Hiring Employees for Your eBay Business

Owning your own business is a double edged sword - on the one hand, you're proud when your business grows and you have more customers than you can reasonably manage; on the other, growth means new obstacles and problems, including hiring employees. When your eBay business starts to get backed up and you don't know which end is up, it might be time to think about taking on a few extra pairs of hands. Following are a few tips on hiring employees for your eBay business.

Hiring Employees for Your eBay Business: How Many Employees Do You Need?

My advice is to take baby steps. Hire one employee and see how it goes; if you are both still overworked, hire another. Moving from working on your own to being the boss is not always a seamless transition, and you'll also need to take into account the laws and regulations that surround hiring employees. You'll need to collect W-4 forms, obtain an Employee Identification Number from the IRS, work out a schedule for the employee(s) and create a system for deducting taxes from paychecks. Starting with one employee will ease you into the rhythm and will give you an opportunity to gauge how much more help you will need.

Hiring Employees for Your eBay Business: Write a Job Description

You might not think that hiring an employee for your eBay business is a very big deal - certainly not important enough to warrant all the bells and whistles - but you should make an effort to be as professional as possible. Labor laws are serious business and without a clear-cut job description, you open yourself up to all kinds of problems. Sit down and determine exactly what your employee will do, and what he or she will be responsible for. Not only will this help to define the job for your employee, but it will also give your business some structure.

Hiring Employees for Your eBay Business: Decide Where Your Employee(s) Will Work

Some eBay business owners prefer to have their employees work on-site (i.e. in your home or office) while others don't mind if their employees telecommute. It really depends on the job description. If the employee will be sorting through merchandise and using your equipment, he or she will have to work from the same place that you work. If not, telecommuting will be sufficient. Just make sure that, whatever you decide, the employee is comfortable with the situation. For example, if your employee is working out of your home office, you might need to give him his own room to use as a private office. That way, he can store things in his desk without worrying that your family members will be invading his space.

Hiring Employees for Your eBay Business: Keep it in the Family

Have you considered that untapped resource for employees? Family members make great short- or long-term employees when you don't want to go through the hassle of interviewing individuals you don't know. This is especially true if you work out of your home because you never know whether you can trust someone. Consider your teenage niece, your retired father or even your kids or spouse. This can be a no-hassle way to get some help without having to go through the hiring process.

Hiring Employees for Your eBay Business: Classify Your Employee

There are really two different types of "employees" - the first is a regular employee who has set hours, a set salary and from whose paychecks you deduct taxes; the second is an independent contractor. An independent contractor usually works off-site, gets paid an hourly or commission rate and works for other businesses besides your own. Classifying employees is important in terms of both taxes and labor laws. If you employ an independent contractor who should be an employee, you face serious consequences. Check out AC Content Producer Madbum's article, Business Management: Employee Versus Independent Contractor for more information about distinguishing between the two.