eBay Selling: A Family Affair

Including family members in your eBay business can be a very rewarding and enriching experience for a variety of reasons:

• Quality Family Time
• Variety in Knowledge Base, Experience, and Preferences
• Idea 'Think Tank'
• Coordination of Efforts
• No Business Down Time - In Case of Illness, Injury, or Other Unexpected Incidents
• Trust & Safety

Although I have been an eBay member since 1999, my eBay business has grown exponentially over the past two years.  Having recently reached PowerSeller status, I owe much of my success to my two biggest fans - my husband and mother.

Of course, in realizing business success you need buyers.  If it weren't for all of my buyers, many of whom are repeat customers, I wouldn't be in business at all.  The keys to arriving at 'sold' are the infrastructure of your business and the support team you surround yourself with - thus, quality and quantity in sales and satisfied customers!

QUALITY FAMILY TIME

Until early 2004, my husband and I were a two-paycheck family.  We had been busy working full-time professional careers outside the home while raising our son.  Throughout the years, our very active lifestyle seemed to limit the amount of time we had to spend with other family members, especially due to us being on one side of the country while the rest of our family was on the other.  This soon changed.

In April of this year, my mother moved across the country to Arizona....now just a few miles away.  Closing the distance gap between us has provided the opportunity to spend more time together.  Noticing that my eBay business was growing, and now demanding more than one person could handle efficiently, mom immediately jumped onboard.  This partnership has given us many hours of enjoyment - both on personal and business levels.

My husband has always been by my side.  On many occasions I was on the verge of giving up on my eBay business.  I don't give up very easily, but was becoming overwhelmed by the challenges every entreprenuer faces - starting a business and getting to success.  Helping me through my 'ups & downs,' an unrelated business partner would have given up on me a long time ago...but, not my husband!

Although we spend a lot of time together brainstorming and working together on the eBay business, it is quality time together.  Our combined efforts as a family have provided a dynamic perhaps never realized in partnerships between unrelated individuals - my eBay success is my family's success.

VARIETY IN KNOWLEDGE BASE, EXPERIENCE, and PREFERENCES

Working together as a family unit, you will find a diverse knowledge base, difference in experiences, and a variety in preferences.  The culmination of these factors widely broadens your business horizons while contributing to the family's bottom-line.

As an example, the majority of my professional experience is mortgage-industry related (management, training, and marketing focus), with personal interests in books, music, and clothing (men's & women's). 

Mom certainly compliments the mix as she has a knack for sniffing-out 'great buys,' negotiating purchases for the business, and inspecting and reconditioning gently-used resale items.  She also has a keen sense for decorating and design, traits I did not inherit!

Last, but not least, my husband's interests are in flying, golfing, and electronics - and is the true 'realist' of the family - keeping me well-grounded.  He's constantly on the lookout for new product ideas and consumer trends, and is quite sharp on what will and won't sell.

Our knowledge bases, experiences, and preferences are so diverse (although there is some common ground) that they provide an endless inventory of ideas for sales and marketing, while maintaining an even flow for business operations. 

IDEA 'THINK TANK'

What's great about family, at least from my perspective, is the sharing of ideas.  Many sellers have a tendency to sell items they like - therefore, the item will sell.  This is not always the case.

When we roundtable over lunch, dinner, or just to sit and chat, our discussions bring forth ideas on types of products to sell and how to market them.  Each family member serves as a 'check & balance' system, pointing out certain ideas and products that perhaps are not in the best interest of the business bottom-line - or perhaps adding to someone else's ideas thus broadening the focus.

A family member generally has no reason to steer you in the wrong direction.  An idea is brought up for discussion and family members give their feedback or input toward the idea.  I have found that family will be more forthcoming if a particular idea or business approach warrants criticism, whereas unrelated individuals tend to concur with you for the sake of avoiding argument.

COORDINATION OF EFFORTS

Working together as a family unit has provided an excellent platform for coordinating eBay efforts.

I'm the computer expert, so am responsible for the day-to-day online functions - listing, monitoring sales, input of feedback, responding to email messages, and so on. 

Mom is the 'chief shopper in charge,' sourcing new and gently used products for resale.  She also assists with packing and shipping, and reviews listings for needed updates. 

My husband helps with sourcing new products, proofs my listings, assists with packing and shipping, and watches for new concepts and ideas for unique products to sell.  He is also an 'eBayer in training,' learning the online functions in order to provide a 'back-up' for me.

Aside from our eBay business, working together as a family helps each one of us in keeping up with our personal responsibilities as well.  As an example, if I am knee-deep in preparing listings but have personal errands to run - my husband or mother will take care of the errands so that I can complete my listing tasks....and so on. 

NO BUSINESS DOWN TIME - IN CASE OF ILLNESS, INJURY, OR OTHER UNEXPECTED INCIDENTS

One very convenient aspect of working together as a family unit is that when one member is unavailable unexpectedly, the others can pick up where he or she left off.  We have cross-trained to some extent, so most tasks can be performed by other family members.

We operate our eBay business from our home.  If I have a bad cold, which could keep me from traveling to the office if employed elsewhere, I can still work at home in my pajamas!  Most co-workers would not want to be around you if you're ill, but family members will stick around and pick-up extra responsibilities to ensure continued business operations...and to take some of the responsibility off of your shoulders so you can focus on getting well.  

TRUST & SAFETY

Working together as a family leaves no question about trust - if you can't trust family, who can you trust?

This type of working relationship gives opportunity to sharing business and personal information (that may effect the business) you would not normally be comfortable sharing with an unrelated business partner or associate. 

As the saying goes, "blood runs thicker than water".  Family members look out for each other, working together in concert toward achieving business success.  They won't leave you when times get tough - in fact, they toughen up and dig in for the long haul - working together on improving the business picture.

Constructive business feedback is healthier in a family environment as well.  There's no egos, they are checked at the door.  Feedback is given for the betterment of the business, not for someone to leapfrog over you for a big promotion. 

CONCLUSION

Working together as a family in our eBay business has been both rewarding and successful.  Although this type of arrangement may not be for everyone - it has been a very good working environment for us....and fun too!

If you're new to eBay selling, or are a seasoned veteran, and are struggling to make a go of your eBay business, consider the business and talent resources you have within your family.  It is an opportunity to get to know more about other family members, and to work together toward a common goal - business success.

No potential employees to screen....No unknown pasts that could effect your business...No worries about trust...No worries about getting the job done when you're not available.