If you buy a pair of shoes from Jon Kuhlmann, expect to pay for them before you try them on.
Kuhlmann, cofounder of Grapevinehill Inc. of Danvers, sells major-brand shoes by mail through the Internet auction service eBay Inc. He's already shipped over 100,000 pairs so far this year and over half a million since the business launched in 2002, all without touching a shoehorn.
"It's one of those shockers for people who don't know the eBay world," Kuhlmann said.
But it wouldn't shock the roughly 10,000 people who've come to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center this week for eBay Live. It's a yearly festival for the people who sell merchandise through eBay's auction service and online storefronts.
Arthur Rabson, a pathologist at Tufts New England Medical Center who sells silver napkin rings on eBay in his spare time, considers himself an eBay hobbyist. "I make pocket money from it," he said. "It's just a bit of fun."
But he still invested the $100 fee to attend eBay Live. "I'm hoping they'll teach me things," he said. And if he sells just a few more napkin rings this year, the visit will pay for itself.
As eBay as a website has matured, sellers are faced with challenges they didn't face 10 years ago, said Jim Griffith, eBay's dean of education. For instance, many eBayers have no idea how to provide customer support, keep financial records, or back up their data.
I'll give piano lessons to the highest bidder. Kidding! $10 a lesson. You pay for books. Once a week. Only during the summer, though, since I'll be too busy once school starts again. >:(
Also, since when was "eBayers" a word?
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