Synopses & Reviews
"Scot Wingo is the eBay strategist. His depth of insight is unparalleled in the industry. eBay™ Strategies is essential for those who make their living online."
--Scott Samuel, Founder, Honesty.com Founder/CEO, Ethical Technologies, L.L.C.
" eBay™ Strategies is a must-read for anyone serious about growing their eBay business. I know because the strategies discussed in this book have helped us become one of the fastest growing businesses on eBay."
--Randy Smythe, President/Owner, Glacier Bay DVD (glacierbaydvd)
"The advice provided in eBay™ Strategies will help any business achieve a fast start-up on eBay. We have used Scot Wingo's strategies to grow our business to a huge volume. His advice is top-notch."
--Suzanne Hallam (pugster888), Fastest growing eBay seller in Q2 2004
"I have met hundreds of eBay scholars over the years, but very few are on a par with Scot Wingo. Scot combines an intimate knowledge of eBay and its workings with a healthy level of skepticism and clear thinking. I found his book to be both entertaining and informative."
--Jay Senese, Cofounder, JayAndMari
"Scot Wingo's new book is a must-read for sellers attempting to boost their eBay business to the top level!"
--Bill Bogardus (biggbill), Top eBay PowerSeller
"The insight, clear explanations, and selling methods in eBay™ Strategies are going to create hundreds, if not thousands, of new Platinum PowerSellers!"
--Mike Enos, Editor, PlatinumPowerSeller.com newsletter
The savvy business book for established eBay sellers who want to break through to the next profit tier!
Scot Wingo, a leading authority in the online auction industry, has captured best practices from 3,000 of eBay's most successful businesses and crystallized them into 10 proven strategies for taking your eBay business to the next level . Whether you are just getting started selling on eBay or have been at it for years, the proven methods presented in eBay™ Strategies will take you beyond the basics, helping you maximize your business while avoiding common mistakes that cost you time and money. If you're dreaming of greater success on eBay, get ready to turn dreams into reality!
- Drive to $1 million and beyond--learn how to break through the "eBay plateau."
- Discover winning strategies created specifically for eBay.
- Learn to use the "Five P's"--Product, Price, Promotion, Placement, and Performance--to think strategically about your eBay business.
- Participate in the eBay™ Strategies companion blog and eBay discussion group.
- Stop making the killer mistakes that keep you small.
- Beat your toughest competitors, whoever they are.
- Control costs: fees, shipping, deadbeat customers, and more.
- Sell MORE with less effort.
About the Author
Scot Wingo is president and CEO of ChannelAdvisor, which provides auction and marketplace management software and services to a wide range of companies, including IBM, Best Buy, Dell, Glacier Bay DVD, and 47th Street Photo. ChannelAdvisor processes more than $30 million/month in transactions on eBay and has won two eBay Star developer awards.
Table of Contents
PREFACE xiii
CHAPTER ONE: Why Build a Great eBay Business? 1
Who This Book Is For 4
Get Big Fast 5
The eBay Economy 5
eBay Makes Inefficient Markets Efficient 12
But Not All Large eBay Businesses Are Great . . . 16
The Goal of This Book 20
How to Read This Book 21
Chapter 1 Summary 23
CHAPTER TWO: Building a Foundation for Your eBay Business 25
eBay Listings Terminology 26
eBay Fees Refresher 27
Know Your eBay Business Critical Vital Signs 29
Strategy 1: Know Your Critical eBay Vitals! 37
Noncritical Vitals 42
A Tale of Two Documents 48
Chapter 2 Summary 53
CHAPTER THREE: Introducing the “Five Ps”: The Strategic eBay Framework 57
The Five Ps 59
How to Use the Five Ps 61
Strategy 2: Set Your Strategic Goals 62
Chapter 3 Summary 66
CHAPTER FOUR: Product 69
The Product Life Cycle 70
Strategy 3: Understand and Leverage the eBay Sweet Spots 74
Product Seasons and Regionalization 78
Product Depth and Width 79
Product Mix 82
Product Classification 84
Sourcing Product 85
Case Study: GlacierBayDVD 91
Chapter 4 Summary 95
CHAPTER FIVE: Price 97
Strategy 4: Understand The eBay Price/Velocity Curve 98 Caution: Falling ASPs 102
$1NR: An Overused and Potentially Dangerous Strategy 111
Strategy 5: Use the Perception-of-Scarcity Strategy 115
Strategy 6: Use the Second-Chance-Offer Strategy 118
Price and Classifications 124
Case Study: DesignerAthletic 126
Chapter 5 Summary 132
CHAPTER SIX: Promotion 135
Promotion and the Price/Velocity Curve 136
Strategy 7: Optimize Your eBay Search results 138
Browsing 167
Strategy 8: Build Your eBay Brand 170
Case Study: MobilePC 178
Chapter 6 Summary 181
CHAPTER SEVEN: Placement 183
eBay Placement 184
Strategy 9: Explore Other Channels 190
Case Study: CrazyApe 205
Chapter 7 Summary 211
CHAPTER EIGHT: Performance 219
Strategy 10: Use an eBay Dashboard 220 More Dashboard Ideas 228
The Product Dashboard 229
The Price Dashboard 235
The Promotion Dashboard 238
The Placement Dashboard 242
Performance Conclusions 245
Case Study: JustDeals.com 246
Chapter 8 Summary 252
CHAPTER NINE: Putting the Five Ps to Work 255
Product 257
Price 260
Promotion 261
Placement 263
Performance 265
Conclusion 265
APPENDIX: THE TEN EBAY STRATEGIES 267
GLOSSARY 279
INDEX 285