Secrets of the eBay

“People Call Me to Say, ‘Are You for Real?’”
Dealing with the public through eBay is a highly personal process, Zanger
says. “One of the most important things I’ve done is have an 800 number.
People call me to say, ‘Are you for real?’ I deal with questions a lot,
especially with new users. They call and want to know if you’re for real.
One person a day calls that number.”
But e-mail is by far the most frequent means of connecting with the
buying public. “Instead of dealing with people in person, I do it through
e-mail. It’s so much work to do, you don’t have any life. You have to work
on your e-mail three or four hours a day.”
CHAPTER 5: Identify Sources of Merchandise 101
It’s challenging to sell clothing-related items on eBay because of the
unreliability of color photos published on the Internet. You have to be very
careful how you light your items in order to portray them in an accurate color. Color
differs depending on the lighting being used, the monitor on which an image is displayed,
and the limited number of colors a web browser can display accurately (there are said to be
only 256 “browser-safe” colors). Try to use halogen lights if you have them; incandescent
light bulbs and fluorescent lights can make colors seem too light. The author has found
the home furnishing store Ikea to be a good source of inexpensive halogen lights (see
Figure 5-4). Taking photos outdoors in natural light can help make the colors more accurate
when displayed online, too.
“It’s Easier to Sell a Suit on eBay
Than Through My Store”
You might think that, as someone who operates a brick-and-mortar store and
has existing customers, it’s easier to sit back and wait for clients to come
through the door than to sell online. After all, Zanger had to learn not only
how to get on the Internet and how to use eBay, but to take digital photos,
check e-mail, pack, ship, and all the other steps required to sell online. Not
so, he says.
“It is easier to sell a suit on eBay than in my store. If shoppers come in
person to the store, they typically try on four or five suits, and it takes an
hour to sell just one. Online it takes two minutes to answer an e-mail, and if
it is the wrong size, it only takes minutes to exchange the suit.”
The speed with which business transactions can occur online doesn’t
mean you don’t need to take care with each sale in order to ensure that you
come out with a profit. There are few things more frustrating than making
a sale only to find that you underestimated the shipping cost and will have
your profits cut or even eliminated. Robert Zanger makes sure his work pays
off.