Rural System's

The Ebay Group

Under development following TV unit on June 29, 2005.

Showing much success after only 10 years (2005), Ebay may offer outstanding opportunities as a group within System Central or as separate unit. In 2005, about 7% of the price of an item goes to Ebay. Monitoring is done in output/second and bids traffic. The quest is to get more people to buy and sell. Perhaps separate unique arrangements can be worked out with that corporation or we may use standard affiliation as a store or corporation. Our Catalog moves in the direction of their work.

With Ebay and interactive marketing, the buyer controls the kind and amount of information received. There must be abundant information to meet the needs of many buyers, a potential cascade of information, at least some of it for sale.

Interactive marketing with Ebay concepts as well as others include:

• Multiple web sites
• Email campaigns
• Promote joining an email list to receive announcements and promotions
• Online multimedia
• Banner ads
• Online contests
• Promotions
• Coupons
• Loyalty programs
• Flash drives left as 1 on 1 correspondence with little paper.

Related marketing ideas:

• Customer support must be effective
• Approach customers on their own terms
• Progressive is a key word
• Provide feedback about sellers to buyers and the reverse
• What are you looking for? is an introduction to a search routine
• What do you want? is a question to be shown often
• Organize and promote power sellers
• Organize to get ideas and attitudes of the Voices, the buyers and sellers, the community
• Build a relationship with buyers.

Growth concepts:

• Provide Ebay service for individuals
• Provide Ebay training for private efforts, Ebay and Rural System classes
• Sell the classes themselves through Ebay or otherwise with discounts
• Develop real estate for sale units with Realtors Group
• Provide an Ebay drop-off point for item sales (for a percentage) We sell for you!
• Organize a delivery unit(s) in addition to drop off points (delivery of mass purchases)
• Use named and numbered items in most sales
• Emphasize the regional specialty
• Study Ebay developments in China and exploit potentials
• See www.3Income.com and www.Unite.com
• Develop database on all buyers develop regressions of purchases or interest areas (as Amazon) as a function of available funds, past purchases, age, key purchases, email length, periodic questions
• Sell note cards with local artists' sketches
• Visit sellers with very expensive items to assure quality and authenticity
• Special one-time personal deal for prominent buyers - and make a newspaper story of it.
• Develop a local churches project - photos, etc. for historical sales
• Develop a local clothing photo history
• Run a "Bargain Hunting" section
• Develop collection of images of towns (one year, 1-2 days, same time - archive and sell in 30 years)
• Develop buying sequences e.g., trip - map- book- photos - art - birdwatching instruction
• Develop Ebay units for motels, tours, meals, hunts, fishing action, trips
• Develop Ebay radio
• Develop a Mexico unit. With high percentages of US citizens being of Spanish relations and with Mexico natural resource and social conditions being in need, a nearby unit can offer a 2-way market
• Sell electronic newsletters for memberships and other subscribers
• Depending on developments, explore the possibilities and consequences of selling The Ebay Group to Ebay.

In the same vein, Ord Nebraska (October 2006) has finally figured out how to fight back from loss of people and movement to cities. It has hired a business coach to help teach local stores how to sell their goods over the Internet and to match up retiring shop owners with aspiring ones. Schoolchildren learn how to start their own little businesses — like the sixth-grade girl who made a video of the town’s history and sells it at school reunions — so they will not grow up to think the only job opportunities are at big companies in Omaha or St. Louis. Graduates of Ord High School who have moved elsewhere receive mailings telling them about job opportunities back in town.

None of this happens naturally in a free-market economy, because the efforts cost money that will never be fully recouped. But it has happened nonetheless thanks to one of the few advantages that Ord does have over Chicago, Dallas and New York: it is in a state with some of the most generous wealthy people in the country.(from New York Times)

Procedures
See appalachian communityeconomics.org

• We register as a seller with a feedback profile "public."
• We gain a PayPal account and offer this is one way for payment.
• We study prices, gain expertise from staff, and make daily comparisons of prices of same or similar goods for sale. We browse for related prices.
• We often set a low opening bid with no reserve to jump-start bidding and increase final selling price.
• We report specific shipping charges to increase customer confidence and expectations for total costs. We use eBays Shipping Calculator
• We send staff occasionally to ebay training sessions.
• We gain artists' and local marketers help on effective fonts for our presentations.
• We skillfully title our items for sale and use descriptive attributes to expand their discovery in key word searches.
• We include well-made, multiple, photos images of items including those of positive and negative features. We try to match delivery with expectations.
• We communicate daily to questions received. Personal notes are often sent.
• We seek strong positive reactions to our sales and overall approach to customers. We are trying to create a community of buyers and us, the seller.
• We use effective wrapping to protect each item sold. We may use free shipping supplies and develop local packaging capabilities. We typically add a distinctive marking.
• At the start, we use the eBay Checkout system.
• Where possible or feasible we try to send a personal note to each buyer with information about Rural System, our regions and specific location, and out products and services. We try to initiate Twitter contacts.

See Marketing.

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Rural System
Robert H. Giles, Jr.
June 30, 2005