Sellers are their own bosses on eBay, working out of their homes
or storefronts to reach eBay's global audience in 28
international markets including the United States.
Along the way, eBay helps its sellers build not only their
businesses, but also a sense of community. Taking place 30 weekends
a year, eBay University accommodates 600 to 700 attendees per
class, or an average of 1,400 attendees per weekend. The university
offers two courses: "Selling Basics,"a day-long
educational session for new sellers that teaches the basics of
selling on the site, and "Beyond the Basics," a more
advanced session that reveals tips and tricks that experienced
sellers can use to improve their listings and increase sales.
"Everyone comes with dreams of learning to sell, either by
starting a new business from scratch or by expanding their existing
businesses onto eBay," says Jim "Griff" Griffith,
dean of eBay Education. Popular topics discussed during eBay
University training sessions range from collecting sales tax to
learning how to source inventory.
Forums where sellers talk to each other are constantly added to
the site. At www.ebay.com/community, sellers can access hundreds of
announcements, join chat groups, and participate in discussion
boards and question-and-answer boards where they can exchange ideas
and advice with other sellers that could translate into increased
sales for everyone. Sellers on eBay "take pride in helping
each other," says Rachel Makool, eBay's director of
community development. "It's so powerful."
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eBay started a mentoring program in March that pairs established
sellers with a small group of new sellers. Birgit Conlen, owner of
Afternoon Daydreams (eBay User ID: afternoon-daydreams), volunteers
as an online mentor teaching workshops in international selling to
new sellers around the globe. "We help them with problem
areas," she says. "They make you feel how much eBay is a
community-run program."
Other programs held throughout the year bring sellers together
in person. One such popular program is "Voices of the
Community," which brings small groups of buyers and sellers
together at company headquarters in San Jose, California, to
brainstorm new ideas with eBay employees. "We don't just
bring in top sellers. We have groups of people with different
backgrounds and experiences," Makool says.
Catherine Allen, owner of Golfing Addict Sales in Bellingham,
Washington (eBay User ID: golfingaddict), is a member of the
"Power Chicks," an online eBay group that
includes 90 women who sell on eBay full time. "Part of my
success on eBay is having learned from others," says Allen.
"The fun thing about eBay is that it's a real community of
users. You can learn a lot just by going to the site and having
discussions with other sellers."
Getting plugged into the eBay community certainly hasn't
hurt Allen's bottom line: the golfing, school supply and
cutlery retailer has seen her sales increase to $70,000 a year.
"I can do this for the rest of my life," she says.
"It's one of the best things that's ever happened to
me."
Once you're familiar with ebay, you can start planning your
business on eBay. Decide if your goal is a full-time operation or
something you can do part time. Do you want to work from your home
or set up in a commercial location? Do you want to be a one-person
show or have employees? Do you want to be an eBay PowerSeller or a
Trading Assistant? And, of course, what will you sell?
What to sell is often the most overwhelming question for new
eBay sellers because you can sell just about anything on eBay.
(There are some restrictions, such as illegal or dangerous
products, weapons, and livestock; see "What
You Can't Sell on eBay" for a comprehensive list).
Choose a product or industry you know something about and enjoy
working with. Consider issues such as how you will acquire the
products you sell, where you will store them, and what will be
involved in shipping them.
Before you can start selling on eBay, you need to set up a
Seller's Account. This is a simple process very similar to the
registration process, and includes providing eBay with sufficient
information to verify your identity and your preferred method of
paying seller fees.
Just as real-world auction companies charge fees and commissions
for their services, seller fees are how eBay makes money to provide
services to users. Seller fees vary by listing type and are
generally nominal, especially compared to the costs involved in
maintaining a brick-and-mortar retail store.
It's a good idea to practice selling to gain some confidence
and experience with the process. You can sell items you have around
the house that you don't need. eBay is a great way to get rid
of gifts that just aren't right for you, or those items you
thought you couldn't live without but haven't used in ages.
The process will also help you figure out what equipment (computer,
digital camera, scanner, packing materials, etc.) you're going
to need to efficiently operate your business. You'll be able to
practice taking pictures, writing headlines and product
descriptions, and responding to buyer questions. If you make a
mistake with one of your practice listings, it's all a part of
your education.
You should also do some testing with the products you're
going to sell as part of your business. "There are so many
things you have to test," says Smythe. He recommends testing
various listing formats, trying out the different eBay requirements
and experimenting with your product mix. Before he officially
launched his business on eBay, he says, "I took a year to test
the concept and see what [listing] formats work best." You may
not need to take that long, but build testing into your plan.
You can operate exclusively within auction-style listings, sell
at a fixed price, or open an eBay Store. An eBay Store provides a
consistent location for your listings and merchandise and is an
excellent place to sell add-on merchandise. It's also an
inexpensive and simple way to establish an e-commerce presence.
Another important part of getting started is setting up your
"About Me" page, which is a free eBay feature that allows
you to promote your business. Griff says he is amazed at how many
eBay sellers do not take advantage of this valuable marketing
tool.
Once you're up and running, don't get complacent. Pay
attention to new eBay feature announcements, stay on top of your
customer service, and keep an eye on your competition, as eBay is
constantly changing, expanding and enhancing its services. For
instance, the colorful, user-friendly pages visitors see today bear
little or no resemblance to the original eBay site, which,
according to Griff, was "as thrilling as a gray paper
box" when the online marketplace was launched in 1995.
Today's eBay is far better than it was just a year ago, and the
eBay of next year will be even more powerful. Entrepreneurs have
never had a tool quite like this one, so jump on board for the ride
of your life.
Jacquelyn Lynn is a freelance business writer in Orlando,
Florida. Chris Penttila is Entrepreneur's "Staff
Smarts" columnist.
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