Ep 291 || The 2024 Up & Running Grant Program is Here!

[podcast_team]

Time to send your applications! This week Rebecca Michals talks with 2023 Grantee Stanley Kvitko to learn how the grant made a difference in his business. Griff and Kayomi answer your questions about the legacy International Visibility feature and what actually counts as a sale for your “items sold” metric.
Episode Links:

Up and Running Grant Program for 2024
Stanley’s Store (Kracked Screens)
Recurring Links:
eBay for Business Podcast
eBay Seller Spotlight Podcast
eBay for Business Podcast Listener Survey
eBay Seller News Announcements
eBay for Business Facebook
Community Chat with eBay Staff
eBay Seller Center
eBay Help
eBay Local Seller Events
Seller Hub
eBay Events

Kayomi: I'm Kayomi Kayoshi

Griff: I'm Griff and this is the eBay for Business Podcast, your weekly source for the information and the inspiration and we hope a lot of guidance and coaching to help you start, manage and grow your business on the world's most powerful marketplace. And this is episode 291. Welcome Kayomi.

Kayomi: Thank you Griff. Welcome. Welcome for you too.

Griff: It's our weekly fun time here talking to sellers, hopefully giving 'em things that they can use, like great guests and great topics. And then of course my favorite part, the Q and A we do at the end of every episode and we'll do that this week 'cause we do have some interesting questions and I've got quite a few in the queue, but that doesn't mean we don't want yours and we'll tell you again how to do that at podcast@ebay.com.

Kayomi: A lot of people want the mug.

Griff: Yeah, well that's okay. We're, we're happy to give away the mug. If you give us your street address and we use your question, we'll send you a mug and it's a nice one. It's got the branding on it that says eBay for Business and it's got a USB speaker and it's not as hard to get as those pink Stanley mugs that for some reason people lost their minds over. I think ours is much nicer. I know it doesn't leak.

Kayomi: Oh there we go. Now that's a bonus.

Griff: It is, exactly. I wonder who our guest is?

Kayomi: Why don't you go ahead and tell us.

Griff: Why don't you lead me in?

Kayomi: Well Griff, who is our guest this week?

Griff: Our guest this week is eBay seller Stanley Kvitko, He is a 2023 Up And Running Grant. He's visiting us this week and joining Rebecca Michael who will be interviewing him to talk about the Up And Running Grant program, which we at the podcast love to talk about because it's a great way for you to tee yourself up for potential huge if you're picked as one of the grantees. You know there's a big cash award so you wanna pay attention to that.

Kayomi: Oh yeah, it's a great program

Griff: And we're gonna, like I said, we'll have three questions and one of them is a kind of addendum to a question that came in last week, the one about shipping packages to the wrong buyers. A seller Gary pointed out something that needs to be added to it and I thought, yes, he's right. I should have mentioned this and I forgot to, so we'll revisit that topic. Okay. I wanted to ask you, what are you seeing in the community these days?

Kayomi: It's interesting, this week there was actually this thread that was kind of big and I think a lot of sellers will be able to relate to this, but it was about intuition and gut feelings and as a seller being able to identify a scam even if the obvious signs aren't there. Oh, sometimes you're like spidey senses you know, will fire up. Yeah, a lot of conversation about that. Some people were like, honestly a lot of it boils down to being a seller for 20 plus years and just like knowing some of these red flags and some of these things to look out for. We do have a great resource of these sellers who've been on for 20 plus years who can help you identify some of those things. If you're a newer seller and don't know how to identify potential scams but they give some examples and really get down into it. That was really interesting.

Griff: Yeah, and you can find the link to the eBay community pages and platform at the bottom of any eBay page. It says community, it's well worth a visit. You'll definitely on any thread, on any of the topics, find so many different opinions and perspectives that I think it's really helpful. Definitely is part of the DNA of eBay since the beginning and it's really to your benefit to take advantage of it. Well I think it's time for us to go meet Rebecca and Stanley.

Kayomi: Alright, let's go.

Rebecca: Happy National Small Business Week everyone. National Small Business Week is aimed at honoring the contributions of American's, entrepreneurs and small business owners just like you. Thank you to all of you for bringing new ideas and to help grow our national economy. We're here today to talk about our Up And Running Grants program to celebrate Small Business Week. This year we are bringing back that grants program for our fifth year. That's right, five years. For the last five years eBay has been investing in our small businesses, businesses just like yours through the Up And Running Grants program. Now we opened applications this week to award another 50 small business sellers each with $10,000 in funds plus mentorship and other critical small business resources. And that brings our total for the grants to $2.5 million and 250 sellers impacted over the last five years. Our Up And Running Grants applications are open now and they'll close on June 7th, 2024 at 6:00 PM est. So apply now. Where do you apply? You go to ebay.com/upandrunning. That's the word Up And Running to learn more. Or you can click the link in the show notes and you can access the application there. Well I am very pleased to talk today with Stanley Kvitko of Kracked Screens who is awarded a Grant in 2023. Stanley, welcome.

Stanley: Thank you Rebecca. I'm thrilled to be here.

Rebecca: So let's start off, can you tell us a little bit about your business and what got you selling on eBay?

Stanley: My journey with eBay actually started quite early. As a kid I began selling my old Pokemon and sports cards on mom's eBay account and the excitement of that first sale really hooked me and soon I was searching for anything I could sell from around the house. Fast forward to 2012, I officially opened my own eBay account at just 13 years old. My business Kracked Screens specializes in do it yourself cell phone repair kits primarily for iPhones and other devices. What inspired me to start Kracked Screens was recognizing a need in the market for affordable, complete and easy to use repair kits because I struggled to find one myself when the inevitable happened to me. A lot of people know the inconvenience and cost of repairing a smartphone, so providing a way for people to do it themselves not only saves them money but also empowers them with skills they never knew they had. eBay has been instrumental in helping me reach a global audience, providing the perfect platform to grow and scale Kracked Screens into what it is today.

Rebecca: You just mentioned a global audience. Is that why eBay? Is that what makes our platform stand out to you for your business needs or is there something else?

Stanley: I'd say the global audience is definitely part of it. eBay brings a lot of eyeballs to their listings, but for me, eBay's always stood out over other platforms for a few other key reasons. First, the platform's incredibly user friendly, which made it easy for me, even as a young entrepreneur to get started and scale up efficiently. I was able to do it all myself without requiring paid experts to help, which I can't say the same for my experience trying to sell on Amazon. Second, eBay truly as a seller first approach. They have policies in place to protect sellers from fraud and misuse of returns and somehow they do all of that without compromising the buyer's experience. I've even seen firsthand how eBay has come out of pocket to cover an expense, just to keep both the buyer and the seller happy. And that's not common on other marketplaces. Also, eBay's seller tools and analytics have been invaluable. They've helped me understand the customer trends, manage inventory and optimize my own listings to ensure maximum visibility and sales. And lastly, the community aspect of eBay also sets it apart. There's a real sense of connection and support among sellers, buyers and the people that work at eBay. This community, along with the direct access to both human and non-human resources and opportunities like the Up And Running Grant program that you mentioned truly enhanced my business capabilities and enriched the selling experience.

Rebecca: We are actually recording this just coming out of Earth Day and during Earth Week and I know that sustainability is super important to you. And in your application for your Up And Running Grant, you mentioned that you are able to turn that passion into action with an LCD recycling program.

Griff: Absolutely, yeah. So sustainability is a core part of our mission at Kracked Screens recognizing the growing problem of electronic waste, we initiated an LCD recycling program to address the issue directly. I didn't want to be a part of the problem if I couldn't also be part of the solution. This program focuses on reducing the amount of e-waste by allowing us to purchase broken screens from professional repair shops. We then test them thoroughly to determine if they can be refurbished or reused and if not, then we recycle their components in an environmentally responsible way. So this not only helps keep electronic waste out of landfills, but it also supports that circular economy by giving these components a new lease on life.

Rebecca: I remember talking to you during the final steps of the grant process last year and you talked about how the grant would impact your business. How did being awarded this grant affect your business and what were some of the benefits that you got out of the grant?

Stanley: Getting awarded that eBay grant was a transformative moment for Kracked Screens last year. It was a pretty challenging year and we won that grant towards the end, I believe in the fall. And that was a great feeling. It really enabled us to significantly expand our inventory offerings, which was crucial for meeting the growing demand from our our customers. More inventory meant more listings and a broader product selection allowed us to cater to a wider variety of customer needs, which boosted our sales and customer satisfaction. In addition to increasing our inventory, the grant allowed us to enhance our operational efficiency. I used some of those funds to purchase refurbished desktop computers. Part of the grant program was not only a cash grant but also credit to buy refurbished technology. And so we used that to upgrade our computers and it's made managing listings and handling customer inquiries much more easy. Lastly, the grant supported our marketing efforts. We were able to put some of that money into eBay ads, which significantly increased our visibility on the platform and they drew more traffic to our listings. It also set the stage for sustainable expansion and has had a lasting impact on our business strategy.

Rebecca: Oh, that's fantastic. Yeah, I read somewhere that you went from like 30 listings to more than 2,500 listings, all thanks to the grant and that's huge growth and exactly why we have this grant available to sellers like you. But you know, it's not just about the money or the eBay refurbished piece of the grant. The grant has impacted your business in other kind of non-tangible ways.

Stanley: Yeah, definitely. I'm starting to see that those non-tangible ways are almost more valuable than the cash itself was. The grant from eBay did more than just provide financial support. It also opened doors to a handful of opportunities and connections that profoundly influenced our business. Through the program, I was able to establish relationships with eBay sellers in our industry, which has been incredibly beneficial. These connections gave me insights into advanced selling techniques that other sellers were using and helped me navigate the complexities of e-commerce more effectively and the challenges that I was facing myself. Additionally, I got opportunities for mentorship and networking with eBay employees at eBay HQ. I'm privileged to be in the Bay Area and pretty close to the eBay headquarters. That was a blessing being able to go down there and have a growth advisor pull up my account and really just look at my information and tell me some advice for the next steps. And it's not just open to locals, those growth advisors are available on Zoom meetings. They have eBay ads growth advisors, just getting in touch with more people in the seller community and the eBay employees as well.

Rebecca: Yeah.That's a great call out. I mean you're here on the podcast today because you're one of the 50 grant winners from last year, but there are lots of ways to get involved in the eBay community including getting involved in local meetings that we have all over the country.

Stanley: Oh Yeah, definitely. It wasn't something that I was even aware existed. Like I said, I've been on the platform as a seller since 2012 and it wasn't until I came across the grant program and once I came across that and applied, I kind of found the whole seller community page and where you can find info on events and other things.

Rebecca: What made you, you think to yourself, oh I have a shot at this. There's probably sellers out there that like, I never have won anything or my business isn't cool enough for this grant. What would you say to them?

Stanley: I would say I definitely had the same thoughts but you can't win if you don't try. And so my advice to any seller considering applying for the grant is simple. Just go for it. Shoot your shot. The process of applying might seem daunting, but it's truly a small investment of your time When you consider what you stand to gain and compared to other grant applications, the requirements are not that daunting. The reality is you can't win if you don't apply. Like I said, the grant can be a game changer for your business providing not just financial support but also access to invaluable resources and networks. And don't stop with just one grant. Look for other opportunities that might be available to businesses like yours or to founders who share your background. There are many programs out there designed to support entrepreneurs in various ways. And by applying you're opening doors to potential resources that can propel your business forward. And remember, the more you put yourself out there, the more chances you have to secure support that can make a significant difference.

Rebecca: That's a great reminder to say that our Up And Running Grants program is open to sellers of all categories, all sizes. All you have to do is to have your eBay business open for six months. Is there one thing that you've learned from the mentorship from the resources that you think will be helpful to all sellers?

Stanley: For me, I'd say one of the most valuable lessons I learned from the mentorship provided from the grant program was the importance of data-driven decision making. eBay offers a suite of analytical tools that are incredibly powerful if you know how to use them right. These tools can help sellers understand not just their own sales patterns and inventory needs, but also broader market trends and customer preferences. By diving deep into data analytics, I've been able to optimize our listings, adjust pricing, and even tailor our marketing efforts more precisely to meet customer demands. This approach is something that can benefit sellers of all sizes and all categories. Whether you're just starting out or looking to expand, taking a data-driven approach can help you make more informed decisions, minimize risk, and maximize your growth potential on eBay.

Rebecca: And I think this is my opportunity to shout out that one of those tools has been known as Terapeak for many years. We now call it Product Research and it's newly available on the mobile device. Well with that, any last thoughts?

Stanley: I would really just emphasize that there's nothing to lose, it's just your time and you should go for it.

Rebecca: Well thank you so much for giving us your time today. Really appreciate it when I know that you could be busy running your business and listing and packing and shipping stuff, so I really appreciate it and thanks for telling us about your experience with the grant program. I can't emphasize enough, you can't win if you don't give it a try. I have read literally thousands of applications. There's so many great stories out there and we wanna hear your story. So do, please apply. People actually really do win this grant. We care very much about each and every application. So with that I'll share a couple more reminders. The award is $10,000 in cash plus mentorship and a business acceleration course. We are expanding our grant and there will be an additional stipend worth up to $500 for each grantee to apply to eBay refurbished technology. So please go to ebay.com up and running to learn more or click on that link in the show notes and complete your applications by June 7th at 6:00 PM EST. Stanley, thanks again so much for being here.

Stanley: Yeah, thanks for listening to my story and good luck everyone.

Kayomi: You've got questions.

Griff: We've got answers. And our first question, Komi was sent to podcast@ebay.com by seller John M and I'm hoping you'll do us the honors and read the question.

Kayomi: I'm feeling generous today so I will. John writes, if I'm creating or revising a listing on the PC in the international shipping area, I see a checkbox that says display your listing on eBay UK site. If fees apply, could you tell me what those fees are and why do we pay extra to list on eBay UK instead of the free international listing for any other location? Thanks for your help, John M. AKA Stet Books

Griff: Good question. I had forgotten that the international shipping upgrade was still around.

Kayomi: I know. Likewise, I think I just focus on the benefits of international shipping and explaining it to people who've never used this. And so this is an interesting take John so that International Site Visibility is an optional upgrade that ensures your ebay.com listings are visible in top level search results on other eBay sites. Currently, International Site Visibility is only supported by United Kingdom in Canada sites. There is a small separate fee around a dollar to $2 for each site you choose for this upgrade. So you have complete control over where you want your listings to appear. These fees aren't refundable unless your listing doesn't meet the other country's requirements.

Griff: So I went searching for this 'cause I remember this is a legacy feature at eBay. It's been around since oh God for so many years and it's not very important anymore with the the advent of eBay International Shipping 'cause that gets your items viewing. It's more like an upgrade. Gotta be honest, I went searching for it, couldn't find it. But if you're listing and you see this option, the fee is roughly about one to $2 if I remember correctly depending on the site. It's up to you if you want to do that. If you're already shipping using eBay, international shipping, your listings are already gonna appear on sites all around the world. And this is just a way on those particular sites, I think it's the UK and Canada that you can and maybe a few others. It's been so long since I've seen this that you can upgrade and it just gives you higher visibility in search results for those international sites. So hope that answers your question personally, If I have to give an opinion, I probably wouldn't use it. If I'm already shipping internationally someone's gonna find my item. Our next question is from UK seller speaking of the UK. Keri. He writes. Hi Kayomi and Griff. I'm in the UK and although a lot of the information in the podcast doesn't apply to the UK, I still love the show and all the insights and tips. I have two questions if I may. First question, in the mobile app, when you click on My eBay then the My Shop banner, it shows the shop menu, it shows under my shop name feedback, followers and items sold. My question is for the item sold figure, does this metric apply to just listing sold or or does it include multi listing sales? For example, if I sell 10 items in a multi listing, is my metric going up by 10 or just one? Just wondering if you had any insights on that. And I do, my second question is more of a suggestion or maybe for your thoughts, do you think it would be a good idea to show somewhere in eBay all the countries you have sold to through the what I guess used to be called the Global Shipping Program Now eBay International Shipping, I get, you can keep that information if you wish, but it would be a nice feature to see in a report just how many countries you have actually shipped to. Thanks for your time and keep up the great work. 300 incoming, he means the 300 episode kind regards. Gary's Retro Gaming on eBay. So I think we'll we'll take this one apart as two questions and Kayomi I'll let you answer the first one. Perfect.

Kayomi: Perfect. Well Gary, the number for items sold counts individual transactions. So if you say you had around 10 items in a multi quantity listing and you sold five, then that would count as five sales on your item sold metric.

Griff: So it's not the listing itself, it's the, you know, how many times did you make a sale those sales and if you make multiple sales on a single listing, each one counts as a sale. Now it's interesting your question about showing a list of the countries to which you as a seller have already shipped, whether that's yourself or through one of the, you know what used to be Global Shipping or now the International Shipping Program and there isn't a way with an eBay to show or list all the countries to which you've sold an item in the past. Do I think it's a good idea? Sure. I think it'd be great to at least have it on a report. Now there used to be many, many, many years ago there used to be a third party tool that you could subscribe to and it would insert a widget into your descriptions showing you all with little like tacks on a big global map, all the places to which you've actually shipped a sale. They went away years ago when we put restrictions on the types of coding and links that a seller can insert into their description and it was all done for security reasons. So you used to be able to put a lot of stuff like JavaScript into your descriptions and it started presenting a security issue. We had to take that away. But yeah, I like the idea. It's a good idea.

Rebecca: I think just out of curiosity, I would love to see that. So perhaps one day. Yeah. Alright, well our last question for this week is a comment about a question we answered last week regarding shipping packages to the wrong buyers.

Griff: Oh dear.

Rebecca: Oh, this one is addressed only to you Griff. Okay. Thanks for leaving me out on this one actually, , so the question goes, Griff, I listened to your show number 290 where a seller shipped the wrong items to two buyers. One of your answers was for the seller to purchase new shipping labels through eBay and email the PDF files to each buyer and have them exchange the items. How do you change the ship from zip code on the postage label? Since postage costs for the labels will be calculated based on the seller's zip code, one label will probably be overcharged and the other will be undercharged. The post office may deliver the undercharged package to the buyer with postage due or return it to the other buyer marked insufficient postage. Thanks George.

Griff: Yeah, excellent. Call out George. Thank you for catching it and sending this to me because it gives us a chance to add this on. And I should have mentioned this so it can be done but it does take a few steps. First you'd have to add both buyer addresses to your ship from addresses in your selling account and that's My eBay, the Account tab and then Addresses. And then when you reprint the labels, you'd select the other buyer's return address or ship as a ship from address in the section on the print label page for ship from return to. And this will create a label with the correct address for both where it's supposed to go, the other buyer and where it's coming from. The other, you know, the buyer that had received the item and then it calculates the right shipping. Then you save these as PDFs or print them on your computer as PDF files that you can then forward to the buyers through my messages. You can do this in attachment again though, and I'm gonna say this a few times, not an ideal way to do this. So it's a lot of steps.

Kayomi: Yeah. You can also do this outside of eBay on a site like Stamps.com that we mentioned before. It might be the easiest way to accomplish this option though.

Griff: So if you've never used a site like stamps.com, you can create a label just entering in those addresses, which again you'll have from eBay. So you'd create one with the ship to address and ship from address for one, you know the two sellers and then you just reverse them for the second label. And if you're gonna do this, I mean it was this, it was your mistake, right? Just pay for the labels and focus on getting the buyers happy. And as I've said, this is not an easy or risk-free solution but can employ it if everyone's in agreement. But overall the best solution in most cases with the issue of wrong addresses is to have both buyers ship the items back for full refunds and then re-list them and you can alert the buyers and say, Hey, we've re-listed the items if you want to purchase it, do a little self denigration say this was my fault, I'm so sorry, uh, , you know, I promise I'll get it the right one to you next time. All human beings really appreciate that kind of attention. So if it should happen to you, that would be my advice rather than going through that print label thing. Of course, the best thing, as we said last week, make sure you avoid it ever happening by being very careful. Line up your packing slips with the boxes on the right labels and have them all set to go and double check before you seal and label those boxes so they got the right labels on the right boxes.

Kayomi: Exactly. Just make sure your buyers are happy with the transaction, um, and how everything transpires. I'm sure they'll understand we're not perfect and as George sent in this call out from last week, you can tell that Griffin and I also were not perfect. So thank you George for this question.

Griff: Again, it's okay to make mistakes. They happen. You'll find that buyers for the most part can be really reasonable and understanding if you just own it and say, look, whatever it takes to make this right and follow through. It's happened to me once. I think that I can recall several years ago and it so spooked me that I put a system in place where I just religiously double check every box before I put a label on it and make sure that what's in the box and the address where it's going is the right one on the label and have it . I just freak out. I keep looking and saying, yes, that's that box with that item and there's the packing slip and I can see the picture and I can see the item and here's the label and I become almost OCD about it. So

Kayomi: You have to add it into your ritual.

Griff: Yes. Into your business packing ritual. Well that's it for questions this week. Thank you for everyone who sent them in.

Kayomi: Yeah. We depend on your questions to keep this podcast timely and and informative. So please send your eBay selling questions to us today. Today or tomorrow. Whenever we'll take 'em.

Griff: Next week.

Kayomi: Exactly. We don't mind. You can either call in your questions at (888) 723-4630 or email them to us podcast@ebay.com.

Griff: Once again, that's (888)723-4630 and the email address pretty easy podcast@ebay.com.

Kayomi: And if we use your question on the podcast and you've included your street shipping address with your question, we'll send you an eBay branded podcast mug with a builtin USB speaker

Griff: And now your three point podcast checklist.

Kayomi: Check the Announcement Board at ebay.com/announcements for up-to-Date seller news every day.

Griff: As a reminder, hey, $10,000 is in chump change applications are now being accepted for the 2024 up and running grant program. Get your submission in now at hello alice.com/grants/ebay.

Rebecca: Need to review anything in this episode. It's easy. Check the transcript for this in all episodes for follow up on what you've heard and to find the links we referenced during the episode.

Griff: And on our next episode, episode 2 92, seller advocate and podcast, regular contributor Chuck Van Pelt. We'll share a list of best practices for increasing your sales.

Kayomi: We'd like to again thank our guest this week. Stanley Kvitko,

Griff: The eBay for Business Podcast is produced and distributed by Libsyn and podCast411. See you next week Kayomi.

Kayomi: See you then. Bye Griff.