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drjonah · 03-21-2008, 07:50 AM

This can be very profitable for some people if you find the right stuff to sell. Because of my high amount of debts, i've been finding myself going through my closets and my bedroom closet at my parents house and selling my old books, cds, movies, etc.

Granted, a good percentage of the items I sell go for a cheap price, but it adds up! Not only that, but a couple items I've been able to sell for a good price ($50 or more)

Students, don't sell your textbooks back to the bookstore at school, sell them on ebay! You can make better money doing it that way, especially if you took good care of your book! One textbook I bought for $70, the bookstore offered me $15 for it back, I sold it on ebay for $60. So technically, I only paid $10 for the book and its not taking up space in my apartment!

Go shopping at thrift stores and garage sales, another persons junk can be your treasure! I've bought some old hard cover books from yard sales and sold them for almost 100 times what I paid. That makes up for the junk I did buy that was worthless.

[Vikas:Added poll and formatted the topic]

RoxyNY · 03-21-2008, 09:10 AM

My cousins does this and has earned quite a bit. She is a stay at home mom and does this to supplement their income so she does not have to work. You just have to know what you are looking at and what will sell.

SUEBEEHONEY70 · 03-21-2008, 04:20 PM

I'd recommend this method of earning extra cash, but with a couple of added cautions (from a long-time Ebay seller):

-WATCH THE FEES. Ebay gets you coming and going, with a listing fee, plus extra charges for all the bells and whistles on the listing (larger photo package, designer background, etc.), and then charges you once the auction is over (Final Value Fee). If you accept Paypal (all new sellers are now required to accept payment via Paypal, according to a recent policy change), there is a charge for receiving your payment. You need to figure these additional charges into your price for your item. If you try to start your items out at $0.01 or $0.99 to draw bidders, you may end up selling your item for $0.01 or $0.99 and paying out $3.00 to $5.00 in fees...a losing proposition. Plan your pricing strategy very carefully.

-RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH! Check out what similar items have sold for on Ebay before you list yours. I once had a co-worker give me an entire collection of Nascar-related items to list for him - 4 storage totes worth. I was excited for him, thinking he would be able to make out pretty well on this collection. Wrong - after researching identical items on Ebay, I found that only 5 of his 80+ items were even garnering any bids at all, and those were minimum bids - less than he paid for the items. I gave his items back to him with the bad news that they were not worth selling. Timing is everything, and research is critical. That Nascar collection would have gone for big bucks several years ago, when Nascar was young - but not now. The market has reached the saturation point with Nascar and has moved on to other "hot" items.

-LIST COMPLETELY & CAREFULLY. If you are selling used clothing items, list any flaws like holes, stains, damaged zippers/buttons/snaps. Unmentioned flaws will get you negative feedback from an unhappy bidder who receives a damaged item that they thought was in good condition. With clothing, do not take pictures of it folded up, or a lot of clothing all folded up - spread it out, take pictures of the whole item and close ups of any special features on the item. Take measurements and list them - we all know a size 12 in one brand of jeans does not always fit the same as a size 12 in another. Measure the sleeves, the bust, the hips, the waist, the inseam, etc. Also, list out your policies for your auctions on every single listing. Tell your bidders what forms of payment you accept (or don't accept), when you ship (what days of the week you ship), whether you include handling fees in your shipping charges, and what your return/refund policy is. Your bidders will appreciate the extra info and will buy from you again!

-READ EBAY'S RULES. And follow them - to the letter. For every honest Ebay seller out there, there are more than a few dishonest ones. Distinguish yourself as an honest seller and bidders will do a lot of return shopping. Leave honest feedback as soon as you know your item has been received and the bidder is happy. Communicate with your bidders in an open and friendly manner. Ebay is cracking down on careless and dishonest sellers who don't ship on time, sell shoddy items and defraud bidders.

Ebay is still a great place to make money - but you have to keep the above items in mind when you do it. With a little care on your part, you can still do well on Ebay! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me - I've sold on Ebay almost since they first started out, and have learned quite a bit about the ins and outs of being a successful seller.

drjonah · 03-21-2008, 08:59 PM

you're right Suebee, I was so focused on the positive aspect of this method that I neglected to mention that ebay can figuratively **** you with fees.

I have most of my stuff listed on ebay's sister site, half.com which is ok. They only take a small commission after the sale but their shipping 'reimbursment' is laughable at best, it barely covers your shipping/handling costs.

****Adult term removed - Jason

Bossy4455 · 03-22-2008, 09:39 AM

SueBee is right--know what you are doing! The research for previous items sold is very valuable.

My brother does EBay for a living. Years ago he decided to make extra money, so he turned to EBay. As a child he used to hunt and fish, and still does, so he decided to do items relating to fishing and arrowheads. He got alot of books on the topics and did research on the web so he could sell old fishing lures, equipment, etc. He als goes to auctions, estate sales and put out some business cards at grocery stores, etc.

I have a friend whose daughter does EBay, but, she does it with an Ebay store and has done fairly well selling her childrens clothes, purses, etc. But like SueBee said, you need to spell out every detail-good or bad, so you can receive good feed back.

As with any business endeavor, you need to know what you are doing, have the time, and know that you aren't going to get rich the first month!..Karen

finsfan13 · 03-22-2008, 11:14 AM

I have sold a few things here and there on ebay. I've always been pleased with the money I've gotten, but you really have to have some serious extra time to do it, something I don't usually have! I would definitely recommend it, though, it's hard to go wrong.

SUEBEEHONEY70 · 03-22-2008, 08:38 PM

A few more tips for selling on Ebay:

-Buy a decent digital camera. They can be had fairly cheap these days - less than $100 in some cases. It doesn't have to be a top of the line camera with all the bells and whistles - but it needs to take decent pictures. Kodak and HP both make great, inexpensive cameras. (I have an HP myself and love it.)

-Buy a mannequin if you are going to sell clothes. Am I kidding? A mannequin?? Nope, not kidding. Go on Ebay and search on "mannequin" or "hang up mannequin". There are sellers who sell male and female versions of an armless torso (in both black and white plastic) which is merely a shell of a torso, with a hollowed out back and a metal hanger (like a clothes hanger hook) on the top. These things are fantastic for photographing clothing to list on Ebay, and they look so much more professional than just laying the clothes out on the floor, sofa, etc. I think I paid about $15 each for mine (bought one black and one white) a few years ago. Now that I have them, I'd never do it any other way.

-Buy a decent scale for shipping. Ebay has tons of scales listed - digital postage scales go for anywhere from $5 to $60, and vary in capacity, features, etc. If you're going to be shipping items yourself, you'll need to weigh them carefully and be sure you charge only exact shipping costs - or your bidders will be sure to let you know about it in their feedback. On the other hand, undercharge for shipping, and you're shooting yourself in the foot. Don't guess - get a scale!

-Find a niche if you can. Ebay has pretty much everything under the sun - but if you can find something that is unique to your area, or something that doesn't appear very often on Ebay and seems to be in demand, you've got it made!

-Consider selling for other people. Ask friends, neighbors, co-workers if they have items they'd like to list. Many people want to sell items they have on Ebay, but they don't want to mess with learning how or don't have time. They'll probably be happy to give you a cut of the sale to get it sold. However, a word of warning: make sure the agreement is clear and in writing between the two of you - if you list the item on Ebay, they can't sell it to someone else in the meantime, and it has to be available to you to ship or arrange pickup by the winning bidder. Also, be careful of high-dollar items...if you are listing a high-dollar item for someone (like a car or valuable antique item!), it would be best to leave it in their possession until it sells. Don't bring it to your home, to avoid any problems - in the event of a break-in, fire or damage to the item, your homeowner's insurance would not cover the item, because it was not yours - unless you carry business bailee insurance!

-Read Ebay & Paypal's new policies! Things have changed drastically in the past few months, and to my knowledge, Ebay is not backing down on the new policies, regardless of the recent seller "strike" and general discontent in the seller community with the changes made. Sellers can no longer leave negative feedback for bidders as of May 1st (I think that's the date) - so if someone buys from you and doesn't pay, or pays late, you can't leave negative feedback - but the bidder can leave a negative for you. Also, Paypal now has a policy in place that all new sellers' funds from Ebay sales will be held for up to 21 days - meaning funds for the sale of the item AND the shipping money. (There are also other reasons for them holding funds, but that's the biggie.)

Just thought I'd throw a few more tips out there for those interested in selling on Ebay. I'm not trying to make it sound difficult - it's really not - but you have to know what you're getting into and what to watch out for!

drjonah · 03-24-2008, 06:43 PM

A couple more 'tips'

- Answer every question a potential buyer asks, no matter how stupid the question may be. Excellent customer service will equal repeat buyers. I used to have a guy who bought from me all the time even though my prices were a higher then some of the megasellers. He appreciated my honesty and fast communication.

- Don't let negative feedback get you down! Everyone is bound to get negative feedback but don't let it bother you. Also don't retaliate with negative feedback that makes you look immature and a hothead. Believe it or not, customers do judge you based on how you react to an unhappy customer.

- To go along with Suebee's comment about shipping, overcharging on shipping can bite you in the butt if ebay thinks you're trying to get around the 'fees' by charging an arm and a leg for shipping. For example, selling an item for 1 cent with $10 shipping/handling. That will get your auction pulled and can get you in trouble.

- Going back to answering every question, don't forget to communicate with your buyer. If something comes up and you can't get to the post office right away, TELL THEM! Most buys are very understanding as long as they know the progress.

- Back to shipping, send everything with delivery confirmation. If you print postage off paypal, it only costs 18 cents for delivery confirmation. It saves a lot of headaches if something happens to your package.

SUEBEEHONEY70 · 03-24-2008, 07:05 PM

All very good points, drjonah!

Communication is key to success on Ebay. Unfortunately, not everyone realizes that, and as you mentioned above, negative feedback is almost inevitable. I once sold a collectible doll to a lady as a gift for her daughter. I was sitting watching the auction as it ended, tickled at the price it was reaching in the final moments, and when it ended, I got excited and jumped up out of my chair, knocking my coffee cup over, which landed directly on top of the box containing the doll! The box was part of the package, and increased the value of the doll, so I told her right away about it, and offered a discount for the damaged box. She accepted, and also agreed to accept a different box than the one the doll came in. She turned around and left negative feedback, saying the doll wasn't in the original box as listed!! Go figure!

So, sometimes, even communication can backfire on you! :lol: But, call it a lesson learned. I don't keep my items anywhere near my desk anymore!

03-24-2008, 08:10 PM

Speaking of communication, the ebay forums are extremely helpful for people. Never be afraid to ask questions there or spend lots of time reading and learning the ins and outs of ebay

SUEBEEHONEY70 · 03-24-2008, 08:13 PM

Another good point - the information is out there on Ebay, just have to do a little research on the site itself and you'll come up with a load of info.

drjonah · 03-25-2008, 10:52 AM

not only can you get lots of helpful tips from the ebay forums, but you can also learn when ebay is going to have special sales on listings, pictures, etc. About 5 times a year ebay lowers the price for listing or adding pictures or upgrading to premiere auctions, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE

drjonah · 04-27-2008, 03:13 PM

I thought i'd chime in some more, if you find sales on ebay/half to be slow, there are other sites you can sell on

I have my books, cds, dvds and vhs's all listed on both half.com and amazon.com. Amazon charges a little more in fees if you're not a 'merchant' but you can list stuff there for 60 days unlike 7 days on ebay

If you have a lot of books to sell, there are TONS of sites you can list on, not just ebay and amazon. There's a website called bookfinder where you can search book prices

Amaranth · 04-27-2008, 03:35 PM

I wanted to add one more warning about ebay, as apparently, this is a scam that happens quite often on Ebay and I didn't even know it until it happened to me.

I used to do a lot of selling on ebay when I was in college to help give me some income. I sold a lot of my old kid stuff and a lot of the porcelain tea sets, vases, and jewlery boxes that used to grace my room. Every transaction was going just fine until one day, I received an email from one of my buyers complaining that the porcelain unicorn they had purchased had a broken horn that looked like it broke during shipping. They said it looked like there was old glue on the broken piece and on the "stump" which meant that apparently, the item had already been broken at one time and glued back together, and that I had neglected to state that in the auction information. Now they wanted to return the item for a refund.

As a kid, a lot of my porcelain collectables got knocked over and broken, and a lot of them got "glue-jobs". I was pretty certain that that particular item had NEVER been one of them, but since I couldn't remember 100%, I agreed to refund their money and cover the cost of shipping it back to me.

When I got it back, I pulled it out to look at it. Yes, the piece was broken and there was old glue residue on it...but this was NOT the original item I mailed. Sure, it was the exact same thing, but not the one *I* had had. I knew this because the eyes were painted slightly differently, and on the bottom of the piece, mine had had a little bubble near the artist's signature whereupon, this one, had not.

What had happened was that this bidder already had one of these items, but theirs was broken. So what they did was search ebay for an identical item, found mine, went through with the transaction, got mine in the mail, and then switched the two items, claiming I sent them broken junk. So in essence, they got my item for free after I refunded the money to them. And I was left with their old broken piece.

So yeah, just something to look out for.

Also, I now require that ALL my items be mailed out with insurance. My first and only negative feedback I ever received was when a buyer turned down the optional insurance on an item, and then claimed I 'frauded' them when the package never arrived at their door. Sure, this other ebayer had more than 13 negatives claiming they were a scammer on their feedback profile, but still, that first negative really hurts for some reason, lol.

So I can only suggest that every item you sell and ship out, you require it to go with insurance, and maybe tracking even. It's more to protect YOU than the other person.

drjonah · 04-27-2008, 05:33 PM

You have a good point, there are always going to be people trying to rip others off like that. I've discovered that a good way to protect yourself is by using a 'sellers mark' which is a mark on the item using a UV pen (granted its not good for collectibles and brand new items)

I've also found even mentioning to the buyer 'sure I will gladly return it, just ship it back to me and as soon as I can verify the sellers mark on it, I will refund in full'...that usually scares them off

bea2ls · 05-01-2008, 06:28 AM

I made a lot of money from ebay. Back in my high spending days, I bought several high end luxury items. Luckily, their value held true and I sold all of them back to pay off debt. I easily made about $1,000.00 one month.