Business article - Dottie and

[Guest guest]

anyone else who is interested.

 

This is something that I sent to my business list this morning and I'm sorry

if this bothers anyone, but I thought it was really appropriate for Dottie's

question. I think it might help more than just her.

 

Do enjoy.

 

K

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By NICHOLE L. TORRES, Entrepreneur.com

 

If you want to sell a product, go to eBay. If you want to test a product's

viability, you can go to eBay, too.

 

That's what Richard Crouse and Pamela Phillips did when they wanted to gauge

the demand for their newly invented BagLight, a small, convenient light that

attaches to the insides of handbags. In 2002, after producing the first

BagLight prototypes and receiving positive feedback from friends and family,

Crouse,

46, and Phillips, 43, wanted to see exactly what the average eBay handbag

purchaser would think about their unique product. " EBay's the big marketplace

now

on the Internet, " says Crouse. " It looked to me like a great way to jump-start

my project. "

 

Because they knew eBay customers wouldn't be searching for a purse with a

light, Crouse and Phillips listed their product with purses and handbags. This

kind of strategy is important when testing any new product on eBay, says Marsha

Collier, author of eBay for Dummies, 4th Edition and Starting an eBay Business

for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons).

 

" List [your product] in categories where people would look for a similar type

of product, " she says. If, for instance, you sell a shampoo that removes

chlorine from hair, list it in the " Health & Beauty " section as well as the

" Swimming " section. " People need to see the item, and remember, eBay is a

rotating

market, " Collier continues. " To hit people, you have to stick with it. If

you're not successful in the beginning, keep listing that product, and get

creative

with your marketing. "

 

When your product is a new spin on an old idea, use eBay as a research haven.

Check for listings of products like yours, and determine how much those items

are selling for, says Corey Rudl, president of The Internet Marketing Center

in Blaine, Washington. " I'd recommend testing one listing at a time, " he says.

" Try listing your first unit with a low starting price with a reserve price.

At the end of that auction, post a new listing with a higher starting price

but no reserve, and keep all other aspects of the listing identical. See which

starting price results in a higher winning bid, then use that starting price

for your next set of testing. "

 

Crouse, for instance, found that BagLight sold well at an $8 price point. He

also discovered that women would buy upwards of four or five as holiday gifts.

And although he'd had some experience with online selling before, Crouse took

full advantage of all the services eBay provides to sellers—such as help

setting up a seller's financial account and listing product photos.

 

All this preparation and testing have really paid off, and today, Crouse and

Phillips still sell on eBay as well as on their own Web site and in specialty

stores across the country. The partners currently project 2004 sales to reach

$250,000.

 

Though eBay is a great place to start and offers a wonderful way to get your

products to a large demographic at once, if you're selling like mad, you

should consider creating your own Web store on your own site to sell the

product,

says Collier. Then apply the pricing and marketing strategies you learned to

the brick-and-mortar world as well. And gather all the information you can.

" Make sure that even during your testing phase, you are collecting the e-mail

addresses of your winning bidders, " says Rudl. " This way, you will start to

build

a group of loyal customers you can continue to market to once you take your

efforts beyond eBay. "

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Cheers!

Kathleen Petrides

The Woobey Queen

Our Candles are the Cat's Meow!

http://www.fatcatcandleco.com