FORTUNE Small Business:

How can we market successfully on eBay?

Our expert explains how to make the auction site work for you.

By Verne Harnish, CEO, Gazelles, Ashburn, Va.

(FSB Online) -- Dear FSB: My friend and I are getting a small online T-shirt business off the ground. We plan to sell our products on eBay (Charts, Fortune 500) and advertise by wearing our products and passing out business cards and fliers. Can you offer any other suggestions?

- Tyler Gable, co-founder, Danglewear, Gilbert, Ariz.

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Dear Tyler: As Seth Godin says in his book, All Marketers are Liars, you need to do something that will get customers to remark on your product. Free word-of-mouth advertising is the most cost-effective way to generate sales.

If eBay is going to be your major sales channel, pay close attention to how successful merchants on the auction site are selling their wares, and consider how their approaches might apply to your startup. Keep your mind open to the feedback you get as you start selling your products, and that should give you good ideas, as well.  Top of page

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Related story: How can I market on a shoestring?
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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.