1 - Start an eBay club in your community.

Chances are there are MANY people in your area who would attend and you could benefit in many ways. For example, you could become a consultant who teaches others to sell on eBay.

If you are currently part of such a club please let me know. Actually that topic would probably make a great eBook! You could call it, "How to profit by running an eBay club in your neighborhood".

2 - Do what one San Francisco based business is doing and open up an eBay consignment shop.

In March of 2003 a company named AuctionDrop opened its first store. The company advertised itself as a "drop off" eBay sales center. EBay corporate wasn't involved financially in any way with the launch, but they did provide a lot of help and information showing that they are firmly behind the consignment sales concept.

3 - The world needs a "what's it worth on eBay" toll-free phone service.
SOMEONE needs to start this business. I'll use it! Feel free to steal my idea... just mention me as your inspiration if you do!!

Here's how it would work:

An eBay fanatic like you or me is at a flea market and we come across a box of widgets priced to sell! We think that these widgets would do GREAT on eBay, but we aren't sure. We call the toll-free "what's it worth on eBay" line and we speak to a live person with a fast Internet connection who can tell us what similar items have sold for recently on eBay. They also access other discount shopping pages on the web if necessary to determine the "eBay value" of the item in question.

Using the camera built into your phone you could even submit the image of the widgets to the analyst who is assisting you if it helps them determine the value.

4 - Have a programming idea that will make the lives of eBay buyers or sellers easier?

These products are a HOT market! I am personally approached weekly with one or two new ideas that blow my mind. If you aren't a programmer you can "rent-a-nerd" from sites like elance.com or freelancersdirect.com. Have the expert make your idea come to life.

That's how PayPal got started! They tried to make the lives of eBay buyers and sellers easier and eventually eBay bought them for MILLIONS (sounds like Microsoft right?)

5 - Become an eBay GURU.

There are only a handful of eBay "experts" on the web. Sure there are a lot of ebooks by anonymous authors who tell you things you could read for yourself on the eBay help menus, but there are very few true experts who make a full-time living teaching others the true insider information that helps eBay sellers tap into the full potential of eBay.

If you follow the Microsoft model for a moment with me you'll see my point here. In the mid 1980's there were only a handful of Microsoft consultants and programmers. Now they are in demand and the good ones are VERY WEALTHY.

With over 40,000 people jumping on eBay every day I promise you that there is a HUGE demand for one-on-one consulting and assistance. eBay's help menu is good, but I am living proof that people don't rely solely on eBay.com to learn about running an eBay business to make money.

Here's where to start:

Sell and buy on eBay! Learn the basics and then listen to your customers. Ask them how you can help. Odds are many will want to know how to sell on eBay.

Spend some time thinking "BIG PICTURE" about eBay. The opportunities on eBay go far beyond simply running some auctions and earning a few extra bucks.

Some inspiration from Stephen Covey: "Effective people are not problem-minded; they're opportunity minded. They feed opportunities and starve problems."

About Jim Cockrum: