posted on February 23, 2008 04:22:30 AM
Did you check into BISI at the time you set up your VD store? I am asking because this site seems to be run by TOMAS (aka spare dollar) and Ink Frog. It is being touted as a free store and easy to use website on PS & Stores boards... there is even a feature to convert ebay listings (or so they say I haven't tried it). FOr $4.95/month you can use it with your own domain - includes domain registration (the free version is a BISI shop). THe layout looks good to me.
If you check out the Community pages, Tomas is the administrator.
posted on February 23, 2008 04:47:48 AM
I have read that Search engines don't like stores that are part of larger sites - so if the web address is stores/vendio/neglus vs neglus.com the latter would receive search preference.
Is that true? And if it is, wouldn't this site give you a shopping cart and web-site design and management for $4.95/month? They say they do all the search engine feeds too.
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posted on February 23, 2008 08:52:08 AM new
Funny you should mention Tomas!
For a number of years, I was a BIG BOOSTER of SD & touted it here regularly...UNTIL 3 Xmas's ago when he did a MAJOR SITE OVERHUAL during the month of...NOVEMBER! Thus, totally screwing up the HOLIDAY SEASON that year! I posted my extreme unhappiness with that move, and he basically threw me off his site...
Anyhoo, I did look at BuyyItSellIt and they DO give you more for yer buck than VD does, and, especially after the HUGE SNAFU I just went thru with VD & its GALLERY I may move, since BISI gives you a FREE STORE + DOMAIN NAME for only $4.95/month, plus you can use yer own IMAGE HOSTING, whereas VD charges approximately $12 for the same...
Decisions...decisions...
The only thing keeping Ralphie from switching is that he likes the user-friendliness of the VD STORE, plus he thinks the EMPORIUM just plain looks pretty nice...But, as I often remind him: Yer just a DAWG! What the hell to YOU know?"
posted on February 23, 2008 09:11:24 AM new
When I was with Spare Dollar, Tomas was clearly over his head. The system was down as often as it was up. Customer service was a loud-mouth on their forum board who yelled that everything was your fault if you used IE as a browser.
posted on February 23, 2008 09:11:29 AM new
From my google seminar, I did learn that stand alone sites get better ranking than vendio sites. However, that does not explain to me why sometimes Ruby Lane or Tias in at the top of the search page.
Butitsellit also puts their name in the title, so you may not really be that much more better off.
Longevity in ONE spot I think helps.
If you are thinking of moving than I would do an experiment like searching for the items you sell on google and yahoo. What sites that are not stand alone seem to come up with any consistency? Then if you do move plan to stay there. It can take quite a while for all the Search engines to find you, index you and then crawl you.
Beth
posted on February 23, 2008 09:24:43 AM new
Beth - I thought that one of the ebay refugees at BISI's store looked like a stand alone website in the URL yesterday but now I see that you are right - it does say mybisi.com. Take a look though - it's a nice one:
http://thecountryhorse.mybisi.com/
Maybe it's the way it's configured. My vendio store url (if it were open) is:
http://shop.vendio.com/neglus
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posted on February 23, 2008 09:46:04 AM new"Butitsellit also puts their name in the title, so you may not really be that much more better off."
This is TRUE for the FREE SISI Stores!
(note also that VD nickles-and-dimes ya to death by ALSO charging for a stand-alone DOMAIN NAME)
Tis why Ralphie is pondering the $4.95/month plan which INCLUDES his very own DOMAIN NAME vs. a REDIRECTED name, which, as we've researched (and ye here say also) are sometimes IGNORED by the SEARCH ENGINES & their creepy-crawley "spiders"...
VENDIO also offers this for, if I remember correctly, an EXTRA $2.95/month?
Thus, for a VD STORE, Ralphie would spent:
$4.95/month for the EMPORIUM
PLUS
$4.95/month for totally worthless & UN-NEEDED image hosting
PLUS
$2.95/month for a stand-alone DOMAIN NAME for the EMPORIUM...
