Monday, May 13, 2003
eBay health insurance
BY LESLIE BROOKS SUZUKAMO
Pioneer Press

EBay finally has launched its long-promised health-care coverage for people who make a living selling goods on its auction site. The online auctioneer had announced plans last summer to make a plan available to its "power sellers," people who average at least $1,000 in sales per month. But the October launch was delayed when eBay had trouble finding an insurance company willing to create a plan to cover its estimated 35,000-40,000 power sellers. Amy McPartlin and Susan Rogers, two Roseville power sellers the Pioneer Press featured in a story last year, had dreamed of eBay health insurance. But, despite their dedication to their part-time business, which helps other people sell their stuff on eBay, they plan to study the new insurance offering first. "What happens if they suddenly stop the coverage because it isn't helping their bottom line?" they say in an e-mail. "We'd wait awhile to be certain that it's as good as it sounds."

Sunday, May 19, 2002
Digital dealers
BY LESLIE BROOKS SUZUKAMO
Pioneer Press

'EBAY U'

The trading assistants program began in March and is still so new eBay can't assess how successful it will be, company spokesman Kevin Pursglove said. About half a dozen eBay veterans like Yezek signed up immediately in Minnesota.

Savvy eBay traders have been assisting novices since eBay began, however. It was only recently that eBay's sales data and suggestions from its members convinced the California company to make it easier for non-users to find an experienced seller, Pursglove said.

The company has held traveling workshops called "eBay U" around the country to draw in newcomers, but many people still hesitated. They thought online selling was too complicated, too time-consuming or just too intimidating and expensive because it required computers, scanners, digital cameras and other high-tech paraphernalia.

The program adds a new layer to eBay's virtual marketplace but eBay doesn't mind. The company realized long ago that the more people use eBay, the more money it makes.

It even institutionalized the middleman a year ago when eBay welcomed large virtual outlet stores like ReturnBuy and ChannelAdvisor over the protests of eBay's millions of mom-and-pop virtual stores. ReturnBuy and ChannelAdvisor essentially act as the middlemen for large companies like Sears, Ritz Camera or IBM, which use them to get rid of unwanted returned merchandise or overstocks.

In contrast, the trading assistants program is aimed at individuals selling the odds and ends that originally nurtured eBay.

Margaret Iverson, 47, a Newport, Minn., antiques dealers, for instance, scours estate sales for collectibles to sell at antique shows and her booth at an antiques mall in Burnsville. But anything else, she takes to Susan Rogers and Amy McPartlin, who are eBay "power sellers" because they maintain a high volume of sales and an excellent reputation as co-owners of an online consignment store called susamy.com.

"I'm not completely computer illiterate, but it just doesn't interest me," Iverson said of selling electronically. "Technology — it's a big bore to me."


Photo by Jim Gerhz, Pioneer Press

Amy McPartlin, left, and Susan Rogers are partners in an online business consignment store called susamy.com. They're what eBay calls "power sellers" because they maintain a high volume of sales and an excellent reputation. At some point in the future, Rogers plans to sell her collection of dice and Monopoly pieces through eBay.
'PICKERS' PROVIDE

For their part, Rogers, 40, and McPartlin, 28, depend upon "pickers" like Iverson for a steady stream of stuff to sell. The Roseville apartment-mates used to regularly hit Twin Cities area thrift stores, estate sales and occasional garage sales themselves in Rogers' little red Geo hatchback, but now they find it's more profitable to let others do it for them.

"Margaret's just better at picking up stuff because she'd been doing it for so much longer than us," McPartlin said.

Two plastic standing cabinets in Rogers and McPartlin's living room hold their consignment stock. They open them up to display the items they're selling, including those from regulars they call "the book guy," "the clothing lady" and Iverson.

The cabinets are crammed: Hartmann luggage, Gucci and Ferragamo shoes, a 1937 fly fishing rod, Coach purses, Tony Lama and Harley-Davidson boots, various brands of blue jeans, vintage Air Jordan basketball shoes, Chanel clothes…

"Used Chanel clothes," Rogers said, pursing her lips and blowing out softly. "Chanel clothing is good," she says in an appreciative tone.

Rogers and McPartlin post the items on eBay, using their two personal computers, and handle all the sales, as well as the packing and shipping.

For all that, they take a 20 percent cut of each sale made. They like working on consignment because they don't have to feel bad about trying to buy the stuff outright for as little as possible only to try to sell it for as much as possible.

With consignment, the more they sell an item for, the more money both they and their customers make.

One day, Rogers and McPartlin hope to quit their day jobs and do their online business for a living. They already devote about 8 hours every day to it, Rogers estimates. They use the money to pay for their vacations to places like Hawaii and Iceland.

"If we could get health insurance through eBay, we totally could do this full time," McPartlin said wistfully.

Leslie Brooks Suzukamo can be reached at lsuzukamo@pioneerpress.com or (651) 228-5475.

This article has also appeared in these fine newspapers:

 eBay helpers put computer illiterates into cyberspace
The middlemen aid sellers in posting wares on the auction web site - for a fee.
CALIFORNIA - June 24, 2002
Experienced eBay Users Auction Goods for Non-techie Sellers
CALIFORNIA - Tuesday June 25, 2002
A Piece of the Action
eBay trading assistants turn profit selling others' stuff
CALIFORNIA - Monday June 15, 2002

eBay Embraces the Middlemen
Online mart has program for 'helpers'
COLORADO - Monday June 24, 2002
EBay's Middlemen
Trading assistants help computer-phobic sell items in the online kingdom of kitsch
KANSAS/MISSOURI - Sunday, June 30, 2002

Right in the middle
New trading assistants let anyone sell stuff on the Internet
IOWA - Monday June 24, 2002

With eBay Trading Assistants, Now Anyone Can Sell Their Stuff on the Web
Milwaukee - Wednesday June 19, 2002

eBay Junkies Help Others Sell Their Goods
Traders get merchandise from computer-phobic for online auction Site in exchange for cut of sale
OHIO - Monday June 24, 2002


OHIO - June 2?, 2002
With eBay Trading Assistants, Now Anyone Can Sell Their Stuff on the Web
ARIZONA - Wednesday June 19, 2002

Easing into eBay
New program provides trading assistants to help computer-phobics peddle their wares
TEXAS - Thursday July 4, 2002

Serious eBay traders lending a hand to the computer-phobic
TEXAS - Thursday June 27, 2002
VIRGINIA - Tuesday June 25, 2002
eBay the easy way
Computer-phobic get help selling stuff online
PENNSYLVANIA - Friday June 28, 2002

With Ebay trading assistants, now anyone can sell their stuff on the Web
CONNECTICUT - Wednesday June 19, 2002

VERMONT - Saturday June 22, 2002
Selling Other People's Stuff
VERMONT - Wednesday June 26, 2002
Middlemen find niche in eBay trading
HAWAII - Sunday June 23, 2002

Monday, March 1, 1999
eBay sellers bid to be heard, too
BY JAMES ROMENESKO
Pioneer Press

eBay's popularity was reflected in the reactions to last week's TECH cover story on the online auction site. Numerous calls and letters came in from people with comments or anecdotes to share.

Susan Rogers writes: "Regarding your article on eBay... I am a seller on eBay and have been for about 2 years. I have over 750 positive feedbacks and have sold over 1,500 items. The stories I read about online auctions always tell abut the consumer who needs to beware. Sellers also need to beware. I have had a lot of bidders not pay me. I lose money on each of those transactions (because eBay takes a cut of the winning bid, whether the transaction is completed or not.) I hope in the future if you write about eBay that you add that seller needs to beware also."

A reader only identified as Dave writes: "Having been a user - both buyer and seller - for nearly a year, let me say that not everything's rosy with that place. Even with the huge influx of funds from going public, they continue to have big problems related to loss of service. At time recently they have been down for much of a day, and regularly have spot outages. If you're a seller, anything closing at that moment can lose final bids. As a bidder, you may not be able to get your bid in. You can catch up on some of this at auctionwatch.com."

Former St. Paul resident Bill Oemichen, who is now a Wisconsin Division of Trade & Consumer Protection administrator, writes that his office has informed eBay that it can "bear some culpability" for fraud in some cases, although it stays out of seller-bidder transactions. Oemichen says his office is concerned that eBay lets persons with National Fraud Information Center records to do business on the site. eBay has told the Wisconsin agency it will cooperate with investigations, Oemichen says.

 
© 2005  SUSAMY.COM