DRUM ROLL PLEASE .... COMING SOON THE NEW GOANTIQUES

It’s been along time since there has been an antique memorabilia site that can really fill your soul.

It is true, we have sold on just about every antique collectible memorabilia site that exists on the internet. We have left almost every site in turn. Not one of them has truly lived up to their hype, except for one. Only one has kept us interested enough to stay on, ride the storm of economic dissent, and has remained the number one site we still sell on and promote. That would be GoAntiques -- a site with heart and soul. (You can either click on the hyperlink for GoAntiques or visit them by typing in to your browser www.goantiques.com)

I can now share some exciting news from my friends at GoAntiques that will make all antique memorabilia dealers hearts sing! The entire team has been working around the clock, to bring the website into the groove with social media, dealer webstores, forums for dealers and buyers to use, as well as a fully updated interface that is not only easier to use, but will be pleasing to everyone's eye.

I caught up with Jason Robins, the Director of Sales & Support (you can reach him at jason.robins@worthpoint.com) to get the lowdown on the changes and the launch date.GoAntiques is changing in so many ways next year, I think it will be beneficial to all dealers and buyers alike. Check out some of the changes coming your way in the first quarter of 2012 for GoAntiques.

Q: When is the official opening date of the new interface?

A: Will probably be the last week of January or a little before. There will be a full demonstration at the Original Miami Beach Antique Show which starts February 2nd. Complimentary accounts will also be awarded (for a limited time).

Q: What cosmetic changes are being implemented for the new site?

A: We are going for a cleaner look and feel, something that is easy to navigate. This will help buyers and sellers find what they’re looking for faster. The new layout will be more inventory focused and our member pages more customizable.

Q: What are the new tier plans for dealers?

A: There will be 3 subscription plans. The entry level will be about the $25 and the highest level $75. Each level has a specific benefit package including listing volume and marketing exposure through inventory distribution on partner sites. WorthPoint subscriptions are also bundled with some plans.

Q: Are dealers bound by a contract?

A: No longer. Each plan is a month to month deal which continues ongoing unless the member decides to terminate. We are confident that the new GoAntiques will retain dealers because it will help their business in many ways.

Q: What social media is being planned for the new website?

A: We have been very successful at engaging our members on Twitter and FaceBook with our WorthPoint website. We’re going to engage our GoAntiques Buyers and Sellers the same way. Articles, news worthy stories, and answering questions generated by our users will all be a big part of our social media outreach.

Q: What sort of advertising will GoAntiques devote to promoting the website and traffic to the site?

A: The launch will be supported by publicity, ads in trade publications; social media; WorthPoint.com site exposure; and partner co-marketing both in the US and the UK. As in the past, there will be ongoing marketing support through partners and SEO that will draw traffic. In addition, the WorthPoint Shopping Assistant is now active on WorthPoint.com which showcases items for sale by GoAntiques dealers when a user searches for the same or similar items.

Q: Will each dealer have their own online storefront?

A: Yes, we’ve offered this to our members in the past as well. The new member pages will feel more like individual websites than they have in the past. We’re working on the finer details now, but I can tell you that the dealer will have a lot more control over the look and feel of their page.

Q: Will I be able to import my listings from other sites I sell on?

A: Yes, we have a couple different ways of doing this. It’s usually best if you’re able to export the inventory into a tab delimited file for us.

Q: What product portals will you be advertising the site on?

A: We’re still in the early stages of programming for this but we’re going to allow our sellers to choose where they want to send their items. Google Shopping is done for you automatically by GO, but say you want to get more exposure for a few items. You could then send the items to Shopping.com and Shopzilla.com for little or no fee depending on your membership. We’ll continue to add more options as we move forward and we test which sites have the best conversion for antiques and collectibles.

Q: What is the advantage of buying from GoAntiques as opposed to other sites? A: It’s a combination of things; being able to set your FIND Item Alerts, you tell us what you’re interested and we’ll email you when it becomes available. GO Dealers will be able to access those alerts now. So, they’ll be able to post an item to the site that they know a buyer is waiting for. We’re also adding a new “Make an Offer” system and a Clearance Section. Buyers will be able to find great deals even more often and check out faster with our new shopping cart. Above all the new Go is a site dedicated to putting our members in charge – they pick their own store; identify their alerts; choose where their inventory is displayed and what offers they want to see.

Sounds pretty exciting to me! Now for all of you that only thought I was an avatar, I will be at the GoAntiques Booth in Miami with Jason and the team! See you then. I hear there might even be a sighting of the CEO of Worthpoint, the very knowledgeable, William Seippel.

If you want more information give me a yell at facebook at our webpage for Truetiques, Inc. - twitter us at rvt01 or you can good old fashioned email me at customerservice@truetiques.com

You can visit my friends at www.goantiques.com and www.worthpoint.com very exciting changes coming for all!