My Fashion HQ: A New Auction Site

There are a lot of websites out there besides eBay which use the auction format for buying and selling items. I recently learned about a group of sites known as the Treasure Auctions Network. The sites were started by two established gemstone experts who took their business online several years ago. Over the years, they have expanded into different specialty sites, mostly focusing on gems and collectibles but now branching out into new areas, too.

As an example of this branching out, the newest of the sites in this network is My Fashion HQ. This site features a variety of subcategories of items, including accessories, handbags, scarves, and watches. The front page of the site showcases "last chance ending soon" items; when I clicked over to the site, there was a pair of opal earrings available for a bid of $2. I think there are some good deals to be had on this site as a buyer, and I think that over time, more and more buyers will want to sell here.

The Treasure Auctions Network has a system for approving verified sellers. It can take months before a seller is approved even as an interim seller, and the network's owners promise a safe and trustworthy online shopping experience because of their verified seller approval process.

I'm intrigued by the idea of specialty auction sites both as a buyer and a seller. You get a more focused shopping experience. Sometimes when I shop, I want a little of everything, but more often than not, I'm looking for something very specific. Sites like My Fashion HQ are a nice way to get more specific as a buyer--and as a seller, it's another opportunity to work on specializing in a particular niche.

T Shirts with Great Keywords

I picked up a couple of t-shirts at the Goodwill recently for 99 cents each (well, actually I picked up more than a couple, but I'm just going to mention two in this post!), and while they seem pretty different on the surface, I think the reason they both sold quickly (and for decent prices) is that they both brought to mind good keywords I could put in the listings.

The first shirt was for the band Chicago, and bands always give you great keywords to use: band, tour, rock, etc. This wasn't a tour shirt, but it had a quote from a song lyric, which made it stand out from other shirts, I think.

Let me say here that I seldom pass up a t-shirt from a tour--people love to buy tour t-shirts, and by nature the shirts are limited edition. Mostly I've had a pretty quick turnover with the tour shirts I've bought, but I've had a couple that I probably shouldn't have bought. (But maybe someone will come along and buy the Taylor Hicks Soul Patrol tour shirt I've had listed for a few months now, which will make me eat my words!)

Anyway, I think part of what helped the Chicago shirt sell was that it was easy to come up with a title filled with words that somebody who wanted a retro rock tee would use in their search. Likewise, the other tee from that same shopping trip that sold this week was this one for the Christian Motorcyclists Association.

I remember reading that one sign of a great eBay item is having some crossover in terms of keywords so that people who would search for different things might find it. When I saw this on the rack, I felt that Christian + motorcycles would give the listing some excellent crossover potential. I also shared the link to this listing on Twitter a few times because #motorcycle is a popular hashtag, and I thought some of the people who saw it might have a particular interest in a Christian-themed motorcycle shirt.

Although I've been doing a lot of fixed price listings lately, I listed both of these as auctions, and both received multiple bids, so I was happy with the results. I feel like it's probably best in the long run to make sure to do a combo of auction and fixed price listings. There's something fun in the auctions that you miss when you just do fixed price. Having two of my auctions inspire mini bidding wars added a little thrill to my week!

A Helpful Resource for Online Sellers

I could go on and on about the blogs I've been reading by individual eBay sellers (and sooner or later, I probably will go on and on about some of these blogs!), but for now I wanted to mention just one news and information site I happened upon this week: Ecommerce Bytes. I think I've actually clicked on the site before, but this week I finally had a closer look, which made me want to share the wealth because the site could be very useful to people who want to know more about how to sell online.

When you click on the main page of Ecommerce Bytes, it can feel a little overwhelming because there's so much info available on the site. Within this larger site, there are two excellent blogs with active participation from readers (many of whom are very experienced with online selling).

First, there's the Auction Bytes blog (or "AB blog"). The blog's editor, Julia Wilkinson, is an experienced seller on eBay and other auction and online sales venues. Recent topics include a discussion of whether or not thrift stores charge too much, and tips for selling slow-moving inventory.

The other great blog is the Ecommerce Bytes blog (or "EB blog"). This blog covers a broader range of ecommerce topics and is edited by the site's editor and co-publisher, Ina Steiner.

It would take a long time to go into all of the resources available on Ecommerce Bytes. Here's just one: an eBay fee calculator that helps you figure out what amount of fees you'll pay eBay and PayPal when you sell a specific item.

The comments from other sellers on both the AB and EB blogs are insightful and interesting, and by clicking on the links to the sellers' websites (sometimes listed with their usernames in the comments), you get a nice perspective on some of the different ways sellers are marketing themselves online.