eBay is the biggest shop in the world and things change with dizzying frequency: it’s hard to keep up. But it’s important to raise your head above the parapet. You probably know your own corner of the Marketplace very well but a broader knowledge of what’s going on will help you take advantage of the eBay opportunity.
eBay Inc.
If you’re a professional eBay seller you’re staking a lot on a global business that you have no control over. So keeping tabs on what’s going in San Jose makes sense. At the very least, keeping an eye on the Annual Report and Quarterly Reports, that can be found in the Investor section of eBay.com, is time well spent.
Site Changes and News
The eBay UK Announcement Board is a must read, but do look at eBay.com too and other national sites. Much of the information is the same but you might get advanced warning of a change heading our way. Tamebay is, of course, a great source of information and there are lots of other handy blogs out there. Make it easier to keep up by using a reader, such as the Google Reader.
Trading Trends
What’s everyone buying? What’s selling like hotcakes? How does your conversion rate look against the category average? The Marketplace Research Tool will tell you all this. You probably keep a close eye on what’s going on around you anyway, but with hard numbers you can back up your hunches.
Carry on Spying
If you aren’t buying from your key competitors (incognito of course!) then you’re missing a trick. Are they doing anything better than you? See what they’re doing and do it better. You don’t just compete on price, after all.
Tomorrow: Pimp your selling.
9 Responses
If you aren’t buying from your key competitors (incognito of course!) then you’re missing a trick.
Believe me, I’d love to. Sadly we have blocked each other and subsidiary ids (to avoid ‘misunderstandings’ of course).
Is there an ebay affiliate mystery shopper? Nice little opening for someone perhaps?
Blocked each other? Subsidiary IDs? You aren’t being determined enough.
Time for better espionage. They’re buying from you despite the apparent detente. Believe me.
the ebay announcements board is a joke. you wont find anything their other than old news or involved corporate prattle , the “biggest shop in the world” your lucky if you get more than a few announcements a month,
a vibrant market place should have a vibrant announcement board, that is an interesting must read, I learn more here in a week than anything that ebay offers
Used to subscribe to the Marketplace Research Tool, but as it was completely inaccurate (I searched my own stuff regularly to ensure accuracy, it was never right so God knows what else was missing) for info, I dropped it.
Has it improved? Many days it could not be accessed at all and for £12.99 a month (at the time I think), a lot of money to waste while it was down.
are you kidding us Dan
invester section! takes me most of my time to invest in subtitle
I’m not suggesting that you invest in eBay: in many ways it’s been a bad stock these past few years. I must declare my interest: I own two shares in eBay. ;o)
But the info is invaluable. Norf: you’ve thrown in your lot with a business that frankly doesn’t know (and perhaps doesn’t much care) who you are. For one half hour or so every three months, you’ll get a good sense of whats going on in the business you depend on.
I know what your mesage was Dan, what I am trying to say is, what happens closer to the everyday running of ebay is of much more importance to me,
long term plans whilst important dont really have that much affect on what I am listing this week, though schemes and plans slipped in under the radar by the awks of Richmond, can be catastrophic
Richmond and San Jose are much more closely linked than you imagine. ;o)
I dont doubt it. I imagine controled rather than linked