I am working with a company that provides a new, innovative service to
eBay power sellers.  We are looking for effective ways to promote this
new service to the eBay power seller audience.   We've looked at
running ads with auctionbytes.com, producing PR and attending eBay
Live in June.  One idea put forth is running an affiliate banner-ad
program.  Good idea -- but with which sites?  Also, what other
mechanisms would there be to reach the eBay seller community?  The
real target audience is power sellers (approx. 350k power sellers). 
PS: We do NOT and will NOT support SPAM email.

I wonder what you mean by 350K sellers? Sellers that sell $350,000 a
year?? Is this bonds like buysafe? I didn't know there were any such
sellers on eBay. LOL Okay there might be a handful of these titanium
sellers who sell cars or pool tables. The highest rated seller
"jayandmarie" makes around $80,000 a year but then again he sells cds.

I do not know exactly what you are trying to sell but auction software
like Andale and Channeladvisor gives users little logos they can put
in auction listings. Some act as referral links. So many of us hear
about auction services when they are advertised in sellers' listings.
The logo can be no bigger than 88 x 33 pixels and the font no more
than size 3. The text can not promote the service only state it. (eBay
crazy rules, ugh.)

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-links-credits.html


I am a seller on eBay. (I am "quizhost.") I am not a powerseller but
here are some sites for sellers that are very popular:

http://www.vendio.com/
http://www.e-powersellers.com
http://www.auction-sellers-resource.com/index.shtml
http://www.practiceboard.com
http://www.auction-resources.com
http://collierad.com/coolebaytools/
http://www.theauctionguild.com/ (eBay watchdog site. Many sellers
suscribe to its email newsletter.)
http://www.weirdauctions.com (they have an email newsletter)
http://www.bulls2.com/indexb/bobstips2.html



Here is eBay's discussion board Seller Central
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/forum.jsp?forum=143
Perhaps doing research here will help you become familar with sites
that interest committed powersellers.

Also, here is the eBay Google/Usenet Group:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=alt.marketing.online.ebay

Good publicity is priceless and gets people talking. So contact
auctionbytes and put posts on boards to announce the service (make
sure these are not advertisements and read board policies twice). eBay
has strict rules against advertising on their boards and chat rooms.

Take advantage of free advertising. If you sell on eBay put a link on
your "about me" page (but do not specifically promote the service as
this is fee avoidance.)

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-links.html


 If your me page offers valuable tips to eBayers or just witty banter
people will look at it when you post on eBay boards. On chat rooms
someone might see your me page and mention it and others will sneak a
peak. Discreetly mention your product in signature lines on posting
boards (where allowed). Use your website in your email address on
auction listngs, newsgroups, etc. (Of course public posting of your
email address subjects you to spam. Use ascii characters to avoid this
where applicable.)

http://spam.getnetwise.org/tips/mask

If your product is novel and works, word will spread. "The least
espensive most effective method of advertising is word of mouth." With
all the scams on the internet everybody is hugely skeptical when they
see banner ads. I recently was considering signing up with an auction
tracking company but did hours of research first.

Hope this helps,
Karen

Karen,

I appreciate the comments... Not sure if this answers the question I
posted.  For instance, do you know of any affiliate banner ads sites
that are targeted to power sellers where we can place an ad for our
service and pay based on results (e.g. number of people that sign up
for our service)?

Your comments were fairly broad -- so, in one sense, I'm ok paying the
$40.00 if there were no other places or ideas that we might have
missed in thinking through how to find eBay sellers.  You did mention
posting on boards - and we have thought of that -- and wil do without
violating the spirit or rules of the board of course.

In any case, reply back if you feel you've provided the best answer
and that you have no other sources of places or ways to reach power
sellers.  Oh, and by power sellers I did mean that we believe there
are 350,000 power sellers on eBay.  Those power sellers account for
something like 80% of all  eBay's business (or so we've heard).

Thoughts?

thanks,

Hi,
 
I have been a powerseller for quite some time now. If you're able to
provide a little more information about the service, I would be in a
much better position to offer some advice.