You like us! You really like us, and we can’t thank you enough for it.

You helped us surpass the 2,000-like mark on Facebook late last week, and it feels great!

It’s as if we had found another storage unit filled with valuable goodies that we could resell on eBay for a profit. (We did this late last year and shared the experience with you on our Facebook page. Check it out if you haven’t already).

We started our Facebook page last year to have another venue to reach you, our customers, in a more personable manner. We’ve used our page to let you know about exciting changes at Auctiva, give you an inside look at life at Auctiva (check out our Halloween photos), share contests with you, give you access to selling tips from our experts and to respond to your questions.

We know Facebook is very personal for some and are thrilled that more than 2,000 of you let our updates come into your news feeds every week, so we wanted to say a big “Thank you” from all of us.

And if you haven’t seen our Facebook page, don’t be shy. Stop by. We have plenty of tips to share from our experts who have been selling online for years, and please feel free to leave us a comment or a question. We love interacting with you.

We look forward to more fun on Facebook. Now, onward we go to 3,000 and beyond. Thanks again.

Miriam Otto, the owner of Blue Frog Shoes and an eBay-certified educator, was kind enough to share three of her packing tricks. They’re simple tips that will make a lasting impression.

Packing Tip No.1: Tissue, anyone?

Her first tip was to wrap all items in white tissue paper before putting them in boxes.

“Buyers absolutely love it!” Miriam notes.

The paper makes shipments appear professional and provides protection for the bumpy road that may await your shipment. A nice thing about tissue paper is that you can frequently find it at dollar stores, meaning you won’t have to spend much.

“It can also be purchased in bulk at some club stores during the months of November and December,” she adds.

And if you want to add a little color by using colored tissue paper, you can, just be sure to wrap your items in a plastic bag in case the package gets wet somewhere along the way to your buyer’s doorstep.

“You don’t want the color to run,” Miriam explains.

2. Packing Tip No. 2: Make your own box

Don’t worry; you don’t have to go to a paper factory to do this. You just have to gather a few boxes you have lying around. You can do this to create large or small boxes. For instance, if one of your items is too big for the box you have, or is an odd-size, tape two smaller boxes together to get the right fit.

“I sell oversized shoes,” she says. “If I don’t have the right size box for a pair of large shoes, I sometimes tape two Priority shoe boxes together.”

But don’t skimp on the tape. You want the boxes to hold together and look professional.

If you have a box too large for a smaller item, don’t be afraid to cut down the box to size, either. A box cuter will come in handy here, just be sure to cut along the folds—and take your time. You don’t want to end up with a crushed mess.

Packing Tip No. 3: Reduce weight when you can

Cutting down larger boxes won’t just help you get the right fit for your items, it can also help cut your costs by reducing the weight of your shipment.

“A few ounces can sometimes make a huge difference when it comes to price,” Miriam reminds us. “Cutting down boxes can often reduce the amount you pay at the post office.”

Just be sure to leave enough room in your box to add enough packing peanuts and packing paper to give your item, or items, cushioning so you’ll have a happy buyer at the end of the transaction.

What are some of your simple packing tips? Tell us below.

However, time never stands still. At long last, I’ve reached the point in my life where I’m ready to seek out new experiences beyond the world of eBay and e-commerce. I am retiring from Auctiva. My last day with Auctiva will be Feb. 24.

I have really enjoyed interacting with Auctiva’s many loyal customers and wish all of you the best, both personally and professionally. Stepping up to take my place as product manager, effective immediately, is Rebecca Miller.

She’s been the star of several Auctiva product videos, an inveterate Auctiva blogger and a frequent poster on the Community Forums. Rebecca has worked for Auctiva for more than four years as product analyst. She’s done a great job and has been a great person to work with. She has clearly earned this opportunity.

As a PowerSeller and Top-rated eBay seller for a dozen-plus years, Rebecca has a deep understanding and is passionate about eBay selling and the challenges eBay sellers face.

In addition, having worked four-plus years with the Auctiva.com engineering team—very intensely during the last one—to define and refine new features, Rebecca has gained an in-depth knowledge of Auctiva’s development process.

When you factor in that she has been personally using Auctiva.com to manage and maintain her own eBay business for that entire time—and has expert knowledge of the site’s functionality, as a result—Rebecca has a terrific background for the job of Auctiva.com product manager.

Auctiva customers will benefit because, as an eBay seller and Auctiva user herself, Rebecca will be a great advocate for all Auctiva customers, both to Auctiva management and also eBay, which frequently consults with third-party developers like Auctiva on proposed changes. As the product manager for Auctiva.com, she will have the ear of both Auctiva management and, to a lesser extent, eBay, and her input will carry weight.

Please join me in congratulating Rebecca on her well-deserved promotion.

This year, I’m forced to choose between the Patriots and the Giants. That’s a tough choice.

Most recently, New England defeated the Chargers in the playoffs in 2007 and 2008, destroying the best chances San Diego had to go all the way in the past few years. On the other hand, Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning was originally drafted by the Chargers before being traded to New York because he refused to play for San Diego. I’m reminded of that “lesser of two evils” dilemma.

Regardless of my personal bias, this should be an interesting game for any fan. Just four short years ago, the Patriots surged into Super Bowl XLII with a perfect 18-0 record between the regular season and the playoffs with a chance to become the first team in history to finish 19-0. All that was left to do was beat the Giants.

As of now, no NFL team has gone 19-0. The Giants won Super Bowl XLII 17-14 in an action-packed game highlighted by David Tyree’s infamous one-handed helmet catch. If you haven’t seen this catch, I recommend looking it up. It was pretty awesome—especially with the entire season and a Super Bowl victory on the line.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of this rematch is that many of the coaches and key players are still on their respective teams. For the Patriots, including head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, this is a chance for sweet redemption. The Giants, led by head coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning, are out to prove their previous victory was more than just a fluke.

The overall offensive and defensive statistics seem to suggest this year’s bout will be high scoring and dominated by the pass. Both the Patriots and the Giants finished the regular season ranked within the top five passing attacks accompanied by lackluster rushing numbers. More notably, the Patriots’ No. 2 passing game should fare well against New York’s pass defense, which dismally ranked No. 29 out of 32 teams… at least on paper.

Even though New England is not favored nearly as heavily as four years ago, I believe that Belichick will get his redemption in a hard-fought battle that will be decided in the fourth quarter. Despite the unimpressive defensive numbers both teams accrued during the regular season, based on past head-to-head matchups, I expect them to buckle down and keep the score relatively low.

My prediction is that the Patriots will win this year’s rematch 24-17. But, as we were reminded last time these teams met in the Super Bowl, anything can happen on any given Sunday, and that is why the games are played. All I know for sure is that I’ll be watching and, most importantly, having a great time with great friends. I hope you do the same!

According to researcher IBISWorld, Valentine’s Day sales should be a little sweeter for sellers this year, as sales for the holiday are expected to increase by 5 percent.

Valentine shoppers last year spent an average of $116.21 on flowers, cards, jewelry and other gifts to romance the special people in their lives. Candy and clothing were among the top gifts, and they’ll likely be top gifts this year as well, notes Auctiva Product Analyst and eBay seller Rebecca Miller.

If you have these or other romantic items to offer, now is the time to get them prepped to make sure you get a little love, too, this Valentine’s Day. To best position items to make the most sales, we’ve come up with a few strategies you can enlist to entice lovers to buy from you.

Suggest gifts. We all know how hard it can be to find the right gift for others—especially when it’s that special someone—so make shopping easier on your buyers by helping them find the right gifts. You can do this by suggesting gifts, that is, by compiling a list of the top gifts for Valentine’s Day. You can keep it simple by coming up with two gift lists: top gifts for him and top gifts for her. Or you can expand your suggestions to include top gifts for mom, dad, wives, husbands, daughters, etc.

Dust off those holiday leftovers. If you’re unsure of what to offer, look back through the leftovers you have from the holidays. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to clear out any romantic items that might not have sold for Christmas. Good V-Day gifts include perfumes, slippers, candy, relaxing robes, cookbooks and other items that will make a person feel warm on the inside. If you don’t have these in stock, you can often find these and other inexpensive gifts at local discount stores.

Add a little romance to your store or listings. It’s also good practice to remind shoppers that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner by adding an appropriate template to your listings, or even posting a countdown to the holiday on your Web store. This will remind them, while they’re looking at your listings, that they need to get their shopping done!

Offer free gift wrapping. If you’ve been selling online for some time, you know that several of the people who will stop by your store or listings will be last-minute buyers, who may not have time to wrap their gifts for their special somebody. So why not be a lifesaver by letting buyers know that they need not worry, you’ll take care of the wrapping for them?

Offer V-Day deals. Lastly, a holiday is always a great opportunity to have a promotion. This could be a Valentine’s Day sale, or a 10-percent-off coupon you’ll give buyers on Valentine’s Day if they buy from you. The latter won’t cost you much, and if you let buyers know about the promotion via mailing lists, social media, your listing and/or store, you could draw in tons of buyers.

These are just a few strategies that may prove helpful this February. What strategies are you going to use this Valentine’s Day to entice buyers to visit your store or listings? Let us know in the comments below.

Jeans weigh between 1 pound and 2 pounds when boxed. A 2-pound package to the East Coast can cost more than $9. If I shove that same pair of jeans into a padded flat-rate envelope, the cost is only $4.95. Wow!

I’ve also been using these envelopes to send smaller pairs of women’s shoes such as sandals and boat shoes. I wouldn’t, however, recommend using this method of shipment to send designer brands. I once received a pair of Ferragamos in a padded flat-rate, and I was not happy.

I used to worry that sending clothing or shoes in a padded flat-rate would look unprofessional. But eBay buyers are so price sensitive that they don’t seem to mind. In addition, a super fashionable friend of mine, who often orders clothing online, told me that online companies send clothing in envelopes all the time. So I guess the general public is used to it!

The padded flat-rate envelope can be ordered online. Just know that the USPS only allows you to order one small box of them at a time. But nothing is preventing you from getting online and ordering a box a day, until you have enough to last you a few months. Try using the padded flat-rate envelope in 2012. It’s a great way to save on postage!

One thing I have wanted to do for some time, but haven’t had the time to explore, is building my own online store. Yes, it can be challenging, but it can also be very rewarding if you take the time to do it right. It can mean another source of income and added freedom.

If I ventured into that, I would, of course, use our own Auctiva Commerce software to get started. But then I think about everything involved in starting an online store and get a little nervous. For instance, I would have to consider my product line. The potpourri of random merchandise I currently sell on eBay won’t do on an online store.

I would need to find other inventory. I’d have to research my interests, see what niches are out there, see what items are in demand and what needs aren’t being met by other online sellers.

Then, once I had settled on a type of product or products, the real work would begin. I’d need to research and decide what shipping methods to use, how and what payment methods I’d accept, what my store and branding would look like, and how to drive traffic to my shop.

The last one would be the biggest challenge. Though the idea of having my own store is appealing, I know how difficult it can be for a “little guy” to stand out from the competition online. Sure, I have more than 12 years of online-selling experience, but I’ve never had to worry about driving traffic to a site.

Right now, I simply create a listing, use the appropriate keywords, give my items a competitive price and wait for the traffic to come to me on eBay.

I’m not saying I’m afraid of the work I would need to do to drive traffic to my store. I know I can submit product feeds to multiple services like Google Product Search and TheFind to make my items easier to find online, but venturing into the unknown is always scary.

It is intimidating if all you’ve ever really done, in the way of online selling, is offer your items on eBay or Amazon—two very trafficked sites.

I can’t tell you for sure that I’ll take the leap, but I’ll definitely look more into opening my own shop. Yes, eBay’s been very good to me for more than a decade, but maybe—if I do my homework—I can find another venue to offer my products and also find success there. What do you think? Should I venture onto my own store?

What are your resolutions for this year? Tell us below and happy 2012.

I listed a box set of Beatles albums that was in prime condition, with only minor blemishes from aging and a little dust from being stored for years. It was another score from the storage unit auction we had attended.

When I initially researched the albums’ value, I was happy to learn that similar sets—that weren’t in the same pristine condition—had sold for more than $100. A few had gone for more than $200.

I figured ours would sell for about $130. And sure enough, after starting our auction at $39.99, the album set was up to $100 before we knew it. Then it hit $200. Then $300. We (me and Product Analyst Rebecca Miller) were ecstatic.

Rebecca had reviewed my listing before I posted it to make sure it would attract as many buyers as possible, and she had helped me price the set.  Having her help made me feel confident I had done everything right.

Then I got a bid from an overseas buyer.

Being subtle proves problematic

I had decided against selling internationally to reduce the likelihood that the albums would be lost in transit, potentially resulting in negative feedback—which would be a giant setback for a new seller with only a few feedbacks. So, on the One-Page Lister, I selected only the U.S. among my ship-to locations.

However, I did not explicitly state in my listing that I would not ship internationally, and though the listing showed this in the shipping details, I had received two inquiries from buyers in Europe asking if I would mail the records to them and how much it would cost—plus that bid from a buyer in Israel.

With only minutes left in the auction, this buyer was the top bidder. I started to worry.

Rebecca—being the straight shooter she is—asked, “Didn’t you specify that you didn’t ship internationally?”

I explained that I had not explicitly stated this in my listing. “Big mistake,” she told me, adding that buyers often won’t check the shipping details to see where you’ll ship to. They’ll just email you to ask, or place a bid.

Lesson learned

Anxious, I sat at my desk counting down the minutes. I tried to get as much information from Rebecca about what I could do. Should I end the auction early? Could I tell the foreign buyer, if he or she won, that I didn’t ship internationally and then contact my highest bidder in the States and offer him or her the albums?

I also started to prepare myself for negative feedback, just in case. I told myself that I may have to ship the box set internationally and that the records may get lost in route. I was sweating, big time.

No one else seemed to want the albums anymore. No bids were coming in.

Luckily, with less than two minutes left, another bid came in from a buyer in the States. I was saved! I just needed time to run out, quickly. When it did, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I did not have to ship to Israel—and from now on, I will state within my listing that I only ship domestically, and I may block international bidders on eBay, just to make extra sure I won’t have this problem again.

I want to avoid heart attacks at all costs. And I want to build up a reputation as a good seller, so the farther I keep negative feedback from me, the better.

For online sellers, it might be a new product line or supplier, a different selling venue, a refreshed marketing approach. At Auctiva EDU, we’re counting down the days to the launch of our brand new site, TheOnlineSeller.com!

Come Jan. 4, we’ll have a whole new identity and home away from our parent Auctiva.com. Why is this a big deal? Well, for starters, as an independent publication, we’ll have complete autonomy when it comes to reporting on the issues that affect online sellers. And we’re expanding our charter to cover a broader array of online marketplaces and selling platforms, business tools and technologies.

We’ve designed TheOnlineSeller.com from the ground up to be a friendly, helpful and easy-to-navigate source for information and advice you need to be successful in your business, wherever you happen to sell.

You’ll still find sound advice to help you sell on eBay, but you’ll also get the latest on Amazon, Bonanza, Etsy and others as well as instructive articles about sourcing, business trends, content marketing, social networking, search engine optimization, mobile commerce, Web design and much more.

Here’s a sneak peak at the new site:

We’re still putting the final touches on TheOnlineSeller.com, but bookmark the site now, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you’ll never miss an update. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook to be entered in our contest. The winner will be a featured seller in an upcoming newsletter, with a full article and links to their store or listings!

Here’s to your continued success in 2012 and to new beginnings. We hope to see you over at TheOnlineSeller.com!

At Auctiva, I am privileged to be a part of what goes on “under the hood” of our products. For Auctiva.com, here’s a quick recap of what we accomplished this year, and an inside look.

This year, we performed about 100 updates to the Auctiva.com website and services. Each release contained anywhere from a handful to hundreds of enhancements or bug fixes. These are carefully choreographed to minimize disruption. While there were hundreds of minor improvements, we introduced several key features. We added the ability for you to create shipping labels efficiently and economically, to send your buyers a customized newsletter and share your eBay listings on Facebook.

Making incremental enhancements and rapidly responding to sellers’ needs has been—and continues to be—a priority.

Improvements didn’t just include adding functionality. We also refined the features we already had. For example, we updated the Sales page and other areas of the website to make getting started, or handling your daily business, more efficient. If your native language is German (Guten Tag!) or Mandarin Chinese (Ni Hao!), you probably noticed our site-wide translation effort for our international sites.

In this year, we also broke the mark of providing more than 1,800 professionally designed listing templates for you to select.

In 2011 we also released our Auctiva iPhone mobile app. Now, from the convenience of your iPhone, you can snap photos, create listings using your Auctiva settings and then post those directly to eBay. And speaking of mobile, we also gave away an iPad 2 in one of our many contests this past year.

Of course, eBay made a few changes as well. To keep in step with its seller-policy changes, we modified third-party checkout, return policies, item specifics and external links. Our teams also kept all internal and production systems running at peak performance 24/7, yearlong, while also preparing our systems for growth into next year.

In fact, though more sellers joined Auctiva.com this year and our sellers had all-time record listing volumes to eBay, we didn’t see a correlating increase in the volume of customer support cases. I’d like to think this is due not only to our ongoing commitment to continual quality improvement but also our proactive approach to communicating with our sellers via FAQs, video tutorials and weekly webinars.

So, even though Auctiva’s “car hood” will remain closed in 2012, rest assured there’s a bustle of activity underneath. We’ve been planning the product roadmaps for next year, and our engine will definitely be humming!