What is a Trading Assistant?

A trading assistant is someone who has an account on eBay, and is set up to sell other peoples items for a fee.

Trading Assistant Requirements

"To be included in the Trading Assistant Directory and have access to Trading Assistant marketing materials, you must have (1) sold at least 10 items in the last 90 days, (2) a feedback score of 100 or higher, (3) 97% positive feedback or higher, and (4) your eBay account must be in good standing." Source - eBay

Trading Post Requirements

"Trading Posts are Trading Assistants who also meet the following requirements:

(1)Offers a staffed drop-off location or storefront with regular drop-in hours, so that clients can visit the location without calling ahead,
(2) has a feedback score of 500 or higher,
(3)has at least 98% positive feedback, and
(4) has sales of at least $25,000 on eBay each month." Source - Ebay

Becoming a Trading Assistant; Is it right for you?

While the description of a trading assistant may seem short, it really is as simple as it sounds. Basically you are selling other peoples items on your account for a fee.

What exactly does this entail? That's entirely up to you. Since it is your account, you can determine what services you will offer, and the price you will charge for them.

Types of services you can offer include:
Listing the item on Ebay, picture hosting, picture taking, item storage, packing, and shipping.

You could offer all, or any combination of these services; however, the types of people looking to hire a trading assistant may require all of the above.

Fees; Deciding How Much to Charge.

While the fee schedule is entirely up to you, it is important to decide how much you are going to charge before you announce to the world you are open for business.

A typical trading assistant fee schedule may look something like this:

Basic listing..... $19.99

"Auction creation.
"Photo taking and hosting.
"Listing the auction.
"Responding to questions from potential buyers.
"Email to the seller at auction end.
"Check to the seller once payment has been made.

Additional services can that can be included, or charged extra for are:

"Item storage for the duration of the auction.
"Packaging.
"Shipping.
"Package tracking and delivery confirmation email to the seller.

Regardless of how you price your services, you need to be aware that you, as the owner of the Ebay account, will be responsible for the listing charges, final valuation fees, and PayPal fees (if used).

It is very important that you price these fees into your charges to your client. You can either charge the Ebay fees up front, or pass them on to the seller at the auctions close.

If you choose to offer storage and shipping services, I highly recommend making insurance and tracking mandatory from the buyer. UPS and FedX both include limited insurance in their shipping fees, as well as package tracking. The U.S. post office can provide these services, but at an additional fee.

If you want to open up a store font operation, you will need to adhere to Ebay's trading post requirements, which are listed above.

Final Thoughts

Selling items for others as a trading assistant can be very lucrative, but it can also be hard work. My suggestions on operating a successful trading assistant business:

"Create a marketing plan. Decide upfront how you will obtain clients.
"Protect yourself financially by charging fees upfront.
"Install up-to-date virus and anti-spy software on your computer.
"Test the waters before jumping in. Control your costs from the start. All you really need is a computer, internet access, a digital camera, and an Ebay account.
"Keep a careful eye on your feedback. Negative feedback can destroy your business.

There are a lot of people making considerable incomes from the trading assistant program, and there is no reason you can't be one of them. It may not be rocket science, but it can be hard work.