Online entrepreneurship becomes a new way of life Internet selling presents surprising career for many
By John Koopman
December 19, 2005
In March 2000, Randall Pinson was working his way through college by selling cell phones and pagers in Salt Lake City. To make extra money, he and his partner bought about 160 Nokia cell phones in a liquidation sale, only to discover the devices didn’t work outside of New York. They were about to eat a $4,000 loss when his partner suggested selling the phones online.
Pinson opened an eBay account and within a few minutes made back his initial investment. A year later, Pinson quit the cell phone business and went full time into online sales.
“I pictured myself working for a company, making good money, doing market research,” the 29-year-old said. “But this thing really turned my life around 180 degrees. I’ve never been happier.”
Pinson is a case study in Internet entrepreneurship: A regular guy has a regular job until he discovers he can make an income selling online. But he’s not unique in the way he does business.
Internet users have been turning themselves into Internet merchants since eBay began in 1995. Ten years later, according to a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 17 percent of Internet users — 25 million people — sell goods and services online. Online auction giant eBay’s numbers are even more startling: In 2002, the company reported 24.5 million active users of its Web site; in the third quarter of 2005 that number rose to 68 million.
Although the exact number of Internet salesmen and women is debatable, the variety of goods sold is not. People sell land, houses, cars, electronics, jewelry, collectables and all manner of stuff. Even non-objects, like virtual weapons, armor and monetary units associated with online games like World of Warcraft, can earn a seller some cash.
Glenn Browne, director of the Institute for Internet Buyer Behavior at Texas Tech, says the increase in online selling is the result of new and easy-to-use software tools for the online seller. In years past, it was difficult to post digital photos online, to say nothing of billing and collecting money. But new software programs have made these tasks easy and secure, enabling even the severest Luddite to sell a coin collection and take payment by credit card.
“The great thing about the Internet is how it’s equalized access,” said Browne. “Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can sell. You go online and you have access to everyone else online.”
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