Branding and name recognition are sought after by merchants and marketers both online and off. Some names have gotten so big that they’re now used as verbs, such as ‘Google’, ‘Photoshop’ and, yes, ‘Ebay’. On a smaller scale, you can get your own name recognition by registering a custom domain name and using it to promote your Ebay stores and auctions.

Why would you pay for a domain name when you could just use your Ebay storefront URL to draw customers? Two reasons: marketability and customer convenience. It’s much easier to market a custom domain name than it is to market a long URL filled with random numbers, letters, and other characters. Likewise, it’s easy for customers to remember a custom domain name. Marketing is all about getting people’s attention and keeping it long enough to cinch a sale. Most domain names can be reserved for under ten dollars a year. With the potential payoff that name recognition brings with it, those ten dollars are definitely a worthy investment.

There are some rules to remember before you reserve a domain name for your Ebay store. First, never reserve a domain name that actually includes the word ‘Ebay’. Name recognition is a hot commodity, and Ebay will not be happy if you try to capitalize on their trademark. There’s a secondary issue as well. The Internet is a very fluid place. Ten years ago, we didn’t have YouTube, MySpace, or many other modern day giants. Ten year down the road, who’s to say that Ebay will be the auction site of choice? It would be a shame to spend several years cultivating your name recognition, only to have another auction site spring up overnight and bump Ebay out of top position.

What you do with your registered domain is entirely up to you. Some Ebayers simply have the new URL forward to their Ebay store. Others build an entire web site around their auction listings and seller bio. With widgets, feeds, and other little extras, it’s possible to have a very informative web site that still promotes your auctions and storefront.

The Ebay pros do caution against using affiliate links on your web site to promote your own auctions. This is against Ebay’s terms of use, and can get your account suspended. You can, however, use your web site to Promote! other goods that you sell elsewhere. If you have an offline store, post contact information so that local buyers can drop in and check out your goods. You can also sell merchandise directly through your web site. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination – and, of course, by Ebay’s rules!

If you’re having trouble thinking of a snazzy name for your new domain, try using your Ebay account name. If that name is taken, try following it with ‘auctions’ or ‘auctionsite’. Many domain registration services make suggestions for alternate domain names. Remember to make the name easy to spell and remember, and look at it with a critical eye to make sure the words don’t inadvertently combine to spell something embarrassing or offensive.

Ebay stores and auctions offer modern solutions for sellers. But to take full advantage of the possibilities, serious sellers should never underestimate the power of branding. Get an inexpensive custom domain name that will stick in buyers’ minds, and watch those bids roll in.

David Jackson has been an affiliate marketer for 4 years. Essential information and powerful tools that will grow your Adsense empire can be found at
Myrdhinn Private Vault
http://carpediemarticles.com/ebay/

Copyrights@ Carpediem. This article may be printed in any form , on the guarantee that the article stay the same without any omittances , deletions , alterations or changes throughout this article. This copyright is to stay with this article.

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Just as with other retailers, Ebay sees a sales peak each November and December as buyers get serious about holiday gifts. Wise Ebay sellers enjoy a surge in income during the gift-giving season. What can you do to maximize your own profits during the holidays?

One good rule to follow is this: don’t wait until the holidays roll around to start your sales campaign. Lots of online holiday shoppers start shopping early to avoid the last-minute shipping rush. To make the most of your Ebay holiday sales, you’ll need to start early, too.

Start listing your holiday items in September or October. This will give you several listing cycles in which to promote your Ebay items before the holidays.

Do some research on “hot gifts” months before you start listing. That way, you’ll have time to build up your stock of items projected to be top sellers. News programs and web sites often have lists of the year’s must-have toys and gadgets. You can also use Ebay’s “What’s Hot” page to see which items are top sellers. Ebay Pulse lets you keep an eye on current trends. Remember that hot gifts are hot both online and off. If you find the next must-have at a great price, snatch it up! It will almost certainly turn nice a profit on Ebay.

Speaking of hot items, what else should you sell on Ebay around the holidays? Anything that would make a good gift. Finished products tend to sell better than component parts. Think about it: would you rather be gifted with a package of candle-making supplies, or finished candles? Most people will want the finished product. If you’re a craft maker, really market and promote your finished crafts during the holiday season.

The holiday season is the perfect time to target impulse buyers. You can do this on Ebay by adding the “Buy It Now” option to most or all of your listings. And you can even sweeten the deal by offering free shipping for your Buy It Now items. With a deal this tempting, even casual browsers will be persuaded to make a purchase. The small amount of revenue you lose on shipping will more than pay for itself with your increase in overall sales.

The postal system can get a little crazy over the holidays, so be sure to let your customers know if a shipment will be delayed. The sooner you warn them, the better. To avoid delays altogether, go with shipping methods that guarantee a delivery date. They can be a little costly, but your ability to get the package to the customer on time will result in valuable feedback and possibly word-of-mouth advertising. You certainly don’t want to be known as an unreliable seller. Pay the extra cash and make sure your customers have a happy holiday.

Finally, put a personalized holiday touch in your listings and e-mails. Even simple graphics or festive colors can show buyers that you’re in the holiday spirit. Just don’t go overboard; dancing elves and flashing lights are entertaining, but they can slow down buyers’ computers and distract them from the contents of the page. The perfect holiday template is seasonal without being obnoxious.

Ebay is a powerful selling tool year round, but especially during the holidays. With just a little bit of effort, you can capitalize on the holiday rush, improve your seller rating, and make some serious money.

David Jackson has been an affiliate marketer for 4 years. Essential information and powerful tools that will grow your eBay Empire can be found at
Myrdhinn Private Vault
http://carpediemarticles.com/ebay/

Copyrights@ Carpediem. This article may be printed in any form , on the guarantee that the article stay the same without any omittances , deletions , alterations or changes throughout this article. This copyright is to stay with this article.