Why is eBay launching ProStores?
As our sellers grow their businesses, we want to evolve with them and help them be successful. As these sellers look to experiment with ecommerce strategies outside of the eBay marketplace, we want to be able to provide them with a complete storefront solution.
ProStores is a fully featured online storefront product that allows sellers to easily create their own Web store with their own identity and branding, independent of the eBay marketplace. It gives sellers more control over their marketing costs by giving them more ways to reach buyers online. Most importantly for eBay sellers, it is fully integrated with eBay and PayPal.
How does ProStores integrate with eBay?
ProStores integrates with the eBay marketplace in the following ways. It allows sellers to:
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Copy their eBay listings directly into their ProStores product catalog
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List items directly from their ProStores web store to eBay, and also lets them
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Choose their listing format (Buy It Now or Auction-style), duration, product type, and description, and save this for future listings.
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Schedule listings to post to eBay at a specific time and date.
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View eBay's category structure within their ProStores website.
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Display eBay listings on their ProStores web store
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Manage eBay listings from their ProStore web store, including the ability to
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Review eBay listing details from within their store administration area.
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Get an at-a-glance view of their live, closed and completed listings.
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Manage payment, shipping and inventory for eBay transactions.
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Use PayPal as a payment option in 2 ways
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Allows PayPal members to make purchases using their PayPal account.
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Use PayPal Website Payments Pro as a payment gateway to manage all credit card transactions, including those from non-PayPal members.
How is ProStores different from eBay Stores?
ProStores offers a fully-featured Web store that can be customized specifically for each online seller. Unlike an eBay Store, ProStores sites are accessed through a URL unique to the seller and have no eBay branding. ProStores sellers are also responsible for driving their own traffic. While items on ProStores sites will sell at fixed prices only, they can also be easily listed onto the eBay marketplace in either the auction or Fixed Price formats.
How do I open a ProStore?
It's easy to open a ProStores web store and start selling. Depending on which ProStores tier you choose, you could be ready to go in less than 30 minutes. Please visit www.prostores.com to start your ProStores web store.
How much does it cost to open and operate a ProStores Web store?
There is a monthly subscription fee and a Successful Transaction Fee for sold items. These vary by ProStores tier, with the monthly subscription fees ranging from $6.95 - $249.95. The Successful Transaction Fees range from 0.5% - 1.5% for sold items. View product pricing for all tiers.
In addition to the above pricing, there are currently three promotional offers for ProStores:
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Sign up now for a one month free trial subscription to ProStores.
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If you sign up for a ProStores online store by October 3, 2005, you will pay no Successful Transaction Fees until January 1, 2006.
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eBay Stores subscribers receive a 30% discount on the ProStores monthly subscription fee.
To learn more about the terms and conditions of these offers, please view ProStores product pricing .
Can I use my own domain name?
Yes. As part of the sign-up process, we will help you register your own domain name or transfer an existing domain name.
I don't know HTML or Web design. Can I use ProStores?
Absolutely. ProStores uses templates and wizards to help you quickly and easily build an attractive, feature-rich store even if you don't have a background in web design or HTML.
I already have a website. Can I use my existing design with ProStores?
Yes. You can upload an old design, create completely original content, or choose from over 100 design templates, letting you customize the design of your store any way you want. You can give your own look and feel to everything seen by the shopper, including products, shopping cart, invoices, and shipping notices.
What kinds of payments can I accept from customers through my ProStores web store?
All ProStores tiers are integrated with payment solutions offered by PayPal. If you sign up for Business tier or above, you can choose from other payment processors. Depending on the ProStores tier you subscribe to, you may also be able to accept credit cards, electronic checks, traditional checks/money orders, certified checks, cash on delivery, purchase orders, and department orders. Configuring the payment options for your store is as simple as selecting your desired payment options from a list.
Can I refer to my ProStores items in my eBay Store, or from my listings on eBay?
No. The standard eBay links policies apply on all listings and to all eBay Stores. For policy purposes, a ProStore Web store is considered to be "outside of eBay" as defined in the links policy. Therefore, linking to a ProStore Web store from any seller-controlled eBay page other than the About Me or About the Seller page is not allowed.
Does the Store Referral Credit still apply if someone buys an eBay-listed item from my ProStores web store?
Your ProStores web store, like any other non-eBay online storefront you operate, is considered separate from your eBay Store. Therefore, all of the regular rules of the Store Referral Credit program apply to your traffic driven from your ProStores web store. To learn more about the Store Referral Credit, please visit this page.
Do sellers have to pay eBay insertion and Final Value Fees if they list their item on eBay using ProStores?
Yes, all eBay listing fees do apply regardless of where the eBay listing is created. If a buyer commits to an item on eBay and then pays for the item through the ProStores checkout, the seller is liable for eBay Final Value Fees but will not have to pay the ProStores Successful Transaction Fees for that sale.
As stated in question 10 as well, for policy purposes, a ProStore Web (online) store is considered to be "outside of eBay" as defined in the links policy . Therefore, linking to a ProStore Web store from any seller-controlled eBay page other than the About Me or About the Seller page is not allowed.
Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.
