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What Results Can You Expect From Selling Online?

Although we host shops for a respectable and growing number of serious minded, professional individuals, malls and galleries, many successful shops on Ruby Lane are also run by part-time folks and very small businesses. Some engage in on-line selling as a part-time endeavor, to supplement their income, while others do it full time. Not everyone considers themselves to be a 'professional' dealer. However, we do have some requirements concerning the type of items that qualify to be listed in the shops in each lane and these guidelines often will assist non-professionals in focusing their shop inventory in a professional direction.

Before you decide whether to sell online with us, we hope you consider the following key issues carefully regarding doing business on the Internet, and operating any successful business:

• It Takes Commitment
  Selling successfully online does not happen overnight. It is a process that takes time. The Internet is a wonderful and powerful tool, and it is easy to assume that it will bring instant success. However, the laws of the business universe still apply - few businesses are flooded with orders the first day, or even the first month they open for business. Running a successful business takes commitment. Of course Ruby Lane allows you the venue, the template, the tools and yes, the traffic to make this a reality. However it still takes time to get people to stop in to your individual shop and buy. It is important to note that many extremely successful veteran Ruby Lane shops sold their very first item a month - or two - after opening, sometimes longer.

  We occasionally have shops that open and close within a two-week period. It is not realistic to expect results this quickly! We also see shops who open with the intent to quickly sell some items they've recently acquired, hoping to get in, and get out, fast. We strongly discourage this practice as you will be disappointed with the results.

  Why is this true? First of all, it will take a little time for potential customers to find you. As we've mentioned before, it can take several months or more for the major search engines to index your items, and it is not possible to know where these will come up in the searches once this takes place.

• Be Prepared To Keep adding items.
  Some shops make the mistake of adding all their items at once, then waiting. The more successful shops add new items frequently. This gives you more exposure on our home page and higher placement in the Ruby Lane search engine, both of which are driven by new items.

• An Ever-Changing Shop
  It is crucial to fine-tune your shop on a continual basis. Continuing to add items not only increases your standing in the Ruby Lane searches, but offers customers a dynamic shop that pulls them in, with an interesting, ever-changing selection to choose from. Our most successful shops work on their shop all the time. They continually strive to improve their overall shop presentation by updating photos as their photography skills improve, and as they see what item descriptions work best. It's a process!

• Winning the Trust of Prospective Customers
  It is important to understand that it takes time to develop a loyal clientele that knows you and your shop offerings, and trusts you as a valued resource. Many of our most successful shops tell us that repeat customers are a significant portion of their business, and when you're new, you simply don't have these - yet. Once customers have found you, if they see that you're fairly new, they may watch and wait until they see you've been around a while before they will jump in and buy. There's really no way around this. It simply takes time.

• Professional Conduct
  Many Ruby Lane shop owners do this as a part-time endeavor. They also have a day job. Nevertheless, your Ruby Lane shop is viewed by prospective buyers as a business. Shop owners are expected to check email regularly, and to respond to customer inquiries and needs in a timely, and professional manner. Ruby Lane offers "Vacation Mode" for shops who cannot respond while they are out of town, or due to illness or other reason.

• Price conservatively to start
  If you're a new shop and have yet to build a reputation as an expert in your category, it's not likely that people are going to spend top dollar in your shop - yet. By including some less expensive items too, you reduce the risk to buyers that may be wary of a new shop. After you have been on Ruby Lane for a while, buyers will feel more confident spending higher dollar amounts in your shop as your reputation grows.

• Understanding What You're Selling
  Another crucial aspect of successfully selling online is the importance of knowing as much as possible about the items you've chosen to offer and conveying this fact to browsing customers. Doing so lends credibility to you and your shop, and ensures that your items are listed, described, and priced correctly in order for them to sell. A good way to bone up on your items is to check out sites that specialize in a particular category. Visit shows and other online sellers including auction sites, and study industry price guides. Ask questions wherever you go. New reproductions of popular antiques and collectibles have become a serious and ongoing problem for dealer and collector alike. While some may feel that reproductions have a decorative purpose, this type of item cannot be sold on Ruby Lane.

• There are highs and lows.
  Just as with most businesses of any type, there are often periods when sales are fantastic, then other periods when it appears to be slow. These shifts can change by the month, and can be influenced by such factors as the economy, the weather (yes, the weather), and the time of year, to name a few. Generally, the successful businesses are committed to waiting out any slow periods, poised to reap the benefits of the next upturn.

• Not An Auction
  If you're used to selling through auctions, you'll find that selling on Ruby Lane is different. At an auction, the item goes for the highest price bid on by the customer. In actuality, the marketplace automatically tells you what it will sell for. By contrast, Ruby Lane is a retail venue where you must set the price when you offer an item for sale. It is again important to research the marketplace to be sure your prices are appropriate and competitive. Another useful pricing tool is the Ruby Lane Make-An-Offer tool which allows potential customers to offer you a lower price than you are asking. This can be useful in helping shops gauge what people are willing to pay for an item.

• Commitment to Marketing
  Ruby Lane offers a wide variety of marketing tools to shop owners. This includes a customer Business Card Program, a wide selection of marketing materials such as flyers and postcards, a Co-Op Advertising Program for individual shop advertising as well as group advertising in Maine Antique Digest, Antique Trader, and American Style magazine. We also offer a monthly shop marketing newsletter that contains marketing tips, and more. Once you've opened, you'll want to utilize many of these marketing tools. Developing an individual marketing program that works for you will be an evolving process for as long as you have your shop.

Like anything, learning to sell successfully online takes time. We hope you consider these issues carefully before deciding whether or not to open.

Some brief information to get started:

• There are 4 steps to create your shop.
• All data entered now can be changed or added later, so don't worry about making mistakes now or leaving some optional fields blank.
• Until we officially open your shop, only you and the Ruby Lane staff can see it.
• You need to keep at least 10 different items in your shop at all times.
• We encourage all sellers to try out our shops.
• Our help link is at the top of every page.
• And most important, your shop and its items must fall in one or more of these categories:

  Antiques: Antique items must be high quality pieces that are generally over 100 years old, but at least pre-WWII or 1945. more details in new window

  Collectibles: Collectibles items must be true collectibles, at least 20 years old, of high quality, authentic, and not reproductions. more details in new window

  Fine Art: Fine Art items must be high quality original, or numbered limited edition pieces of signed or authenticated art such as paintings, sculptures, drawings, photos, or ceramics. No reproductions are allowed. more details in new window

  Jewelry: Jewelry items must be jewelry pieces and meet the guidelines for either Antiques Lane or Collectibles Lane, or be Artisan pieces that are high quality, unique and handmade. For Artisan jewelry, the shop owner must be either the original artist, or have acquired the Artisan jewelry directly from the original, individual artist producing the item, who must be credited in any listing. more details in new window

It's easy, so let's start!

 

           

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