
An eBay Trading Assistant is a seller who sells items for other people, for a fee. Trading assistants can charge anywhere from 20%-50% of the sales price of the item. The benefit of hiring a trading assistant is that the customer will have an experienced, reputable seller handling the transaction on eBay. The customer doesn't have to learn anything about eBay, interact with the buyer, collect payment, or ship the item.
A disadvantage of using a Trading Assistant is the cost. Many Trading Assistant's fees are outrageous and it may well be worth the customer's time and money to spend a couple of hours learning about eBay to be able to handle the transaction himself.
I was a trading assistant for about a year. The major drawback for me was
communicating to the customer that the sale price of an item is dictated by the market, not by the seller. In other words, customers became angry when the item didn't sell for as much as the thought it was worth. As a Trading Assistant, you cannot guarantee the sale price of an item on eBay.
One word of caution - use a written contract when agreeing to sell anything for anyone on eBay. Download a sample Trading Assistant contract. If you decide to become a Trading Assistant, be sure to list yourself in the Trading Assistant Directory.
This eBay seller's motto: An item's value is determined by what someone will pay for it, not what you think it is worth.






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