Seller Spotlight | Resto Country

Coming from a corporate background, Martin Sellers was looking for a business that was performing reasonably offline and on eBay. Seeing potential in Resto Country, he bought the auto parts business a decade ago, and has used his experience to create steady and consistent growth since. 

Their customer base is mainly made up of those undergoing a restoration process for a number of years; their dad’s car, their first car - something with an emotional connection. Because of this, Martin describes the business to be in the hobby industry selling car parts. This puts him and his team in a unique position, with a significant number of their sales coming from specific searches as customers are after parts for particular car models. 

Many buyers are committed to the eBay business model for these transactions and prefer it to any other medium. Looking back at their success, Martin remembers being amazed at how quickly sales would occur. Rather than pushing through a long gestation period of promotion for a new range, buyers would find products soon after listings were posted and sales would occur almost straight away. 

Cathie Sellers, General Manager of Resto Country, has found that following eBay’s practices in terms of selling on the marketplace has not only positively impacted their sales but helped create a strong business culture.

“The business practices that eBay promotes - such as good quality listings, good photographs, good details, customer feedback, shipping on time - contribute to a strong culture and are good business practices to have anyway. Taking the lead and following eBay’s guidance has been such a benefit throughout our business, and integrating them does nothing but help your customer.”

These actions are far-reaching; just as tracking and secure payments allow buyers to trust sellers, Martin and Cathie believe that a unique factor in their eBay experience is the lack of fraud they’ve encountered. Being well acquainted with the online retail market, usually they would find that this to occur at payment, or with customers falsely claiming that their delivery never arrived.

For them it’s a two way street; just as customers feel they can trust them, they too can count on the buyer being reliable, creating a system where everyone feels safer - and they’re not alone in thinking this. 82% of Australian small business owners claim that selling on online marketplaces gives them confidence and control, creating a positive experience for all involved.