It is very frustrating because at the moment there is a big opportunity for those people who want to build a business using eBay as part of their marketing package. In the UK last night there was an excellent program on ITV highlighting 3 people who are really cashing in by targeting niche markets on the Internet. And at least two of the featured successful entrepreneurs started by selling on eBay.

A few years ago you could not move on the Internet for people offering e-books, videos and courses on how to get rich using eBay. Most of the material was rubbish and those expecting to make overnight fortunes were sadly disappointed.

For a while there was a lot of rubbish put up for sale and not surprisingly very little of it actually got sold. Now the bandwagon has rolled on to the next get rich scheme and eBay seems to have finally put its house in order. They have done this by banning digitally downloadable products and taking a far stronger line on pirating. This can only be a good thing for genuine people who are prepared to gain the knowledge and skills needed to build a successful full or part time business using eBay.

It used to be said that you could sell anything on eBay but that is most definitely not true any longer. Last time I looked it seemed that only about 50% of the items put up for sale actually sold. Gone are the days when you could just slap up any old listing and watch the bids or sales come rolling in. Today you have to approach eBay selling in a professional manner if you want to succeed.

Another important difference today is that eBay or any other online auction site should not be your sole outlet. It is a great low cost way to start in business and it will help you to build up a customer base and email list. However, you long term aim should be to have your own web site to allow you to build a solid sales base. In the coming months UKAuctionline will be featuring articles and information on exactly how you can do this without having to be a technocrat or spending vast amounts of money.

Now back to trying to sort out these web designers!