Should eBay fit into your marketing plans?

It's been a little while since my last post. Sorry about the absence. I saw an article today that caught my attention. This article by Rob Lewis at BusinessZone (UK) gives us a glimpse of what is required to make it big as an eBay seller.

Even for service providers, eBay may provide a viable outlet for selling informational products such as CD's videos, training material, and reports. eBay can also be used for research - testing price points and interest levels.

However, as mentioned in the article... "The biggest investment eBay beginners will have to make is time. Expect to do a lot of wrapping, posting, and making mistakes."

The biggest drawback is the squeeze on margins. After all, that's why most people go to eBay. To get things cheaper than they would elsewhere. And the article concludes that for businesses who are serious about online sales, getting their own website for direct selling is the ultimate goal.