I know of no other business format where you can put something up for sale to millions of people without having to invest in a shop, advertising or a web site: and sell it and be paid within days.
I know you have to pay to list your item on eBay, but this starts at 20p (25 cents) for up to ten days exposure to those millions of prospective customers.
You can test a product within days, and there are virtually no limits as to what you can sell on eBay. When selling on eBay you can get involved in any area in which you have an interest or expertise.
The figures regarding the growth of eBay are impressive. As I write this, eBay have just announced their Quarter 3, 2005 results. The figures shown below relate to the 3 months of business from 1 July to 30 September, 2005.
? 458.6.1 million listings in Q3, 2005. Up 32% over Q3, 2004.
? $10.8 billion value of auctions sales in Q3, 2005. Up 30% over Q3, 2004.
? $1.1 billion Gross Profit in Q3, 2005. Up 37% over Q3, 2004.
? 168.1 million eBay members as at 30 September, 2005. Up 35% as at 30 September, 2004.
? On average, 117,400 new members joined eBay each day throughout Q3, 2005.
? $6.7 billion PayPal payments in Q3, 2005. Up 44% over Q3, 2004.
? 86.6 million PayPal accounts as at 30 September, 2005. Up 53% as at 30 September, 2004.
eBay categories with more than $1 billion in annualized auction sales are:
eBay Motors - $14.1 billion
Clothing & Accessories - $3.1 billion
Computers - $3.0 billion
Consumer Electronics - $3.0 billion
Books/Movies/Music - $2.5 billion
Home & Garden - $2.4 billion
Collectibles - $2.1 billion
Jewelry & Watches - $1.6 billion
Sports - $2.1 billion
Business & Industrial - $1.5 billion
Toys - $1.5 billion
Cameras & Photo - $1.3 billion
All of this is great news for us!
The eBay market place is thriving, and we should all be able to thrive with it.
If you're in the market to make extra money, and you want to do it through online auctions, then with eBay you have definitely selected the right partner.
