Jewelry seller strikes gold with right listing strategies
"It didn't take jewelry and jewelry supplies seller FindingKing long to seize the opportunity in September when eBay lowered Insertion Fees and introduced a new 30-day duration Fixed Price."

Testing the waters with some of the company's Auction-style and Stores inventory, this Titanium PowerSeller was quick to see the rewarding cycle of sales leading to more visibility in search results and, in turn to more sales. Between their eBay Stores inventory and this new format, some 90% of the company's inventory is now listed for a fixed price.

In fact, according to FindingKing President Dan O'Donnell, this kind of speedy response to new opportunities in the marketplace is a cornerstone of their growth strategy.

"The Internet market is changing so fast. Some sellers may complain, but we expect eBay to be on top of the trends and take the lead for all of our benefit-sellers, buyers, and eBay as a company. Our team is constantly programming and adjusting to stay on top. We take pride in being able to react in a few months to the most complicated developments, and in a matter of days or a week to most opportunities."

"It's not uncommon to see 10 FindingKing listings near the top of relevant Best Match search results. Clearly, their items are getting to the right buyers."
-FindingKing
Dan knows a thing or two about the accelerating pace of growth and change. He and his brother David started their business 26 years ago as a small jewelry store in Phoenix. When current General Manager Michael Stevenson joined a decade later to help the company expand into wholesaling jewelers' tools, he literally hit the Phoenix streets with a briefcase full of goods.

FindingKing moved to the internet and started selling on eBay in November 2001 and now the world is their market. The company has steadily grown-not without it's bumps and tumbles as they learned along the way. FindingKing now offers some 60,000 items including fine jewelry and jeweler's tools and supplies, all at wholesale prices.

eBay not only allowed the company to expand it's geographic reach, says Dan. It opened the door whole new vertical markets. FindingKing offers many items you just can't find anywhere else, including what may be one of the most amazing assortment of charms anywhere. Dog lovers, for example, can choose from six or seven charms with their favorite breed, from poodles to pit bulls. FindingKing recently signed with Disney to be an official distributor of charms for Disney characters. You can find winding keys for grandfather clocks, gongs for every style of mantle clock, and even parts for cuckoo clocks. FindingKing has sold obscure jeweler's tools to NASA and finger sizers to the FBI. One enterprising wedding planner even bought 50 tiny jeweler's hammers for guests to tap their wine glasses, signaling the bride and groom to kiss.


Think like your customer
FindingKing's passport to success is a relentless focus on the customer. "You have to learn to think like your customer. My early days calling on customers taught me a lot about that," says Mike.

Pride in offering quality and service has been a FindingKing mainstay from day one, and their high Feedback and Detailed Seller Ratings show it. A significant contributor to growth this year, says Dan, is a new milestone around shipping: Order by 2:00 PM and it ships the same day, seven days a week. Today the company can ship up to 250,000 items in a day and 95-99% of all orders ship the same day.

Even FindingKing's listing strategies are customer-focused. A team of six are devoted full time to "thinking like the customer," testing keywords in listing titles to optimize sales. The company uses all selling formats, Auction-style, Fixed Price, and Stores, and has developed complex formula's to find the most cost-effective ratio of fees and exposure.

They're doing a great job. It's not uncommon to see 10 FindingKing listings near the top of many relevant Best Match search results. Clearly, their items are getting to the right buyers.