Guest Author - Scott Prock
This review has been something I have wanted to wite for a long time. I started using Build A Niche Store (BANS) in it's first few days on the market (in fact I was number 14 when they opened up their discussion forum)
For the last couple of years I have used the ebay affiliate program with what I would consider satisfactory success. I never really worked too hard at it and still managed to pull in an average of $350/mo in commissions, from several well placed articles.
I kept telling myself all I needed to do was duplicate the success I had with these pages, but for a number of reasons I won't bore you with, I never got around to spending good quality time on the development of my eBay affiliate business.
YES ... I am kicking myself EVERYDAY for not getting off my backside to increase my success with eBay's affiliate program. You see ... the program is very easy to make money with, but there were always pieces that were lacking.
For instance, eBay's own tools were not search engine friendly. That meant you had to make sure you included a toolset in a page with content designed to capture the search engine's attention.
That's not all that bad, except .... it's very time consuming and the top eBay affialites (the ones making over $100,000 each month) weren't doing things the same way.
The top affiliates were using tools they could give away in order to generate commission, or at least tools with some form of automation when creating pages tied to the program.
I don't mean to get too far away from the "REVIEW" aspect of this article, but I had to give those who don't understand the affiliate opportunity something they can bite into before explaining BANS.
Build A Niche Store also known as BANS is a piece of software you install onto a web server. BANS will allow you to create custom built websites that use eBay auctions as a form of content. These pages are filled with eBay auctions tagged with your affiliate code, and when a visitor clicks on an auction product, you could earn a commission if they register at eBay or purchase an auction item.
The beauty of BANS is in it's simplicity, the developers created a user manual that takes you from start to finish, even if you know nothing about websites. They have instructions on how to set up an account, upload the software, and even customize it to look unique.
The software comes with prebuilt templates that you can use and customize, as well as instructions for using BANS in a blog.
One of the things that impressed me the most is the level of support. Kelvin and his brother Adam are very quick to respond to support requests and are always eager to offer suggestions. The real testiment of their support comes from viewing their interaction with the members in the forum. I have witnessed many times, Adam or Kelvin creating a custom page for a member, or correcting the code that had been puzzling another. They have went way above the standard support I have seen over my 10+ years online.
Another rare piece to thier product is the continued updates, in just a few short months I have seen several updates come through to the product, as well as the manual, and all a result of feedback from their customers.
Something else that I looked at before making my purchase of BANS was the fact that I could use the software on an unlimited amount of websites. This meant any idea I had for a niche website, could be created without having to purchase an additional license of the product. I know this may sound too cliche, but it is very true , your only limitation is your imagination.
I was able to get my first site up and running in less than five minutes ...
Bargain Baby Lots
That site is still in it's generic (un-customized, straight out of the box) installation.
The next site I created took me a little more time because I created custom graphics and it was before BANS had all the great templates they have now.
Bargain Strollers
As you can see from the examples, the sites look nice and can easily be implemented with content to really give you a great site that can bring in commissions from eBay.
BANS also shines whith it's search engine optimization, every auction pulled from eBay becomes new content and keywords. This allows for a fresh and ever changing website that the search engines LOVE.
There are a couple of things I would like to see improved (and I have been told they are working on them) I would like the ability to plug a module or compnent into a Joomla or Mambo CMS (an easy way to create a whole website) having a module will allow one to just plug in the module without having to go through all the custom integration that would be invloved with a more advanced approach to building a site with BANS.
Another improvement needs to be made in the area of blog integration. If you don't currently understand how to modify your blog templates, the integration of BANS can be a bit of a challenge - although easy once you understand - to a complete newbie it can become overwhelming. If you are new, it's best to concentrate on the basic sites first, then work your way unto the more advanced customizations.
All in all, BANS is a great place to start building a great business as an eBay affiliate.
For more information and success stories take a look at Build A Niche Store
Enjoy . . . Scott
