I buy lots of stuff on eBay. A few weeks ago I went looking for sheepskin slippers and saw a lovely pair up for auction. I could tell that this was a business, so I contacted seller directly. I knew from past experience that we might be able to work out something and sure enough, we made a deal for 2 pairs of sheepskin slippers.

Let's review this seller's transaction:

- She got a sale and a proven customer for her 30 cent listing fee on original pair of slippers (which she sold later on, gaining another customer) - She paid no listing fees or commissions on 2 pair of slippers she sold to me - She can add me to her mailing list; if I'm happy with slippers, maybe I'll buy another pair in future as a gift or whatever. (p.s. I bought 2 more pairs later) - I would never have found that business if those slippers hadn't been listed on eBay. Her sheepskin business doesn't show up in first few pages of search engine results, which is as far as most people will look.

Do you see power of eBay? I also bought my Palm Pilot and a new computer from local vendors that I found on eBay. Plus I've bought lots of computer programs and educational toys from auctions by business owners. As a frequent eBay buyer and seller, I can tell you now, if you're not on eBay, you're leaving money on table.

There are other auction sites out there - Yahoo, BidBay, uBid.com - but none of them comes close to eBay in terms of volume. About 1.4 million items are up for sale every day, in every imaginable category, including services, cars, houses. Somebody even tried to auction off a kidney once, but eBay caught them and put an end to it.

Keep in mind that people who go to auction sites are looking for deals, so don't expect to get full retail. You may even have a sell a few items at cost. But when you think about all money you can spend on ads in local paper and get NO results, it's a small price to pay to get email addresses of proven customers. The eBay feedback system works both ways you can check and see what kind of customer they've been in past.

All in all, online auctions are goldmines. If you're selling anything at all, especially consumer products, you should definitely check out eBay.

But just like learning to swim, getting a brick-and-mortar or any other type of business online is best done one baby step at a time. There's no reason to rush out and get a website. There are already way too many deserted websites, sitting like abandoned cars on super information highway...gathering dust. The last thing world needs is another boring website whose only purpose is to sell something.

Here's what every business owner must realize: most people do not go online looking for something to buy. What web surfers crave most is INFORMATION. If you offer free useful information, you will draw a crowd. But if all you can offer is an order link and a payment form, don't expect a lot of visitors.

Think about how you can use technology to get to know your customers and prospects. Because just as in real life, it's all about relationships online. Putting up a website is only 10% -- other 90% is marketing, building trust, and cultivating relationships.

Once you have that straight in your mind, get your feet wet by looking at what your competition is doing. Find out where your prospects might look for information they need. Then figure out what free information or services your target market would find useful. Decide how you can give it to them at little or no cost to yourself. Then take plunge and do something. Start small, then add on.

Remember formula: Attract people to your website. Give them free stuff. Build credibility and trust through repeated contact. Then sell them something. This has worked for online businesses for years, and it will work just as well for brick-and-mortar business.