Support your eBay efforts with web pages and photo albums

EAPH hosting includes web page hosting and even domain hosting if you desire. You may create web pages using FreeForm or the Template Helper and publish them in your own web space. Access to those pages over the Internet is automatically enabled via addresses (URLs) like this:

Own your own domain for less than $10.00 per YEAR! You may learn everything you need to know about Internet domain names and how to register to obtain them here: http://www.icann.org/faq (opens in new window). Although many hosting services offer to register domains on your behalf if you do it yourself you will not require the cooperation of the current host to transfer it. Feel free to write to me if you have questions: rob@robshelp.com

http://www.yourmembername.eaph5.com/pagename.htm

and, if you have registered an Internet domain your hosting can be set up to also work with addresses like this:

http://www.yourdomainname.com/pagename.htm

Either way, here are some things you can and can't do with web pages in conjunction with eBay:

1. From an item description on eBay you may link to a page that displays photos of the item you are selling as long as the page displaying the photos does not offer, or link to, a site that offers a product or service for sale off eBay. In effect, by linking to a web page from an item description you are exposing shoppers to the fact that you have a web site. That's the most you can do without violating eBay links policy in effect as of July 2008.
   
   
2. eBay About Me pages were once less restrictive than they are now. Under policy in effect July 2008 eBay prohibits linking from a seller's listing or other content on eBay--including eBay Store pages, About Me pages, eBay Blogs, Reviews and Guides, and forums--to any site that offers a product or service for sale off eBay. The best you can do is describe the fact that you do also sell off eBay without actually saying where you do the selling. For example, you could show pictures of items you have sold on and off eBay accompanied by an invitation something like this: "Please write if you have questions about these items we've sold in the past". If they write you can direct them to your off-eBay web site provided you are not selling the same items on the web site as you are selling on eBay.
   
   
3. If the nature of your business is such that describing it via a single (eBay About Me) page is insufficient, impractical, or undesirable, you may create web pages that do a better job. You will not be able to link to that page from eBay if you sell from your web site but you can include its address in email correspondence between you and your customers.

Carefully study eBay's rules pages before undertaking the above strategies:  eBay's Links Policy  Linking to Descriptions  Links from an eBay Store  Links Policy FAQs  About Me Guidelines (all these links open in new windows)

I won't try to mislead you: Even with FreeForm and/or the Template Helper tools assistance, creating a complete selling web site from scratch is not for the faint of heart. If you are ambitious, take a look at FreeForm Template Samples #15, 16, 17, and 18, and the SellsHereToo.com sample site - those include sample site navigation and sample usage of PayPal buttons.

Here are two actual EAPH member sites created and published using FreeForm:

Kate-n-KennasKisses.com (opens in new window). In exchange for helping with the site, the owner agreed to let me show it here. Many of FreeForm's capabilities are exercised including a clever use of JavaScript to produce a slide show in the home page top right corner. The JavaScript was created elsewhere and pasted into a FreeForm Gallery Input Area code section.

CarolGraceDesigns.com (opens in new window). This site uses a clever and attractive technique with FreeForm's Advanced Builder to set a width of 800 pixels for each page so a big background wallpaper pattern of the same width fits perfectly behind them.

Before undertaking to create a web site, especially a selling web site, please be sure to write to me at rob@robshelp.com so we can discuss your options. Bear in mind, as with all of EAPH and FreeForm features I'm here to help any way I can and enjoy pitching in personally as needed with design and layout assistance.

Let's say you want to share a group of photos without going to a lot of trouble. With iDrive all you need to do is create a folder, upload new photos into it (or copy from other folders), then email, post, or publish a single URL automatically provided in iDrive for that purpose. Here's an example of what's created for you by default (no settings):

http://samples.eaph3.com/viewalbum.cgi?angelica
(opens in new window)

- highly reduced screen shot -

If you want to share them with a little more style you have the option to add a background, a custom title, a description section, a web page link, and an email link. Here's the working example of the screen shot to the left with those options added:

http://samples.eaph3.com/viewalbum2.cgi?angelica
(use the "Return" link to get back here)

Screen by Screen Tutorial Here

You will have created a simple web page with very little fuss but with the added convenience that its photo contents are automatically updated simply by adding to or removing photos from the folder.

If you are just a little more ambitious, photo albums may be linked together by setting them individually to do so. Before you know it you have a basic web site! Because the description areas accept HTML you may include PayPal Shopping Cart or Buy Now button code -- then you'll have a basic selling web site.

Of course, usually a greater variety of page types are required for selling but for basic sharing and showing you're covered -- great for self-representing artists.

As of July 2008 if you sell from your web site you may not link to it from eBay!