[…] s Jacobsen, whose blog I have just started to read on a regular bases (due to his comments here that I still need to respond too), has some rather compelling posts about KM and blogging […]

To be a serious seller requires a certain degree of commitment, but the eBay Web site walks beginners through the process. eBay charges small fees to post items, and a small percentage of the sale, depending on the price. And eBay deploys a middleman payment system that allows buyers to securely use credit cards, forwarding the payment to sellers. Digital photos of the items help attract interest, as does punchy descriptive writing. Serious sellers need systems for packing and shipping their goods. eBay user sites help with suggestions.

eBay particularly courts “powersellers,” such as Mr. Levi in Manhattan — those with big sales and high customer-approval ratings — with special perks including travel deals and health insurance. Powersellers must meet minimum monthly sales ($1,000 for the lowest level; $150,000 for the highest) and must have an approval rating above 98%.

When Mr. Levi, who sells used cameras from his Manhattan apartment, was laid off from his position at Carolee Designs, a fashion jewelry firm in Greenwich, Conn., the layoff came as a shock. He’d been a globe-trotting salesman, spending much of his time on the road in Hong Kong, London, Sydney and other cities. “I’d never lost a job,” he recalls.