The leading online antiques and collectibles mall, Rubylane.com, announced today that it will lower its Maintenance Fees. Adding a new tier to its fee structure, shop owners on the site will benefit from a 1 cent monthly Maintenance Fee.
"Even in a down economy, antiques still attract avid collectors, and Ruby Lane has seen steady and slightly increasing sales this year," says Palmer Pekarek, Director of Communications and New Business Development for the site. "We are constantly looking for ways to help our sellers - sometimes it is through educational videos, other times through new tools like Google Analytics, and in this economy, we thought it important to reduce their overhead," explains Pekarek.
Effective October 1, 2009, the Maintenance Fee for shops with more than 1,000 items is 1 cent per item over 1,000 items. The previous fee was 20 cents per item. So for example, a shop with 1,200 items would pay a Maintenance Fee of 30 cents per item for the first 150 items, then 20 cents per item for the next 850 items, then just 1 cent per item for the remaining 200 items over 1,000. This allows shop owners to grow their inventory, offer a wider selection of items, and ultimately increase sales.
"Research conducted by both Ruby Lane and many other e-commerce sites clearly show that the more items shops offer for sale, the greater sales success," says Pekarek. The reason for this is because buyers want to see a sizeable, varied selection when shopping, and they want it to be updated with new items regularly. It is for these same reasons that search engines are designed to favor shops and sites that add items regularly.
"Like everyone, we are working to keep our business thriving in a slow economy. We will continue to find innovative ways to help our buyers and sellers connect in this dynamic market. Our family of shop owners with their great collectibles, coupled with Ruby Lane's great customer service and outstanding reputation, is a mix that continues to help thousands of families ride out this difficult economic time."
About Ruby Lane
Since 1978, Ruby Lane has brought together individually-owned shops offering unique items from around the world. Today Ruby Lane offers more than 360,000 items in inventory ranging from antique furniture to depression glass, fine china, vintage jewelry, heirloom linens, books, stamps, paintings, sculpture, hand-blown glass, ceramics from more than 2,000 shops. For more information please visit www.rubylane.com and/or http://blog.rubylane.com. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rubylanecom and/or Fan Us On Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Rubylane.
Contacts:
Ruby Lane
Palmer Pekarek, 303-669-9382
palmer@rubylane.com