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Seller Playbook

Katy
  • Updated
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Guide for setting up a booth and adding listings

Open your Booth

Getting started selling on Bonanza is easy! Below are the five basic steps to set up your booth.

  1.  Click the button to Sell on Bonanza in the upper left-hand corner of any page, then click the green button to "Start Selling Now." 
  2. Set your contact email and password, then create a username and booth title.
  3.  Enter your personal information including name, address (required) and phone number. You can also set your "Ships from" address (if different from your main address).
  4.  Connect your PayPal (required), and Stripe (optional) account(s) to receive payments from buyers. Choose whether or not you want Bonanza to advertise your items (recommended).
  5.  Enter your credit card information to pay the $14.99 account set-up fee, validate your identity and finalize your booth creation.

Selecting the best options for your booth

The #1 priority: Advertising. Opt in to our advertising program and we will send all of your eligible listings to Google Shopping. Optimize your listings, and they will show more prominently, increasing views from buyers.

  • Advertising level 9% or higher 
    • 75% of all sales come from ads on Google Shopping. Those ads are only purchased for sellers with a 9% or higher advertising level.
    • The higher the level, the more advertising we can purchase. 
  •  TurboTraffic - What value does it bring to sellers?
    • Allows us to spend more than the selected ad spend to promote a seller’s listings on Google Shopping.
    • More traffic usually equals more sales.
    • If sales are very good, the TurboTraffic will continue to run, providing extra advertising for no extra cost. 
    • TurboTraffic is proven to increase views by over 300% (an average across all TurboTraffic users over the last 2 years).
  • Shipping Options
    • Set up shipping clearly. Select the shipping method (First Class, Priority, International, etc.) so we can estimate a delivery date for the buyer.
    • Set your “Ships within,” or handling, timeframe (Selling>Booth Options>Shipping & Returns). Customers don’t usually mind waiting for an order as long as it’s clear how long the wait will be when they place their order.
    • You can use a Shipping Profile to set up shipping for all items at once. 
  • Profile page 
    • The profile page is a seller’s opportunity to let buyers know who they are and what is special about them.
    • Be sure that your contact information is clear and visible. Buyers prefer sellers that have a listed phone number, so add one if you can.
    • Include a link to your social pages so buyers have other ways to learn more about you

Creating the perfect listing

After you have your booth set up and your advertising turned on, it's time to create some listings. Optimize your listings, and they will show more prominently, increasing views from buyers. Know Google's policies so all of your listings will be approved for advertising.

  • Compliance with Google Shopping policies 
    • Listings must include title, description, image, price, category, shipping and if it's new/branded, a GTIN. Below are some tips for optimizing each of these requirements for your best placement on Google Shopping's advertising venue.
  • GTIN (UPC, MPN or ISBN) Global Trade Item Number
    • This is the #1 priority in driving page views. Including this information will move your item up in Google Shopping results.
    • If your item is in a category that normally has some type of unique product identifier such as an ISBN (for books) or MPN (manufacturer part number), then you must specify at least one of them for your listing. A UPC is required by Google Shopping on all new, branded items. It is not required for used items, but if you have the UPC, adding it to your listing will provide better placement in advertising.
  • Best listing TITLE set-up
    • Use straight-forward words to describe your item.
    • Include the brand and MPN (if known).
    • Mention traits like gender, color, or item type.
      • Follow the “Brand, Gender, Product, Color, Size" format when naming your listing. 
    • Make full use of the available character limit by using strong keywords.
    • Do not include promotional text, for example "new", "authentic", “best price,” “free shipping,” etc.
  • Product Image
    • Include as many as 12 photos, capture every angle and include photos showing item functionality.
    • Including multiple images helps prevent returns for items not as described.
    • Don’t include any watermarks or promotional text (“buy it now,” “lowest price,” etc.).
    • Using a white background in the main image sells items best.
    • Google Shopping requires that the image size be at least 100x100px, or 250x250px for apparel. Images cannot be larger than 64 megapixels and 16MB.
    • You also might consider showing the item next to a measuring tape to provide additional specificity and scale. 
  • Description
    • Describe only the product itself. Adding information about your business or compatible products and accessories will bring false negatives in a search.
    • Use professional and grammatically correct language. Errors will prevent items from being found in a search.
    • Don’t include links. They are not allowed on Bonanza or Google Shopping; all sales must be made on-site.
    • Don’t include promotional text or capital letters for emphasis. It is considered spam and will classify your listing as untrustworthy by Google.
    • Be specific and accurate. The more specific you are, the easier it is for users to identify the product they are searching for.
    • List the most important details in the first 160-500 characters. Text up to 5,000 characters is allowed, but may be truncated.
    • Include your product’s most relevant features and visual attributes. Examples of types of information to include:
      • Size
      • Material
      • Quantity (e.g. 1 package of 4 light bulbs)
      • Intended age range
      • Special features
      • Technical specifications
      • Shape
      • Pattern and texture
      • Design. For example, users can search for very specific visual terms like “retractable ballpoint pens."
      • Variants. List product defining details like color, size, age group, pattern, flavor, or material.
      • Rich descriptions. Users find descriptions easier to read when they are well-formatted. Include control characters and HTML tags, such as line breaks, italics, and bulleted lists to increase the readability of your description. 
  • Fair price
    • Research pricing. With proper categories (x3 levels) and other relevant attributes (e.g. size, material, color, shape etc.), you can better research pricing levels.
    • Be Competitive. If the price is too high buyers might not be able to afford it, if too low buyers might think it is lower quality than your competitors. 
    • Calculate your profit margin, price of acquisition and shipping. Consider labor, materials, cost. 
    • Use this chart to work in all costs.
  • Traits
    • Item traits are the specific details about your item. For example: brand, color, condition and GTIN.
    • Traits are used in search engines. Sending Google this extra info helps to get your items ranked 25-35% higher.
    • When buyers are using a search filter, your results will show.
  • Item Count
    • eBay sellers report that stores with between 50-2,000 items produce the best sales, as long as you are selling items people want. This is a general recommendation and not a rule, since every seller is set up differently. 

How to increase sales and build your business

  • Social Media Marketing
    • Is your business on social media? These days, many shoppers turn to their favorite social media sites to find good products. We are integrated with the most popular and sales-driving of these services. You can link your booth to your business' Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter accounts on your Profile page.
    • Use the “Share” button on each item’s individual listing page to post your items to your feed and bring shoppers to your booth.
    • Create Pinterest boards to showcase your items.
    • Use Twitter to promote your listings and your brand to people interested in your items.
    • Use Facebook to build brand recognition, advertise individual listings and promote sales

Bonus: When you drive your own traffic through social media using your unique referral ID, we wave the commission fee. You did the work, so we believe you should not have to pay a fee. Learn how to make commission-free sales.

  • Customer Marketing Tool
    • Building a repeat customer base will boost your Bonanza sales. The Customer Marketing Tool was built so you can create special offers to market directly to your customers. We’ll promote these deals for free in direct email newsletters and on the account dashboards of your subscribers. Bonus: There are no Final Value Fees for sales made using this tool.
    • 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 make their experience positive.
      • Offering targeted discounts on specific items to buyers who have bought similar items in the past.
      • Designing and creating your own customer loyalty program.

Importing your listings

You may set up a connection to eBay, Amazon, Shopify, Etsy or use a CSV file to copy your listings into your Bonanza booth. You can also set up a sync from eBay and Amazon that will automatically update the status of your listings. You can read more about how to do so using the links below:

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