Power Sellers Unite

jazzleeds04 · Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 9

hi,
i am looking to create a website basically like ebay (obviously never as big) and need to know how to create a website that is cheap but easy to do. i am just looking for any advice at all that will help me on my way to being successful. some people may know that i am only 15, so i am learning all the time and would be very appreciative if you could give any information about creating a website and being successful in this area. tips and pointers are great.
also if anyone is a website designer out there and would like to help me a great deal, please give me a shout.
thanks, jazzleeds04

marc williams · Joined: 02 Dec 2005 Posts: 57

Most people are using the PHP script look at this website

www.phpprobid.com

bidup

Hi jazzleeds04,

Not sure if its a good idea making a auction website if the owner is only 15, they is some info you need to read upon about binding contracts between sellers and buyers, most laws state you have to be over 16 other its 18 but I could be wrong.

As you may know the auction market is very saturated with auction sites at the moment, with everyone trying to compete with ebay.

My attitude is straight forward, if you got a plan or an idea and you think it will work, give it ago if you don't someone else will.

Software to start you off

I have used 2 auction scripts the first was phpprobid, which is ok if you want an out of the box auction interface, easy to setup and cheap, around £130+ the second one I use at the moment is Rscript more features but for advanced users as its written in Perl and can be easily messed up if you don't know what your doing. Rscript is much more around around $600.

Must have if you want to be a success

1) Money put to one side advertising and running cost
2) Good host for running your auction site
3) Good customer service with live support
4) A lot of time & commitment, it will take time to get going it does not happen over night, will take years ebay took over 10 years to get where it is today.
5) Marketing plan how are you going to promote your business.

Once you get your software give me a shout and I will help you set it up.

Take a look at mine for an idea on how it works

http://www.biduptoday.com (with rscript)
http://www.biduptoday.com/index.php (with phpprobid script)

Regards
Andrew

Also looking at your username are you from leeds in west yorkshire

jazzleeds04 · Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 9

hey thanks for all the information so far. i am really determinded to do this so any information that you can give me is great. i have looked at your websites and they look really great, it must have taken a lot of time and effort for you to create them. i dont think i have the money for Rscript, and to be honest with you i dont think i'd be able to create it using that - i am not the best at creating websites - no matter how hard i try.
at the moment i am trying to get the funds together for this project (talk about starting from scratch) and i need really to think about a business plan, and need to talk with my dad who could possibly help me a lot. the funds aren't going that well at the minute - i am looking for donations and have turned to ebay for the answer: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5652489968&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1 i honestly doubt that is going to work though, so it could take me a while to get things moving.
i am really pleased that you have offered to help me once i have got the software, (i have an applemac- does that make any difference when using either of this software?)
thank you,
yes, by the way i do live in leeds west yorkshire.

lotsofgoodstuff · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 282 Location: CA

jazzleeds04

I noticed, you changed your age ..
And bidup even mentions 15 years?

Fast forward??

BTW- your auction is pulled.

LurkeyLou

jazzleeds04 wrote:
"i dont think i have the money for Rscript"

So, here's free auction software: http://www.everysoft.com/frames.html

jazzleeds04 wrote:
"i am not the best at creating websites"
"i am trying to get the funds together"

Here's free software. You want someone to install and customize site. You have no hosting. You have no domain name. You're looking for funding.

You need to go through this list. Have a look at some of the hundreds of sites that managed to get the software online...and try to figure out where they failed, so that you don't too. www.kenzy.com/auctions.htm

As you can see, a lot of people with the same idea and many with the ability to do some, if not all of the work, have failed.

There's no way you're going to get people to do all of this work and throw money at you, too.

You need to ask yourself: What exactly is your role for this site? You don't have one. Now ask yourself: What's the point?

knappschiles · Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 4035 Location: Wi

Along the line of LurkeyLou's answer, I think you don't REALLY want to RUN an auction site but NEED to be ON some auctions sites. At least for NOW and for a while until you get an idea what this is all about.

Check out the threads here about all the eBay alt sites. Then find something you can sell and start listing.That way you will see what is all involved in being a seller and setting up listings and DELIVERING product.

We have had way too many sites set up by people who really haven't got a clue what it takes to run a site and partly it's because they have never USED a site. All the glitches and down time really can kill a site. Ask anyone about BidChaser for a group of people that haven't got a clue.

When you have about a year in using maybe 4-6 or more of the different sites and see how each one works OR doesn't, maybe you will have an idea what you REALLY want to do. If you're really good at what you do, by then maybe you will have made enough on those sites to get yourself the program you will need to start the next big thing.

Carol