Title: 
Getting Started on eBay - A Common Sense Approach

Word Count:
523

Summary:
The most successful eBay sellers started out as  buyers - and you should too. This will give you a  sense of how everything works. It will also show you  how things are from the buyer's side of the fence.  Let's call this period of time 'consumer research.'


Keywords:
eBay, auctions


Article Body:
You've probably heard about how much money can  be made on eBay. With dreams of quick riches and  easy money, you are probably ready to jump in with  both feet - right now! The best thing you can do if  you are serious about making money with eBay,  however, is to chill out. Being successful on eBay  takes as much planning and effort as operating a  business in the 'real world.' 

eBay has over 100 million members. Think about  that number for just a minute or two. When you get  your eBay business set up, that is how big your  customer base will be - instantly. 100 million people  - 100 million people who are just waiting for you to  get set up and running so that they can throw money  at you! As in most cases, beware the law of large  numbers. It is true that the reach of eBay is incredible,  but at this point, the market doesn't know that you exist.  In fact, no matter how well you do on eBay, most of them  will never know that you exist. 100 million is a very  large number. 

The most successful eBay sellers started out as  buyers - and you should too. This will give you a  sense of how everything works. It will also show you  how things are from the buyer's side of the fence.  Let's call this period of time 'consumer research.'  You are literally studying how eBay works, from a  customer's point of view. You may not realize this,  but this eBay buyer experience will  actually make you a much better seller - right from  the very start. 

Really pay attention to the customer service you  receive from the seller. Think about how you want to  be treated as a buyer, and take notes. Take your  time during this process. Interact with the sellers.  Get involved in hot auctions to see what they are  like. In your spare time, start making notes about  the hot items that you see. These notes will come  in handy later. 

eBay works just like any other business. You have  to determine what people want to buy before you can  hope to be successful. There are very specific items  that sell really well on eBay - you just have to figure  out what those items are. There are many  resources for finding out this information. Start with  the lessons that eBay offers to their sellers.  Strongly consider attending the eBay University as  well. This is the next step in the process. After you  have had the eBay buyer experience, it is time to  learn how to be an eBay seller. 

Study all of the information eBay provides for you on  its site. The information is free and you will learn a  great deal from it and it provides a roadmap for success.  By reading through all of the resources, you  will avoid making numerous mistakes that so many  before you have made. This is another step towards  building a successful eBay business. Once you have  made it through the learning process, you should  know everything you need to know to get started  with a money making eBay business of your very  own.