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New Gold Rush?

Entrepreneurs Stay at Home, Make a Living Through eBay

May 11, 2004 ? Around the country, eBay entrepreneurs are shunning the 9-to-5 world and finding a 21st-century gold rush on the Internet.

Steve Holt, a retired Marine, and his wife, Crystal, are film buffs who own an eBay store called Movie Magic. They live in Denison, Iowa, and like others, operate their own online store on eBay, a cyber-bazaar that allows buyers to connect with sellers and bid for the items they want.

"We sell new and factory-sealed DVDs and VHS," said Steve Holt. "Everything from newly released movies to unforgettable classics that I love and grew up with. What's wonderful is my hobby is now my career."

Crystal Holt has kept her job as a high school teacher. But running the eBay business has given both parents more time to spend with their 9-year-old son. The money isn't bad either.

"In our first full year of business, 2003, we grossed about $680,000," Steve Holt said.

Selling With a Passion

Profitable since it launched in 1995, eBay boasts nearly 105 million users and offers goods in more than 50,000 categories from computers to movies to colored gemstones.

Last year, the value of goods traded on eBay reached $23.8 billion. As it grows, the number of entrepreneurs jumping on board with their small businesses has grown, too.

In fact, last week in Washington, eBay held its first United States of eBay Conference, gathering 51 small-business owners ? one from each state, plus the District of Columbia ? who make at least part of their living by selling on eBay.

Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay, said that many entrepreneurs find a category that they love. One woman she met had been interested in vintage clothing since she was a teenager and managed to turn it into a career, thanks to eBay.

"She said, 'You know what? I can make a business selling a product that I love and I care about and I know a lot about, and by the way, I can stay at home, work at home, see my daughter when she comes home from school, and at the same time earn a great living doing what I love,' " Whitman said.

Toy Cars, Big Bucks

If Whitman were going to be a seller on eBay, she would choose something she found truly engrossing.

"You might know, I have a passion for fly fishing," Whitman said. "So I would probably get into selling antique flies, antique fly rods, old fishing vests, vintage fishing clothing. But I think it's important to have a passion for what you sell."

Cheryl Celso-Weber of Perrysburg, Ohio, has been operating a business called Buddy's Toys since 1996, selling diecast collectible cars and other toys. Hot cars, especially, can fetch big bucks.

"Thanks to eBay I ordered a lot and I sold a lot," Celso-Weber said. "I sold over 700 of those cars."

Selling them for about $70 each, Celso-Weber made $50,000 in sales. Celso-Weber walked away with almost $20,000 in profit.

Susan Robbins of Portland, Maine, discovered eBay one day while she was surfing the Web in search of vintage clothes. She went from savvy shopper to super-seller, creating a business called Northstar Vintage with customers around the globe. At first, she was surprised by the international interest..

"It's people in Australia, Germany, who for whatever reason don't have access to vintage clothing like we do in the United States," Robbins said.

For many entrepreneurs, eBay isn't just changing the way they shop. It's changing the way they work.

"It gives you that chance to pursue your dreams and your goals and it gives a small entrepreneur a chance to really make the lifestyle they want to make," Crystal Holt said.

Posted by thinkum at May 11, 2004 03:54 PM