EBay may have copyrighted its claim to be ‘the world’s online marketplace,’ but it is also becoming a profitable force on college campuses. Students have found a niche in generating cash flow with skilled practice of eBay’s famous premise of buying and selling goods through online auctions.

‘(EBay) sets up a marketplace that attracts people to it, sellers are looking for lots and lots of people,’ said Ian MacInnes, associate professor in the School of Information Studies. ‘If a college student wants to setup a business, eBay is a very good way to do it.’

One of those sellers is Brian Venuti, a sophomore finance and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major. Venuti joined the eBay community in 2001. As he grew up, so did his reputation on the site. Last year, Venuti estimates he made $10,000, primarily selling entertainment systems for cars. He is comfortably sitting at the coveted rank of ‘silver power seller.’

Venuti should be a model for other students looking to make money without conforming to the standardized times and boring duties of regular on-campus jobs. He not only made considerably more money doing a great deal less work, but he gained vital skills that will aid him in future business junctures.

EBay offers an assortment of characteristics that students will not be able to find anywhere else in their entrepreneurial endeavors. The start-up cost is extraordinarily low, the time demands are manageable, there is lots of room for experimentation with products and you can operate on your own schedule, said MacInnes.

These conditions bode well for Ricky Podsiadlo, a sophomore information studies major who has recently started his own eBay business. He will try his luck selling headbands.

‘I can have my own hours and it’s also fun and interesting to sell stuff on eBay,’ said Podsiadlo. ‘Another great thing is that I’m my own boss.’

Podsiadlo can only dream of being as profitable as Venuti for now. Yet, he can find success if he follows the established eBay mentality.

‘Buying low and selling high’ is the goal of all eBay users, said MacInnes. He continued to advise that ‘find(ing) a good, which is easy to put together and send-off, can be much more efficient.’

Students embracing technology to make money while maximizing their time is the key to squeezing the 21st century for all it is worth. Sitting at your desk at 3 a.m. e-mailing your customers and managing your account is ideal for college students. With eBay, students are their own boss and one doesn’t even have to be a technology wizard to operate the site. EBay has provided a new industry for the slaves of academia.

Matt Reilly is a featured columnist whose columns appear Mondays in The Daily Orange. E-mail him at msreilly@syr.edu.

Published on October 28, 2006 at 12:00 pm