E- commerce is the buying and selling of products or services electronically over the Internet. It has redefined commercial activities globally, causing brick and mortar stores to become obsolete and pushing core business operations online. The e-commerce giants worldwide include Amazon, Alibaba, eBay and Walmart, who have accumulated revenues exceeding billions of dollars yearly.

Digital Jamaica Live show hosts Kadia Francis and Monique McIntosh sat down with Barrington McIntosh — Global e-commerce consultant and super seller — to discuss how Jamaicans can make money selling Jamaican products on eBay. In 2009, McInstosh left his job in IT while in the US to pursue e-commerce. Three years later, his 4th-quarter sales landed him on Amazon’s top 25 per cent sellers list. McIntosh has since returned to Jamaica and is now a master seller on all major e-commerce platforms. He is regularly contacted by international brands around the world, including Amazon, to train sellers so they too can replicate this e-commerce success.

Despite his Amazon success, eBay is where McIntosh began his e-commerce journey when, in 2005, he listed a glass fish on eBay, and it sold for US$65. This showed him the limitless possibilities and the lucrative revenue stream available if approached with the right mindset. eBay was once not accessible to Jamaicans due to specific bureaucratic regulations. With it now accessible, Jamaicans have the opportunity to sell on the platform and earn big bucks, especially with the high demand for Jamaican products by those in the Diaspora who are unable to travel due to COVID-19 restrictions. Just last year, one of his students earned over $2 million in six months selling Jamaican products on eBay. McIntosh states that there is no need to reinvent the wheel as the platform provides historical data that shows you the best-selling products.

So what is the earning potential like on eBay? As a beginner, your starting limit is US$500 worth of products. After seeing your shipping speed and customer service, eBay will gradually raise the ceiling of your earning potential. With valuable product offers, quality product images and effective Search Engine Optimisation, your e-commerce business can grow exponentially. As you begin to scale, you can partner with local companies to become the authorised seller of their products, purchase bulk goods at a lower cost, and increase your shipment size. Once you have made a sale, your products can be shipped globally from Jamaica using the Jamaica Postal Service.

McIntosh is passionate about others tapping into the lucrative world of e-commerce. He will be providing online training starting August 5th to teach others how eBay works, how to receive payments to their local bank accounts, and the logistics of packaging and shipping their goods. This training costs US$67 and is available to anyone across the Caribbean. Interested persons can sign up at www.ecomworkshopja.com.

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