A Potential Customer Base of Millions
From July 2005
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Now that he’s found a niche customer base for his plane parts on eBay, Schwaner has “crossed over” into hard-to-find bolts, radio and other equipment for the auto and boating industries.
He attributes only one percent of his company revenues to eBay sales, but says it’s the exposure to a broad customer base that really makes it worthwhile. “With your own website, you have to bring people to it. eBay brings its own people.”
Still, he adds, “I sell more on my website than I do on eBay. With internet shopping carts, this will probably always be the way it works.”
Schwaner notes that his overall sales via the internet, eBay and his own website together account for 10 percent to 15 percent of his total business. He looks for his total online sales to climb to 30-40 percent of his business in the next five years.
A Funny Animal
Another area business that’s jumped on the auction bandwagon is Sunrise Leather Company in the Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights. Paul Harris, co-founder, began hand-crafting leather footwear, sandals and belts in college in the late 1960s.
In 1972, he opened his first store at 10th and R streets in midtown Sacramento with Noni, now his ex-wife, as a partner, a position she continues to hold.
“At one time we had five stores in downtown Sacramento, Citrus Heights and the Bay Area, but we became overwhelmed with the logistics of managing all of them,” he says.
Continued...
He attributes only one percent of his company revenues to eBay sales, but says it’s the exposure to a broad customer base that really makes it worthwhile. “With your own website, you have to bring people to it. eBay brings its own people.”
Still, he adds, “I sell more on my website than I do on eBay. With internet shopping carts, this will probably always be the way it works.”
Schwaner notes that his overall sales via the internet, eBay and his own website together account for 10 percent to 15 percent of his total business. He looks for his total online sales to climb to 30-40 percent of his business in the next five years.
A Funny Animal
Another area business that’s jumped on the auction bandwagon is Sunrise Leather Company in the Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights. Paul Harris, co-founder, began hand-crafting leather footwear, sandals and belts in college in the late 1960s.
In 1972, he opened his first store at 10th and R streets in midtown Sacramento with Noni, now his ex-wife, as a partner, a position she continues to hold.
“At one time we had five stores in downtown Sacramento, Citrus Heights and the Bay Area, but we became overwhelmed with the logistics of managing all of them,” he says.
Continued...
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