Lots of people looking, no one buying

[goldsovereign]

I auto-clear the hits for each reposting to get some idea of the interest in an item, but would Really like to view the page without affecting the count sometimes..
"...Also, each time you 'view' your own auction adds 1 extra view to the total !"[/quote]

Is it possible to reset the 'views' to zero without having to repost? Anyone can reply to this please.

[InOurShop]

It's not to see the number of views, Ken.. there are times when I'm checking categories/products in the shop and would like to check the layout/appearance of specific auctions, and/or to copy text from a particular auction without having to go into 'edit'.. or affect the number of views. I can't understand why the default is to include our own views in the count, anyway, as this allows anyone to bump up the 'perceived popularity' of their item(s).. a simple 'opt-out' in settings would do the job

jmho..
Steve

Why do you need to go and view your auctions? just go into MyEbid/Auctions I'm Running it gives you a list that shows the number of views.

[kedo]

Are not the vast majority of 'views' from ebid community members who pick up our shop links from these forums? Curiousity is perhaps the common theme here. Also, each time you 'view' your own auction adds 1 extra view to the total !

No, I don't think so. I don't sell much to people who visit the forums, one item in around 800 so far, I think. It seems unlikely. The vast majority of my sales are to newbies who find my items through Google and that's the key to understanding what happens.

[goldsovereign]

No, I don't think so. I don't sell much to people who visit the forums, one item in around 800 so far, I think. It seems unlikely. The vast majority of my sales are to newbies who find my items through Google and that's the key to understanding what happens.

Are you referring to Google Checkout or another Google link? If the latter, how can I achieve the same (hopefully!) result for potential buyers finding my items too. Appreciate any help here.

[NowAndThen]

I have found it interesting to see Who's Looking on the Forums (selecting 'Currently Active Users in Forums'). Generally, there are twice as many Guests viewing than registered members which is interesting in itself, as I should imagine that the majority of these 'Guests' are potential new eBid members!
I notice too, that there are loads of spyders patrolling the forums - Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask and others - all good news in that info extracted will all serve to increase eBid's exposure. Spyders patrol the listings themselves of course, which adds to the 'views' that are recorded for listings, especially Run Till Solds.

As far as lack of sales is concerned, we must remember that most High Street shops are complaining in that respect (and blaming on-line retailers) so during the economic downturn, we just have to stick in there. It's a case of 'slowly, slowly, catchee monkey' and looking inwards to what we are doing that could be improved.
We can examine our listing efforts and check whether the photos are good enough, the description sufficiently attractive - not a one-liner but neither a saga - just succinct enough to get the facts and message over without boring the reader. Also we must check our postage prices are not excessive - buyers know what postage costs, and most expect a small addition for packaging expense - not an inflated price to cover P*Pal fees etc (our selling price should allow for that).
I have had questions to sellers unanswered, goods not received, seen listings with ambiguous or inaccurate content, etc. - of course those sellers are losing sales through failing to care enough. I would hasten to add that this is found on many auction sites not only eBid's. What would I like to see in a listing? is the criteria by which I judge my own.
I'm not digressing from the original thread post - all of this is relevant.
We cannot rely on the buyers to buy, but rather we must make every effort as sellers to sell - sell our items, sell ourselves. It is the basics of selling that must be right, before we add the bells and whistles. A good All About Me page is vital - sensible buyers will be looking there to see who they are dealing with (I do it myself) - if your feedback is low then your All About Me page can make a difference. All links there, and in your listings MUST work (do you test them?) - if they don't work, any potential buyer is immediately put off.

I've read a lot of the gripes on the forums (had one or two myself) re few or no sales, but time wasted in griping can be better spent in looking to improve your listings, your choice of what you sell and in seeking more exposure. It's all about learning, particularly from the forums, and then putting what you've learned into practise.
That's my quick post done - I didn't intend an epistle but when you get going ...

[kedo]

Are you referring to Google Checkout or another Google link? If the latter, how can I achieve the same (hopefully!) result for potential buyers finding my items too. Appreciate any help here.

No, I'm talking about natural search i.e. what comes up when you type a word/phrase into a search engine like Google. This is where a significant proportion of the hits, and consequently sales, come from. I know this because every sale I get, where I get the chance, I ask.

That's only part of the story, however. The more important part is what happens once a potential buyer lands on your auction page. There's some simple stuff that you can add that increase your chance of a sale.

Anyway will post link as ASAP.

[goldsovereign]

No, I'm talking about natural search i.e. what comes up when you type a word/phrase into a search engine like Google. This is where a significant proportion of the hits, and consequently sales, come from. I know this because every sale I get, where I get the chance, I ask.

That's only part of the story, however. The more important part is what happens once a potential buyer lands on your auction page. There's some simple stuff that you can add that increase your chance of a sale.

Anyway will post link as ASAP.

Thanks kedo! Await your link with interest.

[Booksbygones]

IMO as a newbie to the site and apart from the fact that we have experienced a down-turn in sales generallyl since the HBOS crash.
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You can't see bidding on an item is off-putting. I think that if this was changed it may make some difference.

Those irritating flashing [r]'s - which I understand you can hid if you hit escape, but they come back again.

To many items to troll through, even with the small number of items in each category/sub-category.

Run until Sold being displayed to buyers.

I've just bought 3 postcards, but I can't see how to request a combined invoice, as seller says to give them all the details.

Difficulty in getting back to sellers items (initially - I found it eventually)

[InOurShop]

..the majority (or at least 'many') of these Guests could also be members who haven't logged in to the forum

I have found it interesting to see Who's Looking on the Forums (selecting 'Currently Active Users in Forums'). Generally, there are twice as many Guests viewing than registered members which is interesting in itself, as I should imagine that the majority of these 'Guests' are potential new eBid members!.......

[NowAndThen]

..the majority (or at least 'many') of these Guests could also be members who haven't logged in to the forum

Yes, you're quite right, that is a possibility - but those 'members' will have to have opted for 'invisible mode' in their User CP Options - personally I don't see the advantage in doing that.