Open a Shop

 

What Results Can You Expect From Selling Online?

Although we host online shops for serious minded, professional business owners, antique malls, vintage stores and fine art galleries, many successful shops on Ruby Lane are also run by part-time individuals who work from home, and very small businesses. Some engage in online selling as a part-time endeavor, to supplement their income, while others do it full time. Not everyone considers themselves to be a professional antiques dealer or jewelry designer. However, we do have some specific requirements concerning the type of antiques, collectibles and jewelry items that qualify to be listed in the shops in each Lane and these guidelines often will assist non-professionals in focusing their shop inventory in a professional direction.

Before you decide whether to sell online with us, we hope you consider the following key issues carefully regarding doing business online, and operating any successful business:

• Commitment to Your Online Shop

  E-commerce sales success does not happen overnight. It is a process that takes time. The Internet is a wonderful and powerful tool, and it is easy to assume that it will bring instant success. However, the laws of any business environment still apply - few businesses are flooded with orders the first day, or even the first month they open for business. Running a successful e-commerce business takes commitment. Of course Ruby Lane allows you the venue, the template, the tools and yes, the quality visitor traffic to make this a reality. However it still takes time to get people to stop in to your individual online shop and buy. It is important to note that many extremely successful veteran Ruby Lane shops sold their very first item a month - or two - after opening, sometimes longer.

  We advise against shops opening with the intent to quickly sell some items they've recently acquired, hoping to get in, and get out, fast. This won't bring you results and this is not how Ruby Lane is designed to function.

  Why is this true? First of all, it will take a little time for potential online customers to find you. It can take several days or weeks for the major search engines to index your shop's items, and it is not possible to know where these will come up in the searches once this takes place.

• Setting Up Your Shop Right from the Start

  Having a high quality shop presentation is crucial. Shops with bright, clear, crisp item photos that show every angle of the item enjoy greater online sales success. Your shop's item listings should also include well-composed, keyword-relevant item titles and descriptions that thoroughly and accurately describe the item. And it's extremely important to take full-advantage of your shop's About Us section. Doing so lends important credibility to both shop visitors and the search engines.

• Adding Items is the Key to E-Commerce Success

  Some shops make the mistake of adding all their items at once, then waiting. The more successful shops add new items frequently. This gives you more exposure on our home page and higher placement in the Ruby Lane search engine, both of which are driven by the number of new items added. The major search engines such as Google and Yahoo also take into account whether your shop is being updated with new items when determining where your shop will fall in search results.

• Keep Your Shop Updated

  It is crucial to fine-tune your shop on a continual basis. Continuing to add items not only increases your standing in the Ruby Lane searches, but offers customers a dynamic shop that pulls them in, with an interesting, ever-changing selection to choose from. Our most successful shops work on their shop all the time. They continually strive to improve their overall shop presentation by updating photos as their photography skills improve, and as they see what item descriptions work best. These shops also make good use of their About Us section, which they keep fresh and updated with news, testimonials and other information.

• Winning the Trust of Prospective Customers
  If you are new to selling online, it is important to understand that it takes time to develop a loyal clientele that knows you and your shop offerings, and trusts you as a valued online resource. Many of our most successful shops tell us that repeat customers are a significant portion of their business, and when you're new, you simply don't have these - yet. Once customers find you, if they see that you're fairly new, they may watch and wait until they see you've been around a while before they will jump in and buy. There's really no way around this. It simply takes time.

• Professional Conduct - Timely Response
  Many Ruby Lane shop owners do this as a part-time endeavor. They also have a day job. Nevertheless, your Ruby Lane shop is viewed by prospective buyers as a business. Ruby Lane shop owners are expected to check email regularly, and to respond to customer inquiries and needs in a timely, and professional manner. Ruby Lane offers the convenient "Vacation Mode" for shops who cannot respond while they are out of town, or due to illness or other reason.

• The Ruby Lane Secret Shopper Program
  To help ensure the professionalism of our shops, Ruby Lane employs an ongoing Secret Shopper Program. Our secret shoppers randomly shop the site throughout the year and make purchases. They then evaluate the experience based on such criteria as the quality of communication, shipping and response times and whether the item was accurately described to name just a few. If the experience does not meet expectations Ruby Lane privately and constructively lets the shop owner know.

• Research and Price It Right
  If you're a new shop and have yet to build a reputation as an expert in your category, it's not likely that people are going to spend top dollar in your shop - yet. We highly recommend that you research online to make sure your shop's items are appropriately priced for the online marketplace. We recommend that you include some less expensive items too, which reduces the risk to buyers that may be wary of a brand new shop. After you have been on Ruby Lane for a while, buyers will feel more confident spending higher dollar amounts in your shop as your reputation grows.

• Understanding The Products You're Selling
  Another crucial aspect of successfully selling online is the importance of knowing as much as possible about the antique, collectible, and jewelry items you've chosen to offer and conveying this fact to browsing customers. Doing so lends credibility to you and your shop, and ensures that your items are listed, described, and priced correctly in order for them to sell. A good way to research your items is to visit other Ruby Lane shops as well as sites that specialize in a particular category. Visit shows and other online sellers including auction sites, and study industry price guides. Ask questions wherever you go. New reproductions of popular antiques and collectibles have become a serious and ongoing problem for dealer and collector alike. While some may feel that reproductions have a decorative purpose, this type of item cannot be sold on Ruby Lane.

• Online Selling Patterns Can Vary
  Just as with most businesses of any type, there are often periods when sales are fantastic, then other periods when they are slower. These inevitable shifts can change by the month, and can be influenced by such factors as the economy, the weather, and the time of year, to name a few. Generally, the successful businesses are committed to waiting out any slow periods, poised to reap the benefits of the next upturn.

• A Fixed Price Venue
  If you're used to selling through online auctions, you'll find that selling on Ruby Lane is different. At an auction, the item goes for the highest price bid on by the customer. In actuality, the marketplace automatically tells you what it will sell for. By contrast, Ruby Lane is a retail venue where you must set the price when you list an item for sale in your shop. It is again important to research the marketplace to be sure your prices are appropriate and competitive. Another useful pricing tool is the optional Ruby Lane Make-An-Offer tool which allows potential customers to offer you a lower price than you are asking. This can be useful in helping shops gauge what people are willing to pay for an item.

• Commitment to Marketing
  Ruby Lane offers a wide variety of marketing tools to help shop owners succeed. This includes an affordable customized Business Card Program, a wide selection of marketing materials such as tote bags, flyers and postcards, a Co-Op Advertising Program for individual shops who do their own advertising as well as group advertising in Maine Antique Digest. This includes a customer Business Card Program, a wide selection of marketing materials such as tote bags, flyers and postcards, a Co-Op Advertising Program for individual shop advertising as well as group advertising in Maine Antique Digest. We also offer Shop Clique, the monthly shop marketing newsletter that contains marketing tips, how to videos and more. Once you've opened, you'll want to utilize many of these marketing tools. Developing an individual marketing program that works for you will be an evolving process for as long as you have your shop.

Like anything, learning to sell successfully online takes time. We hope you consider these issues carefully before deciding whether or not to open and sell with us.

Some brief information to get started:

• There are 4 steps to create your shop.
• All data entered now can be changed or added later, so don't worry about making mistakes now or leaving some optional fields blank.
• Until we officially open your shop, only you and the Ruby Lane staff can see it.
• You need to keep at least 10 different items in your shop at all times.
• We encourage all sellers to give our shops a test run.
• Our help link is at the top of every page.
• And most important, all items in your shop must fall in one or more of these Lanes:

  Antiques: Antiques items must be high quality pieces that are 100 years old or older. more details in new window

  Books: Book items must be at least 20 years old, of high quality, authentic, and not reproductions. more details in new window

  Vintage Collectibles: Vintage Collectibles items must be true collectibles, at least 20 years old, of high quality, authentic, and not reproductions. more details in new window

  Dolls: Dolls, doll accessories and doll related items must be true collectibles, at least 20 years old, of high quality, authentic, and not reproductions. more details in new window

  Fine Art: Fine Art items must be high quality original, or numbered limited edition pieces of signed or authenticated art such as paintings, sculptures, drawings, photos, or ceramics. No reproductions are allowed. more details in new window

  Glass: Glass items must be at least 20 years old, of high quality, authentic, and not reproductions. more details in new window

  Antique & Vintage Jewelry: Antique & Vintage Jewelry items must be jewelry pieces and meet the guidelines for either Antiques Lane or Vintage Collectibles Lane. more details in new window

  Artisan Jewelry: Artisan Jewelry items must be high quality, unique and handcrafted artisan jewelry or artisan components made by the shop's owner. more details in new window

  Porcelain: Porcelain items must be at least 20 years old, of high quality, authentic, and not reproductions. more details in new window

  Postcards: Postcard items must be at least 20 years old, of high quality, authentic, and not reproductions. more details in new window

  Pottery: Pottery items must be at least 20 years old, of high quality, authentic, and not reproductions. more details in new window

  Silver: Silver items must be at least 20 years old, of high quality, authentic, and not reproductions. more details in new window

  Vintage Clothing & Accessories: Vintage Clothing & Accessory items must be at least 20 years old, of high quality, authentic, and not reproductions. more details in new window

It's easy, so let's start!

 

         Please Wait...  

Help! Tell me more about Ruby Lane Shops before registering
(opens new browser window)