Open an eBay Store or Use the eBay Auction Format?

So you’ve decided to join the huge online arena of eBay sellers in attempt to make big money from home. I agree with anyone who says eBay is a great way to start making money online. It’s easy to use and even if you’re not so savvy when it comes to the internet, you can learn fast.

After you sign up, get used to the interface and maybe even buy some things, you get down to one difficult question.

Should I start an eBay store or just use the regular eBay auction format. There is a simple answer to this, but I wanted to list the pros and cons of each format.

The eBay Store

An eBay store is a great way to establish a presence online without a website. Though it may be more difficult for a buyer to find your products than if you were using the auction format, when they do find your store, they may just come back for more.

The Good

*Your listing is up for 30 days at a time
*Lower insertion fees
*You’ll have a place to send customers for a reference to your products
*Store pages are searchable with Internet search engines

The Bad

*Listings do not readily show in eBay searches outside of the stores area
*Higher final value fee

The eBay Auction

We all know it well, and it’s the easiest way to get started on eBay. If your product is in high demand and you know it’s going to sell well, then an eBay auction may be the way to go.

The Good

*Your listings will show up in regular eBay searches
*Lower final value fees

The Bad

*Higher insertion fees
*Listings can only run for 7 days (unless you pay a fee for 10 days)

It really comes down to which you are more comfortable with. Eventually, if you are going to pursue eBay as a full time business, you will probably be using both formats. Especially if you have a popular item that you can sell accessories for on the back end, essentially, through your eBay store.

KJ King
http://www.PracticaleBaySelling.com
© 2007