The Secret To Real eBay Success
Q. I hear so much about people who started selling on eBay and
eventually turned it into their full time business. Is it really
possible to build a profitable business just selling junk on
eBay? -- Alex K.
ANSWER:
If Fred Sanford were alive today, Alex, I'm sure he'd be
earning his ripple money by selling quality junk on eBay. While
it's also true that one man's junk is another man's treasure (I
have a garage full of treasure to prove this point), your chances
of building a profitable business selling "junk" on eBay (or
anywhere else, for that matter) are slim to none. While there is
a lot of junk/treasure for sale on eBay, it is typically sold by
individuals who have "I break for yardsales!" bumper stickers on
their cars and not serious business people.
For serious entrepreneurs, however, selling on eBay can be a
good way to start a new business if you are willing to put in the
time and energy required to make the business a success. eBay is
also a good option for existing businesses to expand their reach
by selling online. Everyone from small used car dealers to giant
companies like Dell Computers have discovered that eBay is an
excellent place to hawk their wares simply due to the huge number
of folks who visit the eBay site on a daily basis. Nowhere else
on earth will you find such a large pool of potential
customers.
Consider these numbers:
· There are nearly 69 million eBay users who spend $59
million every day.
· Most eBay sellers are home-based businesses that sell
everything from porcelain dolls to locks of Elvis' hair to
$100,000 Mercedes convertibles to $5 million dollar vacation
homes.
· Every minute of every day more than 150 new items are
listed for sale, more than 500 bids are placed, and seven new
people register to shop on eBay.
· At any given moment, eBay is conducting some 12 million
auctions, divided into about 18,000 different categories
· About two million new items are offered for sale every
day, and 62 million registered users scour the site to find
them.
· One company is grossing more than $5 million dollars a
year selling brand new pool tables on eBay. Their eBay store is
so profitable that they have closed their retail location and now
sell solely online. That's right, $5 million dollars from the
sale of pool tables: proof that you can sell just about anything
on eBay if you know how to do it.
Be aware, however, that eBay is no magic bullet. As any eBay
Power Seller (a seller who sells a minimum of $10,000 in goods
per month) will tell you, building a profitable eBay business
takes hard work and requires long hours, and often the financial
rewards do not make it worth the effort spent.
When it comes down to the mechanics of it all, running an eBay
business is no different than running a brick and mortar
business. You still have the same considerations regarding
product selection, inventory purchasing, product pricing,
inventory management, order processing, fulfillment, customer
service, etc.
You must also consider the legal and accounting aspects of the
business. Just because you're selling online does not mean that
Uncle Sam won't expect his piece of the pie. Revenue generated by
an eBay business is just as reportable and taxable as revenue
generated from a brick and mortar store. And if you sell to
customers within your state you may also be responsible for
collecting city, county or state sales tax.
One of the biggest obstacles to building a successful eBay
business may be the stiffness of the competition. Many sellers
sell identical items and the price wars often get ugly, but
that's to be expected in a free market place, which is exactly
what eBay is.
You may be the only store in town that's selling that one of a
kind, custom made just for you, broke the mold after they made
it, Dale Earnhart Memorial Bobble Head Action Figure (Earnhart
fans would string me up if I called it a Doll), but do a quick
search on eBay and you'll probably find a hundred others just
like it.
So, can you build a profitable business selling on eBay?
Certainly, thousands of people have done it and so can you. Here
are a few tips to help get you started.
Sell Quality Products
Don't sell junk! Leave the knick-knacks and fake leather
jackets to the less informed. You should offer only quality
products at a fair price.
Research The Competition
Once you have your product in mind, don't invest a dime on
inventory until you have spent some time on eBay to see what the
competition is doing. If you want to sell motorcycle helmets, for
example, you should look at current auctions to see how many
others are selling similar helmets and what prices they are
charging. This step is vital since you may discover that you
can't compete with current sellers on price or there is simply no
market for what you have to offer.
Start Slowly
Many people believe that the more items they have for sale on
eBay the better. They will invest thousands in inventory and
spent hundreds on listing fees (yes, eBay charges you to list
items for sale and collects a final fee if the item sells). Those
are the folks that usually end up with ten thousand Ginsu knives
forever in their garage.
Test, Test, Test
A fair portion of eBay auctions result in no sales, so it's
best to test the waters before jumping in with both feet. List a
few items and see how they sell. If an item doesn't sell, list it
at least twice more. Some items might not sell the first time,
but may the second or third, then sell steadily from then on. If
an item gets no bids the first time, consider adjusting your
price or your terms. If an item sells well, keep it in stock and
then experiment with another item.
Do Your Homework
eBay is too broad a subject to be covered fully here, but
there are a multitude of books available that can help you start
an eBay business. In fact, I bet you'll find most of them for
sale at this very moment at eBay.
What's my bid?
Small Business Q&A is written by veteran entrepreneur and
syndicated columnist, Tim Knox. Tim's latest books include "Small
Business Success Secrets" and "The 30 Day Blueprint For Success!"
Related Links: http://www.smallbusinessqa.com http://www.dropshipwholesale.net
 MORE RESOURCES updated Thu. February / 09 / 2012
|
Andhra Pradesh Govt to Review Excise PolicyOutlook"The next round of auctions is due in June. So we should have a new policy in place before that," the Minister added. "Syndicates are neither new nor restricted to liquor trade alone. Syndicates exist in sand and other businesses as well," Mopidevi ...and more » |
BBC News |
Miro work fails to sell at London auctionBBC NewsA 1933 work by the Spanish artist Joan Miro failed to sell on Wednesday in a week that has seen other pieces sold for record prices at London auctions. Miro's Peinture had been valued between £7m and £10m but went unsold at the Sotheby's event.and more » |
|
Surprisingly weak demand for Hungarian bonds at auctionsportfolio.huHungary's Government Debt Management Agency (ÁKK) has received HUF 62.2 billion worth of bids from primary dealers on a HUF 43 bn lot of bonds and in response to the muted demand it sold only HUF 40 bn worth of debt at auctions on Thursday. |
3G.co.uk |
HTC Launches First 4G LTE Smartphone in Europe3G.co.ukVodafone in Germany are just getting ready to launch their 4G network, but in the UK the 4G auctions are yet to even take place. The HTC Velocity, which is similar to the HTC Vivid LTE that launched in the US, should be released in the next few weeks ...and more » |
|
KeyDrive Acquires Moniker and SnapNamesBusiness Wire (press release)... investments Key-Systems®, Moniker® and SnapNames® offer a complete suite of domain name products and services worldwide including access to over 300 domain name extensions, full-serve brokerage, live and online auctions and monetization services.and more » |
|
LEAP event supports literacyKPCnews.comTickets for Saturday's event cost $50 per person and include food and beverage tasting, live entertainment by Dan Heath with the Paradise Band, along with the chance to bid on gift items at two auctions. The evening will feature a variety of food ... |
|
College show a dress-up affairVictoria Times ColonistIt includes food, music, games, prizes and auctions. Casino Royale has a James Bond theme, so guests are encouraged to wear tuxedos and gowns. The decor of this year's fundraiser will bring to mind Montenegro, one of the settings of the 2006 Casino ... |
|
Kickbacks row: AP proceeds to review excise policyZee News"The current system of auction (of liquor shops) is flawed. It needs to be revised...we are on the job," Mopidevi told newsmen here today. A team of senior Excise Department officials visited Tamil Nadu recently to study the excise policy in vogue ...and more » |
Google News
|
