Meet the Millionaires of eBay

Eran Dekel, 30
DeCalo Fashion (eBay User ID: decalofashion)
Mineola, New York
Projected 2006 Sales: More than $2 million
Description: Luxury designer menswear at 40 percent to 80 percent below retail prices

It's All Relative: Family members who are entrepreneurs helped Eran Dekel start his own fashion company. His brother-in-law, Darren Pamatat, founded SpaLook.com, which sells high-end skin-care products. "I saw him make millions from zero," says Dekel. But it was a chance connection with an uncle who owns a clothing store that started him in the fashion business. "My uncle asked me to help him liquidate some designer suits on the internet. Right away, I thought of eBay," Dekel says. "When the first suit sold for a 300 percent profit, a light went [on] in my head." The same uncle helped him find wholesale suppliers-one of the biggest hurdles for any beginning eBay seller.

Engineering the Sale: eBay challenges individuals to do their own market research to select, price and present merchandise. Dekel, who graduated from Cooper Union in New York City with a degree in engineering, saw such activities as an extension of his studies. "The problem-solving and analytical capabilities I learned in college really prepared me for this type of business," he says. "You have to perform both quantitative and qualitative reasoning in determining what products to sell and [you need to know] how to think outside the box when it comes to completing transactions."

A Risk-Free Zone: Selling apparel on the internet is no easy task. Sellers have to build trust among customers who can't physically try on their clothing. "We offer a money-back guarantee, free shipping and a free silk tie with every suit purchase," says Dekel. "We try to make it as risk-free as possible."

Branching Out: After finding success on eBay, Dekel was able to launch his own DeCalo Fashion website. And he shows boundless enthusiasm. "The potential for success is within each individual," he says. "You can't be afraid to take risks or try something new."