Ebay Selling Becomes A Popular Home-Based Business

Peter Hupalo, author of "Getting Rich In Your Underwear: How To Start And Run A Profitable Home-Based Business," discusses the advantages and disadvantages of operating an eBay business.

(PRWEB) August 6, 2005 -- A recent ACNielsen survey found that 724,000 Americans operate eBay businesses and depend upon eBay sales as their primary source of income.

"Home-based businesses have always been popular, but the Internet opens up new opportunities for people who want to work from home," says Peter Hupalo, author of "Getting Rich In Your Underwear: How To Start And Run A Profitable Home-Based Business." (http://www.hcmpublishing.com)

Ebay businesses are popular because it's relatively easy to get started selling products on eBay. However, Hupalo advises that just because a business is easy to start doesn't mean it offers the best opportunity for an entrepreneur.

"One disadvantage to selling on eBay is that you're essentially a specialized retailer. You might focus upon one niche, such as golf or antiques. Or you might seek products, maybe software, at a discount and resell it. But, you constantly need to find inventory that is marketable. While it's easy to get started, it's likely to be a highly-competitive area in the future," observes Hupalo.

Hupalo says some of the biggest beneficiaries of online retailing are established niche companies which can sell their products on eBay or amazon.com or other mega-online vendors.

"Ebay and Amazon.com offer vendors the opportunity to sell from their hugely popular Websites. This has rejuvenated many struggling catalog niche sellers who previously relied on direct-mail catalog sales. But, direct mail has become very expensive," Hupalo noted.

Small craft manufacturers who sell direct to consumers have also found eBay valuable. While many niche companies have their own websites, many of these websites are relatively obscure and aren't likely to be discovered by people searching google.com and other search engines. Ebay and Amazon.com offer better product exposure.

"For those who sell items they don't manufacture, it's good to have the skill of an appraiser. Knowing what something's worth helps in maximizing its profit. Ebay, itself, is actually a good tool to estimate the value of used items. See what similar items sell for. For example, before eBay, many people paid several thousand dollars for entry-level 16mm film cameras. The sort used by film students. But, eBay has shown that the auction price is actually much less that originally thought. In this way, eBay empowers consumers and buyers," says Hupalo.

Regardless of the type of online business an individual starts, the basics of operating a business from home are the same. Entrepreneurs will need to learn about basic recordkeeping, business taxes, and product fulfillment.

Contact:
Peter Hupalo
651-222-4791
pr@hcmpublishing.com

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