Posted on: Saturday, October 30, 2004

Tips from eBay veterans

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

• Get educated: Take online classes (http://pages.ebay.com/university), sign up for free seminars, talk to other eBay sellers, even take business courses. "If I'm going to make a living out of it and survive, I need to continue to educate myself," said online seller Jennifer Gruver of Maunalani Heights.

• Know your niche: Jerome Coudrier of Kailua sticks to selling tikis, which have become his trademark. Eighty percent of his customers are from California and Florida, where the "Hawaiian look and feel is their lifestyle," he said.

• Watch your hours: Though Gruver now has more time to spend with her 8-year-old son Malik, she often spends up to 100 hours a week working on her eBay business. "I keep saying I gotta sit down and keep track (of my hours), but it's so hard," she said. "The hardest thing is taking breaks and holidays, forcing myself to take the time."

• Be cautious about big-ticket items: William Gladstone of Kailua tried selling fine jewelry online but quickly found that eBay customers tend to look for deals. "It was a hard sell," said Gladstone, who focuses on Hawaiian-themed products such as apparel, Hawaiian quilts, souvenirs and 'ukuleles. "It was a complete waste of time."

• Find your own medical: While eBay offers medical plans for those who use the site as a full-time business, Hawai'i residents can't participate. "It's just crazy," Gruver said. "That's a downside, definitely."

• Be self-disciplined: One of the hardest parts of running your own home-based business is staying motivated. And you have to be. "I'm able to push myself and do this because I get out of it exactly what I put in," Gruver said.

• Enjoy it: Coudrier used to work 12 hours a day. Now he's able to kitesurf and dirt bike, which has enhanced his quality of life. "Basically, I had no personal life before," he said. "Now I'm able to juggle fun and work and still be able to make a living."