EBay To Go is a new free widget currently being tested on EBay.com. EBay describe it as a way to
showcase your favorite eBay discoveries directly on your website or blog
There's more to it than just a slide show or mini gallery to display images for current favourite listings, the widget provides an interface to the listing(s) displayed. The listing title is shown when you run your mouse over the image. Click on the image and you have various information with links including a view and bid (opens the listing on eBay.com in a new window), refresh, back, search (click an image and try it out above!) and seller (opens the relevant eBay My World page in a new window). There are three formats to choose from: single item, multiple items and search. Single item displays a listing of your choice (needn't be your own), you just need to copy and paste in the item number, then follow the prompts through each step. Multiple items format is done in the same way, you just enter in up to ten multiple item numbers. In the make it last step you are prompted to give a search term for your widget, as listings expire after 120 days. This helps to keep your widget live. The search format version is similar and goes straight to this stage. There's step-by-step guidance on how to add the widget to popular blogs.
Drawbacks? Requires an up-to-date version of Flash. May only display images where the image is hosted on ebay, not using your own image host. When you paste the code into new post>edit HTML in blogger you get irritating double line spacing. The images widths are cropped in the widget, but not the height, so implications there for how well art work and some other items will be displayed. I was able to workaround this with my current Bluebell Wood painting by revising the listing and uploading a replacement image to which I had added a white border. I would prefer a readable "sidebar" version - I managed to scale it down by altering the code so it would fit in my sidebar, but (scroll down and take a look) you'll see the text is barely readable! EBay To Go is only set up to search listing titles, in all categories on eBay.com. If I select Naj Art as the search term (two keywords included in the title of all my current listings), it will only display the one current listing I have on eBay.com, missing the two current auctions I have listed on eBay UK. The widget will display eBay UK and/or eBay.com listed items where item numbers are entered. Sadly there's no affiliates payment for promoting EBay listings on your site!
EBay To Go
EBay To Go FAQ
The Chatter - Check Out the eBay To Go Widget
2 comments:
I don't do ebay but I can see where this would be a real bonus, looks good. Of course I recognize one of your fabulous paintings lOL!
I think its useful for a blog, just a shame you cant get affiliate payments for using!
Rufus sold BTW!
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