eBay PartnerNetwork Blog

Due to the overwhelming success & popularity of Beach Camera TVs during the June coupon event, Beach Camera is going big this July with two coupons that mark down the low prices on their TVs even further. Currently there are 230 different TVs in the Beach Camera eBay store, and while some may be refurbished, many of these units are brand new and come with complete factory warranties. A majority of these TVs(almost all of them) are also listed with Free Shipping. The two coupon codes for the promotion are:

CBEACHCAML – Save an additional 10% on all TV’s priced under $2000. $200 maximum discount.

CBEACHCAMH – Save an additional 15% on all TVs priced $2000 and above. $375 maximum discount.

The best part about this deal, is that eBay Partner Network affiliates are given a five day head start, as onsite promotions will not begin until July 6. The main landing page for this promotion is here and will be live on July 1st, 2010. Both of these coupon offers are good from July 1-30, 2010, or while supplies last. PayPal payment method required to redeem the coupon. Please note these coupon codes are only valid on TV purchases made at the Beach Camera eBay store. In order to create eBay Partner Network links to this offer, please use the Link Generator Tool with the custom url or item id options.

- The eBay Partner Network Team

The globe is abuzz with FIFA fever, and it’s been an exciting Cup so far! The month-long soccer (or football, to the rest of the world) tournament is in full swing and there’s still time to score some extra revenue by creating a tie-in to some of the most sought after World Cup items found on eBay.

With increased listings for soccer and World Cup during the first two weeks of the games, sellers are capitalizing on the attention brought to the event that only happens once every four years. Memorabilia, clothing and collectibles are hot, along with high-priced tickets to view the matches.

Whether watching the matches live or on television, spectators are no doubt familiar with vuvuzelas, the buzzing South African horns. These instruments weren’t even on our radar a month ago, but listings have skyrocketed since the games began. The same goes for the Adidas Jabulani, the World Cup 2010 Official Match Ball that has been used during all of the games.

With international audiences cheering on their favorite teams, bids and listings for the teams still in the hunt have been increasing as the games play out. Who knows what team will take home the cup, but if the competition was measured by eBay listings, USA and Mexico would be neck and neck, with Argentina and Germany following closely behind. Buyers also seem to have taken an interest in the host country, as items from South Africa – not limited to World Cup memorabilia – have surged since May.

Although defending champ Italy was favored over Slovakia with 6:1 odds, the underdog came out on top, unexpectedly knocking Team Italia out of contention. Italian fans might find a little bit of solace in knowing that their merchandise is much more popular with eBay users, with nearly 25 times as many items listed. However, if Slovakia continues to do well, listings may follow suit.

By keeping an eye on the games and thinking of ways to capitalize on the excitement of the World Cup and other current events, you’ll catch the attention of both current and new website visitors. And by tapping into the buzz, eBay affiliates should be able to score some financial GOOOOOOAAAAAAALS!!!!

The eBay Partner Network Team

WordPress offers many useful plug-ins that can simplify your daily tasks. We’ve listed ten here that we think you should check out that may help streamline your business (in no particular order):

1. Platinum SEO Pack automates search engine optimization for WordPress blogs. Some of the features of this plug-in include:
   
   
   • Optimized Post and Page Titles for search engines
   • Generates all SEO relevant META tags automatically
   • Helps you avoid duplicate content
   • Add index, noindex, follow or nofollow, noarchive, nosnippet, noodp, noydir meta tags to any post/page
2. GoCodes is great for affiliate marketers, as it allows you to mask long affiliate program URLs and have those URLs blend in with your site more seamlessly by allowing you to create the URL to look like an extension of your own domain name.




3. Robots Meta is a helpful plug-in that allows you to control which of your pages are indexed.




4. SMS Text Message is an interesting widget that you can incorporate into your WordPress site, which allows your visitors to submit their cell phone number and receive updates and alerts from you via SMS.




5. TestIt is a great tool for those of you A/B split testers. This plug-in allows you to perform tests on variations of posts and then see which post generated more clicks within the WordPress Admin.




6. Google Analyticator makes it possible to utilize Google Analytics without having to implement the actual tracking code to your site. In addition, it also includes widgets that will display data right in the WP Admin.




7. BackType Tweetcount allows your visitors to easily retweet a link to your post without forcing them to authorize the program to access their Twitter account by providing their username and password to do so. This plug-in also shows you how many times your posts are being mentioned in Twitter.




8. WP-Affiliate makes it simple to mask affiliate links and now has the ability to search Commission Junction and track clicks.




9. Insights is a great tool to search, edit and insert links easily into your posts. You can also insert images, videos and more with this plug-in.




10. WordPress.com Stats is a simple way to view and analyze only the stats that really matter to writers. It includes a link in your WP Admin where you can see all of this data on a single page.

As always, if there are WordPress plug-ins that you couldn’t live without, please feel free to leave a comment and share with us what you find to be most useful.

The eBay Partner Network Team

Summer has officially begun and you can get your designer shades at eBay’s Fashion Vault, where Derek Lam, MODO, NETJETS, FABIEN BARON and Jennifer Creel sunglasses will be up to 60% off retail prices! This sale takes place Monday, June 21st at 9am PDT through Wednesday, June 23rd at 9pm PDT. Make sure to check the Fashion Vault for updated information and specific sale items.

Additional 20% Off
You can take an additional 20% off your purchase when you enter code CMDFASHIONVAULT at checkout. This coupon is valid Monday, June 21st only.

How to Promote eBay’s Fashion Vault
You will be able to promote this exciting flash sale in several ways:

• Dynamic Banners in sizes 160×600, 300×250 and 728×90, under the Clothing, Shoes, & Accessories Category in the Creative Generator.
• You can access the Fashion Vault XML Feed.
• Use the Link Generator Tool with the Custom URL or Item ID options to link directly to sale items.
• Use seller id: Stylepremium for the RSS Feed Generator and Custom Banner.

Happy Promoting!
The eBay Partner Network Team

Now you can promote merchandise alongside the release of one of the most anticipated children’s movies of the summer. June 18th will be the debut of ‘Toy Story 3’ by Disney and Pixar films. Coordinated with this date, eBay has worked directly with Disney to stock their eBay store with ‘Toy Story’ inventory. This includes items in the following categories: toys, apparel, home & décor, and collectibles.

Prices range from $149.95 for a programmable Buzz Lightyear Figure to $1.99 for a Disney ‘Toy Story’ bowl. As part of the promotion, the banner below will appear in all searches in the Disney store, and a small flash widget will display ‘Toy Story 3’ items for sale, through the end of June.

Promotion Ideas

• The ideal place to direct your interested ‘Toy Story 3’ shoppers would be the ‘Toy Story Landing Page’ in the eBay Disney Store.



• You may also want to send traffic directly to the Disney Store.
• Other popular Character searches in the Disney store include:
  WALL-E, Handy Manny, Cars, Tinker Bell, Pooh, Princesses, and Mickey
• Use the Custom Banner and advanced settings to limit products to the eBay Seller ID ‘Disney’
• Customize an RSS feed with Seller ID ‘Disney’ and search term ‘Toy Story,’ and then use Widgetbox to create a custom widget.
• Use the Link Generator to promote specific popular products such as:
• The Toy Story 3 Western Train Lego Play Set
• The Toy Story 3 Bullseye Action Figure
• The Toy Story 3 Rex Action Figure
• The Toy Story 3 Twitch Action Figure
• The Toy Story 3 Chunk Action Figure
  Or, the ever-popular
• Ultimate Programmable Buzz Lightyear Figure
• Remind buyers of the Disney Guarantee: “If you are not completely satisfied with your Disney product, you can return it for an exchange, refund, or merchandise credit.”
• You can also use this logo below or the image above in conjunction with any ‘Toy Story 3’ promotions on your site.

Good luck and Happy Promoting!
The eBay Partner Network Team

Many of you are interested in attending educational conferences to learn techniques to grow your online businesses. With that in mind, we have put together a list of some upcoming events that you might consider attending.

July

PubCon Masters Group Search and Social Media Training is a one day event in Austin, TX on July 21. This day long workshop is a great opportunity to learn more about search engine optimization tactics, such as long-tail search targeting, link-building campaigns and more. Or, if you’re more interested in their social media track, you can attend sessions on reputation management, social media landing page conversion and other social media topics. Whichever track you choose, you are sure to find useful information at this jam-packed seminar.

Registration Information for PubCon Masters Group Search and Social Media Training:

Where: Downtown Radisson Hotel and Suites
When: July 21
Pricing: $1,199

August

Affiliate Summit East is taking place in New York City August 15-17. For those of you that have not attended an Affiliate Summit in the past, this is the largest conference dedicated solely to affiliate marketing in the United States. Whether you are an internet marketing novice, or are an affiliate marketing master, Affiliate Summit offers several tracks from beginner to advanced, so that every attendee can learn and grow from the sessions offered. For more information about Affiliate Summit, including a breakdown of the type of attendees and more, take a look at their site.

Registration Information for Affiliate Summit:

Where: Hilton New York
When: August 15-17, 2010
Pricing: Diamond Pass ($2,249), Platinum Pass ($1,249), Gold Pass ($549), Silver Pass ($249)

*Some of our team members will be attending Affiliate Summit East, we look forward to connecting with new and current partners there!

SES San Francisco will be taking place August 16-20. Search Engine Strategies is now in its 12th year and is the foremost conference to learn more about search engine marketing, including both SEO and PPC. SES is full of sessions covering topics such as keyword research, link building, PPC management and so much more.

Registration Information for SES San Francisco:

Where: The Moscone Center
When: August 16-20, 2010
Early Bird Pricing (through July 30th): Platinum Passport ($1,695), Two-Day Pass ($1,195), One-Day Pass ($845), Expo Only Pass (FREE In Advance)

September

Performance Marketing Expo is a new conference where Affiliate Marketing and Performance Marketing meet. This show takes place in Miami Beach, FL September 27-29. The Performance Marketing Expo differentiates itself from other industry conferences by facilitating numerous networking events to allow attendees to foster new relationships and to cultivate business partnerships.

Registration Information for Performance Marketing Expo:

Where: Miami Beach, FL
When: September 27-29
Pricing (through August 20th): All-Access ($1,695), Elite ($1,195), Executive ($695), Associate ($129)

As always, we hope that this information is helpful to you. If there are other conferences going on this summer that we didn’t highlight here and are worth checking out, please feel free to share them with us through the comments!

To your continued success,
The eBay Partner Network Team

Hi All,

We’re proud to announce that eBay has won the Innovative Merchant Award at the A4U Affiliate Marketing Awards, held in London last night. http://www.a4uawards.com/

The award was judged by a panel of UK industry experts and here’s what they had to say about Quality Click Pricing: “Judges were impressed by eBay’s smart implementation and commended their bravery in offering a sophisticated and clever algorithm which encouraged affiliates to work in a way that better served the advertiser’s business objectives.”

The event itself was very glamorous, starting with a champagne reception, followed by dinner and a comedy set from Kevin Bridges, the up and coming Scottish comedian. It was also fantastic to see so many of our affiliates at the event and we were happy to see some of them win awards themselves.

Thanks to the judges and especially to all our publishers for making Quality Click Pricing a success! Finally congratulations to all the other winners – all thoroughly deserved!

The European Affiliate team

April showers may bring May flowers, but June really knows how to party. There’s plenty to celebrate in the first month of summer with high school graduations, Father’s Day and summer weddings in full bloom. By thinking ahead and tying these special occasions into your site content and promoting some of the most sought-after items of the season, you’ll be able to catch the eyes of visitors who need to pick up that perfect gift for dad, grad or the happy couple’s new pad. We’ve raked through the data to give you insight into today’s hot sellers.

Congrats Grad
Parents who want to get the graduation party started are digging through the Home & Garden category to find deals on balloons, tableware and serveware. To make sure their newly independent child makes it to all their college classes, they are stocking up on the a.m. essentials, alarm clocks and coffee. And of course, every student needs a laptop and an iPhone so they can contact the ‘rents when they run out of money or clean clothes.

Father Knows Best
Dad puts a lot of sweat equity into cultivating the greenest lawn on the block, and wants to keep it that way throughout the summer. Hot sellers in the Home & Garden category include weed control, sprinkler timers and controllers, and seeders, sprayers & spreaders. For those with dads who’d rather spend time playing on someone else’s green grass, the Sporting Goods category is a popular choice for golf clubs, headcovers, clothing and shoes. Children and wives of men who prefer to spend the weekend on water instead of land have been searching for pool pumps, marine audio speakers and fly fishing flies.

Over the Threshold
Brides searching for unique touches to enhance their special day are looking for wedding decorations, cake toppers and favors. Frugally minded guests looking to snag an affordable item from the registry without stepping foot in the store are scouring eBay for home décor gifts from retailers Ikea and Pottery Barn. And unconventional Aunt Millie has been searching for a unique gift to brighten the home of the happy couple, such as an oil painting, woven rug or antique mirror.

Now that you know what buyers are craving this season, take advantage of it! Use the Link Generator Tool to promote these popular search terms and give your readers a clear and direct path to the search results. By tying into these hot trends and highly sought after items, you might be able to tap into additional revenue potential as an eBay affiliate!

Happy Promoting!
The eBay Partner Network Team

On June 1st, eBay launched its first-ever “seller coupon event,” which will run through June 21st. With this event, eBay buyers will have the opportunity to take advantage of coupons from 15 participating sellers (including well known PowerSellers), across a wide variety of eBay categories. Coupons will be available to ALL eBay buyers who pay with PayPal!

Event Details

• Campaign Dates: June 1 – June 21
• Offers: vary (range from 5% to 25% off select items, $300 max discount per coupon)
• Redemption period: expires at 11:59 PM PDT on June 21, 2010
• Coupon Usage: up to 3 transactions allowed per coupon code per user ID, no minimum purchase amounts, must pay with PayPal; coupon applied to highest price coupon-eligible item in checkout
• Redemption codes: vary by seller – 15 different codes

Here is a sampling of sellers and their coupons:

• eForCity offers select electronics accessories up to 25% off with coupon code CEFORCITYJN
• 3ballsGolf offers select golf equipment up to 15% off with coupon code C3BALLSGOLFJN
• tak rugs offers select rugs up to 20% off with coupon code CTAKRUGSJN
• SmartBargains offers a wide variety of Clothing and Home products up to 15% off with coupon code CSMARTBARGAINSJN
• poor fish offers select outdoor gear up to 10% off with coupon code CPOORFISHJN
• total gym outlet offers select gym equipment up to 25% off with coupon code CTOTALGYMJN
• TigerDirect offers select electronics items up to 5% off with coupon code CTIGERDIRECTJN

All coupons are valid through June 21, 2010

Customers can access the “coupon hub page” for a complete listing of all available offers associated with this event.

Customers should be encouraged to “copy and paste” applicable coupon codes from the hub page to their PayPal checkout page, to ensure discounts are applied correctly. FAQ’s related to this procedure are available on eBay.com by clicking here.

To your continued success,
The eBay Partner Network Team

Beginning Tuesday, June 1st, at 9:00am PDT, eBay’s Fashion Vault will have American Apparel products up to 60% off retail prices through Thursday, June 3rd at 9pm PDT! Make sure to check the Fashion Vault for updated information and specific sale items.

About American Apparel
American Apparel is a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor and retailer, based in downtown Los Angeles, California. The company operates the largest garment factory in the United States, at a time when most apparel production has moved offshore. With recently opened stores in China, American Apparel is now selling Made in USA clothing in the largest consumer market in the world. American Apparel leverages art, design and technology to advance the business process, while continuing to pioneer industry standards of social and environmental responsibility in the workplace.

How to Promote eBay’s Fashion Vault
You will be able to promote this exciting flash sale in several ways:

• Dynamic Banners in sizes 160×600, 300×250 and 728×90.
• You can access the Fashion Vault XML Feed.
• Use the Link Generator Tool with the Custom URL or Item ID options to link directly to sale items.

Happy Promoting!
The eBay Partner Network Team