Ebay Anyone?

Posted July 29, 2008 - 11:29am by Friend of AmeriStart

Are you selling consumer products or business services?
If so, there is a simple marketplace for you to get exposure to tens of millions of North American Consumers.  Yes, it's ebay.

The world's largest Marketplace, Ebay is available to anyone, anywhere at any time.  Ebay (and their companies) generated over $7 billion USD in revenue in 2007.  that means a LOT of sales are occuring in the Ebay marketplace.
Ebay has two particular marketplaces you can consider:  Ebay (for consumer driven product sales) and Ebay Business (for B2B sales).  So whether you are a consumer or B2B marketer trying to sell and market in the USA, you can actually take advantage of Ebay to varying degrees.
Ebay can be a fantastic way for your business to experiment in North America.  Logistically, this may not be practical for your business, but if you can manage to carve out a few items within your inventory that you can allocate and ship to the US, Ebay can be a great test ground for entering your products/services into the North American market. 
Why? Because if you use Ebay correctly, you can:

  • Have immediate access to tens of millions of American (and global) consumers.
  • Test your marketing "pitch" within the product descriptions and title
  • Price your products.  You can find thresholds that consumers and businesses will pay for your services.

Instead of writing all of the directions on how to get started as a seller, I thought I would simply copy the Ebay instructions since they are very clear.  Simply go to www.ebay.com and learn more.
FROM EBAY
The basic steps for selling an item are:    

Step 1: Become an eBay seller.
To begin selling on eBay, you need to register and create a seller’s account. To register as a seller, click the “Sell” link at the top of any eBay page, and then click the Sell Your Item button or learn about registration and creating a seller's account. PayPal is the preferred payment method for most eBay buyers and sellers. Consider signing up for PayPal, eBay’s global online payment system before listing your first item. When buyers use PayPal to pay for your item, you receive payments immediately and don’t need to handle checks or money orders. Note: You will not be able to sell items on eBay if you have a private Feedback Profile. If you’ve chosen to make your Feedback Profile private, you’ll need to make it public before you can list an item.

Step 2: Prepare to sell your item.
Preparation helps you sell your item. Before you start to list your item, doing some research, especially about setting a starting price, will help you list accurately and efficiently. Find similar items on eBay and note the selling price and how they were listed. If this is your first time selling an item, you may be required to specify shipping. Package, weigh and measure your item so you can use calculated shipping. Buyers feel much more comfortable purchasing items if they know the shipping charges before bidding or buying. As a seller, you do not need to guess the amount it will cost to ship the item across the country or internationally to over 185 other countries. Your research will help you make better decisions about selecting selling formats, pricing, shipping, and payment methods. To help prepare for listing your item, see the Seller’s Checklist. There are certain items that may not be sold on eBay. To avoid breaking eBay rules and the law, check eBay’s prohibited items policies to be sure your item is permitted.

Step 3: List your item for sale.
To list your item on eBay, you need to provide information about your item. Information in a typical listing includes a title, description, price, payment method, shipping cost, and a photo. eBay’s Sell Your Item form guides you through the steps to a successful item listing. If this is your first time selling an item, you will be required to specify shipping. Package, weigh, and measure your item so you can use calculated shipping. Buyers feel much more comfortable purchasing items if they know the shipping charges before bidding or buying. When you use calculated shipping, you won't need to guess the amount it will cost to ship the item in the U.S. or internationally to other countries. Learn more about calculated shipping costs.

Step 4: Manage your listing You can track your eBay activities from My eBay.
This page is especially useful if you have more than one item for sale or if you are selling and bidding on several items. My eBay's All Selling page lets you see the status of items you're selling from start to finish and manage your sales from a central location.

Step 5: Complete the sale.
At the end of a successful listing, you'll receive an email from eBay that includes your buyer's shipping address and payment method. Once you receive online payment confirmation from PayPal or a check or money order from your buyer, you can ship your item. Leaving Feedback for your buyer after you complete the sale is optional, but it is an important part of participating in the eBay Community and will help you establish your reputation as a seller.
BOTTOM LINE
Ebay is a great market research tool for North America.  Use it and you can begin to profit from selling and marketing in the USA!