Does having a basic store increase sales?

[oddsandendsoz]

I have had a basic store in a single category for several years now and have seen sales ebb and flow as you would expect. I am not entirely sure it made much difference in volume of sales but back when I took out the basic subscription it had more value in increased listings and lower fees. 

I have another ID with a different range of products that I am trying to grow and although it is going quite well, I am wondering now if it is worth it to get another basic store. The main reason is that it would allow me to do a sales campaign across the store, something that you cannot do with a regular account I believe. Has anyone got any recent experiences where they have found a basic store has made any positive differences or even examples of a negative difference? 

[oddsandendsoz]

I should add that actually I am not too bothered about if having a basic store increases sales, as much as I am more bothered about it not limiting sales. I know over the years on these boards people have shared their experiences of both of those scenarios. 

I know that some have mentioned that the change to a store actually limited their sales which I certainly would like to avoid. 

[davewil1964]

My store sales have tanked over the last few months, compared to previous periods. whereas my non-store sales have been about par. But my NS account has less than 10% of the listings, so a single sale is a significant boost.

I have no explanation as to why, except that the NS account gets the listings for 4 months before they go into my store, so the NS buyers can get the cream.

I consider the floods to be a contributing factor, so I don't consider (yet) that having a store limits my sales.

[eol-products]

Time is your biggest enemy doing ebay so if having a store finds you more time to concentrate on what makes you money then $25 is nothing to spend.

Always aim higher than what you want and hopefully you will end up with more than what you need.

[oddsandendsoz]

Thanks Dave, very useful info and input. My sales on my newer venture were going quite well up until a few weeks ago, maybe I hit my allowed ceiling. Saying that, I suppose when you are growing from nothing, then that spike in sales will plateau eventually. 

I started this newer venture to try to get into a less discretionary category, which has worked to some degree, but sales have slowed recently. 

[oddsandendsoz]

Great advice. I agree, I think the $25 or $27 with the GST is worth it, if nothing else it makes doing sales promotions a lot easier.