In the beginning: I was travelling home in Johannesburg one day in 2001 when I saw an advert on a bus for an online auction site and marketplace. I just wanted to try this. I cannot remember exactly the advert, but it had to do with winning a camera for R1.00.



I wasn't clued up with the Internet. I just used it to check my emails and that was it. And I was so much of an online auctions novice that I actually hoped to get a camera for R1.00! I went to the online marketplace site and registered. I bid on and won a few things. I paid and got them. I did not do a background check on the sellers, or even worry about being scammed. Perhaps the beginning of the century was the Internet age of innocence. Perhaps it was just beginner's luck.

In any case, I became interested in the Internet. I continued buying on the local online marketplace for about a year. Due to my work obligations, I forgot about it for about two years. Then it happened that I wanted to sell a printer and a cell phone. While thinking about the best way to do it, I remembered how I once purchased something on this online marketplace. Consequently I went back to the site and sold the printer and the cell phone.

Then all sorts of mishaps materialised. The printer got me a negative rating because I had used refill cartridges on it and the buyer didn't like that. The cell phone I sold was stolen from my wife before I had a chance to ship it. And thus I received my second negative rating. A seller with two sales and two negative ratings! That has to be some sort of record (which so far went unrecognised). The amazing thing is that this experience did not chase me away. I had found a place where I could buy and sell almost anything, and I was determined to stick to it.

Selling on online marketplace: By that time, I was becoming an expert on the Internet. One day I saw a Bluetooth dongle on an international auction site and boldly bought it. When it arrived, I thought to myself: hey, this is something I could resell online locally! Which I promptly proceeded to do. I still remember my haste to dispatch the item and my less than perfect planning. The fact is, I went to the Post Office with the Bluetooth dongle in my pocket. I bought a padded envelope and then proceeded to pack the dongle and write the address on the spot. It was a very strenuous experience, since I had to work fast, all the while conscious of the teller waiting for me.

And now, eight years later? I am an expert at packing and shipping of the items I sell. If I wanted to, I am sure I could get a job at the Post Office.

That was the real start for me as a seller on the local South African online marketplace. Within a few months, I started selling seriously. Unfortunately, there was a snag. Since I was re-selling the items I had bought from another online auction site, I wasn't making that much money. I looked for products closer to home, in Johannesburg. I made some connections and eventually got good suppliers. That is when my online selling endeavours started making me some money.

I have always been fascinated by technology and selling electronics items was the best option for me. I am sure that this fascination was the basis of my success as a seller on online marketplace. One buyer when rating me said: "This seller knows his products very well". I sell mainly MP3 Players, cell phones, photo frames, watches, etc.

Over the years, I have developed a good reputation for myself and my business. My customer service is one of the major contributors to my success on online marketplace. I make sure that I know as much as possible about whatever it is that I sell. You cannot sell something you don't know or something you do not like working with.

Growth: In 2007, I decided that I need to grow my business and I registered as a company. That was one of the best decisions I made. I have grown since registering the business. The company now has one part time employee to assist with packaging and posting the sold items. Although I still hold a part time day job, selling on online marketplace has helped me a lot in my life. Recently I launched my own online shop, which works in conjunction with the online marketplace. They are both doing very well.

Plans: I plan to focus more on growing my online marketplace business and ultimately work full time on it. This is not a dream; it is reality in waiting. There is just so much potential online; I learn that every day.