The A-Z Guide to Selling on Bonanza

Table of Contents

A - Advertising B - Billing C - Customer Marketing Tool   D - Discounts and Coupons E - Establishing Credibility F - Feedback and Service G - Google Shopping H - Hand-picked lists I - Importing from other sites J - Jumpstart your sales K - Knowledge Base L - Listing Best Practices M - Managing Returns	N - Number Knowledge O - Offers and orders P - Paid Memberships Q - Quality Control R - Rewards S - Shipping T - Top-Rated Sellers U - Updating listings in bulk V - Variations W - Webstores X - X-rated users (Bonanza Fraud Protection) Y - Your Opinion Matters Z - Zendesk

Advertising

Our advertising platform has several tiers, each unlocking additional platforms on which to display your products. You can choose what percentage you’d like to opt into and our computers will go to work making bids on your behalf to get your item in front of every possible buyer. When you sell an item, you'll pay the $0.25 transaction fee + the advertising fee percentage you've selected. 

Each tier builds upon the last, unlocking new channels. For example, The basic tier includes all channels from economy and basic; the standard tier includes all channels from economy, basic, and standard, and so on. Here’s a brief rundown on each tier:

• Economy (3.5% rate). This rate is for sellers who do not want their items advertised. Sellers who opt out of advertising will be charged the 3.5% base rate. If a seller opts out of advertising, traffic is sourced through buyers visiting Bonanza.com directly or via Bonanza's social media accounts and utilizing the Bonanza search to locate and purchase items.
• Basic (9% rate). This tier unlocks organic search engine traffic, Google Shopping, Bonanza Promotions, and Bonanza’s Affiliate Program. We’ll go into more depth about Google Shopping later in this article. With Bonanza Promotions, we will offer a discount for your items by using the final value fee you pay to cover the cost. Our Affiliate Program is a network of third-party bloggers who advertise items from Bonanza on their personal sites. Note that the $0.25 transaction fee still applies to Bonanza Promotions sales.
• Standard (13% rate). This tier unlocks eBay advertising, which publishes your items on eBay, and allows your Bonanza item to be competitive with the eBay version of the same item. If your item sells on eBay, you pay 1.5% to Bonanza and are also responsible for paying eBay’s FVF. If someone buys your item on Bonanza after clicking it on eBay, that’s when you would pay up to 13%.
• Superior (19% rate). This tier allows a higher advertising spend to make your listings more competitive on selected advertising platforms.
• Elite (30% rate). This tier has the same features as the Superior rate, but the higher commission rate allows us to bid on your items more aggressively, increasing your item exposure and hopefully driving more sales.

TurboTraffic is a specialized service that drives maximum buyer traffic to sellers who are enrolled as Platinum or Titan members, or for sellers who purchase a TurboTraffic Pack. TurboTraffic works together with Bonanza's advertising program, using the ad platforms you've selected to get maximum exposure for your store.

You can choose whether you’d like to focus more on value (spending less per day of your TurboTraffic budget to get the benefits for as long as possible) or volume (spending more per day of yourTurboTraffic budget to get the benefits as fast as possible). You can change levels anytime based on what works best for your business.

The length of time that the TurboTraffic runs for depends on two factors: how many buyers visit, and how many sales you make from those visits. Every time that a buyer finds your item from Google or our affiliate network, we pay a small amount on your behalf. So if you get 1,000 clicks and no sales on day one, then your TurboTraffic may end very quickly. If you get 1,000 clicks and make 10 sales, then the FVFs generated by your sales allow us to continue running your TurboTraffic. This conversion rate is used to calculate the length of TurboTraffic. Some of our sellers with popular products have entered a perpetual TurboTraffic mode, because they sell enough items per page-view that we can afford to keep TurboTraffic running indefinitely.

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Related sections: Jumpstart Your Sales | Google Shopping | Customer Marketing Tool

Billing

New sellers are subject to a $14.99 account set-up fee fee to cover administrative costs associated with setting up a booth. Bonanza charges sellers no upfront listing fees. Once you make a sale, you pay a $0.25 transaction fee + a Final Value Fee (FVF) based on the final offer value (FOV) of your item. The FOV is the amount that the buyer paid to you for the item sold, including shipping. Any portion of your shipping costs that exceed $10 are included in the FOV. For example, if your product sold for $15 and you charged $12 for shipping, your Final Value Fee (FVF) charge would be calculated based on an FOV of $17 (that's $15 for the item, plus $2 for the portion of shipping fee that exceeded $10).

Your final value fee percentage amount depends on which advertising tier you’ve selected. Our base commission rate starts at 3.5%, and each subsequent commission rate unlocks additional advertising channels (e.g. Google Shopping).

All sellers are required to have an active credit or debit card on file. Fees are due on the 2nd of the month once you reach a balance of $3.00 or more in fees owed. For these selling fees, you'll be billed once monthly. You can manually pay your bill with PayPal or a credit/debit card prior to the payment due date. We do not have the ability to accept check or money order payments. If you do not manually pay your fees prior to the due date, Bonanza will automatically charge the card on file. If you’d like to receive a monthly reminder email summarizing your bill, visit your Notification Preferences in your Account Settings. Under Buying and Selling Notifications, select yes for “Get an email to remind you when fee payments are due.”

In order to keep Bonanza a safe place for all users, new sellers are subject to a credit check period. For sellers who have less than 5 completed offers and 3 or less months of successful payments made toward their final value fees, or if it has been more than 60 days since the last sold offer, final value fees will be automatically charged to the card on file at the time a buyer places an order. The fee payment will be added to the billing statement as a credit and deducted from the outstanding balance at the beginning of the next month. Sellers cannot use PayPal or tokens to pay their fees during the credit check period. All other sellers will have their final value fees automatically charged to the card on file each time their final value fees reach $ 100.00.  

 

You can review your billing statement at any time on your Bonanza account. Log into your account and point your mouse over the "Selling" link in the upper left-hand corner of any page, then select "Billing statements" from the drop-down. Click into each month for more details about your transactions, fees owed, and payments made.

Membership bills can be paid for via credit/debit card or PayPal. We recommend paying by credit card, both because it's simpler and because you can set up automatic payments of your bills and memberships. If you'd rather pay with PayPal, you may select that option when you sign up for your membership. You can view details about your membership plan here.

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Related sections: Paid Memberships

Customer Marketing Tool

The Customer Marketing Tool puts customer data directly into your hands. You can use the Customer Marketing Tool to access the usernames, purchasing history, and messaging history of your past customers. You can also view your history with each individual customer, including transactions and messages, and save notes about customers. Sellers with a Gold membership or higher, as well as sellers with a Webstore, can also track individual items purchased and wish-listed.

This tool also gives booth sellers access to information about individuals who checked the "subscribe" box in their booth. This means that you have access not just to your past buyers, but to people who have shown interest in your booth - your potential future buyers. To get to the Customer Marketing Tool, click on the "Selling" link in the upper left-hand corner of any page. On the left side of your "Selling" page is a navigation dashboard. Click on the "Customers" tab to access your Customer Marketing Tool. You can view your Bonanza customers, and if you have an active Webstore, you can also view your Webstore customers.

The tool then allows sellers to create custom lists based on just about anything: when a customer made a purchase, how much they spent, and what categories they made purchases from, to name a few. These lists can be set to automatically update and add new customers who fit the criteria of the list and are helpful in creating a Customer Marketing Campaign. These campaigns empower sellers to build their business and create memorable customer experiences in a variety of ways, such as:

• Offering a discount to buyers who have left negative feedback in an attempt to turn their experience into a positive one.
• Offering targeted discounts on specific items to buyers who have bought similar items in the past.
• Designing and creating your own customer loyalty program.

The Customer Marketing Tool is a proactive way to provide customers with what they want, before they ask for it. Not only is it a tool that enables sellers to take marketing efforts into their own hands, but it gives sellers an opportunity to provide customer service above and beyond the buyer’s expectations. Do keep in mind that buyers always have the option of removing themselves from your list.

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Related sections: Advertising | Jumpstart Your Sales | Discounts and Coupons

Discounts and Coupons

Item pricing discounts and coupons are great ways to encourage shoppers to make a purchase. These are booth-wide offers and are separate from the Customer Marketing Tool. Booth discounts and coupons can be combined with coupons offered through the Customer Marketing Tool.

To create a discount or a coupon, hover your mouse over the "Selling" link in the upper left-hand corner of any page and select “Booth settings” from the drop-down. Here, you’ll find the "Discounts & coupons" tab. You can offer either a percentage or dollar amount discount for buyers who fit the specifications you set - for example, any buyer who spends more than $50 will receive 10% off. You can also create a custom booth coupon that can either be privately or publicly shared with buyers.

If you have a Gold membership or higher, you can also use item markdowns. These allow sellers to give buyers a temporary discount on their merchandise. When an item is marked down, the original price will be shown along with the marked down price. This can be a significant promotional device for buyers, since they can see the original and reduce price of the item. Also, because the buyer will know that you are limited in the number of days per month that markdowns can happen (see following item), they know the sale is real and significant.

Markdowns can last a maximum of 7 days in a calendar month. After 7 days, your item prices will be automatically returned back to normal. This limit has been setup so that items can't be perpetually discounted (having items discounted in perpetuity would diminish the perceived importance of Bonanza "discounts" in the mind of the buyer. We want these to be real, significant discounts). If you exceed the monthly limit for discount days, you are welcome to re-setup your sale on the first day of the following month. Whether you have one item discounted or all of your items discounted, the limit applies. If you have your items only discounted for a portion of a day, it still counts as a day. If you do not wish to run the markdown for 7 days in a row, you can clear your current markdown and use the remaining days at a later time.

Markdown discounts are cumulative with other discounts. If you choose to offer other booth item pricing discounts, please be aware that your markdown will be applied cumulatively in addition to any other discounts you have created. Item markdowns can be set and cleared in the batch edit items page, which you can reach from the Selling menu located in the upper left-hand corner of any page.

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Related sections: Customer Marketing Tool | Jumpstart Your Sales 

Establishing Credibility

For businesses of all sizes, gaining the trust of customers is an essential - and sometimes difficult element of selling online. Shoppers want to be reassured that they’re going to receive excellent service and high-quality products. There are a few main ways to establish your seller reputation.

• Import your feedback from eBay on your Bonanza Feedback page (under the option "Feedback left for me"). If you have a track record for delivering on your promises, you'll earn high trust.
• Fill out your “Profile” and “About Me” sections. Your seller profile is an extension of your own personal identity, and it's where potential customers go to to learn more about you and your business. Tell shoppers your unique story, and share your knowledge and passion for your products. Include contact information and links to your business’ social media sites so buyers know how they can get in touch with you.
• Log in regularly, spend some time hanging out in your booth, getting to know your buyers personally.
• Use the booth chat feature to communicate with potential buyers. Even if you aren't in your booth, future buyers that visit will see how you've spoken in previous chats, and will get a sense that you exist and are credible based on your conversations.

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Related sections: Customer Marketing Tool | Feedback and Service | Jumpstart Your Sales | Quality Control | Top-Rated Sellers 

Feedback and Service 

As an online seller, you know how important receiving positive feedback can be to building your seller reputation and attracting new buyers. At Bonanza, we provide an easy way for buyers to leave feedback regarding their shopping experience. Feedback is how a buyer feels a transaction goes, and negative feedback is an opportunity for sellers to identify areas for improvement within their business. While manipulating the feedback system by removing comments and ratings without the submitter's request can destroy the integrity of the system, we understand that certain situations are out of a seller's control and don't want any of our sellers to receive an unfair, negative reputation. We've outlined some best practice tips on ways you can manage negative feedback ratings from buyers. 

Clear listing details and selling policies are an easy way to avoid receiving negative feedback altogether. Include accurate shipping & handling timelines so buyers have the correct expectation about when they will receive their order. Note your return, exchange and refund policies and procedures in your booth settings (Selling > Booth settings > Shipping & returns) so buyers know what their options are. Clearly describe your item condition and any abnormalities so there are no surprises upon receipt.

Bonanza provides an internal messaging system so that buyers and sellers can communicate with each other about their transaction. If a buyer leaves negative feedback regarding a transaction, we recommend reaching out to the buyer via our internal messaging system to assist them with resolving their issue. You can easily do so by clicking the "Send them a message" link under the buyer's username in the order summary. Bonanza allows buyers to update their feedback from a negative rating to a positive or neutral rating once they feel a satisfactory resolution has been reached. Think about how good it will look to other shoppers when they see you're willing to work with a buyer to resolve their issue! Sellers also have the option to reply to a negative rating to share their side of the experience.

Every customer is a gift. Providing excellent service to your customers can attract repeat buyers and buyer referrals, which means more money in your pocket ("That's ok, I already have too much money" -said no one ever)! Attitude is contagious; keep a positive attitude, remain calm and avoid taking a defensive stance. Doing whatever you can (within reason) to help the buyer resolve their issue will go a long way toward retaining your current customers and attracting new buyers.

In rare circumstances, we will consider removing negative buyer feedback if the situation calls for it. In order to give Bonanza administrators time to properly research and review the situation to the fullest extent, it may take up to 7 days to process a feedback removal request. Bonanza cannot guarantee the removal of negative feedback from a seller's profile. Feedback will not be removed if a package is still in transit. Sellers should wait until the package has been delivered to the buyer and then contact the buyer to request that they update their feedback. Feedback will not be removed if there is a PayPal dispute in progress.

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Related sections: Establishing Credibility | Quality Control | Top-Rated Sellers 

Google Shopping

If you've opted into advertising on Google Shopping, we typically send your items to Google Shopping every two weeks. When you update your items, those changes will update on Google Shopping within 24 hours. If you want to manually start the process of sending your items to Google, select “Add or edit items” from the Selling drop-down menu in the upper left-hand corner of any page. Click the "Update Booth" button and we'll send your items shortly thereafter (usually within the hour, although Google Shopping usually takes at least a few hours on top of that to process changes). Doing this will also refresh your feed when items have been deleted or changed.

The key to maximizing your results from Google Shopping is to ensure you've filled out the traits for your items. Item traits reveal detailed information about your item, like color, material, and size. Items that have this information filled out correctly not only rank higher in Google Shopping, but they also are found more often in Bonanza search when buyers start filtering for the traits they're looking for. You can read more about item traits here. Google Shopping also requires traits for some categories, so the more information you can include, the better. The definitive guide to what attributes are required can be found by reviewing Google's help documentation. If you’d like a breakdown about the difference between a UPC, an MPN, and an EAN, check out this help page.

According to Google, it can take up to 24 to 72 hours before your items are fully processed. Don’t worry if you see any reports suggesting your items are not loading during that timeframe- they should be resolved automatically.

Sometimes, to make your item eligible for Google Shopping search, we might make minor changes to your title in order to get Google Shopping to accept your item. For example, if your title is in ALL CAPS, we will change your item to use sentence case letters when it is sent to Google. The item is not actually changed on Bonanza -- we just send Google your item's title in a format they will accept (items with ALL CAPS titles are rejected by their server). Also, if you have the words "free shipping" in your title, we will remove that, as it is also against Google's Program Policies. You can read more about why certain items of yours might not be submitted to Google here.

You can view your Google feed performance by selecting “Advertise items” on the Selling dropdown menu. Click on the "Feed Diagnostics" link at the top of the advertising page.

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Related sections: Advertising | Jumpstart Your Sales | Number Knowledge | Variations 

Hand-Picked Lists

A hand-picked list (HPL) is a group of at least 15 items (or at least 25 items, if you’d like the list to be considered for the home page) that users create to showcase a theme of their choosing. For example, you might create an HPL called "Owl Love You," and add 20 Bonanza items involving owls to your list. We keep an index of all HPLs that were recently created here, so other Bonanzlers can see and appreciate your creation. The three most recent hand-picked lists you've created are shown on your profile page.

To create an HPL, select “Hand-picked lists” in the Account drop-down menu in the upper lefthand corner of any page. This page will show the HPLs you've created. Click "Create a new list" to start a new HPL. Pick a title and theme for your list, and save it. Once you have saved a list, you can add items by viewing an item listing page. In the listing details, there is an "Add to hand-picked list" drop-down menu that will list all of your HPLs. Select the list you’d like to add the item to. After each item you add, you'll be given a count of how many more items are required for your HPL to be eligible for home page consideration. Sellers may only add one item from their own booth to each HPL.

Your HPL will be visible in our index for a week after it has been been published (once it reaches the 15 item minimum) unless it has been marked as a draft. The list will still show up in your profile and in item search results for an additional three weeks.

There are three factors we consider in choosing HPLs for the home page.

• Are all item pictures in the HPL crisp and interesting? We avoid selecting blurry, dark, discolored, or overcropped pictures on the homepage. 60% of our selection criteria comes from here.
• Does the HPL have an interesting or relevant theme? Lists that are applicable to upcoming holidays or national events have a leg up on general lists. Lists that are organized into a clear and interesting theme (like "Prom” or “Kitchen Utensils") are more likely to get chosen. 30% of our selection criteria comes from here.
• Does the HPL have a catchy title? We're suckers for a list with a clever or witty title. 10% of our selection criteria comes from here.

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Related sections: Advertising | Jumpstart Your Sales

Importing from Other Sites

We offer importing options from four major online marketplaces. You can import items from eBay, Amazon, and Shopify. You can also use our CSV Importer to upload your listings from Etsy. You can access any of the Importers by hovering your mouse over the "Selling" link in the upper left-hand corner of any page. Each marketplace allows us different permissions when accessing your account, so sometimes we can get information from one platform that we can’t get from another. To learn how to import from each of these marketplaces, read here.

There are a couple of areas where the eBay importer may be limited. You can read about those rare cases here.

By default, the eBay importer will import all your items, but it is pretty easy to remove items en masse from your Bonanza booth after they've been imported. Subsequent item imports will only pay attention to items that were added to your eBay account since the last eBay import. When an item is removed from your eBay store (because it is sold, was delisted, expired, etc), we can remove it from your Bonanza store automatically so you only sell merchandise that's in stock. Unless you have specified in your advanced sync settings that we should review the unsold folder, any items which were ended by eBay from the unsold folder will remain active on Bonanza.

Once you've initiated a sync, you can edit your settings or cancel your automatic synchronization. Visit your "Selling > Import from eBay" page and scroll to your Current Import Settings. Click the button to edit your sync settings or cancel your sync altogether. If the green "Start your eBay Import" button is showing, that means the automatic sync is currently turned off. If you wish to remove the connection altogether, you must do so from your eBay account by revoking the third-party authorization for Bonanza.

You have the option to indicate that items should not be posted until you manually approve them in your advanced import options if you wish to remove any listings prior to posting your items for sale. Under the eBay Import Settings section, click the link to "Show advanced options" and set the drop-down to post items for sale to your preferred timeframe.

The eBay importer can only connect to and import from one eBay account at a time, so you will need to manage your inventory manually if you have multiple accounts connected for importing. For smooth inventory synchronization, we recommend opening additional Bonanza booths to import and sync with your other eBay accounts. To open a second booth, you will need another email address. Once you have that, log out of your current account, and then, instead of logging back in, click the "Register" link in the top right corner of the page. To change the account you are importing from, cancel your current sync and select the account you wish to import from, then click the green button to Start your eBay Import.

If you're making changes to your listings on eBay after you've already imported them to Bonanza and want those changes to show on your Bonanza listings, then you'll want to indicate that the importer should override existing items. Scroll down to the "New and Revise items" section under the eBay Import Settings, and select the option to "Import new items and override existing items." This option may add significant time to your import, and any edits you made to your previously imported listings on Bonanza will be lost, so use this option with caution!

The 'revise' option will only apply to one-off imports or the very first import of an ongoing 'sync' and will not update listing images. Subsequent syncs will revert back to importing new items only. You must edit your import settings to indicate the importer should revise previously imported items prior to each sync once changes have been made to your listings on eBay.

If you are manually changing the image on eBay after an item has been imported to Bonanza, you must manually update the image on Bonanza, as well.

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Related sections: Jumpstart Your Sales | Listing Best Practices

Jumpstart Your Sales

The e-commerce landscape has changed over the years, and today there are many factors that go into being a successful e-commerce merchant. The first thing to understand is that you'll get as much out of selling online as you put into it. Here are some ways you can go above and beyond to get the word out about your store and your products.

Optimize Your Profile

Your seller profile is an extension of your own personal identity, and it's where potential customers go to to learn more about you and your business.

• Use your profile page to let your buyers know who you are and what is special about you ( "I am the fastest shipper west of the Mississippi!").
• Include a profile picture so buyers can see who they are buying from. The best size is 400x400 pixels.
• Be sure that your contact information is clear and visible. Buyers prefer sellers that have a listed phone number, so consider listing yours or setting up a free Google Voice account to list on your profile.
• Include a link to your social pages (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc) so buyers have other ways to learn more about you.
• Import eBay seller feedback (if you have any). You can find the feedback importer on your Bonanza feedback page.

Setting up your profile page is an easy way to build trust and connection with shoppers that converts them into buyers. So it's worth the time and effort.

Optimize Your Booth

Each booth on Bonanza is unique, but there are basic principles that apply to every seller. When you're improving your booth and listings, here are some areas to focus on.

• Pricing. Pricing your items correctly is key. Remember, there are no up-front costs on Bonanza. You only pay a small fee when your item sells, so pass those savings on to your buyers by reducing your Bonanza prices accordingly.
• Product photos. Double check your product photos to be sure they're sharp, crisp images that give shoppers a great impression. If your photos have cluttered backgrounds, we recommend using a background removal application such as Remove.bg, TouchRetouch, or Background Eraser for a crisp, white background.
• Titles and descriptions. Be sure that you have optimized your titles and descriptions for your target audience. Don't waste valuable title space with irrelevant or repetitive words. For example, instead of, "@@@***@@@Super Neat Brand New Apache Helicopter@@@***@@@" try simply "2010 American Apache Helicopter." The second option is more search engine friendly, and it helps buyers find your items faster.
• Condition and traits. Save the condition and other traits for the description and for the available item trait drop-down windows on each Bonanza listing. Never place conditions or traits in the title of your listing, because it causes search engines to rank your items lower in search results.
• Shipping. Be sure to assign specific shipping rules to your listings. Buyers are an impatient bunch, so if you only have "See item description" as a shipping choice then they won't be able to "Buy it Now" and might abandon the transaction rather than taking the time to email you.
• Take a fresh look. View your items as a shopper would, try to anticipate any questions they might have, and then include that information in your listings. Shoppers want instant gratification. If they have to email you for information that could have been included in the item details, you might just lose that sale.

Start Spreading the News

• Announce your store on Facebook. Go to your Facebook wall and post an "official" announcement of your new store, asking your friends to share it on their own feeds. Your friends and family want to help you succeed, so don't be shy!
• Promote on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. Your product photos are some of your greatest assets. If you share them on highly-visual social media like Pinterest, Instagram and others, it will build interest in your products and draw traffic to your Bonanza booth.
• Send an email invitation. Word of mouth is how online businesses succeed. That's why it's important for you to spread the word to your personal network of friends and family so they can tell their friends... and their friends-of-friends.
• Sell to friends and family in person. If you have friends or family members who might like and use your products, why not mention it to them? Your products could potentially improve the lives of just about anybody you know. All you have to do is let them know.

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Related sections: Establishing Credibility | Quality Control | Listing Best Practices

Knowledge Base

Bonanza’s Knowledge Base is better known as our Help Center. This is where you can search and find information about basically anything and everything related to Bonanza. Under the main header on the Help Center page, you’ll notice a question mark inside a circle. Beside that there is a link to our Knowledge Base. This is a tree-like funnel system that filters through our help pages to find you the results you need based on the answers you’ve selected.

You can also search for a keyword or phrase in the Help Center search bar to find relevant articles. 

If you strike out with both of these features, you can view our FAQ pages or visit Bonanza Community Help.

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Related sections: Zendesk

Listing Best Practices

Item listings have many elements, all of which contribute to whether or not your item is likely to sell. We’ve compiled some Best Practices to listing items on Bonanza.

Item Titles

The first step to listing an item is deciding on a title for your item. Here are some tips for crafting an attractive item title:

• Use straightforward words to describe your item. The goal of an item title should be to tell shoppers what your item is and generate enough interest to drive clicks to your listing. You only need to include enough information to let shoppers know what your item is at a glance. Do this by using simple words that explain exactly what exactly your item is.
• Include the brand and MPN (manufacturer part number) if known. This helps our software put your item in the proper category, and will give your item a better chance of being discovered on third-party shopping platforms, like Google Shopping.
• Mention traits like size, color, or item type when applicable. Put the type of item you're selling near the beginning of the title. When applicable, size and brand should go at the beginning, as they are more important traits, while color should go at the end. If your item comes in multiple colors, it is not necessary to put the colors in your item title.
• Make full use of the available character limit by using strong keywords. While it is unwise to add irrelevant words to your title just for the sake of using the character limit, you might want to add some additional words to describe your item if the character limit allows. Adding the keywords to further describe the item style or appearance could bring additional exposure to your item through various keyword searches.

Here are some major mistakes that some sellers make when writing their item titles:

• Using all capital letters in your item title.This can give your item titles an aggressive and overbearing impression. Typing in all caps screams "LOOK AT ME," which can often have the opposite effect. In addition, Google Shopping does not allow items with titles in all caps.
• Having grammar or spelling errors in your item title. Having errors in your title looks unprofessional and careless. Show shoppers that you value your online business by taking the time to proofread your item titles.
• Including excessive or incorrect punctuation in your item title. Incorrectly used punctuation like "!!!! Women's D*R*e*S*S* !!!!" will deter shoppers, as they might feel like your items are fake or scammy. Similar to all caps titles, Google Shopping does not accept any items with titles like these, as it is considered "promotional text."
• Including fluff words that don’t describe the actual item you are selling. You might think that words like “new,” "real," or “authentic” add perceived value to your item - but in reality, these words detract from your item.

If you're unsure of how to word your item title, try searching for your item on Google Shopping. This will help you think about your item from a search term perspective. It will also give you insight into the titles other sellers are using that have been approved by Google.

Item Images

Strong item images are the cornerstone of a good item listing. The first thing you want to do is to take stock of your current item photos. Evaluate what you already have before you move forward. Here are some things to consider:

• What kind of lighting is used in your photos?
• Do your photos capture many angles of the item?
• Do your photos highlight the positive selling features of your item?
• What is the overall feeling you get when you look at your items?

Take a look at the photos of your competition. Find items similar to yours that are listed on Bonanza and any other platform you’re selling on.

• What elements do those photos have that you like?
• How are they similar to your photos?
• What, if anything, do they have that you’re missing?

Time permitting, the next step is to reshoot any photos that aren’t up to par. Pick a neutral background for your items that has a high contrast with your item. Try and take photos with indirect natural light. Camera flash has a tendency to brighten some aspects of your item, leaving others dark and hard to see. Customers decide whether or not to purchase your item based on what they can see, so make sure your photos are a complete representation of the item. It’s also nice to provide a photo with a commonplace item for scale, so they know how large or small your item is. Make sure your photos are in focus and were taken with a steady hand.

If you don’t have time to reshoot your photos, or you’d simply like to take them to the next level, use a background removal application such as Remove.bg, TouchRetouch, or Background Eraser. Studies show that photos with a clean, white background convert up to 300% better.

Item Traits

Item traits are the name given to specific details that a seller can provide about their items. For example, for "Women's Handbags," item traits include:

• Brand. Examples: Michael Kors, Coach, Gucci
• Color. Examples: Black, Brown, Navy
• Condition. Examples: New With Tags, New Without Tags, Other
• GTIN. Examples: UPC, MPN, EAN, or other unique product identifiers (read about the difference between these here)

These traits help distinguish your items. Let’s say you have a pink, queen-sized comforter for sale. Without traits, your item will not be displayed in search when shoppers enter specific details, such as color or size, in their search. By entering item traits such as “Color: pink” and “Size: queen,” your items will be visible to shoppers who search for “Pink Comforter” or “Queen Comforter.” Including this information will help your item visibility on Bonanza, in organic search, and on Google Shopping.

Item Price

Just like item title research, if you’re not sure what price to select for your item, you can search Google for items similar to yours. One thing to remember is that although you can size up your competitor's listing prices, you won't always know what price the seller actually paid. Many marketplaces, including Bonanza, have flexible pricing options, so these products might sell for more or less than their listing price. A great tool that displays the difference between listing price and sale price of a product is Check a Flip. You can search for a product keyword, like "Seahawks Jersey" or "Used iPhone 16GB" and see the current prices of active listings, as well as the actual sale price of completed listings. This makes it easier to estimate what your product might sell for.

There are a few other things to consider when deciding on a price for your product:

• Profit margin. How much money do you want to make on this product? There are many free online calculators that can help you with this - we like this one from Launch Grow Joy.
• Price of acquisition. How much did you pay to get your product? If your product is handmade, how much did the materials cost? Consider also any labor costs associated with your product - in other words, if you were getting paid an hourly wage to make your products, how much would you make from each one?
• Price of shipping. How much will it cost to ship this item? Will you be covering the price of shipping, or will the buyer be responsible for shipping costs? Bonanza offers many options for shipping so you can find an option that works well for you.

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Related sections: Establishing Credibility | Quality Control

Managing Returns

Sellers agree to complete valid transactions, but on occasion, a seller may need to cancel a transaction. A seller may cancel a transaction under the following circumstances:

• The buyer did not pay.
• Both the buyer and seller agree to cancel the transaction prior to shipment, and the seller has issued the buyer a full refund.
• The seller has decided to refuse service to the buyer. If the buyer has already paid, the seller has issued a full refund, including any shipping costs.
• The buyer did not receive the product(s) ordered, even though the seller has provided proof of shipping, and the seller has issued a refund for the item.
• The buyer and seller agreed that the buyer could return the item to the seller for a refund. The seller has received the returned item and issued a refund to the buyer for the item.

If you're unable to complete a transaction, you must notify the buyer via Bonanza Bmail and refund the transaction via the payment method the buyer used during checkout. You’re encouraged to keep proof of any refunds in the event a dispute arises. Refunding your buyer depends on the payment method the buyer used:

• Bonanza Gift Card. Bonanza Gift Cards cannot be refunded. You would need to send a payment directly to the buyer via PayPal or another acceptable payment method. Do not use the "Refund" link in your PayPal payment receipt, because the money will not be returned to the buyer.
• PayPal. PayPal refunds can be issued for 180 days. Follow these instructions for details on how to issue a refund via PayPal. If the payment is more than 180 days old, you must use the "Send money" option on PayPal to send the buyer the refund amount.
• Amazon Pay. You can use the Manage Orders feature in your Amazon Seller Central to issue full or partial refunds. Follow these instructions for details on how to issue a refund via Amazon Pay.
• Stripe. Refunds can be managed directly from your Stripe account dashboard. Follow these instructions for details on how to issue a refund via Stripe. 

Sellers have up to 180 days from the date of the transaction to request refunds on the selling fees. You must issue the buyer a refund prior to requesting a refund of fees for the canceled transaction.

If the buyer has never paid for the transaction, hover your mouse over the Selling drop-down menu in the upper lefthand corner of the page and select "Recent sales." Locate the order in question, and use the "Mark as Unpaid" link under the transaction summary. This option appears 3 days after the transaction has been recorded. Once you mark the transaction as unpaid, the item will be automatically re-listed. If you do not want the item to be re-listed, then make sure that you delete it from your booth afterward.

If the transaction is within the past 180 days and a refund has been issued to the buyer, click on “Billing statements” in the Selling drop-down menu and select the month in which the transaction occurred. Click the red "x" next to the order that has been refunded and follow the prompts to request a refund of fees for the transaction. Select the appropriate reason for canceling the order from the drop-down, and enter any applicable information pertaining to your refund. Be sure to attach screenshots of your refund confirmation for quick and smooth processing of your fee refund.

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Related sections: Feedback | Offers and Orders

Number Knowledge

The stats dashboard was designed to help you harness data to maximize the impact of your listings. You can access your stats dashboard a few different ways. Once you’re logged into Bonanza, the quickest route to your stats page is to select “View stats” under the “Selling” drop-down menu in the far upper left corner of the page. You can also find your stats from your “Selling Dashboard” by clicking the “Reports” tab and then selecting “Item Stats.”

There are a few graphs displayed on your stats dashboard. The Sales graph is the hero of the your stats dashboard. This interactive graph displays a wealth of information about item views, sales, and total revenue over your selected time frame, all together on the same chart. If you receive TurboTraffic, this graph also shows when it was active, helping you quickly visualize its traffic-boosting benefits.

Toggle through the timeline drop-down menu ("Last 30 days") on the upper left corner of the graph to see weekly detail or select a broader overview of the last two months. Hover your cursor over the bars of the graph to see more granular detail down to the day. If you received TurboTraffic over the last month, you’ll also enjoy seeing a chart at the very top of your stats page that includes a detailed analysis of the revenue benefits provided by your TurboTraffic package.

Keep scrolling down the page to locate your Views graph. Like the Sales graph, you can toggle through the timeline drop-down menu to see information over your preferred time frame, and hover over the graph for daily details. This graph is helpful in visualizing trends in item views, as well as in identifying the primary sources of your views. “Item views” do not include views from bots (like Google or Bing web scrapers), or from you looking at your own items while you’re logged in. We also only count one view per item per buyer, even if the buyer refreshes the page or goes back and forth between your item and another page. If you notice that traffic or sales are down and your listings need a little more love, this graph also features quick links that you can use to strengthen your advertising clout, or purchase TurboTraffic packs to help juice sales.

Sellers opted-in to our Google Shopping advertising channel should be receiving Advertising Views - seen in red. If you’re advertising at a commission level of 9% or higher and aren’t getting advertising views, you may need to take steps to resolve issues with your Google feed. For information on troubleshooting, visit our Google Help Pages.

If you operate a Bonanza Webstore you can navigate to your Webstore Sales and Views graphs from your booth stats page. To view Webstore stats, click on the “View my webstore stats” link at the upper left-hand side of the page, under the Bonanza banner.

Some of our sellers like to dive deep into data. The Most Viewed Items, Traffic Sources, and Most Viewed Categories graphs and reports give you the chance to really focus on the details. Click through these interactive graphs via the "See detailed report" button to drill down and learn which of your items and categories are most popular with shoppers, and which advertising channels are driving the bulk of your traffic. These reports provide sellers with a fantastic opportunity to turn data into action. Use this info to easily discover what’s working, where you can improve or adjust your inventory, and which advertising channels are bringing you the most shopping traffic.

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Related sections: Customer Marketing Tool | Paid Memberships

Offers and Orders

Bonanza gives sellers the tools to control how buyers can checkout in their booth. To review and set your purchasing options, point your mouse over the "Selling" link in the upper left-hand corner of any page and select the “Booth settings” option from the drop-down, then select the "Payments & purchases" tab.

Enabling "Or best offer (OBO)" means that your prices are negotiable. Buyers can submit an offer to you and you have the option to accept or deny that offer. If you elect to use OBO, be sure to take a look at Custom invoicing. Custom invoicing allows the seller to add shipping, provide discounts, etc. If custom invoicing is not configured, no changes can be made to an offer. The seller can only accept or deny the offer.

Disabling "Or best offer (OBO)" means that a buyer can simply add the item to their cart, checkout and submit payment. Please note, the shipping MUST be added to the listing, (Flat rate, Free or Calculated). Using "See item description" will not allow your buyer to checkout (instead, they must submit to you for approval).

If an item was purchased with "Buy it now," the buyer will have already paid for the item by the time the seller receives the order. If the buyer overpaid, the seller can issue a refund and explanation to the buyer using either Amazon Pay or PayPal, depending on how the buyer paid.

When a buyer has ordered items from you that can be invoiced, you'll receive an email indicating a buyer has submitted an offer. You are able to accept, deny or review the invoice. If you need to make any adjustments to the offer price or shipping costs, click the link to "review this order on Bonanza." Doing so will direct you to your "Open offers" page in your Bonanza account where you can view the order summary. Use the link to "Review invoice" at the bottom of the order summary and you'll be taken to the "Finalize Order" page.

From this page, you can see the default invoice that will be sent to your buyer. If everything looks good to go, just click the "Approve order" button and the buyer will be able to submit payment. If you need to adjust the invoice at all (such as to add a cost adjustment or enter shipping), choose the "Change your invoice here" link at the top of the "Finalize Order" page prior to accepting in order to modify the invoice.

Once you have clicked on the link to "change your invoice here" at the top of the "Finalize Order" page, you'll arrive at a page that includes changeable invoice fields, like those pictured above.

To set your shipping cost, enter a cost into the shipping field. We recommend you also describe details of shipping method in the box below the cost (labeled "Shipping description"). 

Keep in mind that if the overall cost of your invoice exceeds the estimate that was given when the buyer placed the order, the buyer won't be obligated to complete the sale. This measure exists to prevent a buyer from being obligated to make a purchase where they didn't know what the full cost of the order would be beforehand.

When you're done editing the invoice costs, you can leave a detailed message to the buyer in the box at the bottom of the invoice labeled "Enter payment instructions and personal message." When you're done editing your invoice, click on the "Save invoice" button to return to the "Finalize order" page with a summary of the invoice changes you've made. From that page, you can then approve the invoice to be sent to the buyer. After the invoice has been finalized, no further cost adjustments can be made to it.

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Related sections: Managing Returns | Shipping

Paid Memberships

Bonanza offers sellers six levels of memberships: Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Titan and Titan Ad. You are not required to have a paying membership in order to sell on Bonanza. However, these memberships offer a variety of premium tools and resources that can help sellers drive traffic to their booth and keep shoppers browsing their goods. Sellers can gain access to Google Analytics to better analyze their business, set custom booth sort orders so their seasonal items are promoted at the top of their booth homepage, and receive monthly TurboTraffic, just to name a few of the added benefits associated with the memberships. Take a look at our memberships page to read more about the features and sign up for the plan that best suits your business needs.

Currently, Bonanza offers sellers a free 30-day trial of the Silver or Gold memberships. Visit the membership enrollment page and toggle the pricing option to "Monthly," and you will see the option to enroll in the free 30-day trial. Please note the following:

• The free trial is only eligible for Silver and Gold levels. Platinum, Diamond, Titan and Titan Ad are not eligible for the free trial.
• You must enroll using a credit or debit card to take advantage of the free trial. PayPal subscriptions are not eligible for the free trial.
• The trial is only valid for sellers who enroll on a month-to-month basis. Sellers who enroll in the annual plan receive a discounted rate in lieu of the first 30 days free. Annual subscriptions are billed up-front, all at once.
• Only sellers who have never subscribed to a membership in the past (trial or paid) can take advantage of the free 30-day trial.

The memberships do not require any contracts and can be cancelled at any time. Please note that the membership fee is non-refundable, so if you are unsure about subscribing to a membership, we recommend enrolling on a month-to-month basis to start. Should you cancel your membership, you will retain the membership benefits for the remainder of your subscription period. After that time, the membership will expire and your account will no longer be charged.

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Related sections: Billing

Quality Control

With online selling, it is the details that matter. Whether it’s taking a picture of the item with a common household object or a ruler for size reference, including information like fabric content or washing / care instructions in your item description, or including a note of thanks in each package, the little things will make an impression on your customers.  

One of the most important things in providing a great experience for your customers is being upfront and honest from beginning to end. Customers want to feel like they’re buying from a reliable company, so transparency will build a level of trust between you and the customer, and they will be more likely to shop with you again.

There are many ways to show transparency. Be sure to describe your items exactly as they are. If there is a small hole in the left sleeve of a shirt you’re selling, make note of that in the item description. Buyers would much prefer to know about any malfunctions of an item than to buy it and find out afterwards.

It’s also good to make sure your item titles and images are not misleading. The more truthful you can be about your products, the less likely you are to have an item returned because it was not as described. Part of the online marketplace experience is that items may be in a variety of conditions, and shoppers expect that and will appreciate your honesty from the get-go. Your in-stock inventory count should represent the actual number of items you have available. It’s against Bonanza policy to overlist your inventory, as doing so threatens the issue of fulfilling your orders in a timely manner should you sell more items than you actually have.

After you’ve made a sale and your items are en route, provide tracking information to your customer. Few things are as frustrating as waiting eagerly for items without any idea of when they will arrive. Without an arrival timeframe, buyers often feel like their product should arrive immediately and tend to perceive time passed in an exaggerated manner. Failure to provide tracking can result in irate customers who hastily leave unwarranted negative feedback.

Timely responses to all customer inquiries are vital to providing a great experience. Whether a prospective buyer wants to know more about an item you have, or a current customer wants an update on the status of their order, it’s imperative to be speedy in your responses. A study done by Fast Company revealed that 80% of people say that they expect an email response within 1 hour, and 15% say within 15 minutes. Obviously, you can’t be expected to respond to every email you get immediately, but being cognizant of the expectations your customers likely have will help your business thrive.

There are a few other ways to go the extra mile in providing unmatched communication. In the event that you can’t get in touch via email, you can provide a contact phone number for buyers. You can do this through our phone verification system that authorizes Bonanza to share your number with buyers, which you can find by visiting your Account Settings and clicking on “Seller Settings.” You can also add your number to the contact information on your profile. If you want to add a real-time way for buyers to reach you, leave a message in your booth chat window welcoming buyers to your store and encouraging them to ask any questions if necessary.

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Related sections: Establishing Credibility | Jumpstart Your Sales | Listing Best Practices

Rewards

Bonanza Rewards are our way to reward Bonanzlers for being active on our site. A full list of rewards is available on the rewards page, but here are a few of our most popular rewards:

• $1.00 fees discount. Get a $1.00 discount on your Bonanza fees for a single month. 500 tokens.
• Promote a hand-picked list to home page. Tell us which HPL you want to put on the home page, and we'll do it so long as the list is not promotional or otherwise out of character for the home page. 10,000 tokens.
• Bonanza T-shirt. Artist-designed, high quality cotton t-shirt of Mongoose on Space Needle or Pangolins on MoPop. 10,000 tokens.
• One month of free membership. We'll take your existing membership and extend it for a month, free of charge. 15,000 tokens.
• One month free Webstore. Receive a free month of Bonanza webstore (regular value $25). 15,000 tokens.
• Bonanza Hoodie. Artist-designed, high-quality cotton hoodie of Mongoose on Space Needle or Pangolins on MoPop. 20,000 tokens.

You can earn tokens by doing things you probably already do. Are you logging in every day? Claim your 10 daily tokens on the rewards page. If you nominate an item for a Collection, you're on your way to earning tokens. If your nomination is accepted, you get tokens. Refer a seller to Bonanza for 5,000 tokens. Simple! You can also earn big-time tokens when you create terrific hand-picked lists.

As you climb the ranks of Bonanza token-dom, you'll also unlock badges that grant tokens and honor your excellent taste and superior skills (or really, really good guesses). No need to thank us, just keep doing what you do.

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Related sections: Hand-Picked Lists | Paid Memberships | Webstores | Zendesk

Shipping

When you select shipping options on the new item form, you are indicating to a buyer that you are willing to ship that item to anywhere in the US (and only the US) for the rate specified. We highly recommend setting a specific shipping service to give buyers an accurate estimate for how long it will take for items to arrive (different shipping services offer different speeds and costs). If you do not specify a shipping service, the shipping options will automatically default to the least expensive available option. Always check the rates after completing the listing to be sure the shipping price is as expected.

Believe it or not, most buyers like these things to stay simple, especially when they're proposing multiple multi-item deals to you. If you're worried about that jerk in Guatemala that is going to swoop down and clean out your booth, set the shipping price on the high side and get a little richer when non-Guatemalans buy from you. You can also always arrange with buyers to ship for a lesser price on an individual basis, when they propose to buy your stuff. If negotiating and sending invoices is your cup of tea be sure to read about sending invoices related to offers.

Sellers can offer Flat rate, Free shipping or Calculated shipping. If you’d like to streamline the process of entering shipping information, you can have Bonanza remember shipping defaults that you tend to use repeatedly by setting up Shipping Profiles.

For example, if many of your items having optional shipping insurance for $5, and ship internationally for $10, you can create a shipping profile that remembers these pieces of information. Then, on either the New Item Form or in the Batch Editor, you can apply that shipping profile to your item to give you a good head start on populating the item with your usual shipping options.

To create a shipping profile, hover over "Selling" in the upper left-hand corner of any page and click on "Booth settings," then navigate to the Shipping & returns page and click "Add a shipping profile." A shadow box will open on that page, allowing you to name your shipping profile and fill out whatever options you want to be associated with that shipping profile (shipping amounts within U.S., internationally, and/or shipping insurance). You can fill out as little or as much of this information as you want. When you're done filling out your shipping profile, click the "Save Shipping Profile" button at the bottom of the shadow box.

There are two ways you can use your shipping profile:

From the New Item Form: After you have created a shipping profile, you will be able to apply it from the new item form where you set your shipping preferences for your item (e.g., the list where you pick "flat rate," "calculated", etc.). Click the link to "Apply a saved shipping profile" and you will be able to select your preferred shipping profile from the dropdown. When you pick a shipping profile, all of the information you filled out in that shipping profile will be copied to the item. Note that choosing a shipping profile will delete all your existing shipping information for an item, so you probably would only want to use it when you are first creating the item.

From the Batch Editor: Go to the "Selling > Batch edit items" page and select the shipping tab on the left side of the toolbox at the top of the page. Select your listings you would like to apply the shipping profile to, and use the "Assign shipping profile" option. Select your preferred shipping profile and apply the change to your listings. As mentioned above, this action will delete any existing shipping information associated with said items, so use it with caution.

Currently, our system does not have a friendly way to denote shipping from an international perspective. Our system will read your location, so when you set up shipping, you just denote how you ship to your country (free or flat-rate shipping) and that should do it. If you’d like to restrict buyers to only those who reside in your country, visit your “Selling > Booth settings > Payments & purchases” page and check the box “Shoppers must have a shipping address in my country,” then save the changes. No buyers outside of your country will be able to complete checkout.

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Related sections: Feedback and Services | Listing Best Practices | Managing Returns | Offers and Orders | Quality Control

Top-Rated Sellers

Top Rated Sellers are recognized as sellers who consistently earn high ratings from buyers thanks to fast shipping and excellent service. To be considered a Top Rated Seller on Bonanza, you must meet certain requirements and performance standards. Top Rated Seller status will be reviewed on a daily basis. Sellers who meet the criteria will have a gold badge visible on their banner, as well as on their booth homepage and item listing pages, helping sellers to achieve more sales by instilling confidence in buyers. You can read more about how to achieve Top Rated Seller status below:

Top Rated Seller Requirements

• Maintain an average of 4.9 star feedback or higher
• Active member on Bonanza for at least 90 days
• 25+ transactions with US buyers within the last year
• Refund rate lower than 20%
• Compliant with all Bonanza policies
• At least 90% of your transactions marked as shipped (refunded/canceled transactions excluded)

Any eBay sellers with Top Rated Sellers status also meet the criteria for Top Rated Seller status on Bonanza and will have their status imported along with their eBay feedback. After 15 transactions on Bonanza, sellers must comply with the Top Rated Seller requirements outlined above to maintain this status on Bonanza.

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Related sections: Feedback and Services | Establishing Credibility | Quality Control

Using the Batch Editor

The Batch Editor lets you edit multiple items at once. Simply pick the items you'd like to edit, and what detail you'd like to edit. Once you hit "Apply changes," all of the items you picked are changed.

In the simplest cases, you just select the checkbox to the left side of the item. Once your listing has been selected, the row will be highlighted to indicate that item has been selected.

If you want to operate on many items and you don't want to click on tens or hundreds of rows, you have a couple options:

• Use the "Add a filter" feature (positioned above your list of items) to narrow down what listings are shown. Once you've narrowed down the items shown, you can click on the checkbox above the listings to the left of "Picture" and all items in your list will be selected at once. If you don't want to operate on every item in that list, you can go deselect the items you don't want to act on by unchecking those items.
• Alternately, if you would like to affect all items at once, you may select the same top checkbox without using the filter first. This will give you the option to "Apply to all items" next to the "Apply changes" area.

There are eight pages of actions available to you:

1. a page of "Basic" options (delete items, change their status, apply discount to the items, etc.);
2. a page of shipping options (set international shipping, set shipping prices);
3. a page for trait options (brand, size and other applicable traits);
4. a page for search optimization (Google information for advanced users);
5. a page of actions for changing the text in your items (replace text, add or remove text from beginning or end of item description);
6. a place to edit your images (upload, rearrange or delete photos);
7. a place to review your item analytics;
8. a page to export your inventory to .CSV file and print inventory sheets (printing only available to members).

To change between the pages, click the tabs to the left of the main toolbox at the top of the page. Applying an action to your items is as simple as clicking the radio button to the left of the action you want to perform, and then clicking the "Apply changes" button below the options. Note that only the option you had picked will be applied to your selected items. That is, if you pick the radio button to change your items' category, then the batch editor will only change the category of your items when you click submit. It will not change the status of your items, mark them as "Used," or do anything else pertaining to the other actions shown on the page. It ignores these actions since they aren't selected.

There are a couple of common reasons that you may be told that no items were affected when you use the batch editor. The most common reasons are the most obvious ones: that you either forgot to click the radio button next to an action, or you forgot to select items to act upon from the list of items in the batch editor.

Another possibility is that the action you selected may not be possible. For instance, you can not change the properties of sold items, so if you selected an item that was sold and tried to change its status to "For sale," nothing will happen (hint: if you want to re-list an item, go to your "Sold items" from the Selling page and click "Re-list items" link under the offer that your items were sold in).

If you are submitting a large number of items to be modified (more than 50), or you are performing an action that takes a long time for our system to process (such as changing text in the description) then we add your batch edit request to a queue that is processed while you do other things on the site. In most cases, your action will begin processing within a couple minutes after you submitted it. Depending on the action you performed and how many items you performed it on, processing may take from a minute to an hour or more.

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Related sections: Google Shopping | Listing Best Practices | Paid Memberships

Variations

Sellers can now add custom variations to their items, directly via the new/edit item form. Once you select a category, you will see normal trait options. Begin to type in your variation. If it already exists, it will show up - if not, click "Enter" and the variation will be added to this single item.

If you have multiple colors/multiple sizes, you can select or type in "Many Colors" or "Many Sizes" into the trait field and click enter. A new option will show above the detailed item description box allowing you to add multiple colors and sizes. These will show as options for your buyers to select from a drop-down on the item listing page.

If your selected category does not have the variation you need, there is a workaround to add missing traits to a category that doesn't currently include the trait you need. Go into the item edit page and update the category to one that offers the trait you would like to add. This will create a field for that trait. Select the "many" option from the drop-down and add the trait and available quantities using the newly added link above the item description box, then save your changes. Go back into the item and update the category back to your original category, and the added traits will still be there. Save your changes and you will now have variations available for that listing.

You are also able to create trait profiles to use on other listings. While the eBay Importer should recognize incoming variations and quantities, Amazon doesn’t provide variation data to Bonanza. The Amazon importer will not copy variations; each variations is imported as a separate listing. Our importers will also recognize various price points on the multiple variations per item.

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Related sections: Google Shopping | Listing Best Practices | Importing from Other Sites | Updating Listings in Bulk

Webstores

Webstores are perfect for sellers that want to build their own brand, or who want an easier way to manage their existing brand. Selling on a marketplace is great, but if you've ever wanted your own "stand alone" e-commerce website, then a Webstore is your solution. Learn more about the difference between a marketplace booth and a standalone Webstore here. You can check out a live example at Blue Penny Lady to get a feel for what Webstores have to offer.

When it comes to online stores, we know that you have a lot of competitors to choose between. That's why we've built Bonanza Webstores to be quick and easy to set up, inexpensive to operate, and a few mission-critical features that nobody else on the planet can offer you.

• Fast and easy to set up. You'll be up and running in 10 minutes or less. If you already have your inventory on Bonanza, it will appear in your Webstore automatically. You can also use our importers to easily bring inventory from eBay or Amazon automatically, or from anywhere else using a CSV inventory file.
• Bonanza Broadcaster service. When it comes to getting traffic, other online stores make you fend for yourself. One of the major benefits of Bonanza Webstores is that your inventory is automatically linked to your Bonanza booth - that means you have double the opportunities for shoppers to find your products. It also means that your Bonanza booth will be gathering buyer traffic from all across the Internet while you're growing your Webstore.
• Beautiful designs, no coding needed. Our design interface lets you customize the look of your store without learning code (and without paying somebody else to code it for you). Just point and click to customize your theme, layout, and pages.

There are no post-sale fees when you make a sale from your Webstore. Bonanza charges $25/month to host your Webstore, but there are no other fees - no listing fees, no selling fees. Period. You might also want to consider the annual plan, which offers sellers the best value at $255/year.

A Bonanza booth provides the tools that allow you add, edit, and remove items from your inventory. Managing your inventory through your booth affords the following benefits:

• Import existing inventory from other marketplaces. If you've already got your inventory posted on eBay, Amazon, Etsy, Shopify, or in a CSV file, you can import into your Bonanza booth for free.
• Smart and easy batch editing. Bonanza's seller tools have been consistently ranked #1 for a reason. We were built as a platform for sellers with lots of items, and we've built out a very robust toolset for helping big sellers manage lots of items with minimum effort.
• Generate CPA-based traffic (if you want). All Bonanza booths are imbued with the capability to one-click publish your items to Google Shopping and the Bonanza Affiliate Network. It costs you nothing unless you make a sale. You decide how much you'll pay when you do make a sale.

If you don't already have a booth, when you sign up for your Webstore we'll automatically create an empty booth for your Webstore inventory.

All Bonanza advertising will continue to drive traffic to your Bonanza booth. Like any stand-alone e-commerce website, the owner (that's you) is responsible for driving traffic to your Webstore. Fortunately, there are many great ways to get traffic to your Webstore - see below. Like any stand-alone ecommerce website, the merchant is responsible for attracting visitors. How you do this is limited only by your marketing skills and imagination, but some of the most popular ways include:

• Social Media: Create social media accounts for your store on popular networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Post frequently to quickly increase your followers. To get the highest level of engagement from your followers, be sure to include rich media such as images and video whenever possible. Tip: Be sure to read our guide to Webstore social media strategy.
• Friends and Family: Email your friends and family to tell them about your new store, and invite them to forward the email to anybody they know who might also be interested in checking it out. Some of the best customers come from friend and family referrals.
• Search Engines: To get found on search engines like Google and Bing, be sure to create informational pages on your Webstore - Bonanza will notify the search engines via your sitemap, which is created automatically and submitted for you behind the scenes. Your customers will appreciate the information, and the search engines will start to see you as an authority in your category - which means they'll rank you higher.

It's easy to add a “My Store” tab to your Facebook page to automatically display all of your Webstore inventory on Facebook. For instructions, check out How to Link Your Webstore to Your Facebook Page.

Part of the power of Bonanza Webstores is the point-and click functionality. We're working to allow even more customization, so you can tweak the look and feel of your site as much as desired. What else? Whatever you tell us! Webstores were built for you, so we want to add any features or improvements that would make your life easier and help you sell more.

You do not have to buy a domain to host a Bonanza Webstore. Your store will be published on "sellername.bonanza.com." But we do recommend getting your own domain name, since that can give shoppers more confidence in your brand. If you already have a domain name, we can use it for your Webstore. If you don't have one yet, you can use the "purchase domain" tools inside the Webstore settings to get a domain of your very own. Domains purchased via Bonanza are valid for a year. In the event you decide to use the domain elsewhere, you own the domain and can re-point it to another location. Please note that registry rules state domains purchased via Bonanza cannot be transferred within 60 days of purchase.

Bonanza handles the SSL. If you register a domain through our interface, we’ll automatically buy an SSL certificate for your domain, and checkout will happen on your domain. If you use an existing domain, you will checkout through the Bonanza subdomain for your store, i.e., http://your-store.bonanza.com. In that case, it uses Bonanza’s SSL certificate. Since all of the interface is the same as your Webstore, most buyers don’t even notice they’ve moved across domains. This is how other e-commerce platforms handle the problem as well.

All inventory in your booth and Webstore will match exactly. To do otherwise would require more time and complexity in managing who-knows-how-many differences between items. One of the ways Bonanza Webstores are different than other choices is that we keep it simple.

If you cancel your Webstore, your items will still be listed on Bonanza.com until you remove them. During that time, your Webstore domain will redirect to your Bonanza booth.

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Related sections: Jumpstart Your Sales | Establishing Credibility | Importing from Other Sites

X-Rated Users (Bonanza Fraud Protection)

Sometimes it's hard to know who you can trust and who you can't. Here are some of the potential warning signs to look out for when considering whether a given seller is trustable:

• No feedback. This one is kind of a no-brainer, but we mention it here anyway since it should be the foremost caution flag when considering a seller. Understand that while Bonanza is a relatively new site, every seller has the option of importing their feedback from eBay or Amazon, so if the seller has sold online before at eBay or Amazon, then they are likely to have some feedback that shows up on their Bonanza account. If their feedback rating is 0, it is not necessarily a deal-breaker, but you should remain skeptical as you evaluate other factors.
• They direct you to complete checkout off-site. Bonanza offers secure checkout options for buyers to complete payments. The payment providers accepted by Bonanza sellers offer a level of buyer protection in the event something should go wrong with your order. It's also against Bonanza's policies to complete purchases off-site.
• They sell electronics or other high priced goods at unusually low prices. Some sellers really know where to get great deals, but be wary of deals that seem "too good to be true." This is a favorite way that fraudulent sellers lure in unsuspecting buyers into bad transactions.
• They haven't uploaded a profile picture, filled out booth policies, or completed their profile. Again, there are both real and fraudulent sellers that don't invest the time to provide information about themselves and become a part of the community. But those that are heavily involved in the community are generally safer sellers to deal with -- a scammer doesn't usually have the time to regularly post in the forums and fill out a thoughtful profile.

If you’re suspicious of a seller or want to learn more before you buy from them, you might try sending them an email to vet them out. Ask for links to other places they sell online and get a sense for their style of communication. If they are highly suspicious, you can flag their user account, which will alert us to their presence and/or lead to their possible suspension.

Bonanza has a dedicated Loss / Risk Prevention team that works to ensure buyers and sellers on Bonanza are legitimate. Bonanza tracks patterns of behavior from fraudulent buyers so we can work to prevent similar instances in the future. We take all necessary precautions to protect sellers in those instances. If unauthorized chargebacks are filed, we investigate the buyer and take the actions we deem necessary to ensure they are not acting with fraudulent intent. We also actively alert a seller when we have taken action on a fraudulent buyer that they have had a transaction with. We take extra precautions to vet sellers and screen booths with high demand items, as the potential for fraud is heightened. Our team works daily to prevent such fraud.

There are many laws, regulations and policies, that regulate which goods and services may be bought and sold online. For your convenience, we have prepared a list of some of the types of prohibited and restricted items the advertisement for sale of which is not permitted on Bonanza.

Bonanza users remain responsible for complying with all applicable laws, regulations or restrictions on items, services, or manner of sale, payment or exchange, that may apply to transactions in which they participate -- including but not limited to those imposed by the state of Washington, where the Bonanza service physically resides. We encourage you to research the applicable laws and regulations that may apply to your transaction.

A list of prohibited items can be found on this page, but here are a few examples:

• Fake, imitation, or knock off items
• Wholesale and distributor lists
• Adult content of any kind
• Obscene material
• Nude photos of any sort
• Offer or solicitation of illegal prostitution
• Weapons and related items
• Fireworks
• Controlled substances or illegal drugs
• Alcohol or tobacco products.
• Blood, bodily fluids or body parts
• Stolen property
• Burglary tools
• Counterfeit currency
• Items that promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual, or religious intolerance, or promote organizations with such views
• Material that infringes Copyright and Intellectual Property

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Related sections: Feedback and Services | Establishing Credibility | Quality Control

Your Opinion Matters

Users like you have so many valuable suggestions for our site that we've created a page to collect your ideas in order to implement the ones that make the most sense. 

Provide feedback for the Bonanza Marketplace or Webstores here.

Each feedback page is monitored by our co-founders, so please do share your thoughts with them. We strive to be your favorite online marketplace, and we appreciate you taking the time to let us know how we can improve our site.

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Related sections: Feedback and Services | Zendesk

Zendesk

Our award-winning support team is powered in part by Zendesk, a customer service software company that builds software for better customer relationships. If you need any assistance or have questions that weren’t covered in this A-Z guide or our Knowledge Base, please email support@bonanza.com.

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