At last, I'm BANS Free and phpBay API Free!
But how did I do it you may ask?
Since the launched of MyStarterBlog, one of my goal was to replace every one of my BANS and phpBay auction sites by using Rob's MSB eBay Plugin(MEP).
Don't get me wrong, BANS and phpBay are 2 great way to display eBay items. For those new to creating that type of sites, it's a good alternative but pricier than MSB and the plugin. At this time , the combo is about $14($7 each). So, it's way cheaper than the other 2 ways.
Tapping new markets
But, for the last weeks, I have been testing the beta(v2) of MSB eBay plugin. The price will increase because it's even better than before. I don't want to talk much about it but I expect to find other markets using the same sites.
For example, using the phpBay Pro WP plugin, 15-20% of earnings came from Canada on those sites. But with BANS and phpBay API, I was only able to target US visitors. The new MEP fixed that. To be fair, I was using phpBay API v2.5 while v3.0 added more features too. Maybe BANS will follow suit in v4.
What I learned from the conversion?
I'm waiting for the final version of MEP soon so I will have to update my sites again. I knew that but I wanted to test it more using real sites.
Also, I took notes because I used AuctionSiteWriter to create the basic site and then loaded it into MyStarterBlog to tweak it more, add content...This will mean new versions of both software soon. ;)
I did add some features in the last versions of both software but by converting more sites, it gave me more insight in the whole process.
Comparing BANS, phpBay and MyStarterBlog
I once gave my opinion on BANS and phpBay when I started creating auction sites. It's time to make a quick update by adding MyStarterBlog.
Conclusion
MyStarterBlog is growing beyond what I expected by supporting other type of sites. Is it perfect? No but no software is perfect since we use "version". In the auto industry, they use "recall". ;)
In the end, I'm glad I'm BANS Free and phpBay API Free!
Keywords: BANS, converting, Internet, Money, MSB, MyStarterBlog, phpbay, Software