Learning about online sales is a ever more involved and challenging task. Where to go, what to read, who to listen to and the ever important How much does it cost?

We are all familiar with the numerous seminars and trade shows held around the country. Some with low registration fees and others with seemingly outrageous up front attendance fees which eliminate all but the most serious attendees. Add other expenses to the registration costs like hotel, airfare, gasoline, food and the costs of attending even the most modest of seminars begin to intimidate would be Internet marketers.

What to do, if you want to learn, but you don't want to spend?

Well, how about a free 3 day conference which provides experts from around the world - For Free?

Thats right - Completely Free The Product Sellers Seminar Sponsored by: Michele Waters of Product Sellers Talk Radio

• No Registration Costs
• No Travel Costs
• No Hotel Costs
• No Bad Hotel Food

Attending an online seminar or "Webinar" can significantly increase your knowledge base and save wallet space at the same time. Learning from the best in the business (OK I snuck in the speakers list somehow) is the very best way to start or improve your business.

It's easy and free, what else do you need to know?

Oh - who will you hear?

Online learning is the wave of the future and small business people should take advantage of this new way to educate themselves. Time is always an issue... Take some time to check out these great speakers at this weeks free Product Sellers Seminar!

All times Central

Remember to sign up on the notification list here at http://www.productsellersseminar.com/ so you will receive the updates and the web conference room details…as the dates are approaching

eBay no longer wants certain types of sellers on their site... Where to Go?

With all of the recent turmoil in the eBay community, mainly derived from comments expressed by the "new" powers that be within eBay, it is no wonder some long-time sellers are expressing more than a little angst over the quick use of terms like "retail experience" and "buyer experience" in conjuction with new performance-based discounts tied in with detailed seller ratings and feedback. It is not as though they were minor adjustments which should be obvious to everyone involved with using the eBay site for the last 10 years or so.

Lorrie Norrington - President of eBay Global Marketplaces - recently stated in a keynote speech: "....However, if you cannot, or will not change business practices to provide a great customer experience, then eBay is not for you."

Good sellers recognize the value of the bargain image that eBay nurtured for many years. In contrast, high volume sellers appreciate the retail experience language, while low volume or one-of-a-kind & consignment sellers have a harder time with this particular message. Is there a place for everyone to be comfortable? Apparently it is no longer going to be eBay.

Mr. Donahoe, who has been running the company since his appointment to the top spot was announced in January 2008, wants the company - the Internet’s largest eCommerce site - to operate less like an unruly flea market and more like a strip mall where buyers are guaranteed to have a comfortable and predictable shopping experience. See NY Times Article

If this message of change is affecting your online business plan or if you are unaware of other venues available to sell the types of goods you feel eBay was built upon (yet now seems to no longer want), we have assembled a short list of alternate venues for your to explore. Some of these marketplaces offer a venue for your online sales of unique and one-of-a-kind items and others could be more appropriate for the types of inventory no longer wanted on eBay.

1. OnlineAuction.com - Fixed flat rate yearly or monthly price to sell , 13 million listings live on the site.
2. eBid - $49.95 lifetime price to sell, international sites. Less active listings than OLA but growing.
3. Etsy - Free to list, 3.5% transaction fee if items sell, dedicated to hand-crafted & arts merchandise. Etsy has 870,000 registered users with 160,000 individual artists listing 1.5 million hand-made creations.
4. Yahoo Stores - Not an auction venue, but a great place to set up an online store if you do not want to build your own website with a shopping cart. $39.95 a month + 1.5% transaction fee for the basic package.
5. BuyitSellit - Buy It Sell It is an Ink Frog product. Many eBay sellers will be familiar with the Ink Frog eBay listing software solution. The BuyItSellIt basic package is free, but there are upgrades available including a digital delivery option for $9.95 per month. BuyItSellIt offers to also feature eBay listings alongside the shoping cart listing created in a merchant's BuyItSellIt Store.
6. Amazon Webstore - While the fees are higher here - $59.99 per month plus a 7% transaction fee - Amazon Webstores provide the Amazon experience to buyers and allows merchant specific branding. In addition, the merchant may operate multiple niche-specific Amazon Webstores all under one account for no additional fees.

Amazon Webstores Details

All credit card processing and transaction fees. There are no other hidden fees such as hosting, payment gateways or merchant accounts.

Payment Fraud Protection for you. WebStore by Amazon uses sophisticated fraud detection tools in use on Amazon.com. This allows you to benefit from Amazon’s world-class fraud protection services and experience.

Purchase protection for your customers. Customers who shop on your WebStore will feel more confident buying from your site knowing they are protected by the same A-to-z Guarantee that protects shoppers on Amazon.com.

Creating multiple WebStores within your account. Each WebStore can be a customized and independent Web presence for no additional monthly fee.

The option of adding Amazon products to your WebStore. Offer items from Amazon.com through your WebStore and the Amazon Associates Program allows you to collect a referral fee when such items are sold!

Every merchant must make his or her own choices when it comes to multi-channel selling. Using a multi-channel listing service which can feed inventory to many venues is also an option. This option is often the most expensive way to get product online and many small businesses cannot take advantage of the services of a ChannelAdvisor or Infopia multi-channel management solution. But if convenience and automation are your goals these are the types of services you should look into. Merchant Advantage is another service worthy of investigation if you have a large inventory and are interested in placing it in multiple online venues.

The point here is that there are multiple options to explore. eBay is not the only marketplace, yet it is also not a marketplace to be ignored or abandoned. Using eBay in a smart and informed way is the best solution. Doing that while exploring the other solutions mentioned above (or many more) is a smart business plan for the future.

Diversify, reduce costs, raise efficiency. These are not just terms for large corporations - they will apply to any business. See what you can do to make them apply to your business.

Scott Pooler

Is eBay messing with your seller experience!

• DSR's getting you down?

• Best Match Confusing?

• Has your eBay Seller experience gone "As Expected"?

You are not Alone!

eBay has initiated numerous radical changes in the last several months and you are not the only one trying to keep up! The good people at PESA and ECMTA (Professional eBay Sellers Alliance and E Commerce Merchants Trade Association) discuss matters like this with the members of the two associations on a regular basis. They figure that many members trying to find a clear path forward is more productive than one eBay seller trying to do it on their own. Continue Reading

Dave White of the widely listened to Internet Radio show "eBay & Beyond Basics to Business" will be firing up the engineers console at his radio show soon. This is my debut as an Internet Radio Show Co- Host!

So give a listen - the show starts soon - just follow the link below and be sure to call in with any questions. The show is replayed on a continuous loop all week so if you miss the "Live" version you can always join in at a later date. Dave tells me we are also on i-Tunes. Just look for "eBay & Beyond Basics to Business" in the i-Tunes Store under podcasts.

The Title of the show is "eBay & Beyond, Basics to Business" and that sums up a lot of stuff. I think Dave is wanting my perspective added to the show because I have sought out the "Beyond" end of the spectrum when it comes to eBay and eCommerce. The show's listeners want to learn more about outside sources of revenue, exposure, and income which go beyond just eBay sales. Frankly I am glad to help and believe that more eBay sellers should look outside the big box that is eBay into the rest of the Internet world. There are so many opportunities and interesting ideas available to online retailers. I sometimes forget how myopic the eBay world can be, once you are in the eBay universe you sometimes forget there is a whole other solar system out there.

Neither Dave White or I would ever say that abandoning eBay would be a wise business decision. There are still too many advantages to having an eBay channel set up for your business. Fee hikes, feedback changes, DSR levels, all do not outweigh the real measureable expeosure gained via eBay sales. If a company were to simply look at eBay sales as an advertising budget decision, then they would be looking at the lost cost per sale advertising campaign in the world.

But I digress, this story is about Dave White and his great radio show and how I hope to add value for the listeners with honest answers to questions about blogging, web 2.0, web 3.D and more.

The show is broadcast live every Sunday between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The beauty of the Internet is that after that time you can join the show in a continuous loop 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world just by following the same link:

Show Goal: provide honest, fair and independent information and training to eBay and internet marketers.

David White host of eBay and Beyond: Basics to Business
David has been selling on eBay and the internet for over 10 years. In 2000 he was invited to teach at eBay University, instructing thousands all over the US how to buy and sell on eBay for almost 2 years. David also runs his own consulting business, assisting individuals as well as businesses establish and grow their internet business. David has sold over 20,000 items on the internet and continues to conduct educational programs for internet marketers.