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Success Stories
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| Ken Quanbeck in front of his Dickie Jeans inventory |
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Expand your market through eBay auctions
Can you imagine having access to 125 MILLION customers a day? Several businesses in North Dakota have been taking advantage of using eBay as an additional marketing tool for their merchandise. In rural North Dakota, this can be a dream come true and the difference between posting the "Open for Business" and "Going out of Business" signs in their window. Over 430,000 sellers make a part- or full-time living selling on eBay.
eBay is a user-friendly online auction service where you can find just about anything. On a daily basis, there are over 29 million items available worldwide.
Ken Quanbeck, McVille Hardware and Lumber, is an active eBay user with his own eBay store which lists much of his hardware products listed for sale through eBay. Half of Quanbeck's business (excluding lumber sales) is generated through online sales and the majority of those through eBay. He has posted many of his hardware items on eBay and is one of North Dakota top eBay sellers. On most weeks, Quanbeck has 1,000-1,200 items for sale on eBay and in his eBay store. Approximately twenty percent of his listings result in a sale.
eBay has also become a channel for artists to sell their art directly to the consumer. According to the December 2004 issue of Décor Magazine, eBay handles 180,000 art auctions every week and this category has seen a 30-percent growth each year. This has made art sales on eBay one of the more active areas on the most popular auction website.
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| Red River Bridge by Grand Forks artist Dyan Rey |
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Lemya El Sophia is a NJ-based artist that has grown her sales greatly through the use of eBay and now has over 72,000 hits per month on her art auctions. By selling directly to their customers, artists can lower their prices drastically and attract more buyers. This distribution channel also provides worldwide exposure that typical bricks and mortar studios can not provide.
North Dakota SBDC offices are now offering training in "The Basics of Selling on eBay." This course provides fundamental information on:
- Creating a Sellers Account
- Researching the eBay Marketplace
- Taking Quality Pictures
- Pricing Strategies
- Using Paypal
- Creating a listing
- Completing the Sale
In the near future, eBay trainers will be able to access a "Beyond the Basics" class that is to be offered by eBay and provide more in depth training opportunities.
Several of the SBDC consultants have become eBay Education Specialists certified by eBay to provide training on "The Basics of Selling on eBay." Certified trainers include: Nancy Krogen-Abel, Bismarck; Ron Newman, Dickinson; Denise Hendrickson, Devils Lake; Dawn Keeley, Grafton; and Christine Martin-Goldsmith, State Director. If you are interested in learning more about eBay or would like to sponsor an eBay training session, give any one of these folks a call.
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