For many people, their first experience of working online involves selling products on eBay. This was how I got started back in 1998 and I know countless other people that have done the same.
However, it is important to remember that eBay is not the 'be all and end all' - there is a much bigger online world out there. My reason for mentioning this is that I have spoken to three people this week who each make a decent full or part-time income on eBay but who are fed up with it and looking to move in other directions.
Having sold on eBay myself, I can understand why sellers do get tired/bored/frustrated with the auction site - it is highly competitive and it takes an incredible amount of hard work to succeed. In addition, it is normally the case that the more successful you become, the harder you have to work. Listing auctions, handling customer enquiries, packing, shipping, sourcing/buying stock, keeping up with feedback, monitoring the competition - selling on eBay is a tough job and it is no wonder that after working in this way for a few years, many people wish they were back in the land of the employed!!
Don't get me wrong, there is good money to be made on eBay for anyone willing to put the effort in and many people enjoy trading on this huge auction site. But it isn't for everyone.
Having spoken to numerous eBay sellers in the past, it seems to me that of the ones that don't enjoy working on eBay, the particular task that they enjoy the least is the packing and shipping of products. Funnily enough, this is exactly the bit of trading that I grew to dislike too.
I (and the sellers I have spoken to) didn't have a problem with creating sales descriptions, dealing with emails, collecting payment (naturally!) and the other administrative tasks involved in running an online business. But wrapping things up and taking them to the post office is something completely different and for me and many others that's where it all started to fall apart :-)
As I said at the beginning of this article, if you are getting fed up of doing the eBay 'thing' or if you just don't fancy the idea to start with, there is a wealth of alternative opportunities available online. My own solution was to get rid of the one aspect of eBay trading that I didn't enjoy - the packing and shipping - and start to produce and sell digital products which could be delivered to the customer automatically. I still have to write sales pages and build websites, I still have to deal with emails etc but I don't have to handle any physical products (neither do I have to deal with payment collection because that too can be handled automatically by software).
Of course my products are very relevant to eBay sellers and indeed, there are numerous individuals and companies out there that have made a fortune off the back of eBay without ever having sold a single product on the auction site. I am sure that there are numerous other problems that eBay users have that could be solved with a new piece of software or a particular service and if the idea takes off, there are 135 million registered users on eBay to market to!
eBay provides a wonderful opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people but it isn't for everyone and if you find yourself frustrated/bored with the same old routine everyday, start to look for something outside of the eBay world.
Copyright 2005 Richard Grady
Richard Grady has been helping ordinary people earn online since 1998. He writes a free newsletter which is published every two weeks. To subscribe (and claim your free gifts), visit: http://www.thetraderonline.com/newsletter.html
When its time to clean-up around the house, some people... Read More
eBay trades in more than 33 international countries with over... Read More
eBay is one of the world's largest market places with... Read More
Basic Paper Piecing TipsHere are some tips that will help... Read More
Janette Oke is a Christian writer whose books about life,... Read More
Knowledge is Power! And this statement could not be more... Read More
As I write this article, I am keeping an eye... Read More
A Dropshipper is someone who will anonymously send the goods... Read More
If you've ever read an article about eBay, you will... Read More
If you were to look through eBay, or any other... Read More
"Ask And You Shall Receive" Policy Works!You're one-of-a-kind baby clothes... Read More
You may be in the market for a new website.... Read More
If you have all the money you need, then this... Read More
"Who's Suzie?"My wife Katrina had been acting strangely ever since... Read More
By the time that a product has made it to... Read More
Have you ever been delighted after a huge sale on... Read More
Sometimes the simplest things can boost the number of visitors... Read More
Do you know the phrase "A Call To Action"? Well,... Read More
Being an active eBayer, I am often being asked about... Read More
If I can do it you can.Let me tell you... Read More
I just received an interesting email from eBay and it... Read More
You may have heard about ebay and other online auctions.You... Read More
One question that always seems to pop up is, "Where... Read More
Are you planning to sell on eBay? Or have you... Read More
You've heard about it many times in recent months. Being... Read More
Mr. Asset vs. Mr. Job....Discover the Secret Formula of the... Read More
Accepting Paypal as a payment method might increase your selling... Read More
Probably just like you, I had an overwhelming desire to... Read More
On another forum I'm involved with, someone's asked a great... Read More
Many people who sell on Ebay completely neglect the follow-up... Read More
I don't know if you've ever noticed, but it seems... Read More
For many people, their first experience of working online involves... Read More
With so many out of work, laid off or staying... Read More
Use eBay picture service or host your own photos?If you... Read More
Three billion dollars (that's billion with a "B") in revenues,... Read More
Many people know they would like to start an Internet... Read More
You may have heard about ebay and other online auctions.You... Read More
EBay is a great part or full time business. An... Read More
Do you want to have a lot of auctions going... Read More
William Vickrey, highly regarded as the founder of auction theory,... Read More
Artists, craftspeople and photographers are successfully selling their wares everyday... Read More
The Problem...It's happened to the best of us.You've been watching... Read More
An eBay purchase that turned sour.A story of fraud, deceit,... Read More
Police Auctions Information:No, a police auction is not where you... Read More
I am not sure how many people have had bad... Read More
EBay's online auctions have created business opportunities for thousands of... Read More
Fee Increase Leaves Some Sellers Angry, Others ThrilledMuch of my... Read More
Ebay is Perhaps the easiest and fastest way to start... Read More
Selling an item on eBay should be simple but it... Read More
Is it an antique and is it worth anything? Would... Read More
Your eBay listing has finished and you have made a... Read More
Anyone can sell anything on eBay. Open an account, list... Read More
If you've ever heard the expression "the devil is in... Read More
eBay allows you the opportunity to sell all over the... Read More
Everyone's talking about eBay these days. With the frequency of... Read More
In 2002, the eBay consignments business was born, referred to... Read More
There is as a lot of buzz about shill bidders... Read More
Do you know the phrase "A Call To Action"? Well,... Read More
Selling eBooks on eBay, and making any worthwhile profit from... Read More
There has been a flood of publicity generated regarding the... Read More
Auction templates are simply a must for successful online auction... Read More
Calling internet auctions an "Entrepreneur's Dream" isn't poetic license or... Read More
OK, so you've been bitten by the eBay bug!You've ransacked... Read More
Since their introduction several years ago, online auctions, such as... Read More
Basic Paper Piecing TipsHere are some tips that will help... Read More
Q. I hear so much about people who started selling... Read More
Online Auction |