At first blush, Dave Ramsey, debt-busting guru and author of mega-selling book The Total Money Makeover, seems an unlikely eBay seller (eBay User ID: live_debt_free). His eponymous talk radio program reaches 3 million listeners on 300 stations across the country, and his website gets 2 million visitors each month. And yet, in mid-2006, he began selling his products--books, CDs, financial software and even coupon folders--on eBay.
In the first six months, Ramsey grossed about $75,000 from eBay sales. For a multimillion dollar company with 200 employees, that reflects a small percentage of sales, says Ramsey, but eBay helps him get to people he might not otherwise reach.
“eBay buyers are my natural constituency since they are people who like saving money and getting deals,” notes Ramsey, 46. “I see eBay as one big, electronic flea market, with millions and millions of people passing through and checking us out.”
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In addition to new items, Ramsey sells surplus and discontinued products that would otherwise be left in storage. And if some products sell for less on eBay than on his own website, he’s not bothered: “It’s an opportunity to help even more people get out of debt and stay out of debt.”