So I thought I’d finish with a sort of summary and pull together some themes that we’ve talked about.

eBay’s on the cusp: It’s all change out there with an uncertain economic future, the leadership shuffle at eBay, Feedback developments and the fee adjustments. It seems that when we look back in a year’s time that we’ll survey a different scene. I think that’s rather exciting.

A little effort goes a long away: Time is a seller’s most precious commodity. There’s a whole raft of things a seller can do to be more efficient and the time saved can be ploughed back into the business. It could be about examining the numbers, upping the marketing or sourcing new lines. But whatever it is, it’s about being competitive. Tiny tweaks and minor efforts can inch you ahead of the competition.

There’s a whole internet out there: Complementing your eBay activities with off-eBay selling and marketing can give you the edge. It could be about driving traffic to your eBay sales or branching out and developing a website. But again, it’s about being ultra-competitive. Follow the traffic and don’t expect eBay to do all the running.

eBay ain’t Dead: The sheen might have worn a little thin and the gilt might be flaking off the gingerbread, but I still look at eBay with a sense of awe. It’s huge (I mean gargantuan), still growing and delivering remarkable results. It’s been quite fashionable of late to write eBay off or predict its demise. I’m not in that camp: there’s life in the old dog yet. The changes announced this past week show that the fightback starts here.

Thank you. And good night.

Build Profiles

There are dozens of sites out there that allow you to build a profile or page on, dedicated to you. The sites have their own communities and allow you to link you to your own site. It’s an opportunity to get a bit of ‘trickledown traffic’ and get an SEO boost. Here are a few sites for you to consider:

LinkedIN
Ziki
Squidoo
Last.fm
BT Tradespace

Plug into the Social Networks

Facebook is enjoying an irresistible rise. Myspace isn’t going away. Bebo is still popular. And we’ll see more such sites rise in the years to come.

It’s about following the traffic, getting involved, participating and measuring the results. I’ve heard some good stories from sellers who tell me that they’re getting good results. So take the plunge and see if you get any good results. Just remember that there is a fine line between ‘networking’ and ‘not working’.

Comment on Blogs

Blogs have become ubiquitous in the past few years and commenting on blogs has it’s own marketing benefits. Identify 3 to 5 busy blogs and make valid contributions. Make sure you link to your eBay Shop or website to get the benefits. Relevance is everything and be sure to measure the results.

The bad times are just around the corner.

eBay doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Since 1999, when eBay was established in the UK, we’ve never had it so good. Thanks to the fair wind of a benign global economic situation behind us, the buoyancy of cheap consumer credit and the prudent stewardship of Captain Brown, the Brits haven’t been shy to spend for the entirety of eBay.co.uk’s life. I suspect that this will change. A useful comparison might be Germany. eBay Germany is bigger than eBay UK (but then Germany’s a bigger country) but when you break down the eBay spend by head of population, the Brits spend more. Economically, the Germans have had a harder decade than we have.

On one hand, while harder times might favour eBay (people will come looking for more bargains) equally it seems to me that it’s very likely that people will be spending less. For sellers, this means you’ll have to work that bit harder for your profits. So what I want to close of the eBay Tips 2008 series with, is information that’s not about eBay. What can you be doing to insulate yourself against over-dependence on eBay and avoid the worst of the oncoming storm?

Build a mailing list
Email Marketing is only effective if you have a good cohort of people receiving the mail. You have to recruit people and that can take time. Start now and include the sign up link prominently in your Shop, all your listings, every outgoing mail and also flag up your mailing list in your despatches. There’s no magic number but aim to recruit at least 100 members. Many Powersellers have lists totalling hundreds, even thousands.

Craft a mail
eBay helps you build the mail, so no HTML skills are necessary. Think about what you want to say, match the design of your email to your Shop and promote specials or lines you want to shift. It’s important that you project a friendly tone and a feel that’s reflective of your on-eBay brand. Ultimately, of course, sending out emails is about selling more but you don’t just do that with overt selling messages. Connect with buyers any way you can: share news, tell stories or express a view.

Experiment
Constantly bombarding your list isn’t a clever strategy: experiment with timing, content and design to understand what works. Interestingly, purely commercial messages might not necessarily be the most fruitful approach. Simply reminding people that you’re there and still open for business (being ‘front of mind’) can be enough. One of the most effective emails I ever heard about just a cheery Christmas greeting thanking the recipient for their custom and hoping to see them again in the new year. The email, despite including not marketing messages, prompted an influx of purchases.

That’s all on Shops, folks.