According to eBay, "over 75% of eBay users say that opening an eBay store has significantly increased their sales" (eBay, 2007). Quite simply, if you buy and sell on eBay, either as a hobby or full time job, you are falling behind if you don't have your own eBay store.

Of course eBay charges a nominal fee of $15.95 a month however, the tools as resources you get access to can more than justify the cost. In fact, many of the tools can be used to help your non-eBay store related sales!

Build Your Store: The entire process is done through an easy to use interface that allows you to customize your store with very little effort. You can categorize your products and manage your inventory, all with the click of a button. In addition your store design will assist in your branding efforts. eBay offers great customer assistance, should you run into any difficulties.

Control Sales: Another benefit to starting your own eBay shop is having access to the eBay sales management tools. You can easily adjust prices on the fly and offer limited time only sales. It's all about marketing your products and if you have an easy way to get new information to your customers, you will be one step ahead of the competition.

A Complete Package: In addition to the features listed above, an eBay store comes with a host of in-house marketing tools. Each tool is designed to help you drive traffic and increase your sales. Add that to the built in tracking system and you are looking at a set of resources that you would be crazy not to make use of.

There are a host of testimonials available on eBay to "entice" you into opening your own eBay shop. Unlike most added features on other products, starting your own eBay store is actually a good idea and in the end you are only out 15 dollars. Opening your eBay store cannot hurt or decrease your sales in any way.

If you have not tried to have your own eBay shop, it's never too late to begin. The process is simple and user friendly. If you are serious about starting an eBay store, click on "Sellers," then "Open a Store" once you are on your eBay home page. There are 8 basic steps in setting up your store:

1.Choose a color theme.

2.Click continue.

3.Enter your store's name

4.Give a description of your store.

5.Choose a few graphics to help the appearance of your store.

6.Click Continue.

7.Sign up for the basic store ($15.95 a month).

8.Click the supplied link to further customize your store.