Friday, July 29, 2005

Have a Blog? Not Getting much traffic?

I use Blogging for a couple of reasons, first, I have a blog called Adjusting to life after serving in Iraq to get a few things off of my chest and try to help fellow soldiers adjust to life back in the states. Second, I use Blogging to offer tips for using eBay and in turn that helps to promote my business. It can be hard to get your Blog listed in search engines until after you have been around for awhile. I have had friends ask how I get so much traffic after only being in operation for about 2 months. I send them straight to:

It really does work and all you have to do is take a little time and look at Blogs from other people. They have a lottery, contests, and many other ways to drive traffic to your Blog. You can also add and RSS feeds that you might offer so people that are interested can subscribe right there on the spot. Check it out!

Here is a good post about eBay's background

Check out this post on eBay, mystery auctions, and the future of eBay.

I hope you are all enjoying the summer and are making it through the traditionally lean eBay times. Have no fear as the Christmas shopping season will soon be here ;-)
Send me links to your auctions so we can all see what you have to offer. Please include a photo if you can and don't forget the FULL link. Happy eBaying!


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Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Resources to help build your business.

Here are just a few of the services that I use to improve my business. Try them out and let me know how they work out for you.


Sell your favorite products from your site and earn money!


Make your website more professional






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Sunday, July 24, 2005

Product Source - I've made a lot of money by using this dropship service.

  • A2ZCDS.com Drop Ship Program Review
    With the increasing popularity of online auction sites like eBay, it"s possible for anyone with a computer and something to offer to make serious money selling to a worldwide audience.

    A2ZCDS.com offers auctioneers high-quality CD programs to sell
    and profit from -- without ever having to actually handle the merchandise!

    Average drop shippers make a profit of 95% - 114% on products that cost them at least 50% less than retail value, with no overhead costs. Set your own sale prices -- you control how much money you make!

    It appears as if A2ZCDS has a global market penetration strategy in mind, which is why they provide their products to their drop shippers for so cheap. While I hope their market penetration strategy works out for A2ZCDS, it is definitely good news to their drop shippers such as me that"s for sure!

    You pay nothing until you make a sale, never wasting money on products you don"t sell. Best of all, every purchase you make is 100% tax-deductible as a business expense!

    A2ZCDS.com handles everything, so you don"t ever have to process a single shipment. They stock inventory, purchase shipping supplies, print mailing labels, and send the orders. They even do customer service! All you have to do is let them know where to ship to.

    All it takes to see profits is a few simple steps:
  • Use one of over 30 free professional-quality auction templates to give your listings their own unique look.

  • Grab the item descriptions from the A2ZCDS Drop Ship Members Area written by professional copyrighters.

  • List your items on eBay, Yahoo! Auctions, Amazon Auctions and other major auction sites (They even provide you with a detailed list of over 20+ niche auction sites that are perfect for their products).

  • Collect payment for your winning auctions and forward your orders to A2ZCDS for processing whenever you wish and they take care of the rest!


With shipping to over 190 countries and an ever-expanding inventory of products to suit every interest, you have a limitless global audience!

Plus, there are hundreds of free resources including banner ads, pop-up windows, pre-written reviews, and other marketing tools available to promote your auctions to the four corners of the earth.

A2ZCDS.com has a flawless sales record in terms of on-time shipping and product quality, so there"s never any need to worry about your auction reputation. As an added precaution, they offer dispute resolution services through SquareTrade to ensure your protection.

There is also volume discounting available only to drop shippers for even more savings. My daughter"s school sold educational CDs at their annual fundraiser and they were a huge hit; they could also be used at charity events, tag sales, and flea markets.

To qualify as a drop shipper, all you need is a PayPal or merchant account, an active eBay membership with a feedback rating of at least 100, and a basic understanding of the auction process. I have heard that they are willing to work with "newbies" to online auctions as well through their exclusive eBay training program that they have developed.

In order to avoid competition among drop shippers there only 50 positions available; I was lucky to get a spot.


Click here to apply today to the exclusive
A2ZCDS Drop Ship Program before it"s too late!





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***Online Workshops For the Week of July 25th***

July 22, 2005 01:41PM PST/PTWe would like to invite you to attend the following workshops this week:

Open Source & the eBay Community Codebase

This workshop will be held on Monday, July 25th, from 14:00 PDT to 15:00 PDT. The eBay Community Codebase provides developers who are interested in creating open source software applications that use eBay or PayPal Web Services a place to share development resources. This includes a shared code repository with version controls, project mailing lists and shared documents and files. We encourage developers and anyone interested in knowing more about open source to attend this workshop, where Adam Trachtenberg, our Manager of Platform Evangelism, will answer questions about open source and eBay, and how developers can get involved in open source projects with the eBay Community Codebase.

How to Save Time and Money While Maximizing Your Exposure

This workshop will be held on Tuesday, July 26th, from 15:00 PDT to 16:00 PDT. At eBay Live! 2005, Auctiva, an eBay Certified Solution Provider, launched the latest release of their web-based selling solution. Join us as Kevin Kinell, VP of Engineering at Auctiva, discusses their free new tools that can help you list more efficiently, save money and draw more views to your online auctions. He’ll also provide tips that can help your listings be more successful.
Workshops are hosted in discussion threads on the Workshops Board. To get to the Workshops Board:

Click on Community at the top of almost any eBay page
Click on "Discussion Boards" in the "Connect" Section
Click on "Workshops" underneath the category-specific boards on the right-hand side of the page

This will bring you to the threaded Workshops Board.
To view archived workshops or to learn more about future workshop events, please check our Workshop Calendar.

Want timely reminders about workshops? Sign up for the Workshops Information Group! By joining this group, you will receive an email notification reminding you about upcoming eBay Workshops. Each notification will include the time and date, a brief description of the event, and a link to the discussion thread where the actual workshop will be held.

To sign up for the Workshops Information Group, please click here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

eBay Announcement - ***Updated: Reminder To Join Us for the eBay Products and Features Town Hall on July 28th***

July 21, 2005 04:09PM PST/PT

Lynn Reedy

Hi, I'm Lynn Reedy, Chief Technology Officer for the eBay Marketplace, and I'd like to remind you to mark your calendars for the next Community Town Hall on Thursday, July 28th. This month's event will be about eBay's innovative products and features, some of which are Want It Now, Turbo Lister, and My eBay. Bill Cobb, President of eBay North America, has invited Judy Kirkpatrick, our Vice President of Global Product Management, and me to be there so we can hear what's on your mind and to answer your questions about the various features and products around eBay.

Want to know more about how our products and features get created? Have thoughts on how we can make improvements or new product ideas? Starting today, you can submit your questions, and Bill, Judy, and I will do our best to answer them during the Town Hall. Please visit www.ebay.com/townhall for more information.

See you next week!
Sincerely,
Lynn ReedySr. VP and Chief Technology Officer, Marketplace Product and Technology

eBay announces enhacements to the "Send Invoice Process" and "Payment Status Page"

July 21, 2005 09:41AM PST/PT
In the next week we will make a few enhancements to the Send Invoice process, as well as to the Payment Status page within checkout.

Send Invoice Process

To give sellers an easy way to adjust the total amount of an invoice (if needed), we are adding a new “seller discounts or charges” field. Any amount entered in this field by the seller will be displayed to buyers on the Review Your Purchase page during checkout, along with the updated total.

You will also be able to preview how your invoice looks before you send it.

Payment Status Page

A print-friendly version of both the buyer and seller versions of the Payment Status page during checkout will soon be available.

Lord of the Rings Strider's Sword

Here I go again, showing off one of my items.....I'd love to help promote some of yours as well but nobody has sent me any. Until you do you will just have to look at mine. ;-)

Lord of the Rings Strider's Sword

[Auctions] [eBay Store] [Feedback] [Me Page] [E-Mail ]


















Lord of the Rings Strider's Ranger Sword w/Plaque LOTR












photo



Retail Price: $348.00


With over 100 million copies sold in over 40 languages, millions have grown up with "The Lord of the Rings," the classic epic tale considered by millions to be the greatest fantasy-adventure story ever told. J.R.R. Tolkien’s phenomenal epic trilogy chronicles the struggle between good and evil for possession of a magical ring. The book trilogy, named the most popular book of the 20th Century, is the motion picture event of the 21st Century. "The Lord of the Rings" is presented in a trilogy of feature films from New Line Cinema, beginning with the blockbuster "The Fellowship of the Ring," and continuing with the 2nd film, "The Two Towers," to be released December 2002. A work of sheer invention on a staggering scale, "The Lord of the Rings" takes us back to "Middle-Earth," an era that predates written history, where humans share the world with immortal elves, powerful wizards, and industrious dwarves.



Strider™ (also known as Aragorn™) is the son of Arathorn, and heir to the Kingdom of Gondor. His ancestor, Isildur, was the legendary King, who cut the Ring of Power from the hand of Sauron with his sword Narsil (UC1267, also available). Strider has served as a Ranger and joins the Fellowship to destroy the Ring that threatens his countrymen.



UC1299 STRIDER’S RANGER SWORD iIncludes a parchment certificate of authenticity and a wood display plaque.



OVERALL LENGTH: 47-1/4"

BLADE LENGTH: 36"

BLADE THICKNESS: 1/4"

BLADE MATERIAL: Tempered, 420 J2 stainless steel, false-edged.

HANDLE MATERIAL: Solid metal crossguard and pommel, antique metal finish, genuine leatherwrapped grips, rat-tail tang construction.

PLAQUE: 10-5/8" x 13-1/4" x 3/4" wood, silkscreened with the heraldic insignia of the Kingdom of Gondor, hardware, instructions included.

PACKAGING: Two-piece polyfoam mold, full-color sleeve, heavy cardboard remailer box.


Terms: Seller has the right to end this auction at any time due to the limited quantities available.



Shipping: Please see the square trade information area at the bottom of this page for full shipping and payment details.



Thank you for looking & happy bidding!


[Auctions] [eBay Store] [Feedback] [Me Page] [E-Mail ]









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Saturday, July 23, 2005

Add links to your auctions to promote your other items.

One of the great things about eBay is that you can use the low cost advertising to spread the word about your mailing list, off-line store, blog or what ever else you want to promote. You need to be careful and follow the guidelines set by eBay or you could get banned if you aren't careful. Each of your auctions should link to your "About Me" page where you describe yourself and your business. You can also offer a mailing list on this page, link to your company web site or provide many other types of info.

Don't forget to collect the e-mails of all of your buyers so that you can send out flyers on your items but always remember to remind them that they have made a purchase from you in the past and give them the option of requesting to be dropped from your list. Always be polite and remember to remove anyone that doesn't want to be a part of your mailings so you don't end up on the spammers list.

Don't forget to include links to your other pages on eBay. You should always include the following links in EVERY auction:

You can also add gallery displays to show off your other items like this:










1.   Lord of the Rings Limited Edition Sting Sword

2.   Paintball Ghillie Suit

3.   Megatech Capitol Flyer Electric Airplane

4.   101st Airborne T-shirt

5.   Cold War Era: Danger on the home front (2 DVD Set)

6.   Comprehensive History of World War II - Bundle Pack (19 DVDs)
















Click Thumbnail to See that Auction







How you choose to do it is up to you (and eBay) but the important thing to remember is to do it.
See you next time!





Wednesday, July 13, 2005


<?php echo TITLE; ?>




/*
$Id: index.php,v 1.1 2003/06/11 17:37:59 hpdl Exp $

osCommerce, Open Source E-Commerce Solutions
http://www.oscommerce.com

Copyright (c) 2003 osCommerce

Released under the GNU General Public License
*/

require('includes/application_top.php');

// the following cPath references come from application_top.php
$category_depth = 'top';
if (isset($cPath) && tep_not_null($cPath)) {
$categories_products_query = tep_db_query("select count(*) as total from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " where categories_id = '" . (int)$current_category_id . "'");
$cateqories_products = tep_db_fetch_array($categories_products_query);
if ($cateqories_products['total'] > 0) {
$category_depth = 'products'; // display products
} else {
$category_parent_query = tep_db_query("select count(*) as total from " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " where parent_id = '" . (int)$current_category_id . "'");
$category_parent = tep_db_fetch_array($category_parent_query);
if ($category_parent['total'] > 0) {
$category_depth = 'nested'; // navigate through the categories
} else {
$category_depth = 'products'; // category has no products, but display the 'no products' message
}
}
}

require(DIR_WS_LANGUAGES . $language . '/' . FILENAME_DEFAULT);
?>

>











if ($category_depth == 'nested') {
$category_query = tep_db_query("select cd.categories_name, c.categories_image from " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " c, " . TABLE_CATEGORIES_DESCRIPTION . " cd where c.categories_id = '" . (int)$current_category_id . "' and cd.categories_id = '" . (int)$current_category_id . "' and cd.language_id = '" . (int)$languages_id . "'");
$category = tep_db_fetch_array($category_query);
?>

} elseif ($category_depth == 'products' || isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'])) {
// create column list
$define_list = array('PRODUCT_LIST_MODEL' => PRODUCT_LIST_MODEL,
'PRODUCT_LIST_NAME' => PRODUCT_LIST_NAME,
'PRODUCT_LIST_MANUFACTURER' => PRODUCT_LIST_MANUFACTURER,
'PRODUCT_LIST_PRICE' => PRODUCT_LIST_PRICE,
'PRODUCT_LIST_QUANTITY' => PRODUCT_LIST_QUANTITY,
'PRODUCT_LIST_WEIGHT' => PRODUCT_LIST_WEIGHT,
'PRODUCT_LIST_IMAGE' => PRODUCT_LIST_IMAGE,
'PRODUCT_LIST_BUY_NOW' => PRODUCT_LIST_BUY_NOW);

asort($define_list);

$column_list = array();
reset($define_list);
while (list($key, $value) = each($define_list)) {
if ($value > 0) $column_list[] = $key;
}

$select_column_list = '';

for ($i=0, $n=sizeof($column_list); $i<$n; $i++) {
switch ($column_list[$i]) {
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_MODEL':
$select_column_list .= 'p.products_model, ';
break;
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_NAME':
$select_column_list .= 'pd.products_name, ';
break;
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_MANUFACTURER':
$select_column_list .= 'm.manufacturers_name, ';
break;
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_QUANTITY':
$select_column_list .= 'p.products_quantity, ';
break;
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_IMAGE':
$select_column_list .= 'p.products_image, ';
break;
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_WEIGHT':
$select_column_list .= 'p.products_weight, ';
break;
}
}

// show the products of a specified manufacturer
if (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'])) {
if (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['filter_id']) && tep_not_null($HTTP_GET_VARS['filter_id'])) {
// We are asked to show only a specific category
$listing_sql = "select " . $select_column_list . " p.products_id, p.manufacturers_id, p.products_price, p.products_tax_class_id, IF(s.status, s.specials_new_products_price, NULL) as specials_new_products_price, IF(s.status, s.specials_new_products_price, p.products_price) as final_price from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_DESCRIPTION . " pd, " . TABLE_MANUFACTURERS . " m, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " p2c left join " . TABLE_SPECIALS . " s on p.products_id = s.products_id where p.products_status = '1' and p.manufacturers_id = m.manufacturers_id and m.manufacturers_id = '" . (int)$HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'] . "' and p.products_id = p2c.products_id and pd.products_id = p2c.products_id and pd.language_id = '" . (int)$languages_id . "' and p2c.categories_id = '" . (int)$HTTP_GET_VARS['filter_id'] . "'";
} else {
// We show them all
$listing_sql = "select " . $select_column_list . " p.products_id, p.manufacturers_id, p.products_price, p.products_tax_class_id, IF(s.status, s.specials_new_products_price, NULL) as specials_new_products_price, IF(s.status, s.specials_new_products_price, p.products_price) as final_price from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_DESCRIPTION . " pd, " . TABLE_MANUFACTURERS . " m left join " . TABLE_SPECIALS . " s on p.products_id = s.products_id where p.products_status = '1' and pd.products_id = p.products_id and pd.language_id = '" . (int)$languages_id . "' and p.manufacturers_id = m.manufacturers_id and m.manufacturers_id = '" . (int)$HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'] . "'";
}
} else {
// show the products in a given categorie
if (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['filter_id']) && tep_not_null($HTTP_GET_VARS['filter_id'])) {
// We are asked to show only specific catgeory
$listing_sql = "select " . $select_column_list . " p.products_id, p.manufacturers_id, p.products_price, p.products_tax_class_id, IF(s.status, s.specials_new_products_price, NULL) as specials_new_products_price, IF(s.status, s.specials_new_products_price, p.products_price) as final_price from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_DESCRIPTION . " pd, " . TABLE_MANUFACTURERS . " m, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " p2c left join " . TABLE_SPECIALS . " s on p.products_id = s.products_id where p.products_status = '1' and p.manufacturers_id = m.manufacturers_id and m.manufacturers_id = '" . (int)$HTTP_GET_VARS['filter_id'] . "' and p.products_id = p2c.products_id and pd.products_id = p2c.products_id and pd.language_id = '" . (int)$languages_id . "' and p2c.categories_id = '" . (int)$current_category_id . "'";
} else {
// We show them all
$listing_sql = "select " . $select_column_list . " p.products_id, p.manufacturers_id, p.products_price, p.products_tax_class_id, IF(s.status, s.specials_new_products_price, NULL) as specials_new_products_price, IF(s.status, s.specials_new_products_price, p.products_price) as final_price from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_DESCRIPTION . " pd, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p left join " . TABLE_MANUFACTURERS . " m on p.manufacturers_id = m.manufacturers_id, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " p2c left join " . TABLE_SPECIALS . " s on p.products_id = s.products_id where p.products_status = '1' and p.products_id = p2c.products_id and pd.products_id = p2c.products_id and pd.language_id = '" . (int)$languages_id . "' and p2c.categories_id = '" . (int)$current_category_id . "'";
}
}

if ( (!isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['sort'])) || (!ereg('[1-8][ad]', $HTTP_GET_VARS['sort'])) || (substr($HTTP_GET_VARS['sort'], 0, 1) > sizeof($column_list)) ) {
for ($i=0, $n=sizeof($column_list); $i<$n; $i++) {
if ($column_list[$i] == 'PRODUCT_LIST_NAME') {
$HTTP_GET_VARS['sort'] = $i+1 . 'a';
$listing_sql .= " order by pd.products_name";
break;
}
}
} else {
$sort_col = substr($HTTP_GET_VARS['sort'], 0 , 1);
$sort_order = substr($HTTP_GET_VARS['sort'], 1);
$listing_sql .= ' order by ';
switch ($column_list[$sort_col-1]) {
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_MODEL':
$listing_sql .= "p.products_model " . ($sort_order == 'd' ? 'desc' : '') . ", pd.products_name";
break;
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_NAME':
$listing_sql .= "pd.products_name " . ($sort_order == 'd' ? 'desc' : '');
break;
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_MANUFACTURER':
$listing_sql .= "m.manufacturers_name " . ($sort_order == 'd' ? 'desc' : '') . ", pd.products_name";
break;
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_QUANTITY':
$listing_sql .= "p.products_quantity " . ($sort_order == 'd' ? 'desc' : '') . ", pd.products_name";
break;
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_IMAGE':
$listing_sql .= "pd.products_name";
break;
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_WEIGHT':
$listing_sql .= "p.products_weight " . ($sort_order == 'd' ? 'desc' : '') . ", pd.products_name";
break;
case 'PRODUCT_LIST_PRICE':
$listing_sql .= "final_price " . ($sort_order == 'd' ? 'desc' : '') . ", pd.products_name";
break;
}
}
?>

} else { // default page
?>

}
?>


































if (isset($cPath) && strpos('_', $cPath)) {
// check to see if there are deeper categories within the current category
$category_links = array_reverse($cPath_array);
for($i=0, $n=sizeof($category_links); $i<$n; $i++) {
$categories_query = tep_db_query("select count(*) as total from " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " c, " . TABLE_CATEGORIES_DESCRIPTION . " cd where c.parent_id = '" . (int)$category_links[$i] . "' and c.categories_id = cd.categories_id and cd.language_id = '" . (int)$languages_id . "'");
$categories = tep_db_fetch_array($categories_query);
if ($categories['total'] < 1) {
// do nothing, go through the loop
} else {
$categories_query = tep_db_query("select c.categories_id, cd.categories_name, c.categories_image, c.parent_id from " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " c, " . TABLE_CATEGORIES_DESCRIPTION . " cd where c.parent_id = '" . (int)$category_links[$i] . "' and c.categories_id = cd.categories_id and cd.language_id = '" . (int)$languages_id . "' order by sort_order, cd.categories_name");
break; // we've found the deepest category the customer is in
}
}
} else {
$categories_query = tep_db_query("select c.categories_id, cd.categories_name, c.categories_image, c.parent_id from " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " c, " . TABLE_CATEGORIES_DESCRIPTION . " cd where c.parent_id = '" . (int)$current_category_id . "' and c.categories_id = cd.categories_id and cd.language_id = '" . (int)$languages_id . "' order by sort_order, cd.categories_name");
}

$number_of_categories = tep_db_num_rows($categories_query);

$rows = 0;
while ($categories = tep_db_fetch_array($categories_query)) {
$rows++;
$cPath_new = tep_get_path($categories['categories_id']);
$width = (int)(100 / MAX_DISPLAY_CATEGORIES_PER_ROW) . '%';
echo ' ' . "\n";
if ((($rows / MAX_DISPLAY_CATEGORIES_PER_ROW) == floor($rows / MAX_DISPLAY_CATEGORIES_PER_ROW)) && ($rows != $number_of_categories)) {
echo ' ' . "\n";
echo ' ' . "\n";
}
}

// needed for the new products module shown below
$new_products_category_id = $current_category_id;
?>

' . tep_image(DIR_WS_IMAGES . $categories['categories_image'], $categories['categories_name'], SUBCATEGORY_IMAGE_WIDTH, SUBCATEGORY_IMAGE_HEIGHT) . '
' . $categories['categories_name'] . '













// optional Product List Filter
if (PRODUCT_LIST_FILTER > 0) {
if (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'])) {
$filterlist_sql = "select distinct c.categories_id as id, cd.categories_name as name from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " p2c, " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " c, " . TABLE_CATEGORIES_DESCRIPTION . " cd where p.products_status = '1' and p.products_id = p2c.products_id and p2c.categories_id = c.categories_id and p2c.categories_id = cd.categories_id and cd.language_id = '" . (int)$languages_id . "' and p.manufacturers_id = '" . (int)$HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'] . "' order by cd.categories_name";
} else {
$filterlist_sql= "select distinct m.manufacturers_id as id, m.manufacturers_name as name from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " p2c, " . TABLE_MANUFACTURERS . " m where p.products_status = '1' and p.manufacturers_id = m.manufacturers_id and p.products_id = p2c.products_id and p2c.categories_id = '" . (int)$current_category_id . "' order by m.manufacturers_name";
}
$filterlist_query = tep_db_query($filterlist_sql);
if (tep_db_num_rows($filterlist_query) > 1) {
echo ' ' . "\n";
}
}

// Get the right image for the top-right
$image = DIR_WS_IMAGES . 'table_background_list.gif';
if (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'])) {
$image = tep_db_query("select manufacturers_image from " . TABLE_MANUFACTURERS . " where manufacturers_id = '" . (int)$HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'] . "'");
$image = tep_db_fetch_array($image);
$image = $image['manufacturers_image'];
} elseif ($current_category_id) {
$image = tep_db_query("select categories_image from " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " where categories_id = '" . (int)$current_category_id . "'");
$image = tep_db_fetch_array($image);
$image = $image['categories_image'];
}
?>


' . tep_draw_form('filter', FILENAME_DEFAULT, 'get') . TEXT_SHOW . ' ';
if (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'])) {
echo tep_draw_hidden_field('manufacturers_id', $HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id']);
$options = array(array('id' => '', 'text' => TEXT_ALL_CATEGORIES));
} else {
echo tep_draw_hidden_field('cPath', $cPath);
$options = array(array('id' => '', 'text' => TEXT_ALL_MANUFACTURERS));
}
echo tep_draw_hidden_field('sort', $HTTP_GET_VARS['sort']);
while ($filterlist = tep_db_fetch_array($filterlist_query)) {
$options[] = array('id' => $filterlist['id'], 'text' => $filterlist['name']);
}
echo tep_draw_pull_down_menu('filter_id', $options, (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['filter_id']) ? $HTTP_GET_VARS['filter_id'] : ''), 'onchange="this.form.submit()"');
echo '































include(DIR_WS_MODULES . FILENAME_UPCOMING_PRODUCTS);
?>














Thursday, July 07, 2005

eBay Radio Live on Tuesdays

I don't know how many of you are aware that eBay has an internet radio program that broadcasts live on Tuesdays and also has archives of its previous shows. The show is hosted by Griff, an instructor at eBay University, and has some really wonderful tips on using eBay for both sellers as well as buyers. They also have a resource page to help find product to sell, auction management software, plus much, much more.

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Using Terapeak for market research.

One of the key points to selling anything, anywhere, is market research. For eBay based research I recommend Terapeak. This service provides you with a wealth of information by looking up the current listings as well as historical price data based on the key words that you input. Try out one of the free features of this service by searching fo items on eBay with the search box at the top of this web page. Here are a couple of .PDF files that talk more about this service.
Good luck with your research and have a great 4th of July weekend.