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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.

October 26 2007: 11:12 AM EDT

(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.

Readers, what low-cost marketing strategies have worked for you?Share your tips here.

Related story: How can I market on a shoestring?

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