Unless you have the resources to hire a programmer and develop your own sales software, chances are you’re going to choose a company to serve as your operational partner. Such a company can do more than provide you with software to keep track of sales. Some partners can even help you find sources for your merchandise or market your eBay business by writing about it on their own web site. “We think it’s important to choose your operational partners carefully,” says David Yaskulka of Blueberry Boutique, a PowerSeller profiled in Chapter 9. “For example, we launched a partnership with ChannelAdvisor (http://www.channeladvisor.com) to provide their auction management software. They are a real strategic partner.
“There’s another, underutilized resource,” adds Yaskulka. “Many sellers would do well to partner with a full-service auction company. People who want to sell on eBay might not be better off inventing the wheel but could find someone who has packaged a whole business for them. A company like Auction Safari (see Chapter 6) will help with training, marketing, cross-marketing, shipping. They would take a percentage of sales, and each seller has to do the math. For some sellers, that sort of partnership would help you get products you need.”
“Everyone Gets Burned Trying to Find New Suppliers”
If finding suppliers is the key to doing business on eBay, how does one find a reputable source of merchandise? “That’s very difficult,” Harmon admits. “You have to do a lot of testing. There are a lot of dos and don’ts for finding a new contact. If they want payment up front or wire transfer up front, I would suggest not going with them.
“Believe it or not, a lot of suppliers are already selling on eBay,” he adds. “I can look up their feedback on eBay. It’s very tough, everyone gets burned trying to get new suppliers. If you can’t get them on the phone, that’s not a good thing. If you can’t see images of their products online, that’s not good, either. You have to be very careful that you are getting a legitimate product. Buy 10 things to try them out, or ask them for some samples first. That way, if you get burned, you’re not out a lot of money.”
“There’s another, underutilized resource,” adds Yaskulka. “Many sellers would do well to partner with a full-service auction company. People who want to sell on eBay might not be better off inventing the wheel but could find someone who has packaged a whole business for them. A company like Auction Safari (see Chapter 6) will help with training, marketing, cross-marketing, shipping. They would take a percentage of sales, and each seller has to do the math. For some sellers, that sort of partnership would help you get products you need.”
“Everyone Gets Burned Trying to Find New Suppliers”
If finding suppliers is the key to doing business on eBay, how does one find a reputable source of merchandise? “That’s very difficult,” Harmon admits. “You have to do a lot of testing. There are a lot of dos and don’ts for finding a new contact. If they want payment up front or wire transfer up front, I would suggest not going with them.
“Believe it or not, a lot of suppliers are already selling on eBay,” he adds. “I can look up their feedback on eBay. It’s very tough, everyone gets burned trying to get new suppliers. If you can’t get them on the phone, that’s not a good thing. If you can’t see images of their products online, that’s not good, either. You have to be very careful that you are getting a legitimate product. Buy 10 things to try them out, or ask them for some samples first. That way, if you get burned, you’re not out a lot of money.”
