When passion and personal experience combine to create an e-commerce business, almost anything is possible. One couple found this to be true after launching their Cheap Sheds business along with an eBay Store just five years ago.
Krisztian and Maria Panczel moved to Australia from Hungary 10 years ago with no more than $200 between them.
"We worked hard and wanted to make things happen in our lives, however, we struggled to get jobs due to language barriers, and this was one of the major reasons why we were determined to start our own business," Krisztian Panczel says.
As 2006 and 2007 progressed, the couple recognized an opportunity was forming for an online business.
"We started the company in 2008, just when the global financial crisis settled in," he recalls.
Problem leads to solution
The pair didn't know where to start with an online business, but their determination kept them motivated to learn what they needed to know. They understood the value of the Internet and used it to research markets and products.
There was a demand there, and not a single retailer was focusing on customers and bringing the best quality products together
In fact, they didn't know exactly what they wanted to sell online until they had a personal need. Panczel was looking for a backyard shed, but was sorely disappointed with the limited information and poor quality he found in the market.
This made the couple realize others could be looking for good advice and quality sheds with little success, as well, Panczel says.
"We jumped on the computer and figured out we were right," he reports. "There was a demand there, back then, and not a single retailer was focusing on customers and bringing the best quality products together."
A few months later, Cheap Sheds was born.
Staying connected to buyers
Because the couple has firsthand experience as customers in the sheds market, Panczel stays keenly aware of and involved with customer service.
"We believe we should be hanging around where our customers are, so we are always just a message away to be able to assist," Panczel says.
They stay active on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Google+, and contribute blog content as well as eBay guides. Cheap Sheds also provides company-made video episodes, a place for Instagram photos and a fun video game.
But the couple does more than social media and networking. For every purchase made, Cheap Sheds contributes toward clean drinking water in India through the B1G1 program.
As you can see, with this amount of consumer interactivity, it's necessary to have a few helping hands. Cheap Sheds employs 14 people, most of whom are afforded the luxury of working from home.
"Everyone on our team has some level of flexibility on where and when they work, as we as a company are mostly concerned about producing remarkable results," Panczel says.
Using eBay to support the brand
Panczel believes eBay is a great marketplace and knew his brand should be represented there.
"We realized the importance of eBay and set up a store very early," he reports. "As a matter [of] fact, we were selling on eBay before our online store went live."
He believes anyone who sells on eBay should also run their own Web store.
Aim to become a 'central hub,' where your site also provides all the information customers need to make an informed decision
It gives the seller full control and a lot of flexibility for the e-commerce business to build their brand. With its own online store, Cheap Sheds can stand out and the couple can fully communicate the brand to the target market.
For those who are ready to open an off-eBay store, Panczel offers his experience as a guide. The most important first step, he says, is to find the platform that best suits your needs. After experiencing, himself, the hardship of changing platforms, the seller wants others to learn from his mistake.
"It is worth putting in the time upfront and [doing] research, as it is quite time consuming and costly to change platforms at a later stage," he notes.
Once your site is running smoothly, aim to become a resource that offers more than just your product, he adds. Become a "central hub," where your site also provides all the information customers need to make an informed decision.
Global opportunities
It's hard to manage an online business, especially if a seller has to work another job to keep the business running. But the success of these eBay sellers should serve as an example to others who are determined to make it work.
"The best thing about selling online is the speed of making ideas reality," he notes. "Online commerce creates a global opportunity like nothing else before."
With a solid, researched idea and the synergistic effect of using eBay to help build your brand, your dreams can only get bigger.
Visit Cheap Sheds on its website and on eBay.