Our Trading Assistant Journal published an article today asking "What Kind of eBay seller are you?"

We thought we would mention this commentary post here for any readers who have not yet joined the rss feed at the TA Journal.

Please take a moment to read today's article over on the TA Journal and join both of the feeds here and there. We love it when you stop by each day!

Think of eBay as an ecosystem...

As in any ecosystem, members of the community depend upon one another. The eBay ecosystem is composed of buyers and sellers... without one or the other the system falters and all become extinct. As in any ecosystem, different classes of organisms compete for survival.

The sellers in this ecosystem are comprised of occasional sellers, part time sellers, somewhat professional sellers, Powersellers and the Mega Conglomerate Super-sellers.

The question is, what kind of eBay seller are you?

I see eBay as a community... and as in every community, whether a country or a small town, there are different status levels, income levels, outlooks, thoughts and fears among those who participate in the community. The community as a whole seems cohesive from the outside, but when one wades into the inner workings of any community, a whole range of thoughts and ideas about the community ecosystem and its rules will become apparent.

As eBay members and sellers, we must keep in mind the simple facts of life in any community. Some rules work fine for some members, yet the same rules are looked upon as a poison by other members.

Read More on the TA Journal!

I must admit that this past holiday season was a true milestone for me personally. I never once set foot within a major shopping mall or even a Walmart this past Holiday season. The fact is that I purchased every single holiday gift either online through Amazon.com, Buy.com or eBay.

While that may not be a surprise for those of you tech and Internet savvy readers... but I would wager that the major retailers in America are cringing at the reality of those words. America is now shopping On-Line more extensively and if you are paying millions of dollars per month for retail space in crowded malls, you're probably not liking this new version of retail reality.

As eBay sellers we are strongly positioned to take advantage of this new and exciting (for us) online retail acceptance. eBay itself is trying earnestly to morph into a destination which makes the traditional American mall type of shopper comfortable enough to forgo the entire crowded holiday mall shopping experience.... Amazon.com has already seemingly made that transition.

eBay is strongly looking at what Amazon.com does to provide buyers with an online purchasing experience that makes them comfortable and brings them back time after time. If eBay is at least somewhat successful in modifying the eBay shopping experience - in a good way - to compete with Amazon.com, we all will be more successful eBay sellers.

eBay cannot compete with Amazon.com or many other eCommerce retailers because of higher than average shipping costs for sellers resulting in higher than average shipping charges to consumers. This has been a thorn in the side of eBay for many years.

eBay has attempted to address this problem through enforcement of rules for sellers concerning shipping along with making the shipping charges on each item for sale on eBay more visible to consumers. This second innovation has greatly reduced sales in our opinion. Sellers can not survive if they charge less than costs for shipping and eBay seems to be encouraging sellers to do just that. There has to be a better solution...

We suggest looking at a new shipping model which could compete with Amazons shipping calculator and even with Amazon Prime (a yearly subscription based model which provides Amazon Prime members with free 2 day shipping) to provide a more stable and satisfactory experience for buyers on eBay.

Proposal - The eBay Powersellers Shipping Alliance

This is just a proposal you understand, but we think if a program were to be developed where sellers could join a shipping co-op through eBay and promise to ship within a specified amount of time in exchange for a reduction in shipping charges as arranged and negotiated by a large association of successful eBay sellers (Powersellers).

With a little work and negotiation, along with enforcement of strict guidelines concerning shipping on-time, eBay could compete favorably with Amazon.com and Amazon Prime on many levels.

This program is not currently available to eBay sellers, but I dare say that if it were made available this program would be valuable to sellers, buyers and eBay alike. It's amazing how much negotiation power is available when you combine all of the Powersellers on eBay - Just look at what Amazon has done and know that with their volume that they pay significantly less to ship each package than any individual eBay seller does, no matter the volume of that seller.

Shipping costs are a major concern for eBay and all eBay sellers. We must find ways to lower our cost to the consumer for shipping if we are to compete in 2008. This is just one idea which could solve part of the buyers perceived shipping friction found on eBay.

Proposed shipping discounts aside...

If you’re not already selling product on Amazon.com, we strongly encourage you to look into this second channel for your eBay business.

Amazon’s North American third quarter sales in 2007 grew 42% compared to the third quarter of 2006 (and you can expect similar growth for this past holiday season). Amazon has over 78 million active customers that you could reach at no cost (there are no listing fees). As we have said before, it is imperative for the stability of any business to have more than one income stream. Relying completely upon eBay to bring in customers is less than wise.

Check out the minutes from Amazon's quarterly report included below to make your own judgments about selling your products through the Amazon Marketplace.

Scott Pooler - http://www.AllBusinessAuctions.com/blog & http://www.iBusinessLogic.com

Read the Amazon Quarterly Report Here: Continue Reading

 

Scott Pooler is the primary contributor to this publication. Scott is a 10 year veteran of Internet sales and a 9 year member of eBay as a Powerseller in several categories. Scott has attended eBay University, is a Certified eBay Education Specialist and a Certified eBay Stores Designer. As a veteran of many years of online sales as a Powerseller, eBay Trading Assistant and Former Master Franchise representative of one of the largest eBay drop store chains in America, Scott has an intimate knowledge of the challenges which present themselves to companies and individuals who contemplate joining the e-commerce and online sales revolution.

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All Business Auctions is the PowerSelling eBay division of iBusinessLogic.

With our All Business Auctions eBay store we have a unique capability which allows us to show any business owner how both our services and eBay can benefit the bottom line.

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All Business Auctions can show you how eBay can work for your business, whether it is with a consignment model or straight inventory sales - direct to consumer or business to business. eBay is an excellent tool for business and our goal is to help you take advantage of the best kept secret in Internet marketing - eBay Stores. www.ibusinesslogic.com

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 iBusinessLogic provides the information, design capabilities, web development resources and solutions required for successful e-Commerce development. All Business Auctions is the eBay trading assistant division of iBusinessLogic.

If your business is interested in starting or investigating an e-commerce solution, and/or eBay...

All Business Auctions, as a part of iBusinessLogic is a good place to start. Our services include: AuctionLogic - DesignLogic - All Business Auctions

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Why an eBay Sales Strategy including eBay Stores - Should be included in any marketing plan

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EBay is an amazing venue for online sales and for online advertising. If your business is looking for the highest return on an online advertising budget, you should consider using the power of eBay.

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Welcome to All Business Auctions blog. We will attempt to update our current clients and future clients with any relevant information concerning the viability and wisdom of adding eBay and Internet sales channels to your existing business. Our goal here is to educate and inform all visitors about eBay sales, e-Commerce development, social networking and other "Hot Topics" connected to the business applications available to brick and mortar businesses who move into Internet Marketing.

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All Business Auctions is the Power Selling eBay Trading Assistant division of iBusinessLogic.

iBusinessLogic offers multiple Internet commerce products to established businesses nationwide.

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