The Spotlight's On:
bobwittig
by Robin
eBay Staff Member

Hello everyone! We are pleased to introduce this month's spotlighted member: bobwittig. He first came across eBay in the year 2000. An acquaintance that knew he was a garage sale "addict" told him he should consider selling all the items he had been saving in his basement for years on eBay. He asked, "What's eBay?"

The rest is history.

Back in 1994, bobwittig had suffered a stroke, closed his business, and gone on disability. But things changed in 2000, when his family purchased him a computer, and he became a registered eBay member.

bobwittig has always been interested in the fine arts. He first used eBay to sell collectibles and things from local garage sales, so that he could pick up the supplies needed to teach himself how to paint.

"I sold 'found' junk, and used the money to buy art books and painting supplies," bobwittig told us.

In March of 2002, he began to sell a few of his paintings and drawings, and now he sells his own artwork exclusively. "I sold my paintings, and built my eBay adventure into a small business." Even more incredible is the fact that now bobwittig is in Social Security's 'back to work' program and expects to be 100% financially independent again by year's end!

As a buyer, bobwittig says he's mainly interested in things he needs such as art and office supplies and books. "Mainly I sell, but I have used eBay as a method of self-education, buying books on eBay, then reselling them on eBay, and using the money to buy more books, and learn more. Also, I buy most of my business software and office supplies on eBay. I buy art supplies on eBay, turn them into paintings which I sell on eBay, and then ship them in the same boxes that the supplies came in."

bobwittig visits eBay about 10 times a day to track sales, submit and manage listings, and to check his favorite searches. He also makes a few visits per week to eBay Groups, the Discussion Boards, and eBay's Help files where he does some studying. He says, "eBay changes so rapidly that I find active, aggressive study is the best way for a seller to stay on top of new features and changes."

One of his most memorable sales was a rare edition of a book by Langston Hughes. He quipped, "I did not realize it was rare, or that I was selling it the same week that his U.S. Postage Stamp had been issued. It was a little scary, seeing a book I had paid a dime for close [sell] for around $125.00!"

His selling strategy involves listing his items so they will close in the evenings when most people are home and making sure his listings have great images with clear, easy-to-understand text descriptions. In addition, he says, "I use an 'About Me' page to give the buyer more information about myself and my work. I answer emails promptly, and take care of my clients the way people deserve to be treated--with courtesy and respect."

When asked what tips he would give to people who are selling or buying, he replied, "Be prompt, courteous, and most of all... honest. And if your trading partner is lacking in any or all of these attributes, still be prompt, courteous, and honest!" On feedback, he muses, "eBay feedback is 'the real thing.' It cannot be faked to any great degree, and eBay members know this. Television testimonials are a joke by comparison... actors reading from scripts, or celebrities being paid a small fortune for their services. I would not think of buying from someone without checking their feedback first. I expect that my buyers check my feedback, as well. My feedback rating is my reputation for people who don't know me."

Whenever someone asks him a question that he's unsure about, bobwittig browses the various discussion boards and help files for answers. "Whenever eBay implements a new feature, I just 'follow the links', which gets me to the information I need pretty quickly."

He also encourages newer eBay members to participate on any of eBay's Chat, Help, or Discussion boards. He says, "eBay is dynamic... always changing. There is too much to learn about eBay, and the details are changing too quickly for anyone to write a book about it. By the time the book was printed, it would be obsolete. Also, no matter what your personal interests and passions... there are others on eBay, who share them. The potential to learn is incredible."

When asked which feature or service has been the most helpful to him and why, he responded, "PayPal, without a doubt... and also eBay Stores. PayPal is valuable because it streamlines the financial side of the transaction, and my eBay Store is great, because it permits me to show slower selling paintings, which would be impractical in an auction format."

Finally, bobwittig gave a brief description of what eBay means to him:

"As a painter working in the fine visual arts, I see eBay as offering... possibly by accident... an alternative to the 20th century 'gallery model' for selling artwork. Brick-and-mortar galleries will still exist in the 21st century, but their virtual monopoly as the sole method for artists to present their work to the public has been broken. eBay allows an entirely new demographic of art purchasers to come into existence. eBay is the future... now."

We would like to thank bobwittig for sharing his thoughts and comments with us!

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