The Top Sellers On eBay & What We Can Learn From Them

A fascinating eBay case study is the number one seller on eBay, a little outfit called Marie's CDs, but is better known under its old name "1 Cent CD." Jay and Marie, current ID "jayandmarie", are an institution on eBay and are a big part of what makes eBay such an amazingly popular phenomenon.

This little company is literally an eBay dream come true. They started small out of their home in California in 1999 and began growing quickly. To date they have completed over 1 million auctions on eBay and have a feedback rating of 177,018 with 99% satisfaction from their customers!

When I say grow, I mean it in a Jack and the Beanstalk kind of way. Their business started out as a little fly-by-night outfit and has now sold over 1 million dollars (yep, that's $1,000,000) annually for the past three years? Let me repeat that: over a million dollars in sales each year for three years running! Now THAT is growth!

They employ several people, have three small buildings in southern California, and ship items all over the world (mainly CDs). They got their fame from their auctions for CDs that start at only a penny?

What can we learn from this fascinating case study? What do Jay and Marie actually do?

Well, for one thing, they have huge numbers of auctions. Today, they have 83 pages of auctions listed. eBay lists 50 auctions to a page, so that is over 4,000 auctions.

Secondly, they offer great value, because their CDs begin at one cent. Yes, all of them.

None of their auctions has a reserve. Does it pay off? You betchum! Today, looking through 4 pages of eBay auctions, only 3 of them had no bids - so far.

And, naturally, their great feedback and reputation work heavily in their favor. After all, how many eBay sellers have 177,000+ feedback points with over half a million transactions completed.

This case study shows all of us how smart marketing and a great business model can pay off on eBay - and ecommerce, in general.

Sydney Johnston, the AUCTION QUEEN, was one of the original sellers on eBay and has been selling on eBay since the winter of 1996. She is the originator and teacher of the famous Auction Genius Course, a powerful 16 hour multi media seminar on the Internet that teaches her students how to sell on ebay.

More Resources

Making Your Auction Business Stand Out From The Crowd
When my sons were growing up they started playing hockey when they were 6 years old. Each of them, in their first year, scored more goals than the rest of their team combined.
Boosting Your EBay Auction Profits: Just Add Audio
According to a recent report, adding audio to your eBay auctions could increase bids by as much as 22% over auctions without audio.A recent trend showing up on a lot of websites is the addition of an audio clip.
Sell Your Items at Cost and Make a Fortune on eBay!
Like all ebay sellers I wanted to sell all of my items at a profit and what I found was that when I was getting to the end of line items that I was ending up selling them at cost, even though the items were finally selling at a profit price, because I was having to factor in the ebay relisting fees etc.So I took a moment and sat down and thought how I could deal with these items and still make money.
How to Locate Drop Shippers for Your Success
Like the human heart, drop shippers can keep the blood pumping in an internet business. Often, they can be the key to success for online retail businesses who do not wish to stock actual inventory.
Why 95% of All eBay Sellers Fail
eBay is now the 8th most visited site on the internet and it has just one purpose - sales. With 40 million visitors per month most eBay sellers are missing a golden opportunity.
Auction Seller Guide To Success
When its time to clean-up around the house, some people havea hard time deciding what to keep and what to throw out.What they need is an incentive.
eBay Motors : Buy or Sell a Car on eBay
Are you having trouble finding a great deal on a car in your local area? Well, join the club. Using Online Bidding at eBay Motors can be the perfect answer you've been looking for.
How To Profit Using eBays Saved Search Feature
Did you know that eBay will help you locate products you can buy cheap, then flip for a quick profit? No? Then listen up, because I am about to let you in on a little known feature of eBay that can literally stuff wads of cash in your wallet in less than 24 hours.This is an eBay tool that I use every day to locate products that I can buy and resell or buy cheap and keep for myself and my family.
How To Cut Your eBay Fees By More Than 90%
Now, are you ready for the REAL TRUTH about selling on eBay?It's simple; don't list too many items for sale using their auction format. Instead, set up one of their stores.
Learn How To Be A Successful eBay Seller
Anyone can sell anything on eBay. Open an account, list your product, and wait for the bids to start coming in.
Profitable Paper Piecing on eBay -- Part 2
Basic Paper Piecing TipsHere are some tips that will help you create paper piecings that will sell!Save some time by eliminating the "tracing" of patterns. Take your pattern, lay it over your cardstock and use your stylus to "trace" it onto your cardstock.
Buying Used Dell Laptops, PCs and Servers on eBay - How to be successful
Two years ago I needed a way to refresh more PC's and Laptops at my company without spending more. New Dell laptops were great but expensive and over the years we had accumulated many Latitude C series parts.
Fed Up With eBay?
For many people, their first experience of working online involves selling products on eBay. This was how I got started back in 1998 and I know countless other people that have done the same.
Making Money On EBay Can Be So Simple, Just Let Somebody Else Do All The Hard Work For You
OK, so you've been bitten by the eBay bug!You've ransacked the attic, the basement and every other room in your home to find things to sell on eBay.When friends and neighbors ask you where everything has gone, you tell them that you're going for the "Minimalist Look".
Auction Image Hosting for Ebay Auctions: Free Single Most Recommended Tip
It is a well known fact that the more pictures taken of an item, the better it will sell. Not only will you get more bids, but you will make a superior final profit.
Traditional Marketing Techniques for eBay Auction Ads
Ya know, I sort of giggle when I look at an ad on eBay that's just a black and white description of the item or product that's up for bid. It wasn't long ago at all that I would have done the exact same thing, but once I understood some traditional marketing techniques, not just been exposed to them; everything looked totally different.
Start Your Own Business: Sell Things on eBay
The popularity of online auction site eBay has beenlegendary. With millions of transactions completed daily,it is no surprise why many individuals who do not usuallyshop online regularly purchase items through eBay.
Increase your eBay Profits the Easy Way
Sometimes the simplest things can boost the number of visitors and bids to your auction listings and increase your eBay profits.Robert G.
Snipe Your Way to Auction Success
Bidding for a bargain is all part of the exciting eBay experience. But what can really disappoint is when you're all set to win that fantastic, gold plated gizmo and someone else just beats your bid in the very last minute.
Attract eBay Buyers Like Crazy!
As an ebay(TM) seller it happens very often (too often) that listings close without any bids. Did this happen to you? Many sellers are frustrated and quit their eBay(TM) business.

More Auction Information:

Related Articles

How Professional Ebay Auction Templates Can Boost Your Ebay Sales
Do you like to sell on eBay ? It's easy and fun, isn't it ? In fact, it's one of the easiest online business you can start almost overnight, without any major investments. That's the best thing about it.
eBay: What Should I Sell?
There is an art to picking profitable products. It's not just what you want to sell but rather what will sell.
Authentic or Fake?
1. Admit It: Old business models are no longer working.
Drop Shipping Increases Profits
You would like to increase your income by selling other peoples` products but you just don`t have the money to stock inventory.On the other hand, perhaps you have lots of your ownproduct and would like to increase your sales, but youdon`t have a lot of money for advertising.
Free Auction Templates: How to Set Your Border Color With FOAM
If you have not heard of Foamtemplates.com yet, home of the "Free Online Auction Maker", now is a good time to get your feet wet.
Get Yourself A Piece of The eBay Pie
Ebay is without a doubt the greatest internet marketing phenomenon of all time. Millions of people log on every minute and every second there are hundreds of items listed, sold and bought, and of course money is made.
Hurricane Katrina Donations Could be Many Millions More - EBay Sellers Try in Vain to Help
Yesterday I saw a mention in someone's email ezine about a kind person who had an eBay auction with the proceeds going 100% to help victims of the horrible Hurricane Katrina.It struck a chord with me because I had wanted to set up something similar, but found that the "eBay Giving Works" charity program seems to be terribly flawed for us small sellers.
eBay The Mega Marketplace For Everyone
eBay is one of the world's largest market places with over 35 million visitors per day. That first sentence is worth repeating because I want you to realize that eBay gives you the ability to reach a customer base of millions and millions of people which is beneficial to you.
Professional eBay Auctions Reap the Profits for Sellers
eBay offer an unbelievable amount of traffic for ANYONE wanting to sell on their auction site, so much so that millions of items are listed on it everyday. So with all this competition how do you make sure that your listing doesn't get lost amongst the rest and that customers keep coming back to you.
Louis Vuitton -- Avoiding the Ebay Nightmare Fakes
Without a doubt, eBay was one of the cleverest on-line ideas that anyone has had so far. The idea of creating a site where you can bid on and buy items ranging from an eggcup through to a disused Boeing 747 or a Nuclear Missile Silo was pure genius.
Is Your Trash Cash? 5 Easy Places to Sell Your Stuff
The old adage that says "one person's trash is another person's treasure" never goes out of date. So when you're looking for some extra spending cash and you want to make some space in your home, combine the two endeavors by selling your stuff instead of donating it or trashing it.
Make Money Online: Learn To Sell On Ebay
The online auction site eBay is an excellent tool for makingmoney online. Think of eBay as an online yard sale andshopping mall.
Doing It eBay: An eBay Business Means Fun and Profits in a Global Marketplace
In 1995, when Pierre Omidyar introduced an online business venue that was essentially a virtual garage sale with auction pricing, no one knew a retailing revolution was about to occur. That site became known as eBay, and it's hard to find someone today who hasn't at least heard about the popular online auction company.
The Secret To Real eBay Success
Q. I hear so much about people who started selling on eBay and eventually turned it into their full time business.
Taking Paypal on eBay
Accepting Paypal as a payment method might increase your selling prices and your profits. This depends on what you are selling.
How I Was Nearly Conned On Ebay
I am not sure how many people have had bad experiences on Ebay, I hope not too many. I was having a great time on there until some man tried to defraud me out of £170.
Do You Sell Tires By Mail? Maybe You Should eBay
I just received an interesting email from eBay and it got me thinking..
Making Your Auction Business Stand Out From The Crowd
When my sons were growing up they started playing hockey when they were 6 years old. Each of them, in their first year, scored more goals than the rest of their team combined.
Join the Home-Based Business Revolution
Greetings, Friend. So you've decided to go into business.
5 Secrets for Increasing Auction Profits
1. Include your ebay seller name, store, and website information with all items you ship.