We all know that businesses can be rough, it's not easy to get customers to buy your products if you're new on the market and it's even harder if the product you're trying to sell is already being sold by dozens of other sellers, that's why today we'd like to present you with a simple guide on how to get started as a new seller!
Reputation Comes First
Now, being OwnedCore user you're probably thinking about the type of reputation you get form users clicking rep/thanks button, but that's not the kind of reputation you're after as a trader. As a trader your reputation means the vouches you get from other users for the trades you have made, and you obviously want to have as much of them and as positive as it gets, the only problem is - you're new to trading, so how to get vouches if no ones want's to do business with "the new guy"? Luckily there are few simple things you can do:
Give Away Free Samples of Your Service to Reputable Users
It's probably the easiest and by far the most efficient way to get free vouches, all you have to do is to contact few reputable users on the site and give them a free sample of your product. Be that cd-key of the game you're selling or free leveling for your new powerleveling service, any user will be more than happy to vouch for you after getting quality sample of your products. Usually the more valuable the sample, the better the vouch so don't be cheap on it, it's worth it in the long run!
Go Premium
What good are vouches for if you don't have a fancy place under your profile tab to display them in? Upgrading your trade thread to premium will allow you to receive trade feedback, which is the most important factor when it comes to picking the person you'd like to trade with. This way you won't be only receiving your vouches within the thread, but they will also be visible all across the forums for all users to see while looking at your profile along with the percentage of successful trades you've made. In addition to that, having a premium thread will also help you stick out by being able to pick either green or red thread tittle color and show your potential customers that you're taking this seriously. (option to upgrade thread can be found at the top of your trade thread and is done with CoreCoins)
Get Verified
Getting ID verified is a very simple thing, but can have a big impact on how your potential buyers see you. Having your account ID verified by an admin of OwnedCore can say a lot about your commitment to trading and how serious you are about it. In addition to that, your username will be marked with a snazy little icon next to it within the trade section, that will help you to stand out among competition even more.
Stand out
While having a nice thread color or icon next to your name is a good start, there's still much more you can do to stand out among your competitors to run a successful business, here are few examples of what you could do:
Price Point
There are often times when your potential customers will look for the best deal they can possibly get on the product you're selling, in which case it's good to go as cheap as possible as a new trader, simply because there will always be people looking for best price and you will always get some orders this way. In addition to that, customers who bought your products for a very good price are more likely to be very satisfied with the purchase they've made and hence more eager to leave you a good feedback.
Graphic Design
Ask yourself a question, are you more likely to buy something from the site that has nothing but plain text and prices on it or a site with a nice, clear graphic design? Yes, most people will go for the second one, which is not surprising considering all people are highly visual. That's exactly why you should make your thread look as good as possible, this way you will very often get an order you would normally lose to someone with more feedback than you, but not as good graphic design as yours.
Think outside of the box
There were likely multiple times in your life when you had to buy something online and each and every single shops were looking the same, offering the same, and selling it at pretty much the same prices, and when that happens - you're most likely to pick the one that has in offer something other's don't. Be that free delivery, best bundle deals, or more clear product descriptions. There's ton's of little things that can ultimately make your customers pick your service over the others, that's why you should always try to think of something new and unique, that no other of your competitors thought of - it is guaranteed to increase your orders.
Contribute to the Community
Contributing to the community might sound like a hassle if you've come here only to trade, but think about it as another way of making your name known. Think about it - are other site users more likely to buy something from someone they never heard about before looking up certain product, or a person they've already seen earlier either in the bawx or posting some useful guide / exploit? In addition to that, being well known among other users as a contributor can often make them want to recommend you to other people looking for the kind of product you're offering. While trying to contribute to the site, always remember to contribute only quality content, spamming posts mindlessly can get you the exact opposite effect, where users would associate your name with bad content hence assume your service is also bad. Here are some simple ways to contribute:
Rep and Thanks
An easy way to start contributing to the site is giving rep and thanks to the users that submitted quality content to the site, person receiving the rep will be able to see that you've repped / thanked them and you never know, maybe that user is looking for the type of product you're selling! However same as with all kinds of contributing, be very careful who and for what you are thanking / repping for - mindless spamming rep and thanks button can not only make other users think you aren't taking this seriously (hence most likely not taking your business seriously either) but can also get you in trouble with site moderators and even lead to your reputation being reduced or your account getting closed.
Donating
Donating is also a pretty simple way to contribute, by donating you are helping the site run, which is greatly appreciated by many site members that might often pick to trade with a donator / contributor rather than some random leecher. in addition to that donators get an orange username, which will not only make it obvious you're one of them, but also make you stand out even more among other new traders. It's good to keep your donator status even once you acquire more feedback and vouches, simply because it will always make you stand out among users with lower ranks.
Exploits and Guides
While submitting quality guides and exploits is probably the first thing that comes to mind while thinking about contributing on OwnedCore, it's obviously not the easiest. It's not always easy to write a good guide, and even harder to stumble upon useful exploit, however once you do, it is guaranteed to give you a recognition. A good tip for finding exploits is subscribing various gaming related you tube channels on regular basis, especially the ones committed to exploiting - once you post a useful exploit on the site, users will remember your name for a long time.
Helping Out
Helping out other users is another simple way to contribute, all you have to do is to browse threads in the sections you are interested in / got experience in and answer some questions. It's a practice that will be very appreciated both by reputable site users and new ones that you will be helping out, and you never know who is a potential customer!
And that's pretty much warps it up, follow the above steps, and you are guaranteed to have a much smoother start as a new trader here on OwnedCore!
Happy and safe trading! :)
Reputation Comes First
Now, being OwnedCore user you're probably thinking about the type of reputation you get form users clicking rep/thanks button, but that's not the kind of reputation you're after as a trader. As a trader your reputation means the vouches you get from other users for the trades you have made, and you obviously want to have as much of them and as positive as it gets, the only problem is - you're new to trading, so how to get vouches if no ones want's to do business with "the new guy"? Luckily there are few simple things you can do:
Give Away Free Samples of Your Service to Reputable Users
It's probably the easiest and by far the most efficient way to get free vouches, all you have to do is to contact few reputable users on the site and give them a free sample of your product. Be that cd-key of the game you're selling or free leveling for your new powerleveling service, any user will be more than happy to vouch for you after getting quality sample of your products. Usually the more valuable the sample, the better the vouch so don't be cheap on it, it's worth it in the long run!
Go Premium
What good are vouches for if you don't have a fancy place under your profile tab to display them in? Upgrading your trade thread to premium will allow you to receive trade feedback, which is the most important factor when it comes to picking the person you'd like to trade with. This way you won't be only receiving your vouches within the thread, but they will also be visible all across the forums for all users to see while looking at your profile along with the percentage of successful trades you've made. In addition to that, having a premium thread will also help you stick out by being able to pick either green or red thread tittle color and show your potential customers that you're taking this seriously. (option to upgrade thread can be found at the top of your trade thread and is done with CoreCoins)
Get Verified
Getting ID verified is a very simple thing, but can have a big impact on how your potential buyers see you. Having your account ID verified by an admin of OwnedCore can say a lot about your commitment to trading and how serious you are about it. In addition to that, your username will be marked with a snazy little icon next to it within the trade section, that will help you to stand out among competition even more.
Stand out
While having a nice thread color or icon next to your name is a good start, there's still much more you can do to stand out among your competitors to run a successful business, here are few examples of what you could do:
Price Point
There are often times when your potential customers will look for the best deal they can possibly get on the product you're selling, in which case it's good to go as cheap as possible as a new trader, simply because there will always be people looking for best price and you will always get some orders this way. In addition to that, customers who bought your products for a very good price are more likely to be very satisfied with the purchase they've made and hence more eager to leave you a good feedback.
Graphic Design
Ask yourself a question, are you more likely to buy something from the site that has nothing but plain text and prices on it or a site with a nice, clear graphic design? Yes, most people will go for the second one, which is not surprising considering all people are highly visual. That's exactly why you should make your thread look as good as possible, this way you will very often get an order you would normally lose to someone with more feedback than you, but not as good graphic design as yours.
Think outside of the box
There were likely multiple times in your life when you had to buy something online and each and every single shops were looking the same, offering the same, and selling it at pretty much the same prices, and when that happens - you're most likely to pick the one that has in offer something other's don't. Be that free delivery, best bundle deals, or more clear product descriptions. There's ton's of little things that can ultimately make your customers pick your service over the others, that's why you should always try to think of something new and unique, that no other of your competitors thought of - it is guaranteed to increase your orders.
Contribute to the Community
Contributing to the community might sound like a hassle if you've come here only to trade, but think about it as another way of making your name known. Think about it - are other site users more likely to buy something from someone they never heard about before looking up certain product, or a person they've already seen earlier either in the bawx or posting some useful guide / exploit? In addition to that, being well known among other users as a contributor can often make them want to recommend you to other people looking for the kind of product you're offering. While trying to contribute to the site, always remember to contribute only quality content, spamming posts mindlessly can get you the exact opposite effect, where users would associate your name with bad content hence assume your service is also bad. Here are some simple ways to contribute:
Rep and Thanks
An easy way to start contributing to the site is giving rep and thanks to the users that submitted quality content to the site, person receiving the rep will be able to see that you've repped / thanked them and you never know, maybe that user is looking for the type of product you're selling! However same as with all kinds of contributing, be very careful who and for what you are thanking / repping for - mindless spamming rep and thanks button can not only make other users think you aren't taking this seriously (hence most likely not taking your business seriously either) but can also get you in trouble with site moderators and even lead to your reputation being reduced or your account getting closed.
Donating
Donating is also a pretty simple way to contribute, by donating you are helping the site run, which is greatly appreciated by many site members that might often pick to trade with a donator / contributor rather than some random leecher. in addition to that donators get an orange username, which will not only make it obvious you're one of them, but also make you stand out even more among other new traders. It's good to keep your donator status even once you acquire more feedback and vouches, simply because it will always make you stand out among users with lower ranks.
Exploits and Guides
While submitting quality guides and exploits is probably the first thing that comes to mind while thinking about contributing on OwnedCore, it's obviously not the easiest. It's not always easy to write a good guide, and even harder to stumble upon useful exploit, however once you do, it is guaranteed to give you a recognition. A good tip for finding exploits is subscribing various gaming related you tube channels on regular basis, especially the ones committed to exploiting - once you post a useful exploit on the site, users will remember your name for a long time.
Helping Out
Helping out other users is another simple way to contribute, all you have to do is to browse threads in the sections you are interested in / got experience in and answer some questions. It's a practice that will be very appreciated both by reputable site users and new ones that you will be helping out, and you never know who is a potential customer!
And that's pretty much warps it up, follow the above steps, and you are guaranteed to have a much smoother start as a new trader here on OwnedCore!
Happy and safe trading! :)