about to open a store, any help please or advice

[uniqe_in_au]

I was just wondering, how do store owners get there pages to look so good, like with all the borders and images about pricing or discounts etc,  i was told that ebay has seller tools.  Have been doing a bit of researching and also found that you could get a web designer maybe.

Any other pointers anybody could help me with please.

[autopartsmate]

There are so many alternatives nowadays, it really just depends on your budget, what you need, and if you are aware how to source the right person.

When I first started eBaying seriously, I used elance.com and found someone to do a store and listing template for around $500 - $700.  Now that I have grown, I use frooition, which cost me an arm and a leg, but I can justify it now.

First and foremost, have a look at elance.com and outsource the work.

[digital*ghost]

If you mean just the listing pages and not the store pages, there are heaps of templates around that you can get for free, or buy for a relatively low cost.

I personally recommend FreeForm2 from Robshelp: http://freeform2.robshelp.com/index.htm

It's free, has several options you can choose from, fully customisable and easy to use.

[chuk_77]

cant help just want to say hi to autoparts:-D

not seen you around these parts before, or am i just blind

[gigabean-au]

I've used people on sites like elance before (personally I prefer odesk) - it takes a while to find an appropriate person but if you can find that gem they can really be a great asset to you. I've been using the one guy for 2-3 years now and definitely get fantastic value for money - all our current ebay listings were put together by him & I think sales have done a lot better since concentrating on the way our listing designs appear.

[icollected]

Lots of good advice on here already.

Start small.

Choose the cheapest store option for the time being.

Flood your store.

Literally. With products. Lots of them. I personally love it when I visit a seller's store and there are hundreds of thousands of products nicely categorized. Makes me feel like I'm at a huge shopping center with the power to teleport to any department or store with just my thoughts. 20-50 products makes me feel like I'm standing in front of a single aisle at Coles...

Designs.

If you don't know it already. Hire someone. Store image is extremely important. Arguably more than pricing. eBay competition is fierce, pricing wise- though currently not focused on image; target that.

The time it takes you to learn basic html and image editing is better spent hiring someone. Opportunity costs from lost sales during the time you've learnt is probably more hefty. During your free time you should still learn how to do basic touch-ups so you're not always reliant on the designers. Often, hiring from the start is a good idea as they can teach you while they are contracted for the job.

Costs go anywhere from a few hundred (easy Google search; eBay custom designs (or templates)) to quite easily a few thousand. (Quoted $5k-$25k from firms in Melbourne, went with the mid-range of that).

Good luck and Welcome to the Game. May the Odds ever be in your favour.

[davewil1964]

I would be careful, especially before you start making money, about being too fancy with your store.

There are templates available in Turbolister, which I would recommend you use for your listings anyway. Be wary about cluttering things up unless you're prepared to fork out for professional page design. Even then, anecdotally, a lot of buyers will hit the back button if they can't determine quickly and easily what you are actually selling.

Keep your Terms of Sale short and to the point. Don't clutter the page up with fancy stuff like sparkles and especially animated GIFs. You might find them cute, a lot of potential buyers won't.

[gigabean-au]

2% final value fees along with 2% of the customers, seems like a good idea!

[annies_fancy_dress]

My suggestion, don't go over board on pretty frills, I find so many pages a real headache, with all the bright colours, flashing borders and multicolour paragraphs of text.

Keep it simple, it worked for google.

[flashback_deals]

I agree Annie. Some listings do go overboard

There are many developers around that can do logo, store or listings designs, or sites that have templates that you can upload to eBay. Most sellers I have spotted pay out at least a few hundred $$$

Many larger stores sell on their websites and in a few clicks can upload everything to eBay, these sites can have templates all done including all sorts of  store policies, but to use them, isnt exactly cheap, but if I want to compete, I have to match them, but I have the financials to do it

I started of in the eBay Turbolister, if you sell as a hobby, that is fine, or you can also do up your own template in Mircosodt word and copy/paste it onto the Turbolister