Will sales suffer if I change my user ID to something less personal and more business-like?

[momcqueen]

I'm contemplating changing my user ID --- and maybe also store name -- to something respectively more business-like and also generic.

When I picked my user ID in 2006, I was a buyer only with no thought to selling in the future.

When I chose the store name four years ago, I sold only Disney Cars whereas now I offer other items. (More than half are still Cars.)

Or is this just a make-work project with no benefit whatsoever?

Can anyone tell me how the change went for them if they did it mid-stream?

[musicyouneed]

Hi Mj, I used this program to generate names and then copied the ones I liked.  I then went to ebay to see if the name was available.

http://www.spinxo.com/ebay-names

For instance I plugged in "sell disney toys" and it came out with some good examples.  Of course I know you don't want to limit it to disney but you can play around with it.  And each spin gives you more names. 

[momcqueen]

Oh hey, that's a great tool. Thanks for the link! 

p.s. I checked and Amanda Hugginkiss isn't taken... yet.

[msmaggie060]

Hi mj, I have been thinking about changing my ID as well. msmaggie060 was fine 10 yrs ago when buying (although I wanted MaggieB but it is a trademarked company and didn't want legal problems). I did some research when I opened my second store and ended up with vintagenorth. I've since had a few chances of selling that name so it must be considered fairly good.

I'm still thinking about changing the msmaggie one but it may be a moot point if sales don't pick up soon. Could be partly my fault though for closing my stores while taking three vacations this summer! I will wait until next year before I make any changes.

[musicyouneed]

One other thing to think of is that if you sell on other venues, it is good to use the same name. I sell on another venue, plus I am registered on 2 more under that name.  The facebook name someone is using so I had to add the city.  Just to think ahead. 

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

I have been thinking about that too, changing to a more generic name that's similar to what my competitors use, and perhaps I can lure some sales over my end... 

If I googled my ebay name now while it does link to my ebay account it also links to other ppl totally irrelavant to me.

[i.am.vivian]

Maybe make a list of all the possible IDs you like and would consider and then ask your kids which ones they think are good, ask your hubby, and friends and family or anyone who might be toy buyers (that's toy, buyers, not "toy buyers", as opposed to real buyers) and ask what they are most likely to remember. As the other poster pointed out we will all surely remember "musicyouneed" until we are old and in our graves. If I want CDs that is the first to come to mind so if you can find an equivalent ID your customers will always be able to find you first. I also like the idea of posting an announcemnt of the change but the only thing I would worry about is making an announcement saying what your new ID will be and then some smart-alec idiot grabs it out from under you first.

[pattern-bookstar]

Hi MJ, music here.  I had another account which I hadn't used in a while so I got to thinking that I would use that one to sell my sewing patterns.  I used my handy dandy user name search and I came up with this one "patternstar".  Because I haven't used it, it will take me a long time to build it up feedback etc.  but you have to start somewhere.

[musicyouneed]

Hi MJ, I just was looking at what you sell and I came across something interesting.  Beside your listings you have how many people are watching, how do you do that.  I have 3 people watching and it doesn't show up in the search unless you click the item.  

Yours

[silverpinups]

The only time "the watchers" will show up in the search is when you have 10 or more (highlighted in red) otherwise the number of watchers will only show when you click on the item.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/ORIGINAL-1950s-BETTIE-PAGE-Topless-in-Garters-and-Nylons-GORGEOUS-/2720369786...

[momcqueen]

Actually, I'm not sure the reason for that. I noticed it about a year old and thought it was related to it being both listed and/or viewed on eBay.ca.

[ypdc_dennis]

---

@mjwl2006 wrote:
Actually, I'm not sure the reason for that. I noticed it about a year old and thought it was related to it being both listed and/or viewed on eBay.ca.

---

I took a quick look at some of your listings and it is rather inconsistent -- I see some of your items display with as little as 3 watchers, but I also checked some listings that are blank (nothing shown) and some of those have 9 watchers, and are not displayed.

-..-

Another one of those black box mysteries.

-..-

[momcqueen]

I thought at one time too there was a correlation with this and which items were granted International Site Visibility and/or had international watchers but I think I later disproved that theory as well.

[momcqueen]

It is interesting to read this list insofar as ebay user names: https://www.marketplacepulse.com/articles/fastest-growing-ebay-sellers-august-2016