Seller – eBay

The latest craze in making money can be found at the click of a mouse on the internet. With minimum experience you can soon be earning big money – as a hobby or as your main source of income.

Jonathan Bass, 26, knew he was on to a good thing, when he started his online company, Dinosaur Deals, more than five months ago.

Dinosaur Deals acts as a “virtual” store, with Bass and his crew sourcing goods from wholesalers and then offering the items for sale via eBay.
From sporting goods to electronics, mobile phones, toys and mp3 players, the shop on eBay stocks just about everything.

Bass says that eBay in Australia alone has about two million users.
“We saw what a great opportunity it had to offer, so we set up our store and things have gone from strength to strength,” Bass says.

Bass, a lawyer by trade, says he was introduced to the giant online auction site by his twin brother, Anthony.

He spent hours exploring the site looking for Hard Rock Cafe pins for his brother’s collection and this got him thinking about starting his own business.

Bass formed an alliance with Anthony and friend Tirone Kahn to create Dinosaur Deals. All under 30, the group of young eBay entrepreneurs have added another staff member, with the business selling about 70-100 items per day. They have sold about 5000 units so far and have 100 per cent positive customer feedback. Bass says they are constantly looking for new manufacturers and suppliers.

“If they have got stock they can’t sell then we buy that and then sell it on eBay,” Bass says. He believes eBay offers home shoppers a user-friendly market place with millions of products for people across the world. He says the potential for sellers is also fantastic.

“I think it offers a great new market for someone to explore. You have access to literally millions of people within Australia and even the rest of the world,” he says. “Everyone is always looking for new opportunities and eBay is one of those.”

While there are many positives to the site, Bass does note there can often be a potential lack of communication when selling. To overcome this Bass says items need to be listed simply and honestly to avoid any problems. Research is critical for anyone wanting to start their own business on eBay, he adds.

“If you are looking to sell things on eBay just remember you are not going get as much as a normal retailer would, so when buying product to sell you must make sure you have got it at the right price,” he says.

How to be … an ebay seller
You’ll need to open an account on eBay.com.au. When you have something to sell, take photos of the item and write a sales description. Then follow the instructions at ebay.com.au/ebayexplained/selling-basics.html