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Friend? Full Time eBay Power Seller? Or Source of All My Jealousy?
By DaveM | February 17, 2005
Sure, I see how it is… I’m the one who slaves over my website day and night and right under my nose a good friend is quitting his job to sell power tools on eBay full time! Rion, owner of www.ToolManOnline.com and eBay PowerSeller (Seller ID: ToolManOnline) is a one-man eBay success story. We both currently work in the IS department for a large health care company in Toledo, OH and were sitting in the cafeteria today taking a break when Rion told me he was going to have “the talk” with his boss… It’s finally time to either cut the hours way back at work, or if they won’t go for that, turn in the official notice. I haven’t heard the results of his little chat yet, but if it doesn’t go his way, April 1 will be Rion’s last day driving downtown, paying to park, and sitting in unproductive meetings listening to managers babble all day. Geez, how is he going to function without all that bliss in his life?
I’ve known Rion for at least 3 years now, and I can remember about 2 1/2 years ago when he started buying DeWalt power tool kits on eBay (you know, the ones that come with 3 or 4 tools in a nice plastic case) and then turning right around and reselling them again on eBay for a nice profit. Yes, people are willing to pay a higher price if you have a nice looking auction and good feedback rating.
Around that same time, Rion purchased the inventory from a small hardware store that was going out of business. With his eBay experience, he knew he could turn a nice profit on a variety of items as well. After spending countless hours taking photographs and creating auctions for literally hundreds of different products, he was wishing he’d stuck with DeWalt power tools.
Nonetheless, he finally got rid of all the hardware store inventory and immediately resumed his original plan of selling DeWalt tools. Eventually, he had other suppliers contacting him from all over the U.S. and offering to sell to him at cheaper prices. In a very short time, he went from buying 5-10 tool kits at a time, to 20, 30, 50 and eventually several thousand dollars in inventory which only took him a few days to turn over. It was time to call DeWalt!
DeWalt was happy to talk to him and even sent a regional account rep out to Rion’s house to meet with him. At this stage,the business wasn’t quite big enough to buy direct, but DeWalt was able to set him up with a few large local distributors. Rion also had to establish business accounts with UPS for domestic shipping and BAX Global due to all the overseas business he gets.
Today, Rion is making quite a bit more than he does at his full time job and maintains almost $100K in DeWalt inventory which he churns through at least once a month. Obviously, he had to move the business out of his house last year and now shares warehouse space with his inlaws who own their own business. They and Rion’s wife both help out now doing packing, shipping and receiving, while Rion tends to sales and customer inquiries.
I have to congratulate Rion for sticking with it and doing it right! His rewards are well deserved! It’s really funny to think back to when Rion and I used to compare eBay feedback points like it was a competition or something. I was at something like 130 back then and Rion was around 180 or 200. Today, I’m at 249 and Rion is pushing 4,000 - 99.7% of which is positive feedback. I think he won!
So, where did I go wrong? I can tell you exactly where… I wasn’t consistent or persistent and I never made it a point to find a product niche to focus on. Making a full time income on eBay is achievable by anyone - Rion is living proof!
Sure, it’s nice to clean out the attic and closets when you are starting out, but don’t stay in “garage sale” mode too long like I have. Sure, it’s great extra money, but figure out what you love and let that lead to a product or service niche you are passionate about. Then, FOCUS your eBay sales around that niche. Talk to local dealers and suppliers, contact manufacturers, research online and don’t give up until you find one or more good sources for your product line. Stick with it and you WILL succeed!
The eBay seller resources on my site will definitely teach you all aspects of successfully selling on eBay. Where you go from there is up to you but there is no limit except the one you place on yourself! Of course, when you need some power tools to build your new office or warehouse, be sure to contact Rion – he’ll treat you right (or I’ll beat him up)!