Ebay selling - not as tricky as you might think
Posted on May 9, 2007 in the Ebay, Home Business, Writing category
I have been using Ebay for over 8 years now. What was once my favorite outlet for all things “geek” (i.e. comic books and trading cards), became my family’s full time income for over a year.
Over the years I have seen many tremendous changes in Ebay’s infrastructure, customer base, and the various markets that have been created or decimated, as is sometimes the case. Through it all, Ebay is still a tremendous opportunity for the average seller - provided the seller treat Ebay as a genuine business.
The problem with Ebay (or at least failed Ebay sellers) is the “Wal-Mart” mentality. If asked, most people would say that Wal-Mart is so big that they drive out competition - I correlate this to the giant Power Sellers on Ebay that have thousands of customers a week (I know, I was one). What they both do the same is sell a ridiculous amount of goods with a small profit margin; those that cannot keep up with the low pricing go out of business. The simple fact of the matter is that Wal-Mart (and Ebay Power Sellers) do not sell EVERYTHING. To succeed in today’s business market you need to do something or offer some product that your competition does not. You need to specialize. After all, Wal-Mart and Ebay Power Sellers just specialize in what they do (sell things cheap).
If you are trying to compete with Power Sellers while focusing only on price, then you will fail. You need to put in a little bit of effort and focus on what the Power Sellers are NOT selling and you will succeed. For example - the category of jewelry is absolutely massive. As of the time of this writing there are nearly one million active auctions representing thousands of sellers. The biggest Power Sellers are usually selling gold-plated jewelry with cheap, synthetic gems. So my answer here is to sell genuine, solid gold items and genuine diamonds, emeralds, rubies, etc. It may take a bit of searching; however, there are many great suppliers for this type of product.
Ebay has grown exponentially over the last 10+ years. Perhaps Ebay has outgrown the hobbyist, i.e. someone looking to putter around and sell their tattered baseball cards or their mother’s Avon cologne bottles. Ebay is still a viable and proven marketplace for someone looking to supplement or replace their income if that person is serious about a business. As a former Ebay Power Seller, the best advice I can give is this : you must specialize. Find what the other Power Sellers are NOT selling or offering and do that. Do your homework!
An Ebay business can provide you with a hobby income or a life changing income. The difference is in how you treat your business.
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