Did You Update Your Store Yet?

[greenmangoes]

Great news! Starting the week of September 17, we'll be updating the look of your eBay Store with a modern new layout to turn browsers into potential buyers—at no extra cost to you. You'll still get the free listings and low fees you currently enjoy, too!

And, if you don't want to wait for us to do it, you can update your Store today...

http://pages.ebay.ca/storefronts/update/

[pierrelebel]

How to you preview the changes?

[pjcdn2005]

I couldn't see a preview in Firefox. It works in IE if I click on preview, edit changes, preview and then open in a new window.

[pierrelebel]

Did not work with Firefox.  Tried MS-IE and not working either.

[gillian1023]

I updated my store about a month or more ago. 

[pjcdn2005]

I keep putting it off because I want to make a square logo that will fit there properly.

I like the top full width graphics that some people have on their new style stores but I have no idea what I would to put up there or how to do it.

[rose-dee]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I like the top full width graphics that some people have on their new style stores but I have no idea what I would to put up there or how to do it.

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Use your existing logo jpg. logo file (or you may have to re-do or re-photograph the logo to get higher resolution), and resize it using any of the Microsoft tools (I assume you're not using a MAC - I have no idea how to do it on those). 

You may need to experiment a bit with the resizing, but if I recall, eBay gives the pixel parameters that are best for existing logos, so hopefully they'll do the same for the new logos.  Click on my "rose-dee" icon, and you'll see an example of the wide jpg. file on my profile page.  I think that one was about 1200 x 100 pixels.

I have to say that, from a design point of view, I really don't like the new storefront look.  I find it looks like everything is floating around in blank space, without colour anchors, and rather insipid.  Oh well, like everything else, it's probably designed to appeal to mobile users.  I'm just going to have to get used to it I suppose, since I expect it will be foisted on us as obligatory at some point. 

[rose-dee]

Whoops, sorry, I guess from within Lithium, you have to click on my "Me" page to see the profile page. 

[rose-dee]

I managed to get a preview on IE, but the billboard photo I uploaded didn't show. 

I notice (with regret) that another feature which I considered a real plus in having a store -- customized promotion boxes -- will be dropped.  From the store update page: "If your existing Store uses custom pages and headers, these won't appear after you convert to the new Store experience." 

So if you use those custom headers and boxes, you're out of luck.  Along with the "Me" page, it looks like eBay doesn't want individualization anymore.  I used to feel that having the means to connect personally with my customers was a real asset.  And I liked reading what other sellers put up on their "Me" pages -- it made buying seem more, well, FRIENDLY!!

I don't think eBay cares to present us sellers as people now, just as a one-size-fits-all storefront.  This is clearly n line with eBay's focus on its commercial sellers.  I think it's a safe bet that, although they say now that you can always return to your old storefront look if you don't like the new one, the new one will be mandatory at some point. 

[rose-dee]

I'm bouncing this topic back up to the top of the list because I'd be interested in knowing what store owners feel about losing the custom/promo boxes that have been available to stores (and the "Me" page that used to be available to everybody).  It seems that once eBay transitions over to their new one-size-fits-all storefront model, the custom boxes will be gone. 

I wondered if something was in the wind when the custom/promo boxes no longer offered anything but HTML editing starting a few months ago -- it seems anytime you start seeing restrictions, a feature is going to be next to disappear.

From a marketing point of view, I thought those features enabled a seller to put a personal, friendly face on what was being sold, making a direct human contact with customers.  I'm unhappy to see them go. 

I'm surprised at the lack of comment from sellers about losing these features.  In fact, it seems to be going almost unnoticed.  Not that there's anything we can do about it, but I'm just sad to say that I feel it's one more step toward eBay turning all of us sellers into nameless, faceless, sameness. ...