Offering Your eBay Selling Services Locally

In this business, profits come from the commissions you earn from the auction listings you place on eBay and other auction sites for your clients. In most cases, you should charge a 5% commission. In order for you to make your commission, the item must sell. If you are able to create winning auctions with a total of $40,000 a month for clients, 5% commissions total $2,000 a month.

Profits would depend mostly on:

Your ability to find people who want to use your auction listing service.

Your ability to write good eBay auction listings.

Your ability to know what items are good candidates for listing on eBay Equipment Needed

To do this project, you will need:

Digital camera to take photos of items to be sold on eBay.

Laptop computer to use to find customers.

Internet connection

Project Startup Costs

This project is designed to work in your local area. If you already own a digital camera and laptop computer, and have an internet connection, your only other major investment will be your time. No other expenses are involved.

Keys to Success

There are three key elements to making this business successful.

First, you have to introduce your services to people who have items they would like to have sold.

Second, you have to present your services in such a way that potential customers are happy to pay you to do it for them, rather than do it themselves.

Third, you have to be able to create successful eBay listings that will generate bids and your profits

Getting Started

Getting started in this business is quite easy. For example, contact local organizations and groups that need speakers for their weekly events. Let them know that you would love to do a 'show and tell' to their group, about how to buy and sell items on eBay auctions. Mention that you can bring a laptop computer and a digital camera and will show exactly how it is done.

When first starting out, go for smaller, more informal audiences. Choose to speak at the senior citizens center, or at retirement activity centers. You want to gain practice with your presentation, before you go on to speak to the business associations (Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, etc.)

Needless to say, when you do these presentations, dress and act like a professional. Make sure the room where you will be speaking has an internet connection, and borrow or rent a LCD projector so you can display output from your computer to a screen large enough for everyone in the audience to see.

When you do the presentation, make it interesting and entertaining. Show the unusual items being sold on eBay, and especially the expensive items. Your goal is to inform and entertain your audience, and impress them with your computer skill and knowledge of how eBay works.

Only in the final minutes of your presentation, do you mention that you offer a service where you create eBay listings for clients and manage the auction for a 5% commission.

Be sure to leave time in your presentation to answer audience questions. And provide a business card or flyer to everyone in the audience.

Pitfalls to Avoid

Do not be tempted to find a short cut around doing speeches to small audiences. These 'show and tell' presentations are the center piece of the project. Doing the speeches eliminates all marketing expenses, and introduces your services to customers most likely to want to use your services.

Do be selective about the type of items you list. You really don't have time to list items that are not likely to get bids, or that sell for lower prices.

Do realize that you are offering a service - you are helping people sell things in ways they may not be able to do on their own. Your skill in writing an eBay listing, and your knowledge of when and how to place it are what your clients are paying you for.

Do be honest and above board. If you are asked why someone should pay you 5% instead of doing the listing themselves, answer honestly. Say, "People who feel comfortable with the technology involved, and who know how eBay works, and have the time to write a good listing, and the time to get it on eBay and follow the auction, might want to do it themselves. We offer our services to people who want someone to take care of everything. And since we only get paid a commission if the item is sold, it gives us an incentive to do a good job."

Growth Potential & Expansion Opportunities

It's amazing what speaking to small informal audiences where you showcase your computer and presentation skills can lead to.

As you develop your speaking and eBay skills, you might be able to offer similar auction services to larger business - especially those with higher end products.

Competition

There's nothing to stop others from trying to do the same thing - but most people won't approach it from the angle of providing show and tell presentations to small audiences. The key to success here is to develop an entertaining presentation and do it in front of audiences likely to have items they want sold on eBay.

The other big competition will be from people who feel comfortable listing their own items on eBay. They will tell their friends that they can do the listings for them. But usually, it will be easier for those who know about your services to let you take care of it all.

Additional Notes: Before you get involved in this, learn about eBay. Visit eBay every day and print out eBay listings that have lots of bids on them. Keep these in a notebook for reference when you write your own eBay listings.