News from Gazza

3,151,280 Live Listings
16,606 Categories
$1,345,154,044 Gross Listing Value

Welcome to the eBid October Newsletter.

Another busy month is coming to a close. A few small updates to the site and a big update for all our users who import their listings from Amazon.

Firstly, many thanks to all of you who reset their in-app notifications within the eBid mobile app. October has already been our busiest ever month for sending in-app notifications out to mobile devices and the process seems to be working a treat.

From even more extensive personal use during this month than normal I can tell anyone who trades on eBid that they are a lot simpler, faster and easier than using email notifications. On my personal iPhone I download emails at intervals but have notifications turned off for these as I would be pinging and beeping all day and all night, but I do receive eBid in-app notifications.

They are unintrusive and let you know within a second or two exactly what is happening within your eBid account. Be it sales, offers, payments or Q&A, a small alert pops up and takes you directly into the eBid app where you can seem more details or add a reply if required. Give it a try if you are regular seller on eBid and haven't yet. Just download the Android or Apple (iOS) mobile app today and say yes to notifications when you are asked.

Of course there are some improvements we can and are making at the moment and when the re-written version of our mobile app is released the system will be even more fluid and user friendly than it is currently.

Amazon Bulk Upload - Product Images.

We have many many sellers on eBid who have imported their listings from Amazon over the years using our bulk import tool that is found within the eBid Ninja Lister. As many of you will know the image system when importing from Amazon has had a few problems recently with access to product images not being available for a few items. Well, I'm glad to say we've made some great improvements to this function during October and you should be seeing correct product images for all your imported Amazon items from now on even when you do not supply images with your data files.

As we have seen eBid morph and change over the years we always like to think we have all the main bases covered very thoroughly. No website is perfect but time can be spent on 99.9% of the most important aspects to ensure they are smooth and clear. Well, this month has been an eye opener for us as, out of the blue, we had three similar problems arise around a function of the site that we don't recall ever having a problem with before. The problem was with the listing function, when moving from the listing form itself and moving on to the preview page (the one with the red and green buttons allowing you to go back to edit or to start your listing). Well, three users this month arrived on the preview page thinking it was the listing confirmation page, eg. they thought their listing had already been posted/started. Even though the preview page states it is just a preview and requires a button click to start the listing it is interesting for us to see how users interact with all parts of the site even after all these years. We've recently made a slight change to the button on the listing form that sends you to the preview page, merely changing the text to "Proceed to Preview Stage" from "Preview Listing Now" which should clear up any confusion. This goes to prove we are still very grateful to you all for even the smallest feedback relating to the site that you are able to send us.

Category Upgrades

Some of the more eagle-eyed eBidders will have noticed quite a few new categories being added again this month. We are now at over 16,000 categories. Don't panic, we haven't gone mad, we are simply building towards a set of huge upgrades for eBid and the category updates have turned into an unforeseen requirement and have proved to be the main bottleneck behind the delay to the upgrades for the last couple of months. Feel free to list within in the new categories if you come across them.

eBid Pulse News from Debbie

Countdown to Christmas - are you ready to switch on your Christmas Lights

With only eight weeks to go, it is time for Sellers to step up a gear with their preparations for Christmas sales. Take a tip from the high street stores – start your preparations early.

A sensible place to start is with checking the latest recommended posting dates. For Royal Mail in the UK, this information can be found Here. United States Postal Service recommended dates can be found Here, and Fedex Here. Don’t forget to re-check these sites again later to make sure there are no changes to the last posting dates.

It is worth remembering that many shoppers browse by store category. You may want to consider opening a specific eBid store for your Christmas items in our Occasions & Seasonal Christmas category? SELLER+ Lifetime members have the option to open up to 5 eBid Stores at no additional cost. SELLER accounts can open eBid stores for a small monthly charge per store.

Don't yet have an eBid Store?

Just go to My eBid > My eBid Stores and with a few simple steps, you can have your store up and running.

Perhaps the best way to think of a store is as a “shop-window” where you can showcase similarly themed items. As with any shop-window, the more attractive it looks, the more buyers who will enter, so it worth taking the time to create an attractive and interesting store.

You should also consider reviewing your “All About” page information and make sure that everything is up-to-date and provides potential Buyers with accurate information about who you are and what you offer – for example your Terms & Conditions of Sale, Shipping Terms, Returns Policy, do you offer combined postage?

If you take time to make the necessary preparation, we are sure you will be ready to switch on your Christmas lights in plenty of time to welcome in Christmas shoppers.

Competition Time

Last month's question :

How many online payment methods do Google Shopping require you to offer? (GTIN/UPC/EAN)?

a) AT LEAST ONE
b) FIVE
c) NONE

The correct answer was (a) AT LEAST ONE. Congratulations go to Aries1974 from Florida, USA, for winning last months competition, your eBid Goodie Bag and iPod should be with you now.

Now for this month's question :

To the nearest 1000, how many categories are there now on eBid?

a) 5000
b) 10000
c) 16000

To enter send us :
Answer to the competition question
Your eBid username
Name and address for sending out any prizes
Incomplete entries will be automatically deleted. Closing date 10th November 2016. Email answers to competitions@ebid.net

News from Gazza

3,689,640 Live Listings
14,242 Categories
$3,542,790,075 Gross Listing Value

Welcome to the eBid September Newsletter

How is everyone? Hope you all had a great September.

Firstly some of you may have noticed in-app notifications for the eBid mobile app had come to a halt in the last week. This is due to an update at our notification providers end. It's a simple fix, just open the eBid app and you will be re-registered for notifications again. Also, please ensure you have in-app notifications switched on in the settings for your actual device. When the app is first installed it will ask you if you want to allow these, you may possibly have declined them at that time. Just visit the settings area for your device and open the options for the eBid app. If you haven't downloaded the app grab it here : Google Play store or Apple App Store.

We've been a little perplexed over the last couple of months about a problem the was occurring on rare occasions when a buyer went to pay for their items using PayPal. The problem was evident when there were many items on the invoice. I'm glad to report we've fixed the problem. It is down to PayPal's new checkout system and its inability to handle large form data posts. We have re-routed all invoice payments to the previous checkout system which worked perfectly for many years. We've reported the problem to PayPal and hopefully they will fix it very soon. Many thanks for those eBidders who helped us get to the bottom of this one.

Our How To Videos (HTV) have helped thousands of newcomers to eBid get to know the ropes a little faster. If you want to earn a bit of money and help us create some updated versions here's a forum thread to let you know how. We are looking to replace all our old videos with newer versions.

A few of you will have noticed more category changes this month. "Video Games" and "Home & Garden" have been updated in quite a few subcategories. As we explained in August, the layout of our category system is undergoing an ongoing revamp to bring it up to date and to allow for us to launch some major upcoming changes. The changes will allow for a much improved importing system (that does not require Ninja Lister), product variations and item specifics.

Those of you who take advantage of our great Google Shopping feature will know that Google have been getting a little stricter with the listings they deem to be of suitable quality. Barcodes are now pretty much required and photos must be of a better quality than before. We've now started to upload to Google the original photo that sellers upload to eBid. Before hand we would upload a "large" version that had been processed by us. So, make sure you always upload good quality photos to eBid and will make sure they get uploaded to Google Shopping to help place your items better in search results. Make sure you don't add any writing to the photos, no logos or watermarks either, these are now a big no-no.

Other eBid changes during September :

BUGFIX - Some accented characters in listing descriptions were being corrupted when uploaded via Ninja Lister
BUGFIX - When creating invoices and an item has been archived and not paid for was causing problems with the ADD ALL button
BUGFIX - For single item checkout forms with PayPal payment, some eBid USA ASL logs where showing the PayPal payment as "part payment" when the correct full payment amount was made.
UPDATE - Increased space for four lines of text in showroom view titles for laptop view (1366px)
UPDATE - Reduced photos from 5 to 4 per row in showroom view for laptop view (1366px)
eBid Pulse News from Debbie

How To Make Sure Your Listings Are Uploaded to Google Shopping

In last month's newsletter, Gazza talked about the importance of making sure your listings are meeting the criteria to be uploaded to Google Shopping - eBidders, like shesawaya38485, have been very impressed with the increase in sales they have experienced since making sure their listings were "Google Shopping friendly" - "Since re-vamping my listings to being Google search friendly, I've seen an increase in sales this past month"

It’s not complicated, and it may be that your listings simply need a few “tweaks” if at first they are not being shown at Google Shopping. For example, Google Shopping requires customers to provide a way for potential buyers to purchase the product through an online payment service. Therefore all listings will require at least one online payment option present. For example PPPay, PayPal, Nochex or Skrill.

You can find out all the necessary criteria in our Help Section #48– it won’t take you long to make sure your listings comply – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

New on the eBid Blog - How to bag yourself a great smartphone without breaking the bank


The smartphone industry is one of the biggest industries in the world today. With the Apple iPhone breaking sales records every single year and Samsung Galaxy S phones growing in popularity, the smartphone revolution has well and truly taken place.

Of course, buying a new smartphone isn't exactly cheap. 2 year old Apple iPhone's still cost £329 if you're buying them directly from Apple, Samsung Galaxy S phones aren't much cheaper either! That's without mentioning the huge costs you'll have to pay over two years if you take out a pay monthly contract. Your overall cost over the two years will usually run into 4 figures!

But there is still a way for you to get hold of a great smartphone without breaking the bank if you know where to look! Want to bag yourself a bargain. Read our hints and tips on how to get the best smartphone for you and what you should consider when choosing a new (or new to you!) phone on eBid.

Competition Time

Last month's question :

What is the text to be added to the barcode field that tells us your item doesn't have a barcode (GTIN/UPC/EAN)?

a) NONE
b) EXEMPT
c) EMPTY

The correct answer was (b) EXEMPT. Congratulations go to les24548 from South Yorkshire, UK, for winning last months competition, your eBid Goodie Bag and iPod should be with you now.

Now for this month's question :

How many online payment methods do Google Shopping require you to offer?

a) AT LEAST ONE
b) FIVE
c) NONE

To enter send us :
Answer to the competition question
Your eBid username
Name and address for sending out any prizes
Incomplete entries will be automatically deleted. Closing date 10th October 2016.

News from Gazza

4,318,189 Live Listings
14,007 Categories
$4,912,790,075 Gross Listing Value

Welcome to the eBid August Newsletter

We've been making quite a few category layout changes this month in anticipation of the major changes we have been working on behind the scenes for a number of months now. The changes will allow us to incorporate "Item Specifics" to many more categories throughout eBid than we currently do. At the moment we have colours and sizes for most clothing categories but we also need to add item specifics to thousands of other categories which is proving to be a Herculean task for our development team.

Once in place, item specifics will allow for a much improved search and filtering system within most categories and also, very importantly, is linked strongly with allowing us to bring in "Product Variations" into eBid for the first time.

Many of our sellers use the USPS First Class mailing method. This has always, as far as I can remember anyway, had a limit of 13oz for packages and large envelopes. USPS has now upped this to 16oz and the update is now live on eBid. It is worth pointing out that this is available only for "commercial" shipping which USPS classes as simply not over the counter. So if you print your postage online or through a third party like Stamps.com or Pitney Bowes then you're good to go. It should save you quite a few pennies over USPS Priority Mail.

A common support request we have received this month has been related to Google Shopping and the problem with barcodes (or "GTIN"s as Google calls them). The barcode is a field that Google Shopping has been requesting more and more vigorously recently and some of you have noticed that your products have been relegated a little in the Google Shopping results when one is not in place on your listing. One important tip we can give is that if you do NOT have a barcode for your product due to the product never having had one or the item you are selling being handmade or a bundle of goods then make sure you enter the text EXEMPT in the barcode field when listing your items. This allows us to notify Google that there isn't one available for your item and that it has not just simply been forgotten.

On a last note, I would like to say a big thank you to our community of regulars who have been great for the past few years helping to locate and report problems they find to us. Most people (including myself) will ignore a problem when one is found within a website or app thinking it may be a problem at my end or perhaps only a temporary one or even knowing that if I report it it won't be read and is therefore a waste of time. Well, we really appreciate every report and the time you take to let us know about bugs you find. Every report is read by myself or one of the team and they are never a waste of time.

Speak to you all again in September, hopefully some big changes to announce.

eBid Pulse News from Debbie

Spread the word ...

Why not consider promoting your listings on your Facebook page? At the top of every listing you will see a blue Facebook button which allows you to share the listing. When this is clicked, you simply login to your Facebook account and the item will appear on your wall.

You may also want to visit and LIKE our eBid Facebook page, this is updated regularly and will give you a heads-up on what's new, site updates and so much more.

Not visited us for a while, drop by and see what you are missing!

eBid have been established since 1999 and our site has evolved and improved over time. Last year’s major site revamp brought us bang up to date with the needs of today’s marketplace. Buyers today are not limited to browsing and shopping from their home computer or laptop, and many choose to shop on the move using their tablets and smartphones. The eBid site offers full functionality when using handheld devices. Not only is this good news for Buyers, but benefits Sellers who can list from handheld devices rather than be chained to their desk.

We are pleased to say that one thing has NOT changed- our low cost listing fees. Where else can you sell worldwide for a MAXIMUM sale fee of 3%?

With an International presence – wherever you are, we are with you! With over 4 million listings in 14,000 categories – come and get to know eBid again.

Get advice, swap ideas and join in the chat at the eBid forums

When you’re self-employed or working from home, you don’t have the opportunities your 9-to-5 friends do to sneak off for a gossip with workmates, chat over coffee about the changes in the office or moan about the management at lunch. So, eBid’s Forums are just what you need to get some conversation going and exchange ideas with like-minded people when you’re taking a break from organising your listings or if you need fast help while trying to get some new items up for sale.

You can read more about the benefits of participating in the eBid Forums in our recent blog article.

Toys on eBid

From cuddly toys to action figures, we have a wide range of toys for children from 0-90!

100% Natural Rubber Submarine Baby Teether Sensory Bath Time Toy
Action Man 40th Anniversary Combat Division Soldier Mint Boxed
Lego Telehandler, Technic, 8283

Playmobil 5127 Ferry Boat & Jetty
NEW! VTech First Steps Baby Walker PINK - ages 6 month + BOXED & SEALED
Playmakers Cute Soft Toy Plush Pig Piggy Collectable

Competition Time

Last month's question :

On an average day, buyers from how many different countries register on eBid?

a) Less than 15
b) About 22
c) At least 25

The correct answer was (c) At least 25. Congratulations go to bncoley from USA for winning last months competition, your eBid Goodie Bag and iPod should be with you now.

Now for this month's question :

What is the text to be added to the barcode field that tells us your item doesn't have a barcode (GTIN/UPC/EAN)?

a) NONE
b) EXEMPT
c) EMPTY

To enter send us :

Answer to the competition question
Your eBid username
Name and address for sending out any prizes
Incomplete entries will be automatically deleted. Closing date 10th September 2016. Email answers to competitions@ebid.net

Online Action sites such as eBid have been growing from strength to strength

Online auction businesses such as our very own eBid, have been growing from strength to strength over the last few years. According to research undertaken by Anything Research.com, online auctioning is projected to grow even further over the coming few years and beyond.

Perhaps the main reason for this growth is the advantage that shopping on eBid brings to you, the customer. By doing away with the limits of traditional store retailing, such as location, opening hours and costs, sellers here on eBid can offer a massive range of products at any hour of the day, delivered directly to your home – you don’t even need to step outside the front door. In an ever-busy world of work, it’s not hard to realize the convenience of shopping at your fingertips when, and where, you want. And it’s all about opportunity too. For want-to-be sellers and shiny new entrepreneurs, barriers to entry into business through online auctions are low – this means it’s easy for anyone to get started.

USP

The thrill and excitement of the online auction bidding process has to be the ultimate Unique Selling Proposition; the thing that makes shopping in this way so much fun. Bidding against other users, watching the item you want, the prospect of a real bargain, or a totally unique piece just seconds away from being in your grasp is utterly compelling. That feeling when you have won and beaten all other bidders is one that is really hard to top.

What makes eBid stand out from our competitors is our ability to combine the thrill of the online auction with social networking. We really are a global community of like-minded folk; collectors, entrepreneurs, and savvy shoppers all looking for the best price – the ultimate in expert connections.

Person to person or Business to Person

Whether you’re shopping for a one-off from an individual seller, or buying from an established business, online auctions are growing at a massive pace. According to Forbes, the Annual Revenue Growth figure between 2011 and 2016, is 9.6%. Meaning that now is a great time both to buy and to sell.

Furthermore, according to the Wall Street Journal even the traditional auction house business is succumbing to the charms of the online arena. According to one article, “Many auction rooms are sparsely attended these days despite widespread interest in the items being sold, with most bids coming in online.”

All of this means that the new model of the online auction site is almost re-writing traditional business practices.

So, think about, shopping here with us at eBid is a great opportunity just as much as is selling with us. How about a clear out this weekend then? Start small, aim high!

News from Gazza

4,232,342 Live Listings
14,007 Categories
$4,745,135,745 Gross Listing Value

Welcome to the eBid July 2016 Newsletter

July has been a warm one at eBid Towers and it's been full steam ahead with quite a few small fixes being made behind the scenes to the website and mobile app. A few of you were having problems with receiving in-app notifications on your Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. We've made a small fix so everyone should be getting their all-important sale and payment messages in real-time to their devices now just fine. Don't forget, when the eBid mobile app is first installed to your device it will ask you if you wish to receive in-app notifications or not, make sure you accept them at this time. A few users have turned them off and then had to contact us to ask us why they were not coming through.

Many thanks to those of you who have spent a little bit of time adding suggestions to our new category forum. We welcome any new suggestions to help improve the depth of products availalble for sale on eBid. eBid now has over 14,000 categories.

Our support desk has received a few questions related to one of the subjects that was mentioned in last month's newsletter, that of the quality of listing descriptions. The most frequently asked question during July was for the best ways to improve listing descriptions in general. We simply advise all our users to add all the information you think you would want to see if you yourself were buying the item, to place yourselves on the other side of the deal. The more information you can give potential buyers, the less likely they are to have to contact you to find the answers. It is much more likely you will make a sale the first time a potential buyer visits your item page than if they have to come back later. Another recommendation is that you do not just copy and paste descriptions from another website or destination, Google can come down hard on duplicate content. Original content is always king.

Other eBid changes during July :

BUGFIX - My eBid Dashboard > Item I've Bought > Show Hidden > Any page after page 1 was not showing correctly
BUGFIX - My Bulk Edit > International Shipping > changing to "Not Willing to Ship Abroad" not working correctly in some buckets
BUGFIX - "Collection in Person" costs were showing as the default cost on domestic listings when shown on non domestic sites. eg. a UK seller's listing being viewed by a UK user on US eBid site.
UPDATE - My Feedback > Add Feedback ... Problem when over 300 required feedbacks are shown on a single page ... fixed

eBid Pulse News from Debbie

Have you got the whole world in your hands?

Today we have had buyers registering from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Egypt, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the UK and the US. On an average day, people from at least 25 different countries register on eBid.

The big question …… are you tapping into eBid’s global presence?

For some Seller’s, it is not practical/affordable to make their items available to worldwide buyers, but for many it is feasible. If you currently only offer to Buyers on your home site, why not consider opening up your horizons and considering what other countries you could make your items available to?

In a global marketplace, many shoppers are happy to purchase from anywhere around the world now. It’s as easy to purchase from someone in your own town as it is from a country in a different hemisphere. Don’t make the decision a buyer “won’t want to pay the shipping price” or “would rather buy from someone closer to home”. Let the consumer decide; perhaps your item is rare on their home soil, and they are happy to pay any amount to receive it. Don’t limit your selling power!

Check out our eBid tips to selling internationally and you could soon be making your first overseas sale.

Product Focus : Beauty and Skin Care Products

"Keep young and beautful, it's your duty to be beautiful, keep young and beautiful, if you want to be loved". Admit it, you are singing along!

We might not entirely agree with the sentiments of that old song, but there’s no doubting beauty and skin care products are more popular than ever; especially now men are getting in on the act - sales of men's beauty and grooming products are growing an an incredible rate.

Everyone has their own preferred products – the shampoo that works wonders to make frizzy hair sleek and glossy, the moisturiser that makes skin look bright and dewy or that perfect shade of red lipstick.

With over 22,000 items on offer in our Health & Beauty category at eBid, you are sure to find what you are looking for!

Man's Best Friend ...

It used to be that all you needed for your dog was a bowl, a collar and lead, and a blanket. Not any more! So let’s take a light-hearted look at the many and varied needs of today’s pooch and some of the great items available from eBid Sellers.

Large Luxury Lookout Dog Car Seat
Saver Multifunctional Pet Dog Cat Shower Head Shampoo Brush
Pet Gear At3 Roadster Stroller Black / Blue

Dog Chalet 91cm (Pack of 3)
Country Dog Heavy Duty Waterproof Rectangle Drop Front Softee Bed
dog carrier for bike

Competition Time

Last month's question :

How many eBid Buddy Points can you earn if a referral you send to us using your buddy link then upgrades to a SELLER+ account?

a) ONE
b) TWO
c) FIVE

The correct answer was (c)Five. Congratulations go to Kubwajack1944 from MA, USA for winning last months competition, your eBid Goodie Bag and iPod should be with you now.

This month's question:

On an average day, buyers from how many different contries register on eBid?

a) Less than 15
b) About 22
c) At least 25

To enter send us :

Answer to the competition question
Your eBid username
Name and address for sending out any prizes
Incomplete entries will be automatically deleted. Closing date 10th August 2016. Email answers to competitions@ebid.net