directing traffic from ebay to your own site

[CleoCrafts]

hi there,

I have been selling card making supplies on ebay for a few months now, and its going quite well, but i have my own website, with the same stuff on it, at cheaper postage (cos of the fees you have to pay to ebay) yet I haven't sold ONE thing off the website yet!! For anyone else who is in the same boat, did it take a long time for people to start buying from your own website? HAving read some other posts, i think i might go and check out ebid now....

any advice much appreciated!

Louise xx

[Katianne]

I can't speak as a seller but as a buyer. I used to buy my craft supplies from ebay from one seller, but then she did her own website and now thats all I use. Like yours, it is cheaper to buy from her own site. Are you letting people that buy from your ebay site know that you have your own website? If not then you could include that info when you invoice (and state it's cheaper!) and also enclose details of your site on a printed invoice / label when you send the items.

[wabbit]

I too can speak as a buyer - I bought some stuff off an Ebay seller then in the email to say it had been despatched he mentioned his own website so I bookmarked it and went to him direct the next time :)

[CleoCrafts]

thanks for the feedback, I must get some flyers printed to post in the packets - much appreciated :)

[liz15a]

hi

I dont know if the rules have changed or not as I dont really use Ebay anymore, but you used to be able to include your website address in the description, provided you sold the item at a cheaper price on Ebay than it was available on your own site. Presumably this means you would have to sell it at a fixed price, but as long as its at least a penny cheaper on Ebay then that is ok (or it used to be). Just do a search in Ebays help for website links or something......

[beadsbydesign]

hi

I dont know if the rules have changed or not as I dont really use Ebay anymore, but you used to be able to include your website address in the description, provided you sold the item at a cheaper price on Ebay than it was available on your own site. Presumably this means you would have to sell it at a fixed price, but as long as its at least a penny cheaper on Ebay then that is ok (or it used to be). Just do a search in Ebays help for website links or something......

You are not allowed to insert a web address on your description page, that links to any of your products as the rules state that "you cannot encourage anyone to made off ebay transactions"
You are however allowed an about me page where you can link to your sites and explain your other store site.

[CleoCrafts]

Hi beads,

do you find the majority of your sales are through ebay, or through your own site?? (sorry for delay in replying, was away for the weekend!)

thanks,
Louise x

[DivaP]

I sell on Ebay and always enclose an invoice and pricelist which has my website address on and email address (not up for selling on my website yet though, a work in progress :) ) As someone has already said, you can only put a link to your website on your ME page. I have had a few sales through email after they have previously bought from me on Ebay.

Getting your website known can be difficult, and the majority of my sales are still through Ebay.

Hope that helps a bit.

[GeorgeBee]

Before I had my shop and used to sell on ebay I had an online portfolio of pictures. On my item page on ebay i mentioned that I had a large portfolio and to message me if they wanted to view it. I had a fair few people ask and out of the people that asked I had about half that made purchases and a few came back a couple of times. Havne't sold on ebay since I've had my shop though so i wouldn't know!

As a buyer if someone has a website but are selling on ebay i usually buy from their website as its usually cheaper. :D

[littlesnuggler]

Hi
As other people have said you can only direct buyers through the me page on Ebay. I have found that since I have re-jigged my Ebay listings I have had a few sales from my website so I would say that it is working and people do look at the me page. You might want to have a look at Ebay item no 180086420645 to see how I have worded it.

[Sammy Potter]

Hi Louise,

It's all the your web site meta tags. Eventually your site needs to come up on search engines and that takes time.

Leave all that up to my webmaster. All that IT/Web jargon goes over my head.

Have you done the site yourself or has someone done it for you ?

[CleoCrafts]

Hi Helen,
thanks for the tip, I think I will 'borrow' your idea for my ebay listings!

cheers,
Louise

www.cleocrafts.co.uk (http://www.cleocrafts.co.uk)

[FunkyEars]

Another idea if your profit margin will allow it is to enclose a voucher with your ebay package offering 5 or 10% off your website purchases for the next month / next order / orders over £10 etc - people love a bargain and if you mention that prices are already cheaper than ebay thats where people will come in future. Also if you have a friend who sells another craft product you can both print up these vouchers between you mentioning both your sites etc - half the cost but twice the customers :)

[Katianne]

Another idea if your profit margin will allow it is to enclose a voucher with your ebay package offering 5 or 10% off your website purchases for the next month / next order / orders over £10 etc

Great idea!!!

[incywincy]

Know someone who watermarks all her images with her website address... not sure if thats allowed, but it could be a way of promoting your site.

I think the 'about me' icon is a good idea, as Helen/ little snuggler has done. As you can add your link from there and do a bit of advertising!
I did one.... and linked to all my favourite places.... http://members.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=incywincytogs

But I wonder how many people actually look at the 'about me' links?

I know I only do it when i'm researching ideas and am curious to know a bit about the person (lol)

[clareyfairy]

i watermark my craft listings with my web address, and have been doing for some time as I once put loads of listing on with my web address and ebay removed them all, as i think that they have software that skims every listing put on ebay for web address and such, but software cannot read images......

I also advertise both my websites on my about me page, and have had quite a few hits from the about me page since i put them there. I know from experience if im bidding on an item from a seller I will look at the about me page if they have one

Like the voucher idea, but most of my sales are digital downloads, do you think previous ebay customers would mind if i emailed them to tell them about offers?

[FunkyEars]

I dont think the customers would mind - just say they are not on any mailing list etc (to cover yourself) and you are only contacting them because of a special offer. So long as you dont contact them through ebay messages with your website offers I think you are fine :)

[Tip Top]

I've been contacted in the past from ebay sellers who I have bought through ebay who have their own website. I've found that postage and packing is cheaper, the range and diversity of stock is better and they are quicker in posting. Certainly my website is cheaper than the items I list on ebay, cheaper p&p but I still post quick!! :mf:

Personally, I would prefer to buy direct than through ebay as sometimes I don't want a bargain, I just WANT IT NOW!!!!!!!!:D

Hope this helps! :)

[Katianne]

I have to price my items cheaper on Ebay as find that people don't buy at the prices I would normally ask, so therefore have not made any sales through my website yet, as a result of Ebay, as people can see they can get them cheaper on Ebay. I really wish I didn't have to lower my prices so much for Ebay, but at the moment i'm treating it as a way to sell some stock to find my new ideas.

[glasskanvas]

Another idea is to add the website address into your logo then have that as your shop banner...so long as it's not hyperlinked you shouldn't have any problems

[mum-on-the-run]

I used to always insert my website address into the email templates in Selling Manager, then always send an email to every customer to say the parcel was on it's way. Also, make full use of the newsletter facility, though I think that's only if you have an ebay shop.

I agree with enclosing flyers in your packages too.

I've also seen sellers change their username to their website address, and have seen other sellers put "thankyou for shopping with *website address* " when leaving feedback, though I don't know what ebay's response would be to those two methods!!