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There are millions and millions of products available for sale on eBay. Hundreds of thousands of eBay sellers are selling exactly the same thing. What makes buyers buy from you over other sellers,  who are offering the same thing. Price is proberly the first thing that enters your head, and to some extent you would be correct. But now as eBay ( as a company) begins to finish its growth stage in the UK online market, what will happen next? In this and the following guides, I will demonstrate some key knowledge about business and show you how to operate, develop and maintain your online Business on eBay.

Guide 1 - An Introduction to Marketing

What is Marketing?

1. MARKETING IS NOT JUST ADVERTISING !!!!!!
2. "Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirementsprofitably."
   • ( extract from Chartered Institute of Marketing website, CIM, Marketing Glossary, Definition of Marketing)
3. Marketing is the identification of consumer needs and the matching process of those needs to the strengths of the business.

Marketing is the Key to any sucessful business. It is the core of the business operations where all aspects of your business is assessed in its ability to provide the customer with want they want.

The difference between Customers and Consumers

There are two types of purchase that an eBayer can make.

1. A purchase for themselves
2. A purchase for someone else

A Consumer is the person at the end of the chain, the person who actually uses the product.

A Customer is the person who is the the middle of chain, before the consumer, who purchases the product for another person.

From this simple explanation, we can already see that their are two different types of purchases occuring on eBay. Which group to you sell to? Who are your products advertised to ? Can your product be a gift for someone ? Already more opportunites are presenting themselves