember, any new eBay store (like any new brick-and-mortar store or any new website) needs promotion and attention. If you spend a little bit of time and effort, you can end up with a truly successful store. Best wishes for your success :)
 

And, if you don't know how to get the file feed of your listings, don't worry! ClassifiedFlyerAds.com provides an illustrated guide and video tutorial to guide you through the process, step-by-step. Once you sign up, the process is simple and fast, and much more affordable than other similar services out there.