Secrets of the eBay

222 Secrets of the eBay Millionaires
“Start with Something You Really Love”
Jake’s Dog House, which sells treats, collars, and toys for dogs as well
as accessories for dog lovers, began in 1995 as the brainchild of Jon and
Jeane Stein. They started with a single cart in a shopping mall and a mail
order catalog. In 1996 the business expanded to include the Web with
the creation of their web site (http://www.jakesdoghouse.com). Jon, the
CEO, considers the online business to be the “sixth store in the chain” and
also believes that this is an area with “significant and exponential growth
potential.” The company motto over the years has been “Great Stores, Great
Products, and Great People,” and Jon points out that “it is mission critical
for the e-commerce business to carry the same solid branding and upscale
image as the stores.”
Jake’s Dog House went on eBay in the summer of 2003. Jon says, “We
just woke up one day and decided that we would list a few items.” Initially,
Stein was skeptical, but the sales on eBay exceeded his expectations. The
company quickly scaled up their listings to several hundred per week.
Within three months, Jake’s Dog House (User ID: jakesdoghouse) had
become a PowerSeller on eBay.
When it comes to starting out, Stein advises that sellers “understand
what it is that they are selling. If you sell dog accessories, you should be
passionate about dogs, you should sell something you really know and love.”
But Stein’s focus is and always has been the desire to grow his business
exponentially. Only a year or so after starting out on eBay, he began looking
for the “perfect e-commerce software solution.”
Stein advises sellers to focus on merchandise that has been licensed, such as items
that bear the logos of NFL sports teams, which always sell well on eBay.
Choose the Right Solution Carefully
“We are always looking for ways to improve our business,” says Stein. This
comment might seem surprising when you consider that, besides his many
sales venues, he has about 60 employees. And he lists as many as a thousand
items on eBay each week. But Stein is always looking for ways to grow and
operate more efficiently, and he credits a particular auction service provider
with his success.
One of Jon’s biggest tips on growing a business, especially as the
e-commerce field matures, is to find the right management software. After
shopping around with several software vendors, Jon chose Infopia. The