Q. How and when did you get started selling on eBay?
A. I started selling on eBay in September of 2008. The month before, I serendipitously came across an opportunity to get a volume discount from Samsung Philippines on their LCD TVs. My cousin was canvassing for a good price for some LCD TVs that he needed to use as display panels in my grandmother's drugstores. I asked him if I could shop around for him so that I could slip in an additional unit for my personal use and I could also get a good price for my TV.

Then I figured I could also let my friends in on the bargain; so I texted, blogged and emailed my personal network asking if they wanted to piggyback on the deal. From the increased volume of the order, I got a really generous discount and was approached by a Samsung sales employee who suggested that I could again enjoy the same discount if i pooled together another bulk order.

So I saw an opportunity to earn a little if I could find more people to consolidate their LCD requirements into another bulk order. Having already exhausted my personal network, I thought of selling online.

eBay, of course, was top-of-mind as an online selling site but I initially thought that it catered only to the international market. Thankfully, a friend who was already selling some baby clothes on eBay informed me that there was a local counterpart site, www.ebay.ph, that I could utilise to sell LCDs online domestically.

Q. What does eBay offer which you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere?
A. eBay offers me an instant online market to tap because it's at the top of anybody's mind when looking to buy anything on the internet. Since eBay is virtually synonymous to online shopping, it’s naturally the first site people look at for anything and everything to buy online.

I’ve tried listing on a number of other ads/selling sites but most do not provide enough traffic for the ads to be seen.

Q. How did you come up with your eBay ID? Does it hold any sentimental meaning?
A. My eBay id is SATCHEL72; it is a combination of my dog's name and the year in which I was born.

Q. How has selling on eBay changed your life ?
A. Selling on eBay has made me an entrepreneur which I didn't think I had the ability to be. :) I had been an employee all my working life and I didn't know any other way to make a living. Working for myself has definitely made me more disciplined, more industrious, and more focused. At the end of the day, I may have more responsibility on my shoulders, but I also reap ALL the rewards of my hard work which did not happen when I was working in a corporate environment. :)

I also have full control of my time which lets me plan other things to balance my life.

Q. What tips would you give to people who are tired of the corporate world and want to be their own boss?
A. I say, start small. Don't leave the safety net of your existing job, at least not in the beginning. Sell a few things first to see what your niche can be. Let the business grow organically. Then assess later on if your own business is already viable enough for you to leave your current job.

Q. In a nutshell, what does eBay mean to you?
A. It means having the quality of life I know I deserve. :)