| Three billion dollars (that's billion with a "B") in revenues, | | | | bit different. The competition is brutal. You are |
| 135 million users, millionaires all over the place at eBay! | | | | competing against people and business of all sizes, and |
| Yeah, eBaby!!!, to steal a line form another great | | | | there is always someone selling your product at very, |
| author. (See "EBay: No Way...Yes Way (Ten Seller | | | | very low prices, or worse yet, using it as a loss leader. |
| Themes) by Barbara Snyder M.A." at Wow! ... Make a | | | | Some of these people are huge jobbers and or the |
| million! Open a store on eBay and get rich! Man this is | | | | manufactures themselves, hard to compete against. |
| easy!!! -NOT!!!It's way to easy to get caught up in all the | | | | Some sellers are part time or hobbyist and don't need |
| hype out there about eBay and to start thinking all you | | | | or care if they make much money (and they probably |
| have to do is set up an eBay store and you are on | | | | don't). Unless you have a very unique product or are in |
| your way to the life style to which you would like to | | | | a position where you can bring a new, hot product to |
| become accustomed. Don't believe it.Before you start | | | | eBay first, you must be prepared for extremely |
| primping for your own segment of "Life-styles of the | | | | aggressive pricing competition in a market where the |
| Rich and Famous," there are a few things you should | | | | average buyer is looking for cheap beer prices on high |
| learn about eBay and small business start-ups in | | | | quality champagne.So, all said, you may be wondering |
| general.The rate of survival of a traditional small | | | | if it's even worth the effort. That depends on you and |
| business reads something like half of all new business | | | | how well you prepare.Before you open your eBay |
| start-ups fail in the first year and half of the survivors | | | | Store or run out and buy a bunch of product, visit |
| do not survive the second year, and eBay is probably | | | | Strictly Business Magazine's "How to Sell on eBay |
| no different. In fact, it's not easy at all anymore (if it | | | | Resource Center" at and read all the "free" articles. |
| ever was) to carve out a fortune on what has been | | | | Then buy and read a series of books about eBay, |
| dubbed "the world's largest garage sale"."But Floyd, | | | | there are a number of them listed there. Start out with |
| take a look at all that money", you say. Sure eBay is | | | | a book on the basics and then the more advanced |
| doing just fine, but of that three billion dollars, how much | | | | volumes.After you have read up on the basics, set up |
| of it is actually spent on items in "your" category or | | | | a seller's account. Not a Store yet, that starts the |
| product line "you" have for sale?Everyone has to | | | | meter running after the thirty day free trial. Not a lot of |
| decide exactly what business he or she wants to be | | | | money, but why pay it until you have the necessary |
| in. Then they have to decide if they are going to be a | | | | education you are going to need to be |
| niche player or try to carve out significant market | | | | successful.Once you have a basic education, |
| share. Either way you decide to go, you may find out | | | | experiment with a few items you have lying around |
| that the pool you are swimming in is not as deep as it | | | | the house you'd like to get rid of. This will give you the |
| may first appear. Unless you are selling automobiles or | | | | chance to experience the eBay process and give you |
| real estate, not all or even a large percentage of that | | | | an idea of what you are in for. Pick items that sell for |
| three billion dollars is spent in your merchandise | | | | under $10, this will give you the cheapest listing fees to |
| category. Make sure you check the water before you | | | | experiment with. (A $9.99 item lists for half the price of |
| dive in head first.When you do decide to jump in, make | | | | a $10 item, same thing as $24.99 vs $25). Also make |
| sure you are ready both financially and mentally to go | | | | sure you pick items that are easy to ship. Check with |
| through a learning curve of some months. Back in the | | | | the post office for shipping fees and packaging. If you |
| earlier days this may not have been the case, but | | | | use Express Mail, most of the shipping materials are |
| today eBay has become extremely competitive and | | | | free and in some cases will more then offset the |
| significantly more expensive for sellers. And don't | | | | higher postage fees and will get your product to your |
| expect a lot of help from eBay directly. They are not | | | | customer faster, resulting in better a Feedback Rating, |
| the greatest company in the world at customer | | | | something you will soon learn is very important in |
| support. They have a lot of information available, but | | | | eBay.As you're reading the books you have just |
| they also have a tendency to answer help questions | | | | bought, watch for important subjects such as |
| with loads of boiler plate "fixes" that usually serve | | | | Feedback Rating, shipping and handling, product |
| more to confuse then to actually help.Speaking of | | | | selection, effective listings, taking and using photos and |
| fees, this is how eBay lives. They literally nickel and | | | | using hmtl in your listings. Also make note of other tips |
| dime you to death (actually its more like quarter and | | | | and ideas on keeping your listing professional but at the |
| dollar)... thirty cents for the cheapest insertion free, | | | | same time keeping the cost down. Other topics of |
| thirty-five cents for a gallery picture, a buck for | | | | importance include "keywords" and how they affect |
| "bolding" and on and on. And then there's the fair value | | | | eBay search engines and auctions vs fixed price |
| selling commission and the PayPal fees (PayPal is a | | | | listings.Don't be misled into believing that the buyers are |
| must have!). All these small fees add up fast. Don't | | | | clamoring all over themselves to bid up every item you |
| forget, you pay the listing and insertion fees whether | | | | offer up for sale. Go browse the listings in the |
| your item sells or not. You will quickly learn that your | | | | category that you will be listing in. You may be |
| selling percentage becomes crucial and why it is so | | | | surprised to see that most items don't have a single |
| important you learn how to make very efficient listings | | | | bid and will not sell at all and others have only a single |
| at the lowest cost possible as fast as possible. If you | | | | bid. You may also want to find out what are the best |
| fail to learn this, before for you know it, eBay is taking | | | | days and time frames most successful auctions |
| half or more of your total sales just in fees, not | | | | close.The price you pay for a few books and the time |
| counting your cost of product and shipping.eBay has | | | | it takes to read them and do a little research may be |
| been called the "world's largest garage sale" for good | | | | returned ten fold or more in just the first few months |
| reason. You know what people are looking for at | | | | after opening your eBay store.Floyd Snyder is the |
| garage sales, cheap prices. In the beginning, if you | | | | founder and former owner of Executive Advertising, |
| were the only one on eBay selling a specific product, | | | | Camera Ready Art and Strictly Business Magazine. |
| you could demand and get higher prices. Today it's a | | | | |