With e-commerce platforms being so open to everyone and under a variety of different business models what do you have to do be able to take credit for the sale?
The reason for my query is I sell in e-commerce under a variety of business models, in one case I purchase from a wholesaler and resell at retail, another case I pick up items in a variety of places and resell, then I have things given to me to sell for my profit and in the final case I list and do the customer service for items that belong to someone else.
Which sales are mine? If it is just items I have money invested in then a trading assistance, consignment shop or someone who drop ships is not a seller.
If it is just items I physically ship or have the physical inventory myself then anyone who uses a fulfillment center or drop shipping is not a seller.
If I list the item but don’t own it am I the seller? That is a trickier one to define, many larger e-commerce companies have people that do the listing for them, but they also have someone else do the shipping and another person to do the customer service so in that case who is the seller. Then you have smaller situations where people list for others on consignment or on eBay as a trading assistant so who is the seller, the owner of the item or the person who takes the time to list it.
Does product sourcing make you a seller? Not really, just because you have product does not make you any money, they still have to be sold somewhere.
Does being a product stager or photographer make you a seller? No, it gets the products closer to being sold as you now have a physical representation to show to the consumer but it will still not get you any cash as it is still not available for the consumer to purchase.
Does listing the item available for sale make you the seller? That person at least gets the products out onto the e-commerce site so it is available to be purchase.
Does it matter if the e-commerce model is a large company or a 2 person job? A solo operation is easy of course they are the seller as they do all the steps involved, but what of any business model with more than 1 person.
Just in the circle of e-commerce sellers I know, there are many that are individual people doing all the work, then I know people who list things that belong to others as their sole income, others who are large enough to have a staff to do the work for them. So who should take the title of “THE SELLER?”
In my case I feel all the sales are mine, the ones that I have no money invested in but list, the ones I have money invested in and the ones I list for others because I do the research on price, title and description, and I am the one that handles the customer service both the complaints and the compliments. Even though my name is not on the door I am the one accountable for the sales or lack there of. If I were not listing them they would not be available for sale on the venues I work with.
What part of the job do you think makes someone the seller?
I will be interested in others opinions so please leave a comment
