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Never pay another auction listing fee

Never Pay another Listing Fee

We have talked to collectors who are unhappy with the recent changes at Beckett. We have also talked with collectors who have told us they are unhappy with the constant policy changes, fee hikes and overall poor customer service at Ebay. It’s obvious to us that there are a lot of collectors out there looking for a change and we want that change to be us.

SportsWanted.com is announcing that effective immediately we have eliminated listing fees for all auctions. That’s right NO MORE LISTING FEES. We believe that you shouldn’t have to pay just to list your item.

We are aware that this may cause some members to list their items with unrealistic starting and/or asking prices. We believe that over time these members will either become wise by starting to list their items at a real market value or they will simply give up. We won’t let a potential few bad apples ruin it for everyone else.
We are doing everything we can to let you know that change is good.


Feedback Results

We have spent the last several weeks speaking with collectors, card shop owners and card show promoters asking them how we can make SportsWanted.com the “go to” site for collectors. The most common topics were “listing fees” and “search engine optimization”.

First on our agenda was the “listing fee” issue. We know that in order to attract buyers we first need a good supply of sellers. In order to attract sellers we need LOW FEES. The question we posed was “How low is low enough?” And the answer that made most sense was FREE. By offering FREE auction listings we feel that we will continue to gain members who will in return list more auctions.

Next was the “search engine optimization” issue. We are currently working on rectifying this issue. We have heard time and time again that this is the key in making SportsWanted.com a viable contender in the marketplace. Of everything that has been discussed this issue is one that we are attacking head on. We are starting with Google and Yahoo as they are the top 2 search engines. We will keep you posted as we begin to see results.



Card Shop and Card Show Directories

Our directories continue to grow with new listings coming in daily. Our goal is to have the largest and most accurate directories available anywhere.
Remember having your business information in the directory is FREE. If you haven’t already done so and would like your business listed in our directory just send us the following information and we will have you up on the site today.

Card Shops:
Shop Name
Location (address, zip code, city and state)
Phone #
Contact Name ( if available )
Email ( if available )
Website ( if available )
Comments (anything you would like for your listing to say)

Card Shows:
Date/Dates (including show times)
Name of Venue/Location
Address (including city, state and zip code)
Contact Name ( if available )
Email ( if available )
# of Tables/Dealers
Website ( if available )
General Admission Price
Comments (anything you would like for your listing to say… how long you’ve been in business, what you specialize in, athletes that will be signing, etc…)


Around town

We still have about 18,000 auctions currently running on the site. We will be distributing almost 5,000 flyers advertising SportsWanted.com to collectors and dealers at various card shows across the country again this weekend. We have also just ordered another 30,000 flyers to hand out over the next several weeks.
I personally will be attending the MOARK Sports Show at Mid Rivers Mall in St. Peters, Mo. this weekend talking to dealers and collectors about the site. If you are planning on attending the show let me know by emailing me at allen@sportswanted.com, I would love to meet you in person.


“What’s New”

We add information to our “What’s New” section almost daily. We have information on some of the hottest products from:

• In The Game
• SportKings
• Upper Deck
• And now Fleer

We deal directly with the manufacturers so we can bring you the most current information available.


Our Mission

Our mission is to deliver a quality product at a low cost to our members. Our site was designed with the sports collector’s needs in mind. Anyone who has had any dealings with us knows that are commitment to customer service is only exceeded by our commitment to the hobby. We are here to help collectors find a place to have fun, research information, network and conduct business. As we have said before we are not out to conquer the market we are only out to help make it a better place.
If you have any questions and/or feedback about any of the information in this newsletter or about the site please email me at allen@sportswanted.com. Here at SportsWanted.com your opinion matters and we listen. Thanks for your support and we hope you enjoy the site.

Allen Masengill
www.SportsWanted.com
(866) 930-7180 ext.# 711

Comments

  • I started a new thread because the information is new. I'm also only posting this in this forum so please do not think I am trying to spam. I have received a lot of good feedback from the members here and I want to let everyone know where we are and what's going on at the site.
    Allen Masengill
    www.SportsWanted.com
    (866) 930-7180 ext.# 711
  • is anyone on this board using this service? i thought there were barely any listings?
  • There are a bunch of listing from 3 different sellers, but as far as anyone can tell there has not been an actual sell.

    What are they hiding by not having a completed items search? This is one of the features that helped Ebay get where it got and has been a killer of many similar sites. Potentional sellers want to be able to see results before investing time into listing.
  • mtcardsmtcards Posts: 3,340 ✭✭✭
    If the site gets up and running, with low listing fees, it could be an option, since there would be no risk in setting a MB.

    Unfortunately, what the site needs is BUYERS. I still have not seen one bid on any item yet.
    IT IS ALWAYS CHEAPER TO NOT SELL ON EBAY
  • RonBurgundyRonBurgundy Posts: 5,491 ✭✭✭
    I have no problem with people creating alternatives to Fleecebay. Good luck.
    Ron Burgundy

    Buying Vintage, all sports.
    Buying Woody Hayes, Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, and Jesse Owens autographed items
  • fur72fur72 Posts: 2,348 ✭✭
    Indeed, I am giving it a chance, I check quite a bit but have yet to see anything that catches my eye.
  • so has anyone actually sold anything on the site who frequents this board?
  • nam812nam812 Posts: 10,601 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>so has anyone actually sold anything on the site who frequents this board? >>



    Shut up newbie.
  • "is anyone on this board using this service?"
      We have several of the members from this site signed on as members on our site. We also have received countless advice and feedback from the members here and that is exactly what we need to improve the site and make it a true collector's community.

      "i thought there were barely any listings?"
        We do have just under 18,000 auctions and we are talking with a couple of other large volume listers from other sites who are very close to coming over. We knew when we set out that it would take some time to build the traffic on the site to get it where it is really effective for both buyers and sellers. This is also why we have the FREE trial going on right now and why we just went to the FREE auction listings.

        "There are a bunch of listing from 3 different sellers, but as far as anyone can tell there has not been an actual sell."
          It's true that we have 3 major members who are currently listing. Again I am working on persuading other large volume members as well as countless other small to medium listers. As for the sold auctions... We have had many auctions close sold in last 2 weeks and again I am looking into seeing if I can change the software for the search to include sold auctions.

          "Potential sellers want to be able to see results before investing time into listing."
            We have had over 30,000 hits on the since we launch less than 3 weeks ago. We have a fair amount of traffic we need more and more sellers. With our FREE trial promotion it only costs if the item sells. So they only thing the seller is out is time. Back in the day people took a chance on Ebay and it paid off... Well at least for them. My point is collectors can either decide to make a change, try and find a good site (which we are) and give them a chance or they can stay where they are and continue to complain about everything that goes on and do nothing about it.

            Give us a chance and tell us what we need to do to continue making this site a better place. I know that everyone is used to corporate sites that don't listen but that is not the case here. We have already proven that when you talk we do listen. After all this site is for you.
            Allen Masengill
            www.SportsWanted.com
            (866) 930-7180 ext.# 711
          • jrinckjrinck Posts: 1,321 ✭✭
            We all complain about how bad Ebay is, and how somebody should do something about it. This guy is doing something about it. If he's smart, he'll copy the good of Ebay (legally), and discard the bad. PSA should welcome sites like this since if we all stop selling and buying on Ebay, it's going to dry up the resale market of PSA cards, and people won't submit as much. So I hope PSA doesn't end these threads.

            If the site is done right, it will succeed. If it's done wrong it will fail. But the effort put into it should be encouraged.
          • KbKardsKbKards Posts: 1,782 ✭✭✭
            You better start loading items quick. Once they hit the
            MOARK Sports Show at Mid Rivers Mall in St. Peters, Mo.
            they'll be running out of hard disk space.
          • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
            Sounds like SW is pushing forward; that's good.

            "Free" listings are a good thing.

            SEO must be job-one. It is the ONLY way to make the thing fly.
            (Users can monitor progress on this front by entering listing
            titles into google. When SW is on the right track, you will see
            the listings returned early in google.)

            SW should talk to google and learn about google-base; and, get
            help in making any modifications required to facilitate the use of
            a "store connector" equivalent.

            Completed listings must be made transparent on SW.

            //////////

            Buyers WILL ONLY go where the sellers are.

            Look for value-added features to attract sellers.

            Building a price-index - similar to VCP - and giving it away FREE to
            buyers/sellers who meet certain LOW spending/listing minimums
            would be a monster leap, and might take SW to critical-mass FAST.

            //////////////////////


            Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
          • IronmanfanIronmanfan Posts: 5,525 ✭✭✭✭


            << <i>You better start loading items quick. Once they hit the
            MOARK Sports Show at Mid Rivers Mall in St. Peters, Mo.
            they'll be running out of hard disk space. >>



            image
            Successful dealings with Wcsportscards94558, EagleEyeKid, SamsGirl214, Volver, DwayneDrain, Oaksey25, Griffins, Cardfan07, Etc.
          • pandrewspandrews Posts: 7,598 ✭✭✭
            i just bought something on there.. i'm trying to figure out how to pay.. do i need to wait for an invoice?

            my purchase status says "processing" and "unpaid"
            ·p_A·
          • pandrewspandrews Posts: 7,598 ✭✭✭
            ttt for whats up.

            can i go ahead and pay for something or do i have to wait for an invoice?
            ·p_A·
          • I agree ... anyone who has been disappointed with ebay should be supportive of any honest effort to make an alternative.

            Personally I wish you good fortune. Stay true. Uphold service.

            cheers
          • DavemriDavemri Posts: 2,011 ✭✭✭
            I went to the site and typed in "PSA" and got exactly 0 hits

            FINISHED 12/8/2008!!!
            image
          • pandrewspandrews Posts: 7,598 ✭✭✭


            << <i>I went to the site and typed in "PSA" and got exactly 0 hits >>



            i saw one on there earlier, some kind of rickey henderson psa 8.. his search function must need some work still..
            ·p_A·
          • I tried a few listings and actually sold 2 items, both for the minimum bid. I found the end of sale process a bit difficult to figure out. I think I sent an invoice to my buyers, but I'm not sure, since there was no confirmation email. I'm also not sure what was in the invoice or instructions on how the buyers should pay. Is Paypal an option? I just found it confusing.

            I did not get very many page views, even though the listings in the basketball category were almost all mine (mostly 70s Topps stars and rookies). I relisted a few cards on Ebay and already have bids. So the site needs more buyers.

            There is way too much new stuff on the site and with the category breakdowns, any vintage or semi-vintage would get lost.

            I'll probably give it another shot since there are free listings, but I hope the checkout process gets less confusing.
            Always looking for T59 Flags.
          • BuccaneerBuccaneer Posts: 1,794 ✭✭
            i searched for PSA, as well as a few years prior to 1972 and got nothing. If this is just going to be a place for Beckett folks to dump their crap, then it would be no different than what that was.

            Plus, I still don't like the screen resolution. There is NO way we should have to scroll over to the right to see everything. Nearly every site has a default resolution at 1024x768.

            Other than that (plus having a completed auction search), I got the site bookmarked and will be following along.
          • In case anybody missed the earlier threads started by Sportswanted, here is a refresher.....

            Uno

            Dos

            Tres

            Quatro

            Cinco

            Seis

            Siete

            Ocho

            Nueve

            Diez

            Once

            Doce

            Trece

          • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭

            I went to the site and typed in "PSA" and got exactly 0 hits



            Dave I read earlier you need 4 letters for a key word search to work.


            Justin be nice.


            Steve
            Good for you.
          • so type in PSAPSA and see what happens image
          • I just returned home from the card show and see that I have many issues to address.

            First I would like to thank jrinck and TheHun for the positive feedback and well wishes. Very Nice!!

            KbKards… That was not nice and just wrong. Funny as hell but wrong. Tim Belk puts on a good show and draws a good crowd. Besides every show and every collector counts… Right?

            storm888… I love you feedback. You always keep it real and about business… No BS!! I’m glad you like the FREE listings and I am working on the SEO. If you have any tid bits to live by I would love to hear them as this is a new journey for me. It seems as if you are pretty versed in SEO so any help would be appreciated. You can email me at allen@sportswanted.com with anything you can think of… Thanks again!!

            Pandrews… The buyer has to invoice you so you know how to pay him. The forms of accepted payments are listed in the auction. I checked for you and it seems the seller takes money orders, personal checks and PayPal (BOO). I also contacted the seller for you letting him know that you are waiting for an invoice. If he doesn’t contact you soon just let me know and I will help out!! Hope this helps.

            Davemri… We are aware of the whole PSA search problem Our software is set up so that the search query has to be in strings that’s great only the strings has to be at least 4 characters long… So, PSA falls 1 short. I was thinking and I could create a special category for PSA cards. You know Baseball (PSA) or Baseball (graded) what do you think? Would this help to make graded cards more accessible? Let me know what you think. I also noticed your posting about HOF and only 3 to go. That is a perfect fit for a FREE wanted ad on our site. That is the most underused feature on the site. Since we don’t have any other wanted ads on the site yours would be on the home page as a featured ad. We have had over 30,000 hits on the site in the last 2 ½ weeks and it may be a perfect opportunity to reach out and find that missing card. I have suggested dealer’s use it as a way of telling people they by collections or whatever… Check it out and see what you think!!

            Ptper… Your right we do need more buyers. I believe that storm888 is right if we can bring more sellers to the site the buyers will come (more sellers = more buyers)!! I am glad to hear that you sold a couple of auctions. As far as payment from the buyer that is up to you. When you set up you auction you were able to choose what payments you accept. Unlike Ebay we do not have a vested stake so therefore we don not care how you and the buyer pay each other… OK I couldn’t resist that one. Anyway I checked and you listed that you accept PayPal (BOO), personal checks and money orders on both auctions. The first thing you have to do is invoice the buyer… That way he has you info to pay you. Then once you have received payment you simply go back in and check off that you have been paid. You also can click sent or problem it lets us know where you are in the process. Anytime there are new systems to learn it just takes doing it and then it’s like riding a bike. If you have any other problems or need any help do not hesitate to let me know and I will be happy to lend a hand. As for the whole vintage problem… Maybe we need to address this the same way I am suggesting we address the PSA problem. We can create custom categories for each sport… Baseball (Vintage), Football (Vintage)…etc. What do you think? This way the vintage cards will have their own place and not get lost with the commons and inserts. Let me know your thoughts. Also, I would like to thank you for saying that you are going to give us another chance. We know that building this site up will take time and patience. So thanks!!

            Buccaneer... Thanks for the bookmark and let me know your thoughts on the PSA or Graded category as an option.

            DrJ... What can I say? You also find a way to say it best. Any attention is good attention right? I'm not sure what you have against me... But thanks again for your words of wisdom!! You always find a way to make me feel warm and fuzzy!!

            WinPitcher... Same as above and you were right!!

            StopYurWhining... Creative but it won't work unless the person listing the auction uses PSAPSA in the auction listing. The custom category may be the best fix right now!!



            I would like to thank all the members here who have been supportive and let you know that you opinion matters. I have listened to everyone’s feedback and when possible I will fix or change the site to make it a better community for everyone to enjoy. You are the reason I built this site… Keep the feedback coming!!
            Allen Masengill
            www.SportsWanted.com
            (866) 930-7180 ext.# 711
          • yawie99yawie99 Posts: 2,575 ✭✭✭
            St. Peters - represent!
            imageimageimageimageimageimage
          • yawie99... Are you from St. Pete?
            Allen Masengill
            www.SportsWanted.com
            (866) 930-7180 ext.# 711
          • yawie99yawie99 Posts: 2,575 ✭✭✭
            No, but I live there now.
            imageimageimageimageimageimage
          • Allen,

            I got nothing against you or your site, and I actually hope you succeed. You should drop by and participate in the discussions once an awhile. When you just come to post advertisements for your website, it does not leave a warm and fuzzy feeling.


            In thread doce I presented the following




            "Couple of thoughts....

            The search function on your site is no where near as comprehensive as eBay's. To be a competitor you must do all of the baiscs as good as your competitor and then expand from that point. Completed auctions is a must.

            Not enough variation of product. As mentioned in an earlier thread there were a grand total of 8 Basketball Cards listed. I can go to eBay and find 40 listings just for Julius Erving.

            Establishing the site will take time, and if your fees are anywhere in the vicinity of eBay's for listing, you will not succeed as the cost/benefit is just not there with the limited traffic. "



            Dropping listing fees will go a long way towards encouraging more sellers. Good Move.

            You still need to get the search function worked out. PSA, SGC, GAI and BVG are all three letter grading services, so 3 letter searches are a must. Completed auctions is also a must. Remember to implement the functions from eBay which are successful, and skip those which are bothersome.

            Selection is still lacking especially in the Basketball department. Hopefully the lack of listing fees will draw more sellers out.


            J
          • J... I'll try to pop in more often. The problem I have right now is time. I'm not trying to make an excuse but I am doing about everything I can right now to launch this site and that is consuming about all my time.

            PSA, SGC, GAI and BVG are all grading companies so if the software will not allow me to allow a 3 letter search right now what about my idea on creating a custom category for graded cards. Do you think that will help? Then members can just click on say Baseball (Graded) and browse through all the graded items. What do you think?

            As for the selection I know that we need more buyers and especially sellers. My hope is that with the FREE listings and the special FREE trial promotion being extended through October now we can continue to get collectors to come on board and give us a chance. All of this will take some time. I promise you that I work at it everyday to push more and more people to the site as well as looking into ways at improving the site to make it a better community for the collectors that use it.

            The things you have addressed are all being looked into are their any other issues that you think will help the site succeed... If so, please let me know!!

            Thanks for the feedback and well wishes.
            Allen Masengill
            www.SportsWanted.com
            (866) 930-7180 ext.# 711
          • GriffinsGriffins Posts: 6,076 ✭✭✭
            I think a custom section for graded cards is critical, and should be broken into sub listings for era, and then again for grading company. If you can't find what you need without wading thru all the BVG crap it's going to turn people away, especially if so much of your listings are coming from the Beckett boards.

            Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's

          • pandrewspandrews Posts: 7,598 ✭✭✭


            << <i>Allen,

            I got nothing against you or your site, and I actually hope you succeed. You should drop by and participate in the discussions once an awhile. When you just come to post advertisements for your website, it does not leave a warm and fuzzy feeling.


            In thread doce I presented the following




            "Couple of thoughts....

            The search function on your site is no where near as comprehensive as eBay's. To be a competitor you must do all of the baiscs as good as your competitor and then expand from that point. Completed auctions is a must.

            Not enough variation of product. As mentioned in an earlier thread there were a grand total of 8 Basketball Cards listed. I can go to eBay and find 40 listings just for Julius Erving.

            Establishing the site will take time, and if your fees are anywhere in the vicinity of eBay's for listing, you will not succeed as the cost/benefit is just not there with the limited traffic. "



            Dropping listing fees will go a long way towards encouraging more sellers. Good Move.

            You still need to get the search function worked out. PSA, SGC, GAI and BVG are all three letter grading services, so 3 letter searches are a must. Completed auctions is also a must. Remember to implement the functions from eBay which are successful, and skip those which are bothersome.

            Selection is still lacking especially in the Basketball department. Hopefully the lack of listing fees will draw more sellers out.


            J >>



            LOL @ you pointing out everything he's already been told and is working on.. come up with something new.

            also, you look kinda foolish with your Ocho Cinco post.. give it up already..
            ·p_A·
          • pandrewspandrews Posts: 7,598 ✭✭✭


            << <i>PSA, SGC, GAI and BVG are all grading companies so if the software will not allow me to allow a 3 letter search right now what about my idea on creating a custom category for graded cards. Do you think that will help? Then members can just click on say Baseball (Graded) and browse through all the graded items. What do you think?
            >>



            do you have the source code to your software? i bet a simple code change somewhere would allow 3 letter searches..
            ·p_A·
          • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
            What google says about SEO:

            ///////////////////


            Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

            SEO is an acronym for "search engine optimization" or "search engine optimizer." Deciding to hire an SEO is a big decision that can potentially improve your site and save time, but you can also risk damage to your site and reputation. Make sure to research the potential advantages as well as the damage that an irresponsible SEO can do to your site. Many SEOs and other agencies and consultants provide useful services for website owners, including:

            Review of your site content or structure
            Technical advice on website development: for example, hosting, redirects, error pages, use of JavaScript
            Content development
            Managment online business development campaigns
            Keyword research
            SEO training
            Expertise in specific markets and geographies.

            Keep in mind that the Google search results page often includes paid advertising and free organic search results. Keep in mind that the Google search results page includes organic search results and often paid advertisement (denoted by the heading "Sponsored Links") as well. Advertising with Google won't have any effect on your site's presence in our search results. Google never accepts money to include or rank sites in our search results, and it costs nothing to appear in our organic search results. Free resources such as Webmaster Tools, the official Webmaster Central blog, and our discussion group can provide you with a great deal of information about how to optimize your site for organic search. Many of these free sources, as well as information on paid search, can be found on Google Webmaster Central.

            Before beginning your search for an SEO, it's a great idea to become an educated consumer and get familiar with how search engines work. We recommend starting here:

            Google Webmaster Guidelines

            Google 101: How Google crawls, indexes and serves the web.

            If you're thinking about hiring an SEO, the earlier the better. A great time to hire is when you're considering a site redesign, or planning to launch a new site. That way, you and your SEO can ensure that your site is designed to be search engine-friendly from the bottom up. However, a good SEO can also help improve an existing site.

            Some useful questions to ask an SEO include:

            Can you show me examples of your previous work and share some success stories?
            Do you follow the Google Webmaster Guidelines?
            Do you offer any online marketing services or advice to complement your organic search business?
            What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe? How do you measure your success?
            What's your experience in my industry?
            What's your experience in my country/city?
            What's your experience developing international sites?
            What are your most important SEO techniques?
            How long have you been in business?
            How can I expect to communicate with you? Will you share with me all the changes you make to my site, and provide detailed information about your recommendations and the reasoning behind them?
            While SEOs can provide clients with valuable services, some unethical SEOs have given the industry a black eye through their overly aggressive marketing efforts and their attempts to manipulate search engine results in unfair ways. Practices that violate our guidelines may result in a negative adjustment of your site's presence in Google, or even the removal of your site from our index. Here are some things to consider:

            Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that send you email out of the blue.
            Amazingly, we get these spam emails too:

            "Dear google.com,
            I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories..."
            Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about search engines as you do for "burn fat at night" diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators.

            No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.

            Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or by submitting a Sitemap and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.

            Be careful if a company is secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do.

            Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed entirely from Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you.

            You should never have to link to an SEO.

            Avoid SEOs that talk about the power of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines. These are typically useless exercises that don't affect your ranking in the results of the major search engines -- at least, not in a way you would likely consider to be positive.

            Choose wisely.

            While you consider whether to go with an SEO, you may want to do some research on the industry. Google is one way to do that, of course. You might also seek out a few of the cautionary tales that have appeared in the press, including this article on one particularly aggressive SEO:

            http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html.

            While Google doesn't comment on specific companies, we've encountered firms calling themselves SEOs who follow practices that are clearly beyond the pale of accepted business behavior. Be careful.

            Be sure to understand where the money goes.

            While Google never sells better ranking in our search results, several other search engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion results with their regular web search results. Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they "control" other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice. This scam doesn't work with Google because our advertising is clearly labeled and separated from our search results, but be sure to ask any SEO you're considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.

            What are the most common abuses a website owner is likely to encounter?

            One common scam is the creation of "shadow" domains that funnel users to a site by using deceptive redirects. These shadow domains often will be owned by the SEO who claims to be working on a client's behalf. However, if the relationship sours, the SEO may point the domain to a different site, or even to a competitor's domain. If that happens, the client has paid to develop a competing site owned entirely by the SEO.

            Another illicit practice is to place "doorway" pages loaded with keywords on the client's site somewhere. The SEO promises this will make the page more relevant for more queries. This is inherently false since individual pages are rarely relevant for a wide range of keywords. More insidious, however, is that these doorway pages often contain hidden links to the SEO's other clients as well. Such doorway pages drain away the link popularity of a site and route it to the SEO and its other clients, which may include sites with unsavory or illegal content.

            What are some other things to look out for?

            There are a few warning signs that you may be dealing with a rogue SEO. It's far from a comprehensive list, so if you have any doubts, you should trust your instincts. By all means, feel free to walk away if the SEO:

            owns shadow domains
            puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
            offers to sell keywords in the address bar
            doesn't distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear on search results pages
            guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway
            operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
            gets traffic from "fake" search engines, spyware, or scumware
            has had domains removed from Google's index or is not itself listed in Google
            requests your FTP account information or root access to your server
            If you feel that you were deceived by an SEO in some way, you may want to report it.

            In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices. To file a complaint, visit: http://www.ftc.gov/ and click on "File a Complaint Online," call 1-877-FTC-HELP, or write to:

            Federal Trade Commission
            CRC-240
            Washington, D.C. 20580
            If your complaint is against a company in a country other than the United States, please file it at http://www.econsumer.gov/.

            Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
          • stevekstevek Posts: 30,234 ✭✭✭✭✭


            << <i>What google says about SEO:

            ///////////////////


            Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

            SEO is an acronym for "search engine optimization" or "search engine optimizer." Deciding to hire an SEO is a big decision that can potentially improve your site and save time, but you can also risk damage to your site and reputation. Make sure to research the potential advantages as well as the damage that an irresponsible SEO can do to your site. Many SEOs and other agencies and consultants provide useful services for website owners, including:

            Review of your site content or structure
            Technical advice on website development: for example, hosting, redirects, error pages, use of JavaScript
            Content development
            Managment online business development campaigns
            Keyword research
            SEO training
            Expertise in specific markets and geographies.

            Keep in mind that the Google search results page often includes paid advertising and free organic search results. Keep in mind that the Google search results page includes organic search results and often paid advertisement (denoted by the heading "Sponsored Links") as well. Advertising with Google won't have any effect on your site's presence in our search results. Google never accepts money to include or rank sites in our search results, and it costs nothing to appear in our organic search results. Free resources such as Webmaster Tools, the official Webmaster Central blog, and our discussion group can provide you with a great deal of information about how to optimize your site for organic search. Many of these free sources, as well as information on paid search, can be found on Google Webmaster Central.

            Before beginning your search for an SEO, it's a great idea to become an educated consumer and get familiar with how search engines work. We recommend starting here:

            Google Webmaster Guidelines

            Google 101: How Google crawls, indexes and serves the web.

            If you're thinking about hiring an SEO, the earlier the better. A great time to hire is when you're considering a site redesign, or planning to launch a new site. That way, you and your SEO can ensure that your site is designed to be search engine-friendly from the bottom up. However, a good SEO can also help improve an existing site.

            Some useful questions to ask an SEO include:

            Can you show me examples of your previous work and share some success stories?
            Do you follow the Google Webmaster Guidelines?
            Do you offer any online marketing services or advice to complement your organic search business?
            What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe? How do you measure your success?
            What's your experience in my industry?
            What's your experience in my country/city?
            What's your experience developing international sites?
            What are your most important SEO techniques?
            How long have you been in business?
            How can I expect to communicate with you? Will you share with me all the changes you make to my site, and provide detailed information about your recommendations and the reasoning behind them?
            While SEOs can provide clients with valuable services, some unethical SEOs have given the industry a black eye through their overly aggressive marketing efforts and their attempts to manipulate search engine results in unfair ways. Practices that violate our guidelines may result in a negative adjustment of your site's presence in Google, or even the removal of your site from our index. Here are some things to consider:

            Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that send you email out of the blue.
            Amazingly, we get these spam emails too:

            "Dear google.com,
            I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories..."
            Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about search engines as you do for "burn fat at night" diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators.

            No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.

            Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or by submitting a Sitemap and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.

            Be careful if a company is secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do.

            Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed entirely from Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you.

            You should never have to link to an SEO.

            Avoid SEOs that talk about the power of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines. These are typically useless exercises that don't affect your ranking in the results of the major search engines -- at least, not in a way you would likely consider to be positive.

            Choose wisely.

            While you consider whether to go with an SEO, you may want to do some research on the industry. Google is one way to do that, of course. You might also seek out a few of the cautionary tales that have appeared in the press, including this article on one particularly aggressive SEO:

            http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html.

            While Google doesn't comment on specific companies, we've encountered firms calling themselves SEOs who follow practices that are clearly beyond the pale of accepted business behavior. Be careful.

            Be sure to understand where the money goes.

            While Google never sells better ranking in our search results, several other search engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion results with their regular web search results. Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they "control" other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice. This scam doesn't work with Google because our advertising is clearly labeled and separated from our search results, but be sure to ask any SEO you're considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.

            What are the most common abuses a website owner is likely to encounter?

            One common scam is the creation of "shadow" domains that funnel users to a site by using deceptive redirects. These shadow domains often will be owned by the SEO who claims to be working on a client's behalf. However, if the relationship sours, the SEO may point the domain to a different site, or even to a competitor's domain. If that happens, the client has paid to develop a competing site owned entirely by the SEO.

            Another illicit practice is to place "doorway" pages loaded with keywords on the client's site somewhere. The SEO promises this will make the page more relevant for more queries. This is inherently false since individual pages are rarely relevant for a wide range of keywords. More insidious, however, is that these doorway pages often contain hidden links to the SEO's other clients as well. Such doorway pages drain away the link popularity of a site and route it to the SEO and its other clients, which may include sites with unsavory or illegal content.

            What are some other things to look out for?

            There are a few warning signs that you may be dealing with a rogue SEO. It's far from a comprehensive list, so if you have any doubts, you should trust your instincts. By all means, feel free to walk away if the SEO:

            owns shadow domains
            puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
            offers to sell keywords in the address bar
            doesn't distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear on search results pages
            guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway
            operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
            gets traffic from "fake" search engines, spyware, or scumware
            has had domains removed from Google's index or is not itself listed in Google
            requests your FTP account information or root access to your server
            If you feel that you were deceived by an SEO in some way, you may want to report it.

            In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices. To file a complaint, visit: http://www.ftc.gov/ and click on "File a Complaint Online," call 1-877-FTC-HELP, or write to:

            Federal Trade Commission
            CRC-240
            Washington, D.C. 20580
            If your complaint is against a company in a country other than the United States, please file it at http://www.econsumer.gov/. >>



            I am very experienced in this and what works and doesn't work. One of my websites has been at the #1 spot in Google search for a few years now in a key category for its topic - I'm gonna leave it at that for this forum, but suffice to say that most if not all of these scam SEO companies will literally open up dozens of websites and links to each other so it initally appears to the Google search crawler that these are successful vibrant websites and should be high up in the Google search placement for their key words. The customers of these scam SEO companies are fooled because it will or may work for awhile - but then sooner or later, and it is usually sooner these days, the Google algorithm will detect these websites as spam type websites, which of course they are, and immediately zap them from Google search, or bury them in the hundreds or thousands down for their key words whereby nobody will click down that far to find them, rendering them basically useless.

            So yes, basically most if not virtually all of these SEO companies are a waste of money and actually windup being harmful to the search engine placement capability of your website, because when Google buries them, they bury your website as well if your website links back to these spam websites which the SEO company will insist you do link back to all of their websites.
          • KbKardsKbKards Posts: 1,782 ✭✭✭
            I just bought sportswantedwith3letters.com where you'll be able to search for graded cards with their 3 letter acronyms. You'll also be able to search for players with 3 letter names. Here are just some of the players you'll soon be able to search for.

            Ali
            Ane
            Atz
            Bay
            Cey
            Cox
            Day
            Dee
            Dye
            Fox
            Foy
            Ham
            Hay
            Hoy
            Jay
            Joe
            Jok
            Key
            Lau
            Law
            Lee
            Lum
            May
            Mix
            Nee
            Nen
            Nye
            Orr
            Ott
            Ply
            Ray
            Roe
            Roy
            Tew

          • stevekstevek Posts: 30,234 ✭✭✭✭✭


            << <i>In case anybody missed the earlier threads started by Sportswanted, here is a refresher.....

            Uno

            Dos

            Tres

            Quatro

            Cinco

            Seis

            Siete

            Ocho

            Nueve

            Diez

            Once

            Doce

            Trece >>



            Is that all? LOL
          • BuccaneerBuccaneer Posts: 1,794 ✭✭


            << <i>I think a custom section for graded cards is critical, and should be broken into sub listings for era, and then again for grading company. If you can't find what you need without wading thru all the BVG crap it's going to turn people away, especially if so much of your listings are coming from the Beckett boards. >>



            I very much agree with my friend Griffins. It has been mentioned that this should not become another Beckett Marketplace. It is going to take a while to build up customers because it is a chicken/egg type of thing. Several of us here are interested in seeing the sales of PSA/SGC cards but you won't get them unless those with such cards put up auctions and that buyers can get to them easily. Simply typing in PSA or SGC will be the easiest way but for now, I can see getting to all of the PSA or SGC cards in two clicks.

            I still bring up the issue of resolution and hope that can be addressed.
          • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭


            The site needs a BIG header that tells folks about the listing-fee change.
            Burying the announcement in the newsletter is no good.

            "Free Listings.......Forever!"

            See Newsletter For Full Details !


            ...............................................


            The three-letter search issue has to be solved. Immediately.
            (A graded-card category is a good add-on, but it is NOT a
            repair of the search problem.)

            If you don't know how to fix it, hire somebody who does.

            PSA or SGC is certainly in the TOP 20%+ of "first inquiries"
            that a brand-new customer might enter. No return on
            that query will cause MANY folks to exit ASAP.

            ...............................


            Time Management

            I know it's fun to go cruising around looking for buyers and sellers
            at shows and shops. At this point, it is a poor expenditure of time.

            ALL resources should be put into making the site look, work and
            feel the best it can.

            We must always judge the value of time-spent ONLY on results
            yielded. We have been beating the bushes and we ARE where
            we are. Put down the flyers and get in front of some screens
            with your tech/SEO people.

            In the long haul, learning to run the thing from a keyboard is
            MUCH more valuable than "talking to prospects."

            You cannot run a business that relies on the flat-world of the
            internet, by using techniques that "work" in the round-world.

            //////////////////////////////////////////////////

            If sellers are too lazy/busy to include pics in ALL of their listings,
            they should go elsewhere and pay a fee to list.

            A photo must be required in ALL listings. I don't care if the item
            sells for 25-cents; it still MUST be illustrated. Empty boxes make
            the site look incomplete and weak.

            //////////////////

            SPAM

            If you have friends/employees, have them get throw-away IDs
            at EBAY. They can use those as posting-IDs to recruit the VERY
            anxious and disgusted sellers at EBAY, by spamming the EBAY
            boards.

            Your spammers will be shut down quickly, so they will need
            several IDs. (LiveWorld is short-handed on weekends. The
            spammers will last longer on Saturday and Sunday.)

            The EBAY stock-discussion boards should also be constantly
            spammed. YHOO has the easiest boards to broadcast on.

            Variations of this LINGO:

            "My friend got tired of paying high fees and is now selling
            where listings are FREE, and selllers are treated respectfully.
            Take a look at sportswanted dot com. You can list all types
            of collectibles there, and traffic is expected to increase."

            and/or

            "I have found a new site to sell on that is FREE to list, and
            the sellers are treated respectfully. You can email me for
            the address. The site is new and is specializing in collectibles."


            Don't use links on any of the boards. Just: sportswanted dot com.


            (Make sure your spam contains no spelling errors, and is grammatically
            correct.)

            /////////////////////

            SEO

            No site can succeed w/o it.

            /////////////

            google-base

            Get the sellers hooked up with gb. This will be a stop-gap
            while you get the SEO right.

            You cannot sell stuff on the internet if you are NOT in google.

            (Way more than half of sales at most EBAY stores come from
            google and google-base.)

            CALL google on the phone. Ask them how YOU can best use
            google-base and store-connector to bring traffic to your site.
            They will pitch key-words, AND they will tell you how to use
            base. I would not buy any words at this time, but I would
            let them build me a sales-proposal. It will be jam-packed
            with clues that you can implement for FREE.

            I would also contact YHOO for their proposal.

            ///////////////////



            Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
          • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
            Also.............

            Build a fast facebook and myspace page.

            ///////////////

            register at

            everyplaceisell.com

            Make sure ALL site sellers are registered there, too.

            The Steiners own that site and it is going to be BIG.

            ////////////////////

            I agree with stevek that the average SEO-expert that
            has a click-ad is a scamster.

            Ina Steiner at auctionbytes.com has some lists of decent ones.
            Good ones are NOT real cheap.

            solas design is in SF, and they are honest, but not cheap.
            The folks who run solas also have blogs that you can find
            on google; they answer Qs and explain what is working
            and what is not.

            Also, some of the gurus on tuliptools.com ARE geniuses.

            /////////////////////
            Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
          • BuccaneerBuccaneer Posts: 1,794 ✭✭
            I agree with every point Storm has said.
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