In 1997, when he was 12, Cameron Johnson purchased his sister's Beanie Baby collection for $100 and started selling them on eBay. After much success with his sister's collection, he began buying Beanie Babies wholesale and selling them on eBay and on his greeting card website (which he started at the age of 9). That venture turned a $50,000 profit in less than a year. Although no longer involved with eBay, Johnson has shown how an entrepreneur can use eBay as a springboard to other ventures.
Johnson has since moved on from eBay to start 12 other businesses. Now 23, 
Johnson is a millionaire, motivational speaker, leader in the business community, and has been featured on national televsion numerous times, featured in over 200 newspapers, magazines, and other publications including Newsweek, Business Week, and the New York Times. Check out Johnson's book, "You Call the Shots" on Amazon, and the interview above from "The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch."
Success is an attitude. Entrepreneuralism is a way of life. eBay is not perfect, and perhaps it can lead to other ventures - as is the case with Cameron Johnson.
That is the way to do it, there are probably lots more stories like this out there of people that used Ebays massive marketplace to springboard their businesses. I know I did and I'm looking forward to the point I get to the 7 figure mark :O)
Posted by: Online Auction Trader | February 20, 2008 12:47 PM | Permalink to Comment