Is eBay Still a Viable Home Based Business?

It wasn't too long ago that eBay was the place to start a home based business. There was a time when someone could build their entire home business on eBay. Many years and changes have come and gone since eBay's 'heyday'. So let’s get to the question in the title: Is eBay still a viable home based business?

When eBay made its massive changes in 2008, a lot of smaller sellers left and but larger sellers for the most part, remained. Why is that? Simple: eBay still brings in lots and lots of buyers and it's still one of the main places to go for buyers looking for that obscure recording or that little known book that's out of print.

So a small home based business seller might be wise not to just dismiss eBay entirely. A lot of smaller sellers now are having success using eBay along with other selling platforms. An example would be a seller of candles I bought from recently. On eBay she had a limited supply of sample sized candles. For anyone who like them and was interested in her other products, she would send them to her Amazon store where she had a much larger selection (and presumably she was making more profit). This 'teaser' approach can work well with many product lines.

And there are alternatives to eBay. Amazon, eCrater, Etsy, and BluJay come immediately to mind. Here is a nice list of eBay Alternatives at ChinaVision.

And these alternative sites are not all auction sites. Some people feel that the online auction platform has run its course and that buyers are more interested in solid no-games value when buying online. Even eBay has tried, over the past few years, to forefront fixed price listings with some limited success.

So eBay is still a viable selling platform as long it brings in traffic - which it still does. When used along with other lower cost alternatives, you can maximize your profit and minimize your listing expenses.