Veterans Sell Into the Boonies

One Chicago couple I talked to seemed happy with how eBay is managing the auction site and expanding into new areas, such as its purchase of Internet phone pioneer Skype.

Janet Treuhaft and Johnny Conlisk said their family loves the online calling software that Skype offers and uses it to talk for free to cousins in Italy and Latvia. They can envision how Skype, when integrated more with eBay's marketplace, will help sellers like them provide better service to their buyers.

Treuhaft said she and Conlisk have been selling on eBay for quite a few years under the ID, "Johnny-Sells." They expanded two years ago into selling stuff for other people and taking a commission, a program eBay calls "trading assistants." Both left their day jobs to work on eBay sales full time.

"We have sold everything from an antique doll's head to a 1974 Corvette," said Treuhaft.

Conlisk said he's been intrigued to see how many people in rural and remote areas are buying from them. Just two weeks ago, he sold an antique bed rest to a lady in British Columbia and decided to look her address up on a Google satellite map.

"I saw she lives at the end of a long road with no other houses anywhere nearby," he said.

By Leslie Walker  |  June 13, 2006; 9:46 AM ET  | Category:  EBay Live , Leslie Walker
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