Frooition has been creating custom eBay store design for longer than any other design company. We have watched eBay evolve as a platform, and learned so much along the way. This blog was created as a way to share that knowledge with sellers. But we learn just as much from sellers and their stories as they learn from us! Working with thousands of individual sellers from all over the globe, hearing their amazing business stories and helping them to meet their goals is really the biggest privilege for anyone working at Frooition. Being an entrepreneur is not easy. It takes a lot of work and determination, and the stories of our sellers never fail to inspire us.

We are proud of our clients; of the incredible things they achieve, and of the little bit we did to help them along the way. So we have decided to start sharing some of their stories; to celebrate their successes, and to share their advice with other sellers.

The first seller in this blog series is Pamela Zaniewski from Destination Treasures. Pamela has been selling on eBay since 2000, and has evolved from hobby seller to a full-time professional seller, building a collectibles business on eBay with 100% positive feedback, and hundreds of customers following her store.

1. How has your store changed since you started selling on eBay?

When I first started selling on eBay my store name then was Disneylove99942.  Little did I know that someday this would be my living or I would be selling some luxury handbags and accessories or I would never have gone with a name like that! I finally took a deep breath and decided on my new name, Destination Treasures in 2016, and then later had Frooition create my logo and new eBay store design with it.

Lesson from the seller:

• Your eBay ID will be an important part of your business. Consider it carefully.
• Don’t delay changing the things that could hold your business back in future. – Pamela made sure that she had a store name she was happy with before she invested in the branding work to make it recognizable and memorable.

2. How did you decide what you would sell?

I started selling because I had Disney collections that I didn’t want anymore.  I enjoyed the experience of selling on eBay, so I then started buying things that I thought would sell, and it grew from there.

3. At what point did you decide to eBay full time?

My eBay selling was almost full time while I was still working a full-time job.  I would work by day and list and prepare to ship by night. When I was laid off from my job in 2011, I applied for new jobs and worked a couple of contract jobs as well, but as time went by I realized that I could make my living on eBay.  I decided to dedicate all of my time to building my eBay business, and I haven’t looked back!  It’s scary sometimes when business is slow and there are bills to pay but I love the travel that I do to purchase some of the convention exclusive collectibles that I sell in my store, and I love the freedom of working for myself.

4. How do you promote your business?

Pretty much when I list it brings new customers in and that’s what drives my sales.  I do believe that the cross selling feature in my Frooition eBay store design has helped to increase my sales.

Lessons from the seller:

• Maximise the opportunities and exposure from the platform you are selling on before you start focusing on other ways to find new customers.
• Listing your items correctly will help the ranking of your listing on eBay.
• Installing design features to keep customers browsing your items for longer will help to get more sales and higher basket value from the traffic your listings get.

5. What do you think makes a great listing?

One of the most important things is a complete and honest description. I absolutely hate when a seller describes an item in 1 or 2 sentences.  eBay seminars have indicated I’m too wordy so I’m trying to find a balance. Personally, I would rather buy from someone who has a complete description, reveals even the tiniest of flaws and provides multiple pictures when the item calls for it.

I create my listings as I would want to see them if I was buying.  I will actually pay more to someone who has a description vs. not because I trust the seller who has made the effort to inform me about the product.

My reputation and customer service are important to me and critical in this business.  I know some buyers have paid a little more to me because I have been in the business so long, have 100% positive feedback and I have the Top Seller status.  People feel more comfortable buying from me because they can see that I’m trustworthy.

6. What do you do to try and make buying from you special and create customer loyalty?

It’s a lot of little things that make great customer service and I believe that is very important.

eBay has everything automated now. But I still always thank the buyer personally for their purchase and tell them where they can see the tracking number once I purchase the postage.  The message is usually pretty much the same, but I change it a little if there was a special request or I recognize them from a previous purchase.

I pack with a lot of care.  For luxury items, I try to pack like Neiman Marcus or Harrods would.   According to my eBay seller stats, I have sold 8,370 items since I’ve started and I have only had one item break or get damaged in shipping and that was when I was a beginner.

Speedy service is important and even though my shipping says one business day for shipping, if an order comes in before I leave for the post office I will try to squeeze that one in and ship same day.

If I ship international and can save money on the shipping, I give part refunds so I am not making a profit on the shipping.

Lesson from the seller:

Stick to your promises and exceed customer expectations when you can, to build a loyal customer base.