The more time and focus an eBay seller places on their eBay business, the more confident and satisfied they are in their business and future potential. This is the principal finding of The eBay Seller Confidence and Satisfaction Report, a survey conducted by the developers of eBay auction management software MarketBlast.
A random sampling of 316 eBay sellers were asked questions about their experience level, their expectations, and their general business outlook. Some highlights of the report follow:
- The more time and focus an eBay seller spends on their business, the more satisfied and confident they are.
- Over 85% of respondents sell items they purchased elsewhere and are thus susceptible to selling fees and policy changes. Those who manufacture their own goods or sell unique services enjoy a distinct advantage.
- Seller confidence is strong, and strongest among PowerSellers, 61% of which expect a successful holiday season. Sellers who also own a brick and mortar store are much less confident, with only 20% expecting this holiday season to outdo last year's.
Todd Salkovitz, MarketBlast Product Evangelist, said, "Our findings show that the sellers who put the most time and effort into their business are the ones who ultimately become profitable, and who ultimately enjoy satisfaction and confidence with their business."We feel it is generally a good sign for eBay that their full-time sellers are also their biggest supporters."
Salkovitz said the company surveyed a cross-section of sellers, including some MarketBlast customers, eBay Live trade show attendees, and visitors to the MarketBlast website. It plans to conduct the survey of eBay sellers every 6 months, he said.
Acclivity LLC, publishers of the MarketBlast software for eBay sellers, also publishes accounting software, MYOB Small Business Software. The company acquired MarketBlast from 4D Inc. in June 2006, and is working on Release 2.0 for expected release sometime in the first quarter of 2007. Version 2.0 will include PayPal integration and additional functionality.
http://www.marketblast.com/ebay
