The Spotlight's On:
islandmele
by Ryan
eBay Staff Member

A full-time passion
This month's spotlighted member, islandmele (view her About Me page) hails from Hawaii, and has turned her passion for island culture into a far reaching presence on eBay. Trading primarily in Hawaiian and island-themed crafts within Hawaiiana (a subcategory of the Cultures, Ethnicities section of Collectibles), this PowerSeller not only operates two eBay Stores, she dedicates much of her time to helping others improve their experiences on eBay.

While some might describe their eBay activity as a “full time job,” you won't hear islandmele describe it that way. “I don't consider “eBay-ing” to be my job or career. It is truly my full-time passion. Besides selling on eBay, I also enjoy helping others. I'm an authorized Trading Assistant, a founder and leader of the No Ka Oi Sellers Ohana – an eBay community group comprised of Hawaii-based sellers – and I'm also an Education Specialist trained by eBay!” If all that isn't enough to keep her busy, she has also managed to climb the ranks of Top Reviewers on eBay with several Guides detailing Hawaiian vacations.

Surf's up! And so is business
islandmele first heard of eBay from her brother, who she had noticed had begun to receive a lot of packages in the mail. “They were all his eBay purchases!” She reflects back on those times and is still amazed at how quickly the eBay platform became popular. “At the time, the only form of payment available was money order or check and there were no photos to showcase your items! You had to rely on the descriptions…and on snail mail for communication. So really, transactions were totally based on trust between two strangers. We've come a long way since then!”

Like many other active sellers, her first steps down the path were paved with buying. “I started out as a buyer and soon became addicted to purchasing everything on eBay! A few months later, I started selling things around the house that I didn't want – and was surprised that there was such a huge market for just about everything.”

Now, after more than three years of using eBay, islandmele is a daily visitor. She says she buys “everything” on eBay. “I rarely buy retail, and on the occasions when I do, I pay for my purchases using gift cards I bought on eBay!”

She also marvels at how quickly her eBay business took off. “Before selling my crafts on eBay and going global, my business channels were limited to selling the products at craft fairs. But within months of starting to sell on eBay, I became a Power Seller. I had to quickly get myself a studio/showroom and storage space as the business grew.”

A “no reserve” strategy takes a strong stomach
In order for her business to grow as it did islandmele not only needed to capitalize on what was a growing niche market for Hawaiian crafts (visit the Workshop archives to learn more about finding your own niche market), but needed a winning strategy. At the center of that strategy is keeping the starting prices on her items low, to attract more bids and raise the final selling price. She starts most of her items at 99 cents. While it's a strategy that has worked very successfully for her, she wonders if all sellers are cut out for it. “At times, it requires nerves of steal and a strong stomach, Occasionally you may have to put up with a loss, as starting an item at 99 cents may result in a final sale price that's much below the item's real value.” But she's convinced of its rewards, “This strategy has paid off for me and is my best promotional selling tool. I've had a few items that have sold for over $1,200 – fetching a lot more bids and interest simply because of the low starting bids!”

What makes eBay different
When not creating those 99 cent listings with her favorite selling tool, Selling Manager Pro, islandmele tries to spend time taking advantage of eBay's various Community tools. For islandmele, interacting with the eBay Community is one of the greatest joys of “eBay-ing.” “Without our Community, eBaying would be such a solitary affair – it would be just between you and your computer. But forums like the chat rooms and discussion boards allow you to interact with others in a supportive environment. The boards really foster a sense of Community.”

As part of her routing on eBay's Community forums, islandmele visits the Power Seller board at least once a week. She also checks in on the No Ka Oi Sellers Ohana Group regularly to connect with her fellow Hawaii-based sellers.

All things considered, islandmele can sum up what eBay means to her in one word. “Freedom.” “I realize more and more that in the end, Freedom is really the most important thing. By this point in my life, and in my career, I've learned to take on projects that I really believe in, that truly enthuse me. eBay has allowed me to embrace that life mantra.”

We would like to thank islandmele for sharing her thoughts and comments with us! If you would like to be considered for the Community Spotlight Program check out our Community Profile page and follow the instructions near the bottom of that page.