Many eBay sellers and store owners have made it; they have a great product, a following, and a system that makes it all work. And while there's no doubt that many people have been successful selling on eBay, it certainly isn't effortless or easy. As with all things of value, becoming a successful eBay seller takes effort, planning, and dedication. Folks who want to have a chance need to first understand the eBay environment they're venturing into. As marketing expert and bestselling author, Seth Godin, puts it, "eBay is a haystack"; meaning BIG, VAST, ROBUST, and something in which you can easily get lost if you don't have a plan. Are you getting lost in the eBay haystack? If so, read on. 

In a recent interview, AuctionBytes editor, Ina Steiner, talks with Seth about his book, "The Dip: A little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick)". During their discussion, Seth talks a little bit about the way he sees eBay commerce:

"eBay is a haystack, and your auction is a needle. You can sharpen your needle all you want, but it's still going to be a needle in a really big haystack. I think the way you win is by getting out of the haystack." (emphasis mine)

He then goes on to mention specific ways of doing just that. Basically, Seth suggests that eBay sellers and storeowners market their brand, and themselves, on places around the web outside of eBay, such as Squidoo (which he founded), Twitter, and blogging. Hubpages is another great resource.

Seth Godin is a very well established marketer and there's no doubt that he knows his stuff about product promotion and brand marketing. When he says "Jump" you should ask, "How high?", and when he says, "Get out of the eBay haystack to market your products", you should say, "Okay! How?"

If you are an eBay seller, you probably have tons of listings, especially if you have a store. Not only do you need to market yourself (the first part of your overall brand), but you also need to market and advertise your products (the second part that completes your brand).

Services such as ClassifiedFlyerAds.com allow eBay sellers to advertise all of their listings online simply by using the file feed or RSS feed of their listing inventory. The system automatically places each listing into its own full-page product advertisement and posts them to over a dozen online directories and search engines. This type of advertising for your products is a great way to get all of your listings seen "outside of the haystack" and increase traffic and sales.

With seller marketing and product marketing outside the haystack, an eBay seller has a real chance at success.