(Posted August, 2003):
You are a very lucky person! And so am I. We're in the right spot at the right time. At this point in e-history, we have open access to an incredibly profitable and exciting business opportunity -- one that didn't even exist ten years ago-- a net auction business.
If you already read my introductory article posted elsewhere on this site, you know my basic background in computers, and it has definitely helped me get a good auction business going, but I honestly believe my success wasn't because I had a computer background, but more because of two things: 1. I love working on computers (which doesn't necessarily tie into skill level), and most importantly: 2. I desperately needed extra income.
The last I heard, and I'm sure the numbers have grown dramatically, there were over 40,000 individuals or families that derive a full time income with their auction business (mostly on eBay I'm sure, but there are other auction sites where a full time income is possible). And I think I read that there are around 70 million registered users on the site, how many are active is subject to guessing, but probably at least half of that.
In recent time, eBay has gone after some of the large corporations to put up their tents on their site also, companies like Disney, Dell, IBM, and more. Still, eBay is definitely the territory of the small seller... i.e., the individual working from home, the small business owner, the netrepreneur, i.e., people like you and me.
If you own a store, offline or online, and business is just not what you'd hoped, an auction sideline business might be just what the doctor ordered! You need customers and you need them "yesterday." Where are they going to come from? You know there are a lot of customers on Net auctions but you are frustrated -- you don't have a clue about how to take advantage of that traffic. Welcome to the club, you're in good company, and hopefully you'll find assistance from the resources and from new friends on this site to help you out.
A very large majority of the sellers (and certainly the buyers who most likely at some point will want to become sellers themselves) are average Joes and Janes. A net auction business can be the solution to financial/employment/business concerns and they can satisfy personal needs/dreams. You can begin by selling stuff that you're sick of or have outgrown (why did I ever buy that red teapot, anyway?) Or, you're bound to have relatives or friends who would love to sell those hideous things in their attic for a few dollars and need your help.
A lot of eBay sellers now are in the consignment business. They develop some skills selling the junk in their attic and garage, built up their feedback, learned the ropes, and have some spare time but not so much junk in their attic anymore. The next step is to find more products to sell. Some find wholesale suppliers, some find people who have plenty of junk in THEIR attic but don't have the time or computer or desire to learn the auction ropes. They'll gladly pay you a commission to sell their stuff. Presto, you're in business.
Auction sites attract millions -- actually tens of millions -- of TARGETED customers! If you build your own Web site, you have to figure out ways to attract buyers. It's not like the movie "if you build it, they will come" at all. As many of us already know, to our dismay, finding ways to get traffic to our web site is costly in either money or time (or both!), and then the traffic starts coming in dribs and drabs and often isn't targeted enough to begin with. Auction sites have already done the hard and expensive work of getting customers for you. You just need to provide a great product at a great price. Auction players are looking for bargains, uniqueness and/or convenience. Provide that, and give good honest service, and you will always have customers at your auction doorstep.
Above and beyond the sales you make with your auctions, you can use online auctions as a TRAFFIC GENERATOR to promote your business or any other interests. You can use auctions to drive traffic to your product or service. Lots of traffic. Almost no one realizes what a powerful strategy this is. There are millions of people selling on auctions, but most of them don't realize yet what a powerful lead-generating tool it is.
Yes, what a great time to be alive. Auction sites give us another income stream possibility. And hey, if you want to join the 40,000 people doing this as a full time career, so that you can tell your boss to take that job and shove it, who's to stand in your way? All you have to do is have a supplier of items that you can sell at a profit, a computer hooked to the internet, and the time to devote to your business. With auctions, and the great auction management tools available that can help run your business, you can do this anytime and anywhere you want.
Our job on this site is to give you a little advice and resources, and a way to communicate with some of the other people out there that are sharing your dream and passion about auctions. Good luck and thanks for coming to this site, I hope you'll be back often.
Dennis Becker, www.auction-tips-and-techniques.com
