Secrets of the eBay

140 Secrets of the eBay Millionaires
Giving Back: It’s Good, and It’s Also Good Business
Several of the sellers in this book give back to various communities by donating their time
and expertise. In Chapter 9 you read about David Yaskulka, who consults with nonprofits
to help them conduct fundraisers on eBay. In Chapter 6 you meet Tony Cicalese, who
donates a percentage of his sales to benefit organizations that fight AIDS.
Hardin and his daughter Shelly (who is the Marketing Director for Shoetime) and
their staff and employees are all active supporters and members of PESA (Professional
eBay Sellers Alliance). They were at the forefront of a fundraising effort that raised over
$15,000 for the Disabled Online Users Association (DOUA). They were also involved in
sending much-needed aid to the victims of Hurricane Charley in Florida. PESA also raised
$11,000 in part by auctioning off the chance to accompany eBay North America President
Bill Cobb on an amusement park ride for $4,000 to benefit NetSmartz, an organization that
teaches children and their parents how to protect themselves from online predators. eSAVz
and their franchise store Zeas eSAVz are presently raising money for Habitat for Humanity
to help the Katrina disaster relief through the eSAVz cooperation. Such work has a benefit
in and of itself: It’s just a good thing to do. But it can also increase your exposure on eBay,
build new contacts, and boost your reputation. And all of these things are likely to help
your business.
Anyone who knows David Hardin knows how open he is with his views
and his knowledge. In any gathering, he’s surrounded by people. He gives
plenty of interviews to writers like me. Such networking is an important
part of reaching out and improving your business, he says.
“I think somebody once said, ‘I don’t care what they say about me as
long as they’re talking about me.’ It’s hard to succeed in online business
today without networking. You need to have friends in a lot of places.
People help me, so I feel I should help other people. If I learn from someone
and don’t pass on what I’ve learned, that knowledge is going to die, and
things will never get better.”
Open a Brick-and-Mortar Store:
Ellen Navarro and Amy Mayer
In eBay’s early years, brick-and-mortar sellers moved to eBay in order to
find new customers. Some grew so successful that they were able to close
down their storefronts and sell on eBay full time. Other store owners, such