Buy It Now Feature for e-Bay Ads

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   sallybeaposted 10 years ago

   Hello Matthew,
   
   Please could I request a Buy it Now Button for e-Bay Capsules.  It was my understanding that his was not available. 
   
   Thank you very much
   
   Sallybea.

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      sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Apologies Matthew, I just saw you message from the other thread.  As suspected, I did not think we had the option in the UK.  I am assuming that the Ads I would place would be specific to the USA as most of my traffic comes from the there.  I suspect it would be better to have USA Ads.  What would you suggest would be the better option for members from Europe to do?
      Thanks
      Sallybea

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         Matthew Meyerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         The Amazon and Ebay capsules only support the US sites.
         
         As such using US products in your capsule probably makes sense as the majority of the search traffic comes from the US.
         That way you are more likely to have product sales.  The main thing is to work to have products that are directly related to your Hub and things that are more likely to be purchased by authors.

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            sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Not sure if I am understanding you correctly Matthew.
            
            I don't think I can currently search for Buy It Now Items currently!  I think only USA Hubbers can currently do this.
            
            Could I just clarify please.   Is it possible for you to add a button so that we can use Buy it Now , USA Ads on Hubs written in the UK or Europe?
            
            Sallybea

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               Matthew Meyerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               As it currently stands, the eBay capsule only supports the US store.
               You can add US Buy it Now items abstracted from your location as the capsule uses the US store only.
               There is currently no button for "Buy It Now" in the eBay capsule.  This is the case for all products.
               
               I have forwarded your request to add a "Buy It Now" button in the Ebay product capsule for those US eBay products that support that purchase option.
               
               The way I found a Buy it Now product was to search for it on the ebay site and then use the reference number from the product for the keyword search in the eBay product capsule.
               
               So here is the eBay URL for a tablet.
               http://www.ebay.com/itm/Windows-Surface … 2a368e7b8e
               
               I then used the code in the URL string as my "EBay Search" in the product capsule. So that code would be 181303933838 for this example.
               
               See the screen shot as well.
               
               

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                  sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  I managed to find an Aga Stove as a Buy it Now Item on the USA site for my Aga Stove Hub using the link you provided.  Each time I select a Buy it Now Item from the list of Buy it Now Items,  the item changes back to an Auction Item on my Hub.  Maybe you could take a look.  It clearly showed the item I added as a Buy it Now Item on the USA site.
                  Aside from this, I was wondering if I selected Buy It Now Items, would I need to update them regularly or will they automatically be changed when the item is no longer for sale. 
                  Sallybea

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                     Matthew Meyerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     I will look into the first point (changes back to an Auction Item on my Hub)!
                     So I make sure I am testing the exact same scenario, can you share the specific product you are using? You can give me the full eBay URL.
                     
                     To your second point, due to the eBay capsule only supporting a search rather than a link directly to a product, items could become unavailable and then be blank in the Hub capsule.  You would need to watch and update these in order to catch the change.  This is pretty much the case with any eBay product capsule as well due to the frequent product listing churn on eBay.
                     
                     I agree, that a Buy It Now button would be ideal, so I hope we can prioritize this as a feature to consider going forward.
                     
                     Thanks for taking the time to help us improve the site!

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                        sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        This is the URL for the item you requested Matthew.
                        
                        http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aga-Cookers-Ful … 5af28cb102
                        
                        I really appreciate the help you have give me.  Thank you.
                        Sallybea

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                           Matthew Meyerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                           It looks like these items are a bit different.
                           The tablet I found is a BIN item only.
                           The main difference being, the Aga Cooker has a "Make Offer" button on it while the tablet does not.
                           
                           Glad to help! Your kind words are appreciated

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                              sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                              Interesting as it shows up on the Hub as an Auction Item with a Current bid - and it is not an Auction item.  Nowhere does it say it is a Buy it Now or Make an Offer item.

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                              sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                              Tried again with a Buy It Now Item only - it still shows up on the site as an Auction Item - http://www.ebay.com/itm/AIRER-FOR-AGA-C … 53f41c134a

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                                 Matthew Meyerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                                 I just looked at this BIN item and it is showing BIN price only with no auction options.
                                 

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                                    sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                                    Aga Cooker
                                    
                                    AIRER FOR AGA. CLOTHES DRYER. DRYING RACK. RANGE COOKER
                                    AIRER FOR AGA. CLOTHES DRYER. DRYING RACK. RANGE COOKER
                                    Current Bid: $114.26
                                    
                                    This is how it shows up on my Hub.  (Current Bid) Not Buy It Now, although it is a Buy it Now Item.
                                    Was not sure how to show you how it looks from my side.

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                        Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        Just to be clear, I think what Sally Bea is looking for is NOT a "Buy It Now" button on the Hub.
                        
                        What she wants is an option to restrict the existing keyword search, so that only "Buy it Now" products are displayed. 
                        
                        Currently, we get paid ONLY if someone buys or places a bid within 24 hours.  That means we are losing commission from people who "watch" an auction instead of bidding, even if they ultimately buy the product.    So we really don't want to show products with a long auction time left, as people are more likely to delay bidding for them.
                        
                        It's not practical to manually select specific products, because Hubs have a long life and eBay listings do not!   So in an ideal world we'd be able to show auctions which are nearly finished, or with a Buy It Now option.
                        
                        I've never seen any eBay software which lets you select auctions by "time left", so I assume that's hard to do and wouldn't expect HubPages to try to solve it.  However, most eBay software does allow you to specify "Buy It Now" products only, so it must be reasonably straightforward.

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      IzzyMposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That would be good. I know we can search specifically for 'buy it now' ads, but a button would be a lot easier.

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         sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         It makes sense to have them related to the USA e-Bay Buy it Now Ads rather than the uK as most of my traffic does come from the USA,   I and I know many other people would akso be very grateful for this option.
         Thank you very much Matthew.

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      NateB11posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'd say it's a good idea if we have the choice to put the eBay capsule in the Hub without it, also. I'd be afraid people might not like to even check out the eBay item if they felt pressure from the BUY IT NOW button. It's borderline spam to me.

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         Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Good point.  But isn't the real problem that eBay only holds cookies over for 24 hours?  So, if someone waits til an auction winds down to place a winning bid, you aren't credited for the link once that time allowance has been surpassed.  (At least, that was my understanding after reading about this issue on the forums.)

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            Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Absolutely right.

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         IzzyMposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         What is Amazon, but 'buy it now'?
         Considering both need a sale before you get paid, I would suggest choosing a carefully targeted audience.
         Write your hub with an aim towards people who theoretically have their credit card to hand.
         It is not your job as a writer to persuade people to buy a product they are unfamiliar with. They already know about the product. They may be wavering between two different products. Persuade them yours is the best. (they will find your review or comparison through the search engines, but they had to be searching for it first!)
         This is assuming you already have that product and have used it extensively. Point out its flaws, by all means. People trust sites that are prepared to publish the good and the bad.
         Yet people want a bargain. That is why they use eBay. So your 'buy it now' tag might put them off. On the other hand, it might gain you a sale.
         Oh and did you know that if you send them through to eBay, and they don't buy that product but something entirely different instead, you still get the commission, just like on Amazon. Only the eBay commission seems to be much higher.

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            NateB11posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I did know that about people buying other items through the link and us still earning a commission. Which I think is fantastic, for sure. And I understand your point about that; if they go to eBay and buy something else, we get paid.
            
            I see your point about the reviews and what people are looking for, and your logic is sound and totally makes sense. I still would like to have the option to use the button or not use it, though. I think on some Hubs, you might not want to use it. Like you said, the Buy It Now button is for a very specific kind of review. I think eBay capsules could be used on other types of articles in which the Buy It Now button might not be as effective. Would it be possible for there to be two different eBay capsules: One Buy It Now, and the other the regular one we've been using. Or would there be a simpler solution to offering both options?

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               IzzyMposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Here was me thinking that that the 'buy it now' button would be there in edit mode to help out hubbers, not the readers.
               Still, the whole point is that unless the auction finishes within 24 hours, even if we sent a reader though to join, we do not get paid. So the whole exercise is pointless, unless they joined that auction AND bought something else.
               Meanwhile, many of us see a big fat zero coming up on earnings because either the buyer lost the final sale, or it went on too long.
               Most 'buy it now' auctions that I have seen come from sellers who are permanently on eBay., with a mass-produced product for sale.
               They usually have several entries, with most of them being auction sales and just one option to 'buy it now'.
               If the 'buy it now' button is exclusive to such sellers, then we can know that our eBay capsule is unlikely to end up with 'no product' listing.
               For example, I have one hub dedicated to vintage cuckoo clocks. Obviously each clock is individual.
               I would rather be able to display any vintage clock with the 'buy it now' option, so that when it is sold, the capsule automatically fills with another one. I need to use keywords for this, not a product number.
               But I also want it to be 'buy it now'. I don't know if Hubpages can add this feature or not.
               Obviously if the reader does not like the clock on display, they can click through to eBay to see what else is on offer.
               A button to this effect would be good, if it could be done.
               Until fairly recently, we could add several product listings to give the reader a choice, but now the number is limited by total word count, and in the case of antique clocks, there is no point in describing each as the chances are the item would be long since sold.

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                  NateB11posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Combination of other things going on in my environment right now and also the subject of marketing and business not being my forte, I was having a hard time grasping what the value of the Buy It Now button is. But I think I am seeing now why it would be good. The time limit set by eBay's cookies makes it so that it is highly unlikely a sale would ever be made unless we use a Buy It Now button. I don't fully grasp how the Buy It Now button works. Can you put any item in the capsule and make it Buy It Now and can you use the keyword function in the capsule and make the items that come up Buy It Now?
                  
                  Edit: Actually, now that I think about it, a visitor could ignore the Buy It Now if it turns them off or check it out if it piques their interest; I see your point that they are interested in the item in the first place, then you give them the option there with the item with the Buy It Now button. I also see the point that it's virtually impossible for a sale to be made with the time limit placed by the cookies. I'm on board with the Buy It Now button.

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                     Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     You'll see in Sallybea's next post that she was suggesting a Buy It Now button visible in edit mode, not visible to readers.  I'm assuming (and have asked her to confirm) that she's thinking of a toggle button or a checkbox or something, which we can select so that ONLY Buy It Now products will appear in search results.
                     
                     There are quite a few software packages available, which enable you to use eBay capsules on your own blog or website.  All of them offer that feature, so it can't be too difficult to do. 
                     
                     Actually when I first started with eBay, many years ago, embitca (another Hubber) advised me that I'd be better off displaying Buy It Now products even then - and it's even more important now.  Earnings on my own websites (all set to Buy It Now only) are doing much better since the policy change.

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                        NateB11posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        That makes sense and I like the idea. You can choose to make the eBay item Buy It Now, and it's for the writer not so much the reader. That definitely works for me. It's coming together in my mind. I get it.

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                        sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        Yes Marisa and Nate,  this is what I am suggesting.  Matthew is looking into the possibility of inserting a Buy It Now Button which would allow us to search for Buy It Now Items in a simple way within the capsule.  This would perhaps increase our chances of earning from placing e=Bay Ads which currently are not producing any Income.

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                  sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  The Buy it Now Button would simply used in edit mode in the capsule when we are selecting the product.  I would only want to promote a Buy it Now Product if I were writing or using the products within the Hub.  Currently we do not appear to be earning anything from e-Bay and this is discouraging people from adding them to their capsules.  Buy It Now Items would have a better chance of succeeding than the Auctions currently do.

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                     Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     I don't think you mean a "Buy It Now" Button.  I think you mean a Buy It Now checkbox or drop-down box, which you can select, so only Buy It Now products are displayed in the results.    Am I right?

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                        sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        Marisa Wright
                        That is correct.  Currently (I can, in the UK, andtthanks to Matthew at last, select a Buy It Now product from the USA site though it still displays on my Hub as an Auction item.  Even the  price is reflected  as a 'current bid and 'not a Buy it Now Item.
                        
                        I am not sure if this happens to writers in the USA.
                        
                        Can anyone from the USA please check to see if the Buy It Now Items they select show up on their Hubs with 'current bid' next to them,  instead of Buy It Now - once they have been selected and inserted into the capsule.
                        
                        Thank you

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                           Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                           Sallybea, as I posted in the other thread, where you are doesn't matter - the capsule isn't intelligent enough to know where you live!   The capsule shows eBay US products. 
                           
                           As for constantly checking being a good idea - not really.   It takes only one or two views (including your own) to make a red arrow show on your account, so don't assume your change has boosted traffic.  Check the numbers instead!

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                              sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                              I wish to use US Products as this is where most of my traffic comes from.
                              I don't constantly check for little red arrows.  I do notice that a few changes, including capsule headings for the Ads does appear to boost traffic.  I am aware that my own views are reflected.

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                     NateB11posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     This is totally making sense to me now. I like the idea, definitely.

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                  sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Izzy M - the Button would be in Edit Mode just so that we could search for the Buy It Now Items.

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               sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               I Buy It Now Button would be in addition to an auction item, not used as a replacement so that we have a choice of which item we wish to select.

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   GmaGoldieposted 10 years ago

   If we only get paid well for "buy it now" on eBay, why can't we have an edit feature to change it automatically at the top of our hub?
   
   I know, I know we need to limit the number of capsules but to go through and edit all capsules to now change to buy it now is very time consuming.
   
   Great discussion here - I learned allot - very much appreciate this discussion.

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      sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The idea is to have the Buy It Now when we insert an e-Bay Capsule whether we decide to insert an Auction or a Buy It Now Item.  It would just make it easier than it currently does.  I
      
      The problem is that we would have to be continually editing Hubs because and I quote Matthew above:-
      
      'To your second point, due to the eBay capsule only supporting a search rather than a link directly to a product, items could become unavailable and then be blank in the Hub capsule.  You would need to watch and update these in order to catch the change.  This is pretty much the case with any eBay product capsule as well due to the frequent product listing churn on eBay'
      
      I personally would still like the option even if it involves continually updating Hubs.  I regard altering a Hub a bit like editing it, a new Advert appears to act like an update for afterwards,  I see red arrows appearing immediately on my list of Hubs.

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