Life after eBay: eBay sellers thrive after making move to their own web sites

[mandy]

eBay sellers are taking off on their own in growing numbers—and thriving thanks to the lessons learned on the auction site.

Think eBay is just the largest online marketplace for buyers and sellers? Think again. The auction site also happens to be a major training ground for Internet retailers to launch their own online stores.

Just ask Donald Cohen, managing partner for Tool King LLC, who used eBay as a springboard to build one of the largest tool and home improvement businesses on the web. In 2001, Cohen began selling tools on eBay on a whim. At the time, Cohen, who operated five retail tool stores in Colorado, casually suggested to his teen-age son, an avid eBay shopper and seller, that he put a couple of tools up for sale on the auction site. The items sold in no time and Cohen, who netted $7.50 on the sales, was hooked on e-retailing. Within six months, business was so brisk that Cohen decided to graduate from eBay and launch his own storefront...

“Most retailers moving off eBay keep a presence on the site, but we counsel them to diversify their sales and bring eBay’s contributions to sales in line with the industry average of about 25% of total sales,” says Wingo. “The transition away from eBay doesn’t happen overnight, but eBay must be viewed as an additive to the business, not the backbone of the business.”

full article: http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=18751

[xppman]

“The transition away from eBay doesn’t happen overnight, but eBay must be viewed as an additive to the business, not the backbone of the business.”

[DecorativeDishes]

Keep the umbilical cord

This article seems to predict doom & gloom for those who don't use an ebay integrated platform to migrate off to their own website. I see that 2 of the people interviewed own such companies so perhaps they are biased.

What do you all think?

I'm pretty sure that *Ann*, Brasilglass, BBH, and several others used Marketworks or something similar to get started, but I don't think that Fr*k or Ray of Classic Shaving did. Comments? Kim

[bargainbloodhound]

This article seems to predict doom & gloom for those who don't use an ebay integrated platform to migrate off to their own website

I don't think eBay integrated platforms are necessary.  I've always viewed Marketworks primarily as an auction listing/checkout/order management tool.  Something like a Marketworks "web site" is good for upselling add-on purchases during auction checkout but they're not really suitable for standalone web sites (unless your customers like lots of glitches and extremely slow loading pages, and you like a lack of features and a platform that is search engine UNfriendly).

I think going straight to a standalone web site is a better idea but you have to be willing to give it time (at least 6 months) to get indexed by search engines, build traffic and a customer base.  I think one of the primary reasons why so many eBay sellers aren't able to move off eBay is because they don't give it the necessary time (there was someone on the eBay boards today who tried a web site for 1 month and gave up because it wasn't bringing in the same sales he gets on eBay).

[xppman]

My stand alone website has been kicking ass (order wise).

ebay who? 

[bargainbloodhound]

ebay who?

It's a message board.  The smilies suck and so do the moderators. I'm not sure if there's more to the site than message boards because I never go anywhere there but the boards.  :twistedevil:

[DecorativeDishes]

I think one of the primary reasons why so many eBay sellers aren't able to move off eBay is because they don't give it the necessary time

I agree. I wasn't willing to put in the time until I saw express. (thanks for jumping in there on that eBay post btw). It's a priority now.

unless your customers like lots of glitches and extremely slow loading pages, and you like a lack of features and a platform that is search engine UNfriendly

I heard so I didn't bother to look at them. What about Channel Advisor and Vendio?? I already got a $45 up sell from the cheapo $5/mo. module on Shoppal so I'm not too motivated to spend the big bucks.

ebay who?

It's a message board.

  Thanks. Kim

P.S. The smilies here totally do not suck. It breaks up the day to figure out which ones to use.

[landofsmiles]

I think one of the primary reasons why so many eBay sellers aren't able to move off eBay is because they don't give it the necessary time

So true. I quit ebay a year and a half ago and things just keep getting better. It was rough at first but ebay ceased to be a viable option anymore. But I still would encourage people to get out of the house once in awhile and try some marketing in the real world. I would have a very hard time getting enough sales if I relied strictly on the internet. Meeting people face to face is a kinda cool way of doing business, too.

It's a message board.

 

Without the message boards, ebay could not survive. The boards keep people who are losing money, which makes up the vast majority of sellers, in the game. Without that horde of people losing money but still paying fees, ebay would just be another Wagglepop.

[DecorativeDishes]

Meeting people face to face is a kinda cool way of doing business, too.

True, but after 25 years in the chiropractic biz it's even cooler to us to meet them via mastercard/visa online.

The boards keep people who are losing money

Very true. Funny, I never thought of it that way before. I'm too cheap to flush money, but there do seem to be a lot of people on eBay still selling things for under $5. 

Kim

[stardust]

Meeting people face to face is a kinda cool way of doing business, too.

Not me!  I'm too old and crabby any more to suffer the idjits.  >