Secrets of the eBay

CHAPTER 11: Automate to Ramp Up Sales 219
FIGURE 11-3 This high-volume seller developed his own
software to manage his eBay sales.
“Choose Your Operational Partner Carefully”
Unless you have the resources to hire a programmer and develop your own sales software,
chances are you’re going to choose a company to serve as your operational partner. Such
a company can do more than provide you with software to keep track of sales. Some partners
can even help you find sources for your merchandise or market your eBay business by
writing about it on their own web site.
“We think it’s important to choose your operational partners carefully,” says David
Yaskulka of Blueberry Boutique, a PowerSeller profiled in Chapter 9. “For example, we
launched a partnership with ChannelAdvisor (http://www.channeladvisor.com) to provide
their auction management software. They are a real strategic partner.
“There’s another, underutilized resource,” adds Yaskulka. “Many sellers would do well
to partner with a full-service auction company. People who want to sell on eBay might not
be better off inventing the wheel but could find someone who has packaged a whole business
for them. A company like Auction Safari (see Chapter 6) will help with training, marketing,
cross-marketing, shipping. They would take a percentage of sales, and each seller has to do
the math. For some sellers, that sort of partnership would help you get products you need.”