| Important News from TIAS - July 28, 2009 |
Important News from TIAS - July 28, 2009
Important News for TIAS, AntiqueArts, CollectorOnline
and Earthling Merchants
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1. What's happening in the antiques & collectibles market?
2. Free $25 advertising coupon for TIAS merchants.
3. Some simple tips to improve your online sales
4. Contact Us!
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1. What's happening in the online antiques & collectibles market?
As veteran online merchants know, the summer months can be exceptionally slow. Many people are away on vacation and potential shoppers spend more time away from their computers. The economy is also having a major impact on sales. This slower part of the year, is probably the best time to get your store in shape for the fall and the winter Holiday shopping season.
In this issue of the TIAS merchant newsletter we are featuring some tips to help you make it through the summer doldrums. They might just help you increase your sales as well as get your store ready for the upcoming shopping season.
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2. Free $25 advertising coupon for TIAS merchants.
Here is a coupon for a free classified ad in the TIAS.com newsletter. Over 15,000 subscribers get this email newsletter twice each week. To get your free ad, go to http://www.tias.com/cgi-bin/submitClassified.cgi and select "Newsletter Ad" then fill out the form. When you checkout, use the coupon code "free123" and you will get a free ad. Your ad also appears online for one month in the TIAS classifieds. Use the ad to sell an item or promote your store, it's up to you.
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3. Some simple tips to improve your online sales
a) If you have sold, are selling or are about to sell an unusual item, let the media know. The antique and collectible trade publications love this stuff, but the business section of your local paper is probably going to be interested as well. The only way they are going to find out about it though is if you tell them. In addition to contacting them directly, publish an online press release as well. For help on writing one, take a look at http://www.bignews.biz/blog/?p=13 . Once you have your release, post it to http://www.News-Antique.com
b) Here is a super easy promotion you can use every time you list new inventory. Once the item is on your site, go to the picture page where the item is listed and click on the "tweet this" button. The item will automatically get distributed to twitter.com
c) Prices, Prices, Prices...When was the last time you looked up the actual current market value of your inventory? Prices for more common antiques and collectibles have dropped. At the same time the Wall Street Journal reported today that some rare, "selected collectibles" have outpaced many other investments including real estate, diamonds and the stock market. So do some Google searches and check eBay to see what the current market value of your inventory is, then if needed, change your TIAS prices to reflect their current market value.
d) Check the quality of your photos....Customers won't buy if they can't see what they are buying. If your photos are not sharp or don't show enough detail, this could be one of the big reasons why your inventory is not selling. Check out our tutorials on how to take good photos http://cache.tias.com/other/promo4.html and http://cache.tias.com/other/promo5.html
e) Video's on Youtube.com. Yes, you too can be a star. Do a short (2-3 minutes), informational video about an antique or collectible that you have expertise in. Be sure to include keywords in the written description that is submitted with the video. You can drive a substantial amount of traffic to your site, if you create an interesting video. If you've got a video camera or can borrow one, this is really simple to do so don't be intimidated. Be sure to include the address for your Web site in the credits...For more information, go to http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/static.py?page=start.cs&hl=en_US
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Questions? Comments? Contact us at support@tias.com
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