TRS and listing on .com or .ca

[dutchman48]

Here is a question for all the Canucks selling here.

If you are a TRS on .ca but not on .com due to tracking, will you get better exposure listing on .ca or .com on the .com site, especially if most of your sales are to the US. Asking this due to all the search problems and many .ca listings on the bottom on .com.

If this makes no sense, let me know and I will try to clarify the question.

Am trying to figure out if a store is worthwhile on .ca or better on .com or not to have 1 at all.

Thanks in advance for your input and opinions

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

A store is international when you input shipping for the USA and other countries.

Your visibility is limited, enhanced, by your shipping choices.

I was unaware that you could be TRS in Canada but not the USA. There has been some lively discussion about TRS on Seller Central on the dot com side.

My understanding, today, is that the seller can be TRS with both TRS and non-TRS listings based on the handling, shipping, tracking choices on a widget by widget case.

I understand the question, but, the question makes no sense. Where you are visible is based on shipping choices, not which site you list on.

I never list on .ca. I only list on .com. We have had this argument for the last decade.

[westernstargifts]

It make no difference whether you list on .com or .ca.  Whether or not it is more economical to open a store depends on the number of listings you have.

If you don't have that many listings you can take advantage of the 50 free auctions per month for non-store subscribers.  ebay has also been giving non-store id's lots of free listing promos but you can't depend on them as they may not be continued.

If you sell mainly with FP then you might want to consider opening a store.  Someone worked out the numbers previously to determine what level of store you should open.  I don't remember what they were but I believe when you have about 400 plus FP listings it is then beneficial to you to have a premium store.  Listing fees for FP are only 5 cents then instead of the 20 cents for a basic store. 

[dutchman48]

just to clarify the question somewhat. You can be a TRS on .ca but not on .com. Search on .com is supposed to place you higher with what is now TRS+ on .com. When they went to TRS+. all TRS sellers from Canada that did not meet the US standards for +, lost there TRS status on .com and hence paced much lower in search on .com.

I was wondering if you list on .ca as a TRS or list on .com as a non TRS+ which would place you higher in search on .com.

I ship to both Canada and the US so that is not an issue. It is only search placement I am wondering about or if any one has ever looked into it since TRS changed in the fall.

Prior to the changes, I sold 6 times as much out of my store than I did after the change with TRS

[brandeentertainment]

FP Fees depend on what your selling...

For me I had permium and went down to basic because anything that was in ebay cataloque cost 5 cents to list but if it was no it cost me 20 cents so out of 900 titles aboud 10 were no cataloqued ...

So basic roughly $16

Premium roughly $40 or so can't remember ..

10 listing 20 cents $2 so in total I pay $18 a month for basic and have everything I need to run myu store almost like with premium ...

For me I spent abut 6 months when I opened using tools to analyze who what where why when and finally figure out that it really make very little difference to waste so many hours see who was viewing what and what was selling but If that is the stuff you wnna do go premium if not look into what your selling and see if thje listing are ion cataloque maybe most your stuff will list for 5 cent giving you no need to have premium and saving you $30 a month ..

If you have a .ca store I think the Exposure is the same if you list it properly .. If you have a US store I think you can only sell in US funds which means Conversion rate everytime you want to withdraw to your bank account and boooooo to that ....

Some say list in US get up 15% more sales Well the US for me is less then 10% of my sales so knowing that Canada is opver 90%of mysale listing in US I woud probably lose 15% of my business ...

I also recall someoone about 1 yeart ago Saying that ebay tells you that chargiung US fund may increase sales by 15% but in fact they found trhat to be BS as well and I would agree ... Selling in US just puts a little more funds intpo the big mans pocket

[dutchman48]

to continue

prior to the changes to TRS last fall, if you were a TRS, you were a TRS on both and placed the same in search as most TRS sellers on both. Since the changes, TRS+ places higher on search than non TRS+ on .com hence Can TRS will now place lower on ,com. Does it make any difference in search results if you list on .ca or .com under the changed new Ebay rules for TRS

[dutchman48]

I am not talking about costs of a store or listings fees. I am aware of what they are. I am trying to find information on search results only, if any one has any information on that area. Conversion rates don't bother me as I have both US and Can bank accounts. That is also not the issue

[westernstargifts]

just to clarify the question somewhat. You can be a TRS on .ca but not on .com. Search on .com is supposed to place you higher with what is now TRS+ on .com. When they went to TRS+. all TRS sellers from Canada that did not meet the US standards for +, lost there TRS status on .com and hence paced much lower in search on .com.

I was wondering if you list on .ca as a TRS or list on .com as a non TRS+ which would place you higher in search on .com.

I ship to both Canada and the US so that is not an issue. It is only search placement I am wondering about or if any one has ever looked into it since TRS changed in the fall.

Prior to the changes, I sold 6 times as much out of my store than I did after the change with TRS

It doesn't matter which site you list on.  The search results would be the same.

Since ebay reversed the policy in which TRS's were exempt from the 90% tracking requirement (without notification) many sellers lost their TRS status on .com and have experienced a huge decline in sales.

If you are able to sell with the new Tracked Packet that will be available in the new year, or with any service which includes tracking and delivery confirmation, you can regain the TRS status on .com by uploading 90% tracking.  If you are like many of us who cannot justify shipping lower priced items for a higher shipping cost then you will have to get used to the reduced visibility on .com....:-(

[dutchman48]

western

that is the boat I am in, tracking costs are just too outrageous and buyers won't pay it.I will probably just have to take my lumps as well, leave my store closed, use the 50 free on multiple ID's and on both sites so I don't pay Ebay for nothing

And wait for all the more fee increases in the spring updates.

[cumos55]

TRS on eBay.ca versus eBay.com.

Canadian sellers do not have to meet the 90 % tracking requirement on both .ca and .com..

Only on .ca do you have the TRS icon  and top level of exposure.

There are different level of exposure....on .com

If you are TRS on .ca  you do get somewhat of a boost on .com, but not as good as someone who meets all of the requirements for TRS plus on .com.

The new Tracker Packet USA will help Canadian sellers achieve the 90 % level for tracking...

and that should change one's status on .com... but then  there is still that one day handling and 14 day return policy to get full TRS plus status.

ONe has to read carefully to understand te ull difference between TRS .ca,  TRS.com an TRS plus..

Much of the TRS status has to do with the 20 % discount...

[tobyshitzu]

listing site doesn't make a difference.    The importance of tsrs is very over stated I think but using a bunch of ids for free auction listings can work very well

random observation - it took less then two months for toysruscanada to be booted from power seller/TRS .  One of the big, experienced ecommerce operators in Canada

[recped]

You can be a TRS on .ca but not on .com. Search on .com is supposed to place you higher with what is now TRS+ on .com.

To be blunt.....

TRS status really means very little, any "boost" you get in Best Match placement is the result of many other much more important factors.

In an attempt to prove this to myself I listed a bunch of things on my non-store, non-trs, non-powerseller account. I let them run for 7 days.

I then listed the exact same items on my long established, store id, trs id.

End result, I got more traffic (by a lot) and a little bit more sales on the non-TRS id.

eBay's claims of a boost in search for doing this or that are just carrots they dangle to get you to do things they way they want you to do them (tracking, free shipping, one day handling etc.).

Remember that for buyers who use Price or Ending Time to filter their search results will never see any difference because a seller is TRS, offers free shipping, one day handling or any of the other minor things eBay claims will get you a boost.

There are a few very easy ways to increase your exposure and sales.......

Sells products that eBay isn't flooded with, be the cheapest on eBay, write descriptions that are clear and convey that you care about what you are doing.

I looked at you recent listings....everything has bids, I don't see how you are lacking in exposure.