“Sellers, Increase your Trading Assistant activities” - 13 July (6 - 7 PM)

[sapana@ebay.com]

Hello Everybody,

This workshop is aimed at existing eBay sellers who will like to increase their eBay business by increasing their Trading Assistant Activity. Many of you might be aware about the Trading Assistant program of eBay under which you can sell on behalf of a person who lacks the required time or expertise to sell on eBay. This workshop will help you understand how to hone your trading assistant program.
In this workshop we will like to share
• Concept of Trading Assistant
• Benefit by becoming a Trading Assistant
• Ways and means by which you can market your trading assistant services to prospective customers.

Host: eBay staff
Date: Friday 13th July
Time: 6.00 to 7.00 PM (IST)

We will be looking forward to meeting you in the workshop.

Regards,
Sapana

[rajeshi@ebay.com]

Hello Everybody,

I am Rajesh from eBay India and would be available on the boards to conduct the workshop on Trading Assistant today. The scope of our workshop would be

1. Why should you be a Trading Assistant?
2. Who can become a Trading Assistant and how?
3. Ways to increase your client base / TA best practices

I am posting certain notes on the program which would address the above issues. I would be taking questions on this notes in the workshop.

Parallely i have seen a few questions which also i will try and address in the next 1 hour

Regards
Rajesh

[rajeshi@ebay.com]

If you want to be a Trading Assistant (TA) and don’t know much details of the program. Here is a set of FAQ’s that should help you

What are the requirements to become a Trading Assistant?
To become a Trading Assistant, you need to have sold 4 items in the last 30 days, have a feedback rating of 50 or greater, and have greater than 90% of your feedback as positive. You also must be in good standing with eBay. If you meet those requirements, you can create a Trading Assistant account by clicking the "Become an Assistant" link from the Trading Assistants Directory. The ability to join the directory is a privilege not a right and eBay can remove your ability to post yourself to the directory. This is something we might do, for example, if clients started complaining about your service as a Trading Assistant.

Including yourself in our Trading Assistants Program directory is a lot like running a classified ad for your services. Trading Assistants are not employees or independent contractors of eBay. Nor do we endorse or approve them. Each Trading Assistant runs his or her own independent business free from any involvement by eBay.


What are the benefits of becoming a Trading Assistant?
When you join the Trading Assistants directory you tell the world that you are willing to sell for others. Many Trading Assistants charge fees for their services. Selling as a Trading Assistant allows you to leverage your selling expertise without having to find product yourself - clients provide the items and you are compensated for your efforts on terms that you decide. Many sellers already do this as a way of making money on eBay and profit margins can be significant for higher-priced items.


How much does it cost to become a Trading Assistant?
For now the program is free and while we do reserve the right to charge for it someday there are no plans in the foreseeable future to charge for inclusion in the directory. If we do decide to charge all Trading Assistants will be notified in advance so they can remove themselves from the directory before any fees accrue.


Who sets the rules for how I work with my clients?
When you sign up as a Trading Assistant you are essentially advertising your own independent listing service to potential clients. Since it's an independent service you and your client are in charge of negotiating all the terms. We do recommend, however, that you negotiate all the details in advance before you begin working with your client. Make sure you both agree what the start price of the auctions will be, who pays eBay fees, who ships the item, what happens if an item doesn't sell, etc.


What kind of fees should I charge as a Trading Assistant?
The fees you charge are up to you and the client to negotiate. Fees can vary by item type, item size, and item price. You may want to set some sort of minimum fees or charge ancillary fees for additional services you offer. The key thing is that fees are in your control and that you negotiate up front how you are going to handle fees with each client. Another point to remember is that regardless of how you handle fees with the client you are ultimately responsible for all eBay fees since you are the formal seller from eBay's perspective.
Regards,
Rajesh

[halwawala_in1]

sir , can I request you to be a bit faster ?

[rajeshi@ebay.com]

Can I promote the fact that I am a Trading Assistant?
Absolutely! We hope the Directory provides an easy way for prospective clients to find you. In addition, you can market your Trading Assistant status on your About Me page or on your web site. We also recommend you tell potential clients that you are Trading Assistant in the description of every item you sell. You can even include a link back to your specific Trading Assistant information page using HTML.


What if I just want to sell items in certain categories?
That is completely your choice as a Trading Assistant. Put the categories you are willing to sell in (and not willing to sell in) on your Trading Assistant description page (which you create and edit) so any potential clients can find this out before they contact you.


What happens if someone brings me an item to sell and it does not sell?
Again, that is up for you to negotiate with the client. You can give the item to a local charity, or return it to the client, or work out another arrangement that is agreed to by both parties. The key is negotiating all these details in advance of any work.


Who pays the eBay fees if I sell for someone else?
eBay will charge the fees to the formal seller of the item - the Trading Assistant. As a Trading Assistant you may choose to pass certain eBay fees back to your clients but the Trading Assistant is ultimately responsible. It's one of the issues you should negotiate in advance with each client.
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Who gets the feedback?
The Trading Assistant that sells the item gets any transaction feedback - positive, neutral, or negative - that the buyer chooses to leave. For feedback purposes, the Trading Assistant is the seller. When you sell items for other make sure that you accurately describe each item because you, as the Trading Assistant, are ultimately responsible for the transaction.


Is customer support available to Trading Assistants?
The same Customer Support is available to Trading Assistants as any other seller has available to them. eBay Customer support will not intermediate between Trading Assistants and their clients.
Regards,
Rajesh

[rajeshi@ebay.com]

How do you work with your Clients
Working with clients

Including yourself in our Trading Assistants Directory is a lot like running a classified ad for your own independent business. Trading Assistants are not employees or contractors of eBay, nor do we endorse or approve them. eBay provides the Trading Assistants Directory to help people find Trading Assistants who can sell for them.
This means that it is completely up to you and your client to negotiate the terms of doing business. We highly recommend that you define your policies and negotiate all details in advance before you begin working with a client, such as:
• What kinds of items do you accept? Do they need to be of a certain minimum value?
• Does the client have a say in the starting price of the item or how it is listed?
• What kind of fees do you charge (if any)? Your fees might vary by item size, item type, and final sale price. Do you charge fees for additional services, such as item pick-up? Are eBay's selling fees-which eBay charges to you directly, since you are the official seller of the item-included in your fees to clients?
• When the item sells, who will ship the item to the buyer, you or the client?
• When the item sells, how do you pass sale money on to the client. For example, do you send a cheque? If so, how soon can the client expect to receive it?
• What's your policy if an item doesn't sell? For example, some Trading Assistants offer to donate the item to charity if the client doesn't want it back.
The more details you can establish up front, the better the experience will be for both you and your clients.
Regards,
Rajesh

[rajeshi@ebay.com]

Selling on eBay as a Trading Assistant

Selling items on eBay for other people is essentially the same as selling your own items. All normal trading rules apply. As the official seller on eBay, you are responsible for accurately describing the item and following eBay's Listing Policies. You list the item, communicate with buyers, manage the listing, receive the winning buyer's payment, ensure the item reaches the buyer, give and receive feedback, etc. You are also ultimately responsible for paying eBay's selling fees, even if you choose to pass the expense on to the client as part of your overall fee to them. This is something you should discuss with the client in advance.
Once an item sells and is paid for, you can send the sale money (minus your fees) to the client.


If you want to offer your services as a Trading Assistant
eBay believes that Trading Assistants will come from all over the country. Since each Trading Assistant is responsible for setting their own fee structure, we also expect a wide range of fees and services to be offered. Some local authorities have laws and regulations that may cover the types of services that Trading Assistants provide to clients. eBay does not track the laws of all local governments. Just as sellers on eBay are responsible for determining local tax laws related to selling on eBay, Trading Assistants are responsible for evaluating all local laws relating to proxy selling on eBay for others.

As a Trading Assistant, please take particular care in connection with the sale of real estate, cars, or other regulated items because some government agencies may require you to first become licensed as a broker or dealer, to assume obligations to inspect or make disclosures about the condition of the items, or to comply with other legal requirements when selling this type of item for clients. Just as you are responsible on eBay to ensure items you sell are legal to sell, you are responsible for ensuring that the services you provide to clients are legal. A consultation with an attorney may help you clarify questions you may have.
Regards,
Rajesh

[halwawala_in1]

May I know, Sir , how many members are signed in , at present ?

[solartroniksonline]

how can i see a discussion online, Sapna. I can't see a discussion?

[rajeshi@ebay.com]

Trading Assistant – Best Practices to increase your TA business

Use targeted local advertising to reach clients in your neighborhood.
Many TAs find that national newspapers (like Times Of India) are cost-prohibitive and reach too wide an audience. Local alternatives such as small city newspapers (and many are published weekly, not daily) are a great way to reach people you know are in your area. Local bulletin boards, including those in businesses, are a great place to help spread the word.

Always have business cards with you
Whenever you’re away from the home or office, make sure you have plenty of business cards available to hand out, especially if you plan on attending a trade show or an event with a high number of prospective clients. They’re light, relatively expensive, and easy to pack, so there’s no excuse for not having plenty with you at all times. Every time you talk to a prospect and are unable to leave behind a business card, you lose the chance for a client and any referrals they may provide. Also, leaving a business card behind with a prospect conveys a sense of professionalism that should only help your image in the minds of a possible client. In addition to individual cards, consider leaving stacks of business cards in local businesses to serve as free advertising for you.

Build up a solid list of reference accounts
Once you have established your TA business, you should contact clients about serving as a reference account. Offering reference accounts to client prospects, whether proactively or in response to a request, is one of the best ways to help convince prospects that you provide quality service. A good working number is a list of 3-5 references they can contact to confirm the quality of your TA services. The two ways to present a reference list are: (1) name and contact info only; or (2) name and contact info along with a quick highlight of the services performed for the client. One recommendation on references – you should check with them periodically to make sure they are still willing to serve as a reference (it can take a lot of time if you hand your references out to a lot of prospective clients). Also, consider rotating the reference list so different names are near the top, to help keep any one individual reference from getting the majority of calls (many prospects will call just 1or 2 references, not the entire list).

Promote your TA service in item shipments

When you ship your items that sold on eBay, add a document to each shipment promoting your TA services (a customized flyer would be a good example) or include a business card with shipments so they know how to reach you if they want to hire a TA. Even if the buyers are out of your local area, it will help raise awareness of the TA program and they may decide to find a local TA. And remember if you send something to a buyer out of your area and they hire a local TA, someone else could be doing the same thing to help a local client find you.
Include a link to your TA page on all your emails and posts

Attach a link to your TA profile page along with a quick tagline (such as “I’ll sell your stuff on eBay for you”) to emails that you send eBay users, including customer support emails (i.e. questions from potential buyers) and end-of-auction emails (i.e. you won, here’s how to pay for your item). Most auction management tools allow you to use templates where you can add your TA tagline and a link to your TA profile page. Most email packages allow you to use an email signature where you can include your tagline and link. It costs nothing to put the link in and it could produce potential clients or referrals.
Regards,
Rajesh

[rajeshi@ebay.com]

Working with clients effectively
Work the details out before taking on clients
As in all business dealings, clearly spelling out the terms and conditions for the TA-client relationship before the work gets started is usually a key step to ensuring the success of that relationship. Agreement on critical items such as fees, time lag before they can expect to receive payment, and what happens to items that don’t sell are best negotiated before the events occur. If a client is not willing to negotiate terms and sign a standard contract, it may be best to not engage them as a client.

Market the value of your services, not your commission rate
As with any sales process, the first thing to do is convince the prospect of the value you can deliver with your TA services. Educate them on the experience you have on eBay and the research you complete before listing the item. Tell them about the quality of your pictures and the timely email responses you generate to buyers with questions. Let them know about your shipping processes and show them a sample statement so they know what they can expect from you once you’re hired. Finally, discuss with them why all of these factors makes hiring a TA a great investment and makes you the right TA for the job. Only then, after delivering the value in the mind of the client, do you want to start talking about price.

You could subscribe to Seller Tools and Sales Management software like Selling Manager / Selling Manager Pro / eBay Shops provided by eBay to add a professional touch to eBay business and this will help you market your services.

What are selling tools?
Selling tools are software products that help sellers perform various tasks related to selling items on eBay. They can save you lots of time if you sell many items.

To know more about

Selling Manager click http://pages.ebay.in/selling_manager/index.html
Selling Manager Pro click http://pages.ebay.in/selling_manager_pro/index.html
eBay Shops click http://stores.ebay.in/_W0QQsspagenameZfQ3afQ3aINQQtZlw

Flat fees help speed up negotiations
When possible, most TAs prefer to charge a flat percentage of the item selling price and usually that percentage includes all eBay fees. TA and TA client feedback indicates this makes acquiring clients much easier than either a “pay my fee of x% + eBay fees” or a “set-up cost is x, per-item cost regardless of whether it closes is y, and my take as a TA is z” approach. The one challenge with the flat fee model is building in an allowance for items that don’t sell, but the benefit of addressing that challenge is a much easier sales cycle for prospects. One related comment – always sell the full value of your services
Regards,
Rajesh