THE INTERNET, A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
Mr. P. Sharma, indiastamp, New Delhi
Mr. Sharma an 80 year old gentleman from Delhi had been servicing the Government of India for 41 years. During his early teen days he developed a hobby of collecting stamps. After retiring from his service, he decided to part with his collection to make a living and started selling his stamps on eBay India (formerly Baazee) through the id 'indiastamp'.
Mr. Sharma says, "I heard of eBay India from my colleague while I was employed. My son is also a frequent user of eBay in the United States. After listing my products on eBay India, I have seen some good sales. I started making some money by selling my stamps online. The best part about eBay India is that it keeps me busy. My wife also assists me by handling my finances. I meet so many people from different parts on the country. They are all young keen stamp collectors like I was".
Mr. Premraj, Premraj C, Trivandrum
Mr. Premraj, is 54 years old retired individual likes collecting different and rare articles from around the world. He started selling on eBay India (formerly Baazee) from May 2004 and sells coins and stamps. Though Mr. Premraj is hearing impaired but he manages his eBay India business very well.
Premraj says, "I came across eBay India from the Internet while searching for some interesting items. The best thing about eBay India is the wide range of useful products and collectable items that it offers from sellers across various parts of the country at competitive rates along with the convenience of shopping online from home. I first came to eBay India as a buyer of items and turned to seller only later. Presently I am listing only Philately Stamps and related items like First Day Covers, etc. I purchase stamps from all over the world through Internet and also through my friends and contacts in different countries. I get a lot of satisfaction from my active involvement and contact with different segments of people at eBay India. I handle my eBay India business by myself. I spend around 2 to 3 hours daily for my eBay India sales activities."
STUDENTS
Bomi D. Rupa, Hitech Solutions, Dadar, Mumbai
Dadar resident Bomi D. Rupa is a 24-year-old computer engineering graduate from Troy State University (Alabama) USA. He started selling computer items on eBay India (formerly Baazee) as a hobby. He imports monitors from USA and has been getting orders from there too.
Says Bomi Rupa, "I started selling on eBay India because of 2 reasons: firstly as a hobby and secondly, I saw a huge number of offline sellers charging buyers exorbitant prices. Through eBay India, I could sell computer items cheaper than the market rate since there were zero investments involved. The first product that I sold was a secondhand monitor and the response I got was overwhelming. Today, I have customers from India as well as from USA. People now know me as a distributor of Laptops. My tip for new sellers: To come in and make your mark online, you need to sell/offer something different from others, Jara haat Ke".
Ujjval, Deals4all, Andheri, Mumbai
Ujjval is a 22-year-old MBA student from Mumbai. He heard of eBay India (formerly Baazee) in the year 2000 through TVC's. Ujjval says, "I first started selling in the month October 2000 and wanted to reach out to all those buyer's who regular buyers. My First selling experience was very good, and there has been no stopping, I have already sold over 8,000 items so far. eBay India has a widespread reach of customer's. In this form of business one does not need a large investment, and that's why I am not thinking of any other form of business.
Ujjwal directly imports and sells Digital Camera's/ PDA's and other electronics gizmos and gadgets on eBay India. "Now I have bought my own office. eBay India has changed my life in a big way as I have a regular source of income and as long as eBay India grows my growth is guaranteed".
Rajasree, bestseller4all & mobilefunshop, Bangalore
Rajasree an Agricultural Marketing Graduate from Bangalore attended the eBay Academy in 2004 and got to know of the ecommerce potential. Being a parent, she had her time constraints and moving out of home to get a job. So she decided to try selling on eBay India (formerly Baazee).
Rajasree says, "I cannot leave my baby and move out of home to work. eBay India has given me the opportunity to start my own business. I take care of my baby, work at my own pace and make money by the end of day. eBay India has allowed me to gain financial independence. I sell computers peripherals, mobile phones and accessories and toys on the site. My husband Ravichander is very supportive and helps me with sourcing these products from the local dealers. Selling on eBay India has given me exposure and access to a nationwide developed market. Selling on eBay India is very simple and does not take more than 2 to 3 hours a day".
Rajdeep Biswas, netwaremasti, Kolkata
Rajdeep, an MBA with a family business graduated and wanted to start something on his own. Rajdeep recalls hearing of eBay India (formerly Baazee) in 2002 in a Cyber café, as it was "cyber café excitement" then. Rajdeep's hot selling product on the site today is the book "My Life by Bill Clinton".
Rajdeep says, "eBay India added to my financial sources. I am now recruiting people to set up a team to handle my eBay India activity. As the business grows, it needs more attention".
Yogesh Kumar, Imagetech, Bangalore
Yogesh Kumar is seller on eBay India (formerly Baazee) since February 2004. His online business includes sales of accessories like leather belts and wallets, computer peripherals, cameras and other consumer electronics.
Mr. Kumar says "I finished my BE engineering last year. After that I thought of starting my own business. So I started on eBay India along with a friend. We started with computer peripherals, leather belts and wallets and cameras on the site. As we saw very good sales in belts and computer peripherals we decided to import products directly and sell online. So we imported 300 cameras from some Asian countries and sold them on eBay India and there was huge demand for them. By directly importing these products I was able to provide buyers with competitive prices and also create a strong base for my business. I am now thinking of importing high-end cameras to sell online. I fact I have been getting repeat orders from my customers and often they even call to ask me for my products. eBay India has helped me realize that the ecommerce market has huge potential in India and also internationally".
Jigar Trivedi, jigar_trivedi, Baroda
Jigar Trivedi is an engineering student from Baroda. He started selling on eBay India (formerly Baazee) to earn a pocket money.
Says Jigar, "Selling on eBay India has earned me a good pocket money. eBay India helps one to set up a business with zero investment. I study and sell simultaneously. My uncle has an offline shop of antiques; I might look at taking products from him and sell them on the site. eBay India gives you not only an opportunity to interact with people all across India but also confidence and independence. I am looking forward to a full fledged business on eBay India".
Mohammad, Webstore, Cochin
Mohammad, 31 years old MBA from Madras University has a company Kerroworld in Cochin. He started sourcing the CDs from his friend and started selling them on Baazee.
Mohammad says, "I am amazed to see how people shop online. I have been getting orders from Srinagar to Kanyakumari. I am an extrovert, I love to talk and make new friends. eBay India has given me the opportunity to meet a lot of new people and has helped me in creating a source of income through selling online. I have maintained good relations with all my customers. I often call senior sellers on eBay India and ask them for advice. I am soon going to start a new account for my wife to start selling on the site. This will keep her busy and also help us earn more income"
FRIENDS
Shobha & Sudha, trendyjute, Chennai
Shobha and Sudha, are Chennai based business woman who are also childhood friends. They decided to start their own business using the creative art of making hand made jute products. They started with an offline distributorship within their vicinity and have now moved on to a national business through eBay India (formerly Baazee).
Shobha says, "We do have our offline clientele for our jute products, but as we don't have a store our clientele is very limited. After attending the eBay Academy in June last year, we thought this was a good way to start a business. As registering and listing on eBay India is free, we listed our products immediately. We were amazed to see the number of visits, our products got when we listed them.
We soon realized that at eBay India, we were part of a fully developed marketplace at no additional cost. Once we receive an order from the customer, we make the jute products as per their order and dispatch it to them. EBay India is a great selling platform and we are sure to grow our business through it. We are able to market our products to people across India".
Devesh Tanna, Cellphonewala, Malad (W), Mumbai
Mr. Vishnu K. Rathi, gifts2gifts, Kalbadevi, Mumbai
Devesh Tanna is a businessman in mid thirties from Malad (W) who has an offline retail store selling gifts and toys as well as a wholesale business of soft toys.
Devesh says, "I attended an eBay Academy seminar on electronics and cameras and realized the enormous growth potential of these two categories. At the time I started selling on eBay India, my business was not doing very well and my self-esteem was low. Initially, I started off with listing soft toys which got a good response. I also spent a lot of time surfing the site and identified more hot selling items that I could source through my contacts. So, I started listing products in the Health and Home categories, basically the "As seen on TV" products and my sales started growing at a fast pace. In fact, one day I received more than hundred orders. Thanks to eBay India, now I have companies calling me up to take up their dealership for online sales and my confidence has grown tremendously."
Mr. Vishnu K. Rathi from Kalbadevi had an offline business and distributorship. He used to supply products to Mr. Devesh Tanna, who helped him register on eBay India (formerly Baazee).
Says Mr. Rathi, "Selling on eBay India has given me more exposure and more income. I have a lot of loyal buyers who repeatedly buy from me. I have built a strong customer base on eBay India and get more orders than I used to in my offline business. I had no knowledge of computers and don't even know English too well. But with the help of eBay India, I have managed to build my business on the site. I have sold over 10,000 products".
Praveen and Amit, Nucleustech, Bangalore
Praveen and Amit two IT solution providers jointly started their business in the offline market. They ventured on eBay India (formerly Baazee) by selling just a headphone and today sell all possible computer peripherals online.
Praveen says, "We have now started selling seasonal apparels on the site, as an old friend of ours is stuck with some dead stock. We have seen that apparels have tremendous response on the site and we bank on them during the right time. I spend 4-5 hours a day. Online sales have given us countrywide presence".
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
Arvinder & Sarabjot, sabbys, Andheri East, Mumbai
Thiry-eight-year-old Arvinder is an apparel designer for over 5 years now. Arvinder decided to sell on eBay India (formerly Baazee) to reach out to large customer base. Arvinder's daughter Sarabjot, a graduate in computer engineering helps her in the eBay India activity.
Arvinder says, "I was a small designer but after selling on eBay India. I have got more confidence. I am now a wholesaler for women's garments. It feels great to see my designs sell so well. I have also built up a lot of contacts through eBay India. I receive a lot of bulk orders not only from India, but also from US. I have a buyer in US who has a showroom and sells my garments there. Selling on eBay India has given me a platform to expand my business by giving me worldwide exposure".
Aarti Chordia, Shopeasy, Chennai
Mrs. Aarti Chordia a Housewife from Chennai is a seller on eBay India since April 2004. She currently sells products like belts, weighing machines, telescopes etc on eBay India (formerly Baazee). As a housewife she has a lot of spare time and sells on eBay India to gain knowledge and also make effective use of her spare time.
Aarti says "I like to sell on eBay India. My inlaws would not want me to have any stressful job. But through eBay India, I can be self-employed by sitting in the house. I visit different markets to get a variety of products. I gain a lot of knowledge by traveling around places and it is a lot of fun. I don't sit around with women and gossip, I use my spare time to make some money so that I and my family can have a better life".
Rekha Naik, TheGiftshop, Bangalore
Rekha Naik has been selling on eBay India (formerly Baazee) for past 2 years to local and international buyers. She sells products from apparels like silk sarees, dhotis, and kurtas to baby products like toys and home products like drying systems. These products are purchased from vendors in south India and are locally made in small villages.
She says "We sell online as well as offline, however have more sales online as we get international orders for our sarees. Seeing high demand for our products, we plan to sell more traditional sarees through eBay India and are trying to get these local products from villages around south India".
HUSBAND & WIFE
Aakeel and Nasira Retiwala, tech4less, Mumbai Central
Aakeel and Nasira Retiwala, a husband and wife couple from Mumbai Central have been selling products ranging from Sunglasses, Laptops, and Palmtops to Writing Instruments & Watches on eBay India (formerly Baazee) since July 2000. Aakeel is in the construction business and his wife Nasira helps him in his eBay India business.
Aakeel says, "When I came to India in July 2000, my cousin told me about the site. I had nothing to start with so decided to try eBay India. My first product was my Toshiba Satellite Laptop for which I got a handsome Price. I have learnt a lot from eBay India especially tackling many customers, their temperament and individual moods. I continued selling on eBay India because you get good returns. In any other business, one would need a workplace. But incase of eBay India, all you need is just a computer and an Internet connection." Nasira says, "Despite being so busy with my daily chores as a housewife I like to spend time on eBay India. The platform is so interesting and keeps me aware of what is happening around".
Venkatesh B & Gayatri, realvalue, Chennai
Venkatesh is a 30-year-old freelance web designer from Chennai. He started selling on eBay India (formerly Baazee) to have a secure business of his own. With support from his family his business on eBay India has grown a great deal. As Venkatesh deals in a lot of women's apparels, his wife Gayatri plays an important role in purchasing the latest products from the markets within Chennai.
Venkatesh says, "I started selling women's and kids apparel on eBay India but based on the tremendous response, I have now started selling some home appliances also. After attending the eBay India seminar, I realized that this is something I can do along with my web designing. So I started off. Today I have a lot of support from all my family members. Some help me in purchases, some in packaging and a lot more. I am looking forward to this as an independent business for myself.
Gayatri says, "I am very happy that my husband has started this business on eBay India. It keeps me busy and gives me the opportunity to meet several people, visit places and keep up to date with the trends".
Sandeep Vig & Mamta Vig, AMS Exporters, Chennai
Mr. Sandeep Vig has a retail shop of electronics and other gift products. He sources these electronics from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. Sandeep started his business on eBay India (formerly Baazee) just to try something new. He started with a CD player from his shop and went on to selling high-end electronic products.
Sandeep says, "To be successful and have high sales online it is very important to give customers good service and talk to them politely. This helps building a relationship with them and also helps in good sales". Sandeep has now started selling online with one more Id. Selling on eBay India has also led his wife Mamta Vig to enter into this field of business. Looking at her husband's successful online business. Mamta has also started selling on eBay India. She sells jewellery products.
Mamta says "I have had experience of selling online as I help my husband and now having my own account makes me feel independent. I spend almost 4-5 hours a day online. This keeps me busy and also helps me make some money".
Mr. Pankaj & Mrs. Suniti Mathur, KritiDesigns & Surbhi's Collection, Hyderabad
Pankaj Mathur is a management student with a specialized degree in law. He has been working with the Birla group of companies for 20 years. After being employed for quite a while he realized that business has better future prospects. Pankaj invested in opening a manufacturing unit. His daughter a US citizen was a seller at eBay and had a great experience with ecommerce. Pankaj along with his wife Suniti started selling their products on eBay India (formerly Baazee) and have seen very good sales ever since.
Pankaj says, "Sales on eBay India are picking up very well. We sell our products to people around the country and even internationally. The best part about selling online is there are no overheads. So we can offer more competitive prices to the customers and also have better profit margins. Selling is very convenient also as I sit online whenever I have some free time. I don't have any fixed working hours. I am looking forward to a lot of growth in my business through eBay India".
Mrs. Suniti says, "Selling on eBay India is fun. Being a housewife it has given me the opportunity to do something. I operate the eBay India business whenever I want from home. It does not require me to travel places. I am making good use of my spare time by selling online".
Vineet and Shikha, Superauctionseller, Chandigarh
Vineet and Shikha, a husband and wife couple have been selling on eBay India (formerly Baazee) for sometime now. Mrs. Shikha Chowdhary, a former lawyer and now a housewife started selling on eBay India to keep herself busy. She started with selling jewellery and has now moved on to cameras and is even selling the Bhagwad Gita online.
Shikha says, "I first started selling rare Hyderabadi pearls. I had seen them at an exhibition and liked them, so I spoke to the seller and started sourcing them from him to sell on eBay India. Selling on eBay India gives me financial support. I am looking at placing more and more products to increase my sales. My husband, Vineet is quite supportive of my eBay India business & helps me with the online activity."
Vineet, a management consultant adds, "We have also tied up with a friend of mine who is a distributor for BenQ phones. I take photos & list them on the site. As soon as I receive an order and the payment, I take the phone from my friend and send it to the customer".
OTHERS
Viraf Aga, bountiindian, Pune
Viraf Aga sells 'DJEMBE'- these are western African drums. Viraf Aga's friend manufactures these African drums and exports them across the world.
Says Viraf Aga, "This is a unique product that brings the African essence in one's house. I always wondered who would buy such a product. But when I heard of eBay India (formerly Baazee) I thought this is one place where I will definitely find buyers for it".
Lakshmanan S, Celextel, Chennai
Lakshmanan, a spiritual person from Chennai has an offline business of selling religious products like Sri Yantra's. Lakshmanan has also expanded his business through eBay India (formerly Baazee).
Lakshmanan says, "I got to know about ecommerce through eBay India. eBay India showed me a new way of doing business. After learning about ecommerce from eBay India, I decided to start my own website and today I have a tremendous business through eBay India and now through my website. Buyers ask me questions and then purchase the products. I have noticed that there is huge demand for these products around the world and more in USA. eBay India has given me a lot of exposure in these high demand regions. I get customers through eBay India from all these locations and this would not have been possible otherwise".
