eBay in Person in Miami

This past Thursday I attended eBay in Person in Miami. I had a great time but it wasn't as "useful" for me as it could have been. I think it was very beneficial for sellers who are just starting out though. I'm sure that it would be very difficult to host an event like this and have it actually benefit sellers of multiple levels. I think it was probably best for the seller who is already selling but not at the poweseller level. The very green beginners seemed lost and people like myself were bored.
I rarely go down to Miami (I live in the next county North) so I mapquested how to get there. The travel time said 28 minutes. The event started at 9AM so I figured that estimate was way off and was right, it took me 1 hour 17 minutes. I managed to get there without getting lost trying to get out of the parking garage! I took the stairs instead of the elevator and ended up on a street where I couldn't even see the building I was supposed to be in. How embarrassing.
They had coffee and pastries and all the eBay people were there mingling. eBay does a wonderful job of showcasing the friendliest people on their staff. Either that company is the most fantastic place to work with all those positive people, or they just leave all the bad apples back at the office.
There were three sessions. Shipping, DSRs and Search Standings. Ok, so they had better names than that, but I'm just too lazy to go dig out my flyer to find out the exact name. Sorry.
Shipping was pretty basic but I think may have reached some folks. The nice thing was that they had Q & A and had a representative from the USPS and UPS on hand. Apparently the USPS will be introducing a new flat rate box. A smaller one this time, but they haven't decided on a price yet.
The things they talked about in the DSRs session seemed like common sense to me, but most everyone I talked to felt like that one helped them the most. I can sum it all up by saying "think like a buyer". I disagree with them about the "free shipping" to increase DSRs though. For some silly reason, I don't think it helps.
The findings session was the one that was probably most useful to me. They did a great job breaking down and explaining how their best match algorithm works. I feel like I've got a better grasp on it now.
They served lunch and appetizers at the end. The thing was set up very nicely and I met quite a few very interesting people. At the opening intro they identified all the Education Specialists, all three of us, so this gave folks an opportunity to approach us with questions. I found this to be nice because usually I'm pretty shy so having people approach me helped break the ice.
Overall, I thought the event was fun and I'll definitely participate again.

eBay in Person!!!!

To be quite honest, I had never heard of this event before. On Sunday, one of my clients asked me was I going. Huh? I had no clue that such an event even existed! I tried looking around the site to find out about it. Nothing.
Pretty sad that I know as much as I do about eBay but have no clue how to find this sort of thing.
So, today, I get an email from eBay inviting me to attend. Yay!
Of course I will attend! If I soak up a tenth of the knowledge and motivation that I got from eBay Live in Chicago it will be worth spending a day in Miami.
If you'd like to join me at eBay in Person in Miami, here is the info:

The event: eBay in Person
The place: Hyatt Regency Miami
The date: Thursday, September 25th; 9AM to 5PM
The cost: $25.00
Website to register: http://www.inpersonevents.com/miami

If you are not in the South Florida area, you can try google-ing "ebay in person" and the closest major city to you.

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7 tips for using eBay's email Marketing effectively - Dos and Don'ts

I've been putting more time, thought and effort into planning my email campaigns. I started my research with checking out the competition (and my favorite sellers, friends, family & past students too). I've now got a pretty long list of "Favorite Sellers" that I'm subscribed to. Some send great stuff and make me wish I were that good, others.... well, you know.
I've compiled a list of tips here to help you tweak your eBay emails too:

1. You simply MUST put either your user id or your store name (or both) into the subject line. If you don't go in an manually do this, your emails go out like this:
If your email is going to someone who gets their email on their phone or who gets alot of emails a day, they may never open this up. The subject line is "eBay seller Email: Check out my Newly Listed Items". Whos newly listed items? Why should I care? Let them know so they will open it up!

2. Brand your emails. Put your logo on them, make them look like your listings as much as you can. See mine:
If you've shopped with me before, you've seen my logo and right away, you know who this email is from. This is super easy to do, eBay gives you the option of putting your store header in your emails... you just gotta click the box! (Also notice that I've got my store name and the brand name of one of my biggest sellers in the title?)

3. If you are advertising a $0.99 auction sale or a special something or other, please make sure that those items are the ones that show up in the email. It is frustrating to get an email from a seller who goes on and on about these great tops that just arrived and it sounds like something I'm interested in but when I scroll down, the only things featured are shoes. Nothing wrong with shoes, but why are you telling me about tops when the only thing I can click are shoes? Use the preview button to be sure witch items will show up first.

4. Don't include your feedback banner if you've recently gotten a really nasty feedback or don't have a good DSR percentage. If yours are wonderful, go ahead, include it.

5. If you are like me and too lazy (or too busy) to send out stuff as often as you should, make sure that at the very least you have your system set up to automatically send out "Newest Items" bi-weekly.

6. Go back in and check your settings every so often because your business may have taken a turn (I went from selling costumes to ticket stubs but still had a message about costumes months later....oops) or eBay may have added a feature.

7. Put a link to sign up for your newsletter or to save you as a favorite seller (or both) in every listing.

8. (Bonus tip) Spellcheck, grammar check and don't use ALL CAPS.

changes changes changes, what should I do?

This year eBay has pushed the limits on my flexibility. It seems like I've had to re-think my business plan every time I turn around. Most of the changes haven't made significant impact, and have been relatively easy to adjust to, but goodness, it is exhausting and difficult to keep up with. I'm very positive and flexible but I'm downright irritated this time. I think I will actually like these next round of changes in the long run, but it is going to take a major adjustment in my business plan and way of conducting business on eBay on a day to day basis.
I've been pouring over concepts and plans for two weeks now and still haven't nailed down my game plan.
Then, on top of that, it has put yet another stall in my Education Specialist plans. I had organized to teach two classes in September but have cancelled (or I guess.... 'postponed' would be a better word) them both because I haven't wrapped my head around the changes enough to teach them just yet.
Sorry for the gripe. My next post will be more positive once I get this all figured out.