eBay is hugely popular, and provides a great starting point for many people who wish to make money outside the confines of a regular job. It’s certainly a great introduction to online selling, as you don’t need your own website, and very little technical knowledge is required, other than basic PC skills. It’s also a good platform for those who are already in business, who wish to reach a wider market.
On a jewellery-making forum where I sometimes post, a new member asked for advice on how to sell jewellery on …

Many people who are seeking financial freedom – and freedom generally – find that their jobs present a barrier to that goal. Aside from the fact that it can be difficult to find a job that pays enough to fund a super-rich, super-free lifestyle (assuming that’s what is wanted), there is also the issue of time-freedom. Many people dislike having to be in a certain place at a fixed time, for a particular number of hours. Most jobs also offer the employee little control over their working environment, and in …

Picture this: it’s Monday morning. You wake up – without an alarm. You remember it’s Monday – you smile happily. You get up – at a leisurely pace. You go to work – in your pyjamas. You begin work – and love every minute.
Sound unfamiliar? It needn’t be, if you join the millions of people who already work for themselves, from home. Just a generation ago, most people grew up believing that they’d find a secure job, stay there for their working lives, and retire at 65, complete with pension. …

There is no competition
I sell my jewellery online*, including on eBay, and I’ve noticed how many people talk about how hard it is to sell jewellery there. It’s certainly true that the jewellery category is very crowded, but personally I’ve found it to be ok, although I wouldn’t like to be depending on it as my only sales outlet (I’m much more into multiple income streams!). I think it’s always possible to do well, even in marketplaces where there appears to be a lot of competition, and I’ll explain why …

People who are thinking of starting a business, or those engaged in some kind of creative activity who want to share it with the world, are often advised to find out what the public wants, and then to tailor their product/service to fit that demand. In other words, to do extensive market research to find out if anyone will want their offering, and if demand doesn’t appear to exist, to do something else instead.
Now, this approach has no doubt proved successful for many, but is it really necessary? Most would …