An Emerging Market in eBay Consignments: The eBay Trading Post (Part II In A Series)
In 2002, the eBay consignments business was born, referred to by eBay as the Trading Assistant Program. It's possible that eBay didn't foresee just how much they would benefit form their eBay consignments program. Designed to unite experienced eBay sellers with people who want heir merchandise sold on eBay without having to do it themselves, the Trading Assistant program has enjoyed enormous success. As big as eBay had become -- larger than all other online auction venues combined -- they were still missing out on a large segment of the population; the technophobes. These people would sell goods on eBay if they had access to a computer and a digital camera, and had the time and inclination to learn how to run an auction. But they either don't have the technology or they lack the desire to become auctioneers, or both. Since they're not on line, they're not likely to learn about Trading Assistants who advertise primarily through eBay. And even if they saw the ads, they probably wouldn't trust them. You see, people active in the online community are already comfortable with the environment, which has an element of anonymity. But a non-computer person is more likely to want to deal with a real, brick-and-mortar retail business. They may not trust someone who runs auctions out of their home. How to reach these people? Introducing the concept of the "Trading Post"... A Trading post is to eBay consignments what the typical consignment shop is to the average community. It's a drop off location that allows consumers to drop their stuff off and have it sold for them as a service. It's a retail location that markets itself to consumers as a local, experienced ebay consignments seller -- a Trading Assistant with a brick-and-mortar store. While any ebay trading assistant can establish an ebay consignments service out of a retail location, only a Trading Post can put the eBay brand on their physical storefront.
(A trading assistant can only advertise inside their store). With this privilege comes a higher standard, ie, eBay has "raised the bar" on their requirements. A Trading Post must meet the following additional requirements: -Offers a staffed drop-off location or storefront with regular drop-in hours, so that clients can visit the location without calling ahead. -Has a feedback score of 500 or higher -Has at least 98% positive feedback -Has sales of at least $25,000 on eBay each month Online, clients can search for Trading Posts specifically, and Trading Posts may receive priority placement in search results. (Yes, even some online clients prefer the retail setting). Also, Trading Posts are displayed with a special icon next to their User ID. If you're a Trading Assistant who also meets the requirements, you automatically qualify as a Trading Post and do not need to take additional steps. Walt Duflock, Director of the eBay Trading Assistant Program and a real life trading assistant, has announced eBay's intention of having "secret shoppers" and "customer satisfaction surveys" to see if there are certain Trading Post locations eBay would like to support more than others. Regardless of your status on ebay, there are tools that everyone can use to build their success as TAs, available on the ebay site. I've found many of them quite valuable. For example, among their efficiency tools, they recommend using contact management software. eBay regards this as a great tool for getting "a better understanding of how many prospects it takes to actually create one new client and how long it takes for a client to go from initial contact to hiring you as a TA." And as far as support, some of the Trading Posts have become so large that they no longer rely on eBay for help. Some have developed their own proprietary systems for tracking customers and inventory, and managing their auctions. The largest and most successful ebay consignment business will even get you started with your own franchise which includes the use of their proprietary systems. All you need to come up with is $55 K plus operating expenses. But, never fear. You can start your ebay consignment business on a shoestring, and this is how the majority begin. Since 1998, eBay and similar auction sites have been growing by leaps and bounds. eBay consignments are still in their infancy, but I predict a very bright future! © Copyright 2004 Carolyn Schweitzer DDS. Dr. Schweitzer was a family dentist for 20 years and is now owner and editor of several websites. You can learn more about where to find specific links to the Trading Assistant and Trading Post programs by visiting her website at http://www.netbrainer.com/site/500041/page/449460.
Related News
India begins process to auction 3G airwaves - Sify
Slice of Diana wedding cake sells for ￡1200 at UK auction 黛妃 ... - Taipei Times
Chef John Ash helps kick off Wine Auction Weekend this month - Lake County News
DoT starts 3G auction process; pre-bid conference tomorrow - Press Trust of India
Yahoo Japan auction users allege ID theft - United Press International
Yahoo Japan auction users allege ID theftUnited Press International -3 hours agos auction site say they have been victims of identity theft. About 3000 cases have been discovered among users of site, with their IDs unknowingly being ... |
Pollution auction set for Maryland - Carroll County Times (subscription)
Pollution auction set for MarylandCarroll County Times (subscription), MD -3 hours ago25 auction, the first of its kind in the nation, is part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, an agreement among the 10 states to reduce greenhouse ... |
Pakistani puts kidney up for online auction - Times of India
Pakistani puts kidney up for online auctionTimes of India, India -1 hour agoISLAMABAD: Bizarre as it sounds, a Pakistani has put his kidney up for sale at a leading auction website of the country. In recent years, Pakistan has ... |
Auction scene brighter - NEWS.com.au
Auction scene brighterNEWS.com.au, Australia -6 hours agoBuyers yesterday seemed content to negotiate afterwards rather than bid at auction. Auctioneer Andrew Chisholm, of Buxton Real Estate agency's Bentleigh ... |
Auction-Rate Bailouts Bypass Some Investors - Wall Street Journal
SUSAN TOMPOR Auction-rate securities probed - Detroit Free Press
SUSAN TOMPOR Auction-rate securities probedDetroit Free Press, United States -12 hours agoBrokerages and other financial firms nationwide sold auction-rate securities to well-to-do investors, small companies and others as a higher-rate ... |
|
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How To Convert eBay Surfers into Bidders!
Do you know the phrase "A Call To Action"? Well, using "A Call To Action" on your eBay Auction could help increase your sales almost immediately. As outlined in my book "eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak" having the right product, at the right price is crucial. But, what else can you do to entice those eBay surfers to become a bidder? Here is One Hot Tip anyone can implement on their auctions to increase their sales - it's called "A Call To Action!"
Start an Easy Home Business: Become an Ebay Trading Assistant
EBay's online auctions have created business opportunities for thousands of people. Now the Trading Assistant program is making it easier than ever to start a business from home.
The Powerful eBay Bidding Strategy That Claims A 99% Success Rate
Don't you just love it?
eBay - Profiting With Books By Janette Oke
Janette Oke is a Christian writer whose books about life, love, values and faith have a huge following among women today. Each of her Christian books for adults falls into one of six different series she wrote. These are:
Drop Ship Your Way to eBay Profits
One of the most difficult things to do when looking to start an online business is to find that elusive supplier that will supply you, put simply you need a source of real products to sell. Drop shipping is a perfect way to achieve this and lets you develop the perfect online business..
The Top Sellers On eBay & What We Can Learn From Them
A fascinating eBay case study is the number one seller on eBay, a little outfit called Marie's CDs, but is better known under its old name "1 Cent CD." Jay and Marie, current ID "jayandmarie", are an institution on eBay and are a big part of what makes eBay such an amazingly popular phenomenon.
Your Auction Headline Or Title - The Most Important Part Of Your Auction
The words you select to describe your item will have a tremendous impact on the final price it receives or if it receives any bids at all. This is because no matter how great the item is you have up at auction, if you use words that don't lead prospective buyers to it, no one will ever see it. You have a total of 45 spaces to use for your auction headline to get people to visit your auction, so it's extremely important that you use each space wisely.
Joint Venture For eBay Success Too!
Whether you're succeeding in your online auction attempts, just getting by, or failing to make money; Joint Ventures Can, and almost certainly will, Multiply Your Income Without Spending A Single Penny!
Mistakes to Avoid in your eBay Auctions
Online auctions continue to grow in popularity as an easy and efficient way to make money on everything from unwanted household items to rare and expensive collectables and even to bulky items like cars.
Bananas - Your Source of eBay Packing Materials!
This is the most boring stage of the process and subsequently where some eBay sellers let themselves down. If the buyer receives thier purchase poorly packed and broken then they are not going to be happy and will want a refund and more importantly never buy off you again which will have negated all the hard work that you put into the previous stages of your professional auction listing.
Why 95% of All eBay Sellers Fail
eBay is now the 8th most visited site on the internet and it has just one purpose - sales. With 40 million visitors per month most eBay sellers are missing a golden opportunity. They are missing the opportunity to cultivate long term clients.
So, Can You Really Sell EBooks On EBay And Make Cold Hard Cash?
Selling eBooks on eBay, and making any worthwhile profit from doing so, is becoming more and more difficult.
Increase your eBay Profits the Easy Way
Sometimes the simplest things can boost the number of visitors and bids to your auction listings and increase your eBay profits.
Free Auction Templates: How to Set Your Border Color With FOAM
If you have not heard of Foamtemplates.com yet, home of the "Free Online Auction Maker", now is a good time to get your feet wet. I am going to show you how to use FOAMTemplates.com to make great looking auction templates for HTML compatible websites for free!
Auction Sales - Keeping Customers You Worked So Hard To Get!
If you've studied business concepts you know that finding a customer can be the most expensive part of the sales process. Once you've got a customer why not maximize the money you've already invested in the effort?
Buying & Selling Gently Used Baby Clothing, Strollers, Toys, and Other Baby Items & Products on eBay
Need Extra Money? Buy and Sell Your Gently Used Baby Clothing, Car Seats, Strollers, Toys, Books and Products on eBay!
Hi Moms,
So, you had your precious baby, and you couldn't resist -- all of those cute and beautiful baby dresses, rompers, suits, jean sets, christening gowns, onesies and unique designer baby clothes (like Tommy Hilfiger) that called to you when you were in the Gap, Old Navy, Osh Kosh or Little Me. Not to mention the countless baby clothes that relatives gave you that weren't quite your style, or too big or too small for your baby and still have the price tags on them, never worn.
Well, if you have these baby clothes taking up lots of space in various closets and dressers around the house and thought you would just have to take a loss on these baby items, think again! There is a thriving used baby goods market on eBay, the world's biggest yard sale, garage sale and online auction. If you've got a used baby item, chances are you can sell it on eBay. There are sections on eBay for used baby boy and baby girl clothing for each stage of your baby's life -- 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 2T, 3T, 4T, and 5T. Not only that, but you can also sell your maternity clothes on eBay too!
Have an old car seat, stroller, old or antique baby toys that aren't being used anymore? Have unused diapers, baby bottles, breast pumps or baby toys that have not been used? You can also sell these items on eBay. I have even seen listings for unused leftover birth announcements! I'm telling you, if you've got it, you can sell it on eBay.
Best of all, the process for listing your baby items is easy. All you need to do is sign up to be a seller (it's free), take photos of your items and post them, write a description and you're in business.
Now that we've talked about the benefits of selling your baby clothes online, let's talk about the other side of the coin, buying gently used baby clothes and baby items online. Just as you are selling nice gently used baby clothes, other moms around the country are selling their baby clothes and baby items at bargain prices. Since babies and kids grow so quickly, buying used baby clothes and even used car seats, high chairs and strollers can be a great way to get nice beautiful clothes and baby accessories and save money at the same time. Buying used baby items is just as simple as selling them, if not simpler. Just sign up as a buyer (its free also), search eBay for the baby item you would like and place a bid. Don't want to wait for an auction to end or really want that baby item you see? Search eBay for items with the "Buy It Now" logo and you can just select the baby item and pay for it outright. It's just that simple.
Ready to start buying or selling or even just want to see what's online? Even if you don't want to bid on, buy or sell anything now, you can register on eBay for free (it only takes 2 minutes) so when you want to sell in the future, you'll be all set! The registration process is quick and easy. Visit http://www.mypreciousbaby.com/selling-on-ebay.htm (or click on the link at the end of this article) for more details.
Four Huge Mistakes Ebay Sellers Make (Even Some Moderately Successful Ones)
No matter how many times I see it happening, I'mconstantly amazed at the number of people who areliterally throwing money away by making incrediblysimple mistakes when they sell items in an onlineauction.
eBay Auction Sellers Guide to Finding Hot Money Making Products
You might be one of the thousands of individuals who open a trading account with eBay and dream about making auction selling a full-time home-based business.
Auction Image Hosting for Ebay Auctions: Free Single Most Recommended Tip
It is a well known fact that the more pictures taken of an item, the better it will sell. Not only will you get more bids, but you will make a superior final profit. This is probably why this tip is the single most given tip when it comes to ebay.
Professional eBay Auctions Reap the Profits for Sellers
eBay offer an unbelievable amount of traffic for ANYONE wanting to sell on their auction site, so much so that millions of items are listed on it everyday. So with all this competition how do you make sure that your listing doesn't get lost amongst the rest and that customers keep coming back to you.
|
