No, I am not being rude!

These are Ball Buddies - a trademarked promotional product invented and invested in by a client of ours. Ball Buddies are unique trailer hitch covers which have been pre-set up to accept pad printed promotional advertising. My client (a retired mother) had the vision to make these and bankroll the entire process from trademarking to manufacturing to fulfillment all on her own. She did this because she believed these items would and should sell to Universities, Church Groups, Casinos, Retailers, Hotels, Boat Dealers, RV Dealers or any Promotional marketer. She should have been a little more cautious and possibly she should have done a little more research because in the end she has not been able to sell any of the thousands of units she now has on hand. This client did all of the right things when it comes to inventing, trademarking, UPC coding, brand identification and manufacturing. What she did not do was secure a source to market before spending all of her money on production.

Now she is asking for us to sell her excess inventory on eBay.

I would rather set up a continuing outlet for these products because they are good products and I can see the market for them. Our client is fed up with all of the attorneys and marketing agents and buyers who have all had their hands out along the way, with not one of these "professionals" helping her sell the product. I would rather have set her us an eBay store and an associated website to market her Ball Buddies to the world. Unfortunately her marketing budget is depleted and she cannot afford to move forward with such plans. If we had met this client at the beginning of her journey with Ball Buddies, we may have been able to help her profit a great deal from her ideas and ingenuity. There is actually still a chance...

We have these products listed in our eBay store - All Business Auctions

Maybe we can find a good outlet for our client. Spread the word if you know anyone in the promotional marketplace looking for a unique new item or two... These Ball Buddies are ready to test market and ready for production!

eBay is full of dreams of riches to be had, and this is a case where someone can make some money with the right marketing. Unfortunately for our client unless we can find a buyer who will try the items with the intent of re-ordering on a regular basis.... I really do not see any way for the client to get her investment back.

This is a lesson for anyone who has a great idea...

Remember the Ball Buddies!

Never invest in production, unless and until you have figured out your marketing!

We are working with our DesignLogic team to integrate the Frooition eBay stores design framework into our system of eBay Stores Designer services. Very soon, visitors to our eBay store will be greeted by a new and dynamic shopping experience. To see an example follow this link: DesignLogic/Frooition eBay Store Mockup If you compare the two examples you may notice some significant differences. These differences are more than simple appearance and color pallate choices. They are reflected in the core purpose of any e-commerce design. Conversion and cross selling is king in e-commerce and the Frooition design template has been created from its inception to optimize both of these goals and place them within an eBay stores design parameter. If your eBay store has not performed as you had hoped, if your are frustrated by the lack of repeat , upselling, or bundled sales performance from your present eBay store design, we suggest you investigate the Frooition design solution. If you have not yet heard of Frooition here in the USA, you will.

Frooition is the premier eBay stores design solution in the U.K. and Europe. Some of the U.K.'s largest retailers rely upon Frooition to implement and manage their online sales strategies. We are certainly proud and honored to be linked in business and in friendship with this outstanding company and we only hope that our DesignLogic services can benefit from and provide value to Frooition and our clients alike.

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