|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Effects of eBay on American Merchandising
With one brilliantly simple idea, eBay was born just a few short years ago.
From its humble beginnings in the Collectibles business, it went on to achieve the lofty heights it enjoys today.
As eBay has continued to grow to over 30 million registered users, it has transformed the ability of individuals (as well as Corporations) to move product of all kinds.
eBay is now a place where virtually any item imaginable is available, for the right price.
With a few clicks of your mouse, the doors to the world marketplace are opened for you.
Similarly, with a few clicks of your mouse, the entire world can be viewing your merchandise for sale.
It is this awesome power that eBay gives to you, for a small fee.
Is it any wonder that large institutional sellers, such as the U.S. Postal Service, J.C. Penneys, various Police Departments and all types of Corporations have discovered the power and efficiencies of selling on eBay?
The drawback for the smaller seller is that, as more and more individual and institutional sellers sign on to sell on eBay, the supply of similar items will increase.
This increase in supply results in a decrease in demand, and with that decreased demand, lower ending bid amounts and lower profits for all sellers.
This has already begun to happen in some categories as ending bids continue their slow trend downward.
As sellers begin to see profits eroding due to too many sellers "playing the game", the question of the day seems to be, "What is the best thing to sell on eBay?"
The simple (and somewhat facetious-sounding) answer is, "Whatever people are interested in that is not currently selling on eBay in mass quantities".
More often than not, success on eBay results from a seller taking on a niche that they are familiar with and enjoy. Many of the top eBay sellers have built their entire business around a niche that they enjoy, such as a certain type of collectible, or a certain hobby, interest or sport.
If you take this approach, not only will you be happier doing that which you enjoy, but listing items will not become a "chore", it will be an enjoyable experience.
As eBay continues it's trend-line of massive growth, sellers must be increasingly aware of three things that will ensure opportunities for growth and success:
Ultimately, it is this extra awareness that will determine who the winners are in the game of Online Auction sales.
About The Author
David Espino is the Author of Beyond eBay and Life In The Dot Com Lane.
To receive a free excerpt from the book - Beyond eBay, visit www.HomeBasedBusinessowner.com
Email: dave@HomeBasedBusinessowner.com
National Business Review, New Zealand - 1 hour ago
Turners Auctions posted a 55 percent rise in first half net profit to $812000, with pricing reviews and increased sales of add-on finance and insurance ...
Turners Auctions toughs it out Stuff.co.nz
all 17 news articles
Boston Globe
Examiner.com - 13 hours ago
These websites were picked by the Auctions and Antiques Examiner as useful resources. In an ever increasing bid to become more of what it's not, ...
eBay Changes Fees for Fixed-Price Auctions I4U
eBay downplays auctions in favor of fixed-priced listings Ars Technica
eBay Tilts Toward Sales, Not Auctions HULIQ (press release)
ReadWriteWeb - New York Timesall 485 news articles
The Daily Deal (subscription)
The Daily Deal (subscription), NY - 3 hours ago
Besides the usual disclaimers (see below), it should also be noted that the exits in question are only for previously announced or reported auctions, ...
American Capital books $120M in profits on Contec sale The Daily Deal (subscription)
all 2 news articles
Newsday, NY - Aug 19, 2008
The US Department of Transportation plans to have the airlines compete against each other in auctions for the right to use prime takeoff and landing slots ...
Governors in NY, NJ oppose airport slot auctions The Associated Press
NY, NJ governors say auctioning airport slots a mistake Poughkeepsie Journal
all 76 news articles
CBC.ca
CBC.ca, Canada - Aug 20, 2008
Auction site eBay ticked off sellers earlier this year with changes to its fee structure. (Paul Sakuma/Associated Press) Auction site eBay is set to change ...
MarketWatch - Aug 20, 2008
Over the past few years, Ocean Tomo has hosted seven Live IP Auctions across the US and Europe which have transacted nearly $100+ million, ...
Examiner.com
Examiner.com - 1 hour ago
These websites were picked by the Auctions and Antiques Examiner as useful resources. I guess because September is on the way, it's the time of year people ...
Daily Times, Pakistan - Aug 20, 2008
LAHORE: The Punjab government has framed a new policy to auction land owned by the Punjab Liquidation Board. Under the new policy, the land would be sold ...
MarketWatch - Aug 20, 2008
A retail/mixed-use commercial site in Chicago will also be auctioned Oct. 2. Located at 2501 South State St., in a rapidly developing area of the city's ...
KTAR.com, AZ - 9 hours ago
by Bob McClay/KTAR Many banks are turning to auctions to sell homes they have ended up with through foreclosures. Many times, a home can be bought at ...
Eating and Thriving On-Line
The Internet SHOULD be "the place to shop" for low-carb dieters, diabetics, celiacs, and anyone else on a special diet. The posted prices are well below those... Read More
Game Theory, Nobel Prize, & Auctions - Auction Primer Series ? Part 1
William Vickrey, highly regarded as the founder of auction theory, was an economics professor at Columbia University when he published two papers outlining his views on auctions:"Counterspeculation,... Read More
The Quickest Way To Have A Product To Sell On The Internet
Creating a product from scratch that you can sell on the Internet will take some time to do.Writing a book, for example, can take weeks or months... Read More
How To Compete With Amazon.com
If you are selling online,here is the down side of our business....you will never be able to compete with Amazon. (Or Kmart, or Target, or any other... Read More
eBays Latest Fee Increases--Is this the beginning of the end?
On January 13, eBay sellers received an unwelcome announcement from eBay. Fees were going up.Partly due to our tendency to "skim" messages and partly due to the... Read More
Do You Sell Tires By Mail? Maybe You Should eBay
I just received an interesting email from eBay and it got me thinking... Do you sell tires by mail? Maybe you should 'eBay' (yes it's now a... Read More
Online Auctions Business
Online auction sites are a great way to find a bargain on almost anything and an excellent way of getting the best price for selling something of... Read More
From Ebay Zero to Power-Selling Hero: The Devil Is In The Details
If you've ever heard the expression "the devil is in the details," you can probably already guess how it relates to today's lesson. The bulk of the... Read More
eBay and Dropshipping - A Perfect Fit!
eBay and Dropshipping go together like a hand in a glove. As you read this article, right now, thousands of eBayers are running there own auction business.... Read More
How To Stop Ebay Buyers From Sniping Your Auction For Less Than Its True Value
There are many savvy eBay buyers who use automated bidding programs, which are referred to as sniping software. Sniping allows the eBay buyer to place an unseen... Read More
Police Auctions & Government Auctions Professional Resource Information
Police Auctions Information:No, a police auction is not where you go to buy a policeman. Most people do not realize that police agencies, including local police departments,... Read More
How to Double or Even Triple Your Net Profit Selling on eBay
eBay Search tips and secretsThis is an example of how I used the Ebay search tab to triple my sales and profit in 1 month!I had found... Read More
A New Definition of Buyer Beware
"Who's Suzie?"My wife Katrina had been acting strangely ever since I had returned home from my Native American cultural class, not to mention the weird phone call... Read More
3 Unusual Formats For Auctions on EBay
eBay users are accustomed to only two "standard" formats for sales on eBay: either the 'regular' auction which involves bidding and waiting; and the Buy It Now,... Read More
What Ebay Can Teach Us About Success
I flew back to New York from Atlanta a few weeks ago and picked up 'Business 2.0' magazine for the flight.It was an excellent issue, but something... Read More
Six Steps Towards Successful Buying at eBay Auctions
Buying on eBay can be very rewarding, either in terms of being able to pick up items cheaply or for hunting for hard to find items. Although... Read More
Five Ways To Detect Shill Bidders On eBay So That You Dont Pay Absurd Prices
There is as a lot of buzz about shill bidders on the eBay forums. But in actuality, shrill bidding isn't that common and is rather easily detected.A... Read More
Authentic or Fake?
1. Admit It: Old business models are no longer working. The Internet is bringing us closer as geographical boundaries, language barriers and cultural differences melt right before... Read More
How Do You Find A Reliable Dropshipping Source?
A Dropshipper is someone who will anonymously send the goods you order to your customer! There are no markings on the box and no invoices enclosed! Finding... Read More
Everything You Need To Know About Ebay Money Making Opportunities
Ebay money making opportunities are simply the best thing to come along since the wheel. Seriously, everybody from grandmothers to middle school kids are cashing in on... Read More
eBay: What Should I Sell?
There is an art to picking profitable products. It's not just what you want to sell but rather what will sell. Unless you pick a product in... Read More
Online Auctions: The New Way of Shopping for Mauritians
Since their introduction several years ago, online auctions, such as eBay, have been one of the hottest destinations on the World Wide Web. Auction sellers are attracted... Read More
Be Realistic When Selling on eBay
As some of you know, I spent many years buying and selling both on and offline and several of my products are based upon my own experience... Read More
The Effects of eBay on American Merchandising
With one brilliantly simple idea, eBay was born just a few short years ago.From its humble beginnings in the Collectibles business, it went on to achieve the... Read More
How to Win on eBay
I've bought over 100 items on eBay over three years and am ready to share my knowledge of how to win at eBay and buy from reputable... Read More
6 Reasons Why an eBay Business is the Easiest and Safest Home Business to Start
Calling internet auctions an "Entrepreneur's Dream" isn't poetic license or part of the get-rich-quick rhetoric. Net auctions are the simplest, easiest way on this planet for the... Read More
Profitable Paper Piecing on eBay -- Part 2
Basic Paper Piecing TipsHere are some tips that will help you create paper piecings that will sell!Save some time by eliminating the "tracing" of patterns. Take your... Read More
How to Market with Niche Auction Sites
Online auctions are big business. But they can be big headaches.During the past year, trading in online commerce was valued at $60 billion, according to *Business Standard."... Read More
The Number 1 Biggest Secret to Selling on Ebay
Ebay.com is a Tool. It is an awesome tool that can be used to make you tons of money in a short period of time without alot... Read More
Do You Sell Tires By Mail? Maybe You Should eBay
I just received an interesting email from eBay and it got me thinking... Do you sell tires by mail? Maybe you should 'eBay' (yes it's now a... Read More