Bozo, I'm sure you're not the only one.
eBay sellers would be foolish not to be directing traffic to their own sites. The big problem is that as the number of quality sellers is reduced so will the number of buyers going to eBay to search.
I have noticed an increase in the number of listings that have direct clickable links through to the seller's website. I don't know if eBay is being more lenient with this or whether the sellers are just counting on not being reported. I have also noticed a new section way down the bottom of searches (after the Aus listings, sponsored links, and international listings) - "SPONSORED RESULTS" - which returns paid links to eBay stores. Sellers paying even more to get their listings noticed!
If sellers don't want to risk putting a link to their website in listings there are still ways to get your site listed that eBay allows:
- link to website from ME page
- put a
standout contact email address for enquiries in the listing eg.
enquiries@mywebsite.com.au. A lot of people will have a quick look at
www.mywebsite.com.au to compare prices to see if the seller has the same item listed at a cheaper price
- encourage buyers to receive seller emails and newsletters
Even if sellers can't get potential buyers to their website prior to the first purchase they can always insert a printed flyer (with promo info about your website, email address and mailing list) with the item when it is shipped. A lot of sellers do not take advantage of this. In any business these days one of the most powerful marketing tools available is an opt-in emailing list. A bulk e-newsletter to 7,500 previous/current customers takes a day to prepare and a couple of minutes to send out, and it's free!
It costs much more in money and time to get a new customer - once you've got them on your mailing list, you want to keep them coming back to buy more! When a buyer is happy with your products, a good website, good customer service and regular email contact with customers will bring repeat customers.
