COM 300 PresentationCandice Strudel

There are several avenues to online selling and many “regular” folks are getting into the act via popular sites like Etsy and Half.com. Bloggers are even getting into the action, making money with Google Ads.

Pack, T. (2008, March). Web Users Are Getting Crafty. Information Today, 25(3), 36-37. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Crafting today is a $30 billion-plus industry, according to the Craft & Hobby Association. In 2007, Etsy was responsible for a respectable chunk ($26.5 million) of the industry total. For a commission, the site facilitated the sale of 1.92 million change purses, toadstool candles, and other nice stuff.

It's free and easy to set up a shop on Etsy. You won't pay a setup charge or a monthly fee. You can list an item with up to five photos in just five steps, and your listings will run for up to 4 months. The site recommends that you use PayPal to receive payments from your customers, but you decide which payment methods you'll accept.

Etsy was launched in 2005 by three students at New York University. In a video on the site, founder Robert Kalin says he came up with the idea after he was repelled by an "anonymous shelf of products" at Wal-Mart.

"I wanted the marketplace to be a community, which is something I had seen growing up and traveling around in Europe," Kalin says.

Webbing together. (2007, June 9). Economist, Retrieved February 23, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

AdWords, Google's advertising service

AdSense, Google’s ad publishing tool

Clark, K. (2008, September 15). Bagging a Textbook Bargain. U.S. News & World Report, 145(6), 80-80. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Rachel Huang, a University of Southern California sophomore, scours sites like Amazon and Half.com for used textbooks before classes begin. After finals, she sells them, sometimes even getting what she paid--meaning she studied free.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT NEW THINGS WE’LL SEE IN THE ONLINE MARKETPLACE?

HOW MUCH HAVE YOU SAVED SHOPPING ONLINE OR BARGAIN-HUNTING ONLINE?

WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN EITHER SELLING ONLINE OR LOOKING FOR BARGAINS ONLINE?