You've heard the eBay success stories, and you want to
become one of them. Great! eBay has created some of the most
incredible entrepreneurial success stories in the history of
commerce, and the surface has barely been scratched when it comes
to the profit-building potential of this popular online
marketplace. There's plenty of room for you.
Whether you're starting a brand-new business or just looking
for ways to grow an existing operation, you can do it on eBay.
Business experience is helpful but not necessary. You'll learn
as you go, and you'll be part of an extremely supportive
community where people are eager to help you succeed.
So where do you begin? If you haven't done so already, start
by logging on to www.ebay.com to explore the site. "You really
need to experience it," says Randy Smythe, 44, co-owner of
Glacier Bay DVD (eBay User ID: glacierbaydvd) in Anaheim,
California. Smythe and his partner, Michael Lehman, 41, sell DVDs
exclusively on eBay. Last year, their revenue was $3.6 million;
they expect to hit $7 million this year.
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Set aside several hours to browse around the site. Click on all
the different buttons to access and learn about eBay's various
features. Read the news announcements, check out the help pages,
surf the discussion boards, take the online guided tours, and study
the listings. A great place to begin is with the eBay Learning
Center, which offers free audio tours and online courses.
Learn all about eBay University; with sessions held across the country
30 weekends a year, eBay University is likely to come to an area
near you soon. (Read more about eBay University in our "Up
Front" section on page 6.) eBay is a huge site, but it's
well-organized and easy to navigate. Take the time to get familiar
with it before you get started, when you're not under any
pressure to buy or sell.
You don't need to be registered on eBay if you just want to
browse the site, but you do if you're planning to buy or sell.
Registration on eBay is free, so go ahead and sign up. The most
important part of the registration process is choosing your eBay
User ID, which is the name by which you'll be known on
eBay.
Jim "Griff" Griffith, dean of eBay Education and
author of The Official eBay Bible, advises that because your
User ID will be your official "handle" (you may actually
become famous by it), it is crucial that you pick one that is
perfect for you as well as reflective of your business. (To avoid
trademark infringements, don't use eBay in your User ID.)
Once you've registered, go shopping. There is no faster,
easier or better way to learn how to sell on eBay than actually
buying things from eBay sellers. Pay attention to everything they
do-what you like, what you don't like, what appears to work and
what doesn't.
eBay sellers accept a variety of payment methods, including
debit and credit cards, electronic checks, money orders and
personal checks. The most popular payment method is PayPal, which
is an online payment service owned by eBay. There is no charge to
open a PayPal Account, to pay for goods with a credit card or to
debit your bank account through PayPal. Log on to www.paypal.com for more
information and to open your account.
As you explore eBay, you'll get to know some of the
site's helpful features, including:
- Icons: those little pictures in listings that indicate
important things, such as whether the seller is new or a
PowerSeller, or that the item would make a good gift, or that the
seller accepts PayPal. (eBay icons and their meanings are listed in
"Every
Picture on eBay Tells a Story".)
- Feedback: eBay's buyer and seller rating system;
your feedback profile is your eBay reputation.
- Proxy Bidding: an automatic bidding system that allows
you to enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay for an item;
the system monitors the item and bids on your behalf, increasing
your bid by eBay's bid increment schedule until you have won
the item or until another bidder places a bid higher than the
maximum you set in the system.
Every page has a link to eBay's Help Center,
"Policies" page and Security Center so you can get your
questions answered quickly and enjoy a safe, secure trading
experience.
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