5 Ways to Drive Traffic Away from Your EBay Auction

eBay is a one-stop solution to any one who wants to make money online. Whether you just selling a few unwanted items from around your house or your want to develop a work from home business, eBay removes many of the obstacles for you. Not many other websites can help you drive targeted traffic towards your sales, process the order on your behalf and accept payment though paypal. All you need to do then is dispatch the item to your winning bidder.

And let's not forget the biggest advantage over selling on eBay. The majority of users have money in their hand just waiting to find the right item.

So if eBays so great why would you want to drive traffic AWAY from your auctions?

Well there are a few reasons why you'd be better off selling from your own website, rather than though eBay. Firstly & most importantly, think of all the listing fees & final value fees you could save if everything you sold on eBay you could sell on your own website. Personally it would save me thousands of dollars per year alone in listing fees.

Secondly, you'll be protecting yourself from eBay policy change. Imagine you were selling thousands of ebooks weekly and then suddenly eBay policy changed to prevent any ebook listings.

Overnight your business would simply disappear & your income would vanish. It's the same with listing fees - A sudden hike in fees could wipe out your business & profit overnight.

With any business, especially an online one you need to safeguard yourself against measures that are out of your control. So by driving traffic away from your auctions to your own website you'll slowly start building up an alternative source of revenue. The following methods can be used on eBay. Some are on the borderline of eBay policy & you should check out any policy violation before using them. Saying that, a huge proportion of sellers use these on a daily basis.

1) Image Hosting

All the best sellers have auction templates developed to maintain a professional listing. And of course those sellers ALWAYS use images or graphics to accurately show the condition of the items their offering.

eBay itself allows you to upload the images to their servers, other commercial & free services are available. However really you want to store any images on your own server. Not only will search engine robots follow the links from your listings to your site (helping in improved visibility in any search engines), but many browsers will show the address of where the images are loading from in the status bar - For instance "Loading Image From http://www.visitmyshop.com" or "Waiting For http://www.visitmyshop.com". This is a great way for your visitors to see to become familiar with your site.

2) Feedback

Many sellers include their own website in the feedback comments they use. Strictly it is against eBay policy but many Powersellers use comments like "Thanks for your custom from http://www.Visitmyshop.com" as standard. This is perhaps one of the widely violated policies on eBay. I've never known of anyone receive a warning for this policy, but use it with caution as you could be the first.

3) Email Address.

eBay allows your listings to contain one email link address, in addition to the "Ask The Seller A Question Link" they already provide. Use the opportunity to show the an email account associated with your domain name for example sales@visitmyshop.com. The only condition about showing your email address is the one shown must also be your registered email account with eBay. Before you list it, make sure they match up.

4) About Me Page

eBay actually allows you to link to your own website from your About Me page, as long as the actual page does not directly offer to sell items. Therefore make it an information or about us page that you link to, BUT one where visitors can easily navigate to your catalog of items for sale. Additionally drive traffic to your About Me Page by including a link on every listings, for example "Click here to learn about me". An average basic shop on eBay will get over 1500 item views within a month. If you can drive just a small proportion of these to your about me page & then to your site you'll certainly see a difference in your non-eBay sales.

5) User Id

While eBay does not allow your user id to be that of an website, you should have it as closely to resembling your site name as possible. You CAN NOT attach .com, -com or *com to the end of your user id - this is strictly against eBay policy. However nothing would stop your id being VisitMyShop. The idea is to get your eBay visitors comfortable with dealing with you away from eBay.

I hope these tips help you drive traffic away from your auctions towards your site & lessens eBays grip on your business. Remember, Ignorance is not an excuse eBay accept if you do violate their policy. While you initially get a warning for policy violation continuous offences may result in your account being suspended. Having said that, eBay mostly rely on policing from other users to enforce their policy so as long as no reports you should be in the clear.

Good luck with your eBay activity.

Copyright 2005 Auction Resource Network

Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran and an eBay Power Seller of 4 years. His website "The Auction Resource Network" reveals his inside secrets and sources that help him pocket over $10,000 a month on eBay.

Get your FREE 14 Day "eBay Secrets" eCourse here: http://www.auctionresourcenetwork.com

More Resources

Starting an eBay Home Business
Do I need to explain what eBay is?If 'Yes', where have you been living for the past 5 years? On Mars?EBay is the world's largest Internet auction site. There are a reported 30,000,000 users, but that number has probably increased in the time delay between me writing this article and you reading it.
How to Survive the Jungles of Ebay Selling
Come with me, we are going to take a safari into the jungles of eBay selling, sometimes wrought with danger but most often rewarded with treasure.Beware of non-paying bidders, beware of auction snipers waiting to try and steal your eBay auction at a very low bid, but welcome the loot you will receive selling outdated relics in your house for a small kings ransom.
The Powerful eBay Bidding Strategy That Claims A 99% Success Rate
Don't you just love it?You've found that special item on eBay that you've just got to have!No If's Ands or Buts, you've got to win that item.You've checked and double checked the "End Of Auction" time and date and you're at your computer, signed in and raring to go at least 30 minutes before the auction ends.
How Drop Shipping Works
One of the most frequently asked questions on the Net is: "What should I sell online?"Many people know what products they want to sell. However, they don't know how to do this.
Use Auction Templates For eBay Success!
Auction templates are simply a must for successful online auction selling. One day I spent approximately 45 minutes writing a listing for an item that would make me about $5 in profit! I suddenly realized the stupidity of what I was doing.
So, Can You Really Sell EBooks On EBay And Make Cold Hard Cash?
Selling eBooks on eBay, and making any worthwhile profit from doing so, is becoming more and more difficult.Gone are the days when you could sell someone else's books on eBay, and it's becoming considerably more difficult to sell ebooks that you might have written yourself or via Public Domain Publications.
Start Your Own Business: Sell Things on eBay
The popularity of online auction site eBay has beenlegendary. With millions of transactions completed daily,it is no surprise why many individuals who do not usuallyshop online regularly purchase items through eBay.
Six Steps Towards Successful Buying at eBay Auctions
Buying on eBay can be very rewarding, either in terms of being able to pick up items cheaply or for hunting for hard to find items. Although generally the experience is good, there are instances where things can go badly wrong.
Eating and Thriving On-Line
The Internet SHOULD be "the place to shop" for low-carb dieters, diabetics, celiacs, and anyone else on a special diet. The posted prices are well below those in retail stores, the variety is greater, you are dealing with firms whose specialty is dealing with your need, and the products for sale are described fully in type that is designed to be read (isn't that a pleasant contrast to the packages you see in your local store.
The Secret To Real eBay Success
Q. I hear so much about people who started selling on eBay and eventually turned it into their full time business.
eBays Hot Selling Books, Find Out Which Books Sell & How To Find Them
Selling books on eBay can be a very lucrative business! There are eBayers who sell only books and make a nice little income doing it. Where do they get these books to sell? At thrift stores, estate sales, flea markets, book fairs, yard sales, library sales, grandmas attic, etc.
Is The eBay Fee Increase Actually Good For Business?
Fee Increase Leaves Some Sellers Angry, Others ThrilledMuch of my email from readers this month concerned the recent announcement from eBay that it will increase many seller fees on February 18, 2005. Since many business people use eBay's online store system as their primary ecommerce point of sale, it's no surprise that most of the emails I received were of the angry variety.
How to Locate Drop Shippers for Your Success
Like the human heart, drop shippers can keep the blood pumping in an internet business. Often, they can be the key to success for online retail businesses who do not wish to stock actual inventory.
eBay - Tapping Into The Japanese Collector Market
If you owned a skateboard shop in your local mall would you put a big sign in the window saying "No Baggy Pants Allowed"? Of course not. If you did you would be eliminating 50% or more of your most avid potential customers.
Dont Be A Victim Of Online Auction Fraud
The Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) reported that last year 7.7 million dollars was lost through online auction scams.
Buying & Selling Gently Used Baby Clothing, Strollers, Toys, and Other Baby Items & Products on eBay
Need Extra Money? Buy and Sell Your Gently Used Baby Clothing, Car Seats, Strollers, Toys, Books and Products on eBay!Hi Moms,So, you had your precious baby, and you couldn't resist -- all of those cute and beautiful baby dresses, rompers, suits, jean sets, christening gowns, onesies and unique designer baby clothes (like Tommy Hilfiger) that called to you when you were in the Gap, Old Navy, Osh Kosh or Little Me. Not to mention the countless baby clothes that relatives gave you that weren't quite your style, or too big or too small for your baby and still have the price tags on them, never worn.
Free Auction Templates: How to Set Your Border Color With FOAM
If you have not heard of Foamtemplates.com yet, home of the "Free Online Auction Maker", now is a good time to get your feet wet.
The Quickest Way To Have A Product To Sell On The Internet
Creating a product from scratch that you can sell on the Internet will take some time to do.Writing a book, for example, can take weeks or months to complete.
Learn How To Be A Successful eBay Seller
Anyone can sell anything on eBay. Open an account, list your product, and wait for the bids to start coming in.
Fed Up With eBay?
For many people, their first experience of working online involves selling products on eBay. This was how I got started back in 1998 and I know countless other people that have done the same.

More Auction Information:

Related Articles

What To Do After Your eBay Auction Closes
So your auction closes. Now what?Hopefully you made a sale or several sales.
How To Compete With Amazon.com
If you are selling online,here is the down side of our business..
Rent A Coder & Other Service Auctions
You may be in the market for a new website. Perhaps you may be looking for a new logo or a database constructed for yourself or a small business.
Multiple Income Streams on eBay within 30 Minutes!
POWERSELL Status, the secrets revealed.If like thousands of people you have been using eBay and wondering how to gain a regular income, and work from home, this article will help you.
From Ebay Zero to Power-Selling Hero: How To Learn New Tricks Without Spending
The Internet is the fastest-changing marketplace on earth. Million-dollar ideas from one year ago might notgenerate a single penny today.
Selling Effectively on Ebay Motors
Remember back when selling online was a new experience? Dealers tried everything to sell their vehicles online. Today's market has expanded to include several hot online marketplaces but there is the largest online marketplace, Ebay.
eBay: Dont Believe All the Hype
Three billion dollars (that's billion with a "B") in revenues, 135 million users, millionaires all over the place at eBay! Yeah, eBaby!!!, to steal a line form another great author. (See "EBay: No Way?Yes Way (Ten Seller Themes) by Barbara Snyder M.
EBay Feedback, 5 Key Things All EBayers Should Know
eBay's user feedback system is one of the site's most important components. Without the conscientious comments recorded by both buyers and sellers, there would be no way for anyone to build up a trustworthy reputation in the nearly anonymous realm of cyberspace.
What YOU Must Know About The Advantages And Pitfalls Of Dropshipping
The following may be the most important information about dropshipping you will find.Dropshipping can be a great way to get started with your online venture.
Auction and Its Benefits
An auction is basically a public sale wherein any object issold to the highest bidder. It can be defined as a process of purchasing and selling things by offering them up for bid, taking bids and selling the things out to the highest bidder.
Attract eBay Buyers Like Crazy!
As an ebay(TM) seller it happens very often (too often) that listings close without any bids. Did this happen to you? Many sellers are frustrated and quit their eBay(TM) business.
Join the Home-Based Business Revolution
Greetings, Friend. So you've decided to go into business.
The Top Ten Tips For Auction Success!
If you were to look through eBay, or any other online auction site for that matter, you would find that many people make some very basic mistakes. And, they repeat these mistakes over and over again.
E-bay Auctions: Sell Better, Spend Less Tip #1
Just about everyone alive today has heard of E Bay.com, but most people don't realize the sheer size and complexity of this Auction beast.
Mail Order: The Original Internet Still Going Strong
While the world continues to go catatonic over the Internet and its endless possibilities, there's another industry quietly going about its business, piling up profitable year after profitable year after profitable year. What industry is that? It's the mail order industry--or as I prefer to call it, "the original Internet!"Yes, long before the birth and explosion of the Internet, mail order shopping was a hugely popular and preferred method of doing business--and still is.
Before You Sell On Ebay, Take The Most Important Step
If you want to earn a full-time income selling on Ebay,you must take the first and most important step in allsuccessful business ventures: you must accept that itis possible.This probably sounds really trite--and maybe it is, butthat doesn't mean it's any less true.
Make Money on eBay the EASY way!
Probably just like you, I had an overwhelming desire to spend more time with my family and friends, doing the things that are important to me and living a comfortable lifestyle without financial worries ? and yes, less time working to pay for it!!! So with my quest to find financial freedom, I "googled" my way through searches looking for ideas on how I could fulfil this desire with minimum effort and expense. After all, I wanted to make money not spend it! I had aspirations of making wad loads of cash so my family & I could truly enjoy the pleasures of life - together.
5 Secrets To Make A Killing on EBay
Secret #1: Find a 'real' wholesale and drop ship companyDo you know what one of the biggest problem is to be successful on eBay? 'What should I sell"? I can tell you, I get many emails per day from eBay sellers, asking me what they can sell. Let me explain this more in detail.
Online Auction Sellers - Seize Control Of Your Business!
As the online auction model of business continues to evolve toward a more commoditized, corporate marketplace, it is time for online auction sellers to seize control of their business, before it's too late.In this article we will highlight some effective steps you can take to shift control back to your own business.
10 Tips to Starting a Financially Successful Ebay Business Startting Right Now
Ebay is Perhaps the easiest and fastest way to start a home based online business. Here are 10 Tips to starting a Successful Ebay Business1 - Become an Ebay ShopperBuy a Few things on Ebay.