In a store, you select something off the shelf, take it to the checkout and pay for it.

Now, if you by pay cash or credit card, the store has gained zero market intelligence about you and your buying habits. It doesn't know who you are, or how to get hold of you to make future related offers to you.

Of course if you use a loyalty or store card, then they DO get the market information they need. They know who you are and what you've bought. And this is added to your record which the store maintains about your buying habits.

As an eBay seller, you really are in a great position.

You know that your buyer is interested in a specific category of products i.e. the category in which the item they purchased from you was listed.

You have their email address and, better still, you're on personal terms with that buyer - most emails in connection with eBay transactions are carried out at the first name level.

And, having delivered to them once, as far as your buyer is concerned you are now in the position of being a trusted supplier. They are more likely to buy from you again, knowing that you have performed responsibly in the past.

And they, having paid you, become your trusted customer. You know that should they buy from you again, they will pay you!

You can now take advantage of all of this to market some other appropriate product to your customer directly.

The simplest form of direct marketing is an email newsletter. All you have to do is to ask people who buy from you if they'd like to be added to your mailing list to learn of your latest offers. Then you send them a monthly update on your new items. Don't forget to include some useful "none-sales" information to give your newsletter more value.

This is obviously easier if the items you sell are frequently updated. For example, here's an outline of an email newsletter you might write if you were selling DVDs.

?Here are the dates for this month's new DVD releases:

[list of release dates].

If you want to pre-order anything on this list, just click here [your website/email] and let us know.

Meanwhile, we've got some great deals for you this month! [links to your best ebay auctions]"

You might also include a DVD review, which you can get from any number of DVD movie sites on the internet.

If you produce your newsletter regularly, people will begin to get used to you, and your own reputation and integrity will grow. They will also be more likely to take a look at some of the things you're offering.

But remember it's not a newsletter without the news. You might want to try writing an article. Think of it as a free gift for your customers: the gift of useful information. Apart from anything else, it's quite fun to have your own newsletter.

Plus, don't forget to abide by spam regulations and give subscribers the chance to unsubscribe from your newsletter.

If your items are such that a buyer may be interested in something similar, like a collectable, then you can try more targeted emails along the lines of:

?I'm sending you this email today because you bought a [item name] from me a while ago, and I thought you might be interested in this new item I'm auctioning.

You can see the item here [link to website or eBay auction]."

Newsletter and email communications such as these couldn't be simpler.

Give it a go. Keep communicating with your eBay buyers and you'll soon see that you can bring in more business.