What do you sell on eBay, and how do you do it?

[TheBajan]

with ebay anymore they want you to to through THEIR system for these types of things and now if you use paypal or them for shipping you can't buy the insurance anymore. i have a few times used the US post office site to insurance something, but have you ever tried to collect on that???????? OMG!!! they never ever pay!! UPS i don't know so much, i never use them and have been shipping with ebay using paypal for about 15 years now. i have really only had a few problems with shipping mostly with things getting bent.


i LOVE ebay and have sold for all those years as well as purchased from them. i find the risk is far less than what one may think when one is not an avid ebayer LOL!!

Tobee,
This is a little off topic but what exactly do you sell? I've tinkered with selling a few things (mostly books and recipes) but I haven't come up with anything that really turns a profit. Any advice? Mods, please feel free to move or delete this if it's inappropriate to ask.

The Bajan

[tobee43]

Tobee,
This is a little off topic but what exactly do you sell? I've tinkered with selling a few things (mostly books and recipes) but I haven't come up with anything that really turns a profit. Any advice? Mods, please feel free to move or delete this if it's inappropriate to ask.

The Bajan

a ton of things but mostly g strings...and free shipping. LOL!!!!!

actually i do the strings and bras, i have a TON of beautiful clothes i never wore and i sell them. i make my kids give me BACK all the expensive children clothes i get their kids and resell them. recently i have been selling a ton of vintage goods.

i also do big expensive things. i use to do nascar, i had one of the first signed baseballs on ebay with a real letter of authenticity it goes on and on. i'm in a book appropriately called ebay for dumbies as well a few more books about selling and buying but since we don't give out names i can't name the other books i'm in. and YES i'm really telling the truth and i have more stories!

i usually keep up about 200 items but now i'm down to 78 with all that has been happening around here, so i have to get back to work on ebay soon as my legal work as of now i only have 3 steady clients and really don't want anymore for this time being. ebay is far better money!!

[TheBajan]

I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know what a g string is :O and what do you do to the bras? It seems you have your hand in just about everything though. My hat's off to ya! My sister-in-law is one of those people who can go to a yard sale and see the treasures in the junk. All I see is junk!! Although, I was pretty proud of myself when I spotted a brand new wall mirror, paid $3 for it and sold it on eBay for $60. It's the only time I can say I did that but hey, it was still a good feeling! I've seen the eBay for Dummies book. I haven't read it. It seams they have a 'Dummies' book for just about everything under the sun!!

[tobee43]

I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know what a g string is :O and what do you do to the bras? It seems you have your hand in just about everything though. My hat's off to ya! My sister-in-law is one of those people who can go to a yard sale and see the treasures in the junk. All I see is junk!! Although, I was pretty proud of myself when I spotted a brand new wall mirror, paid $3 for it and sold it on eBay for $60. It's the only time I can say I did that but hey, it was still a good feeling! I've seen the eBay for Dummies book. I haven't read it. It seams they have a 'Dummies' book for just about everything under the sun!!

yes of course, a jack of all trades and master of none...no i have two masters and a couple of degrees but they are no longer fun to play with...although my hort degree still seems to be the most fun for me still. i think i get bored to easy and want to do everything in life and want to make certain i can do it all LOL!! but ebay has always been part of my life from the 2nd week they were on line i was putting up beanie babies at work between court sessions!!! THE REAL TRUTH!!! i swear. but it was really fun in those days because you could trust everyone.

a g string is you know...google it ROFL!!!!!! they have a great customer base and attack all different types of people that would like to buy one but can't or will not go into a store to get one. and, believe me i guess i look just as odd buying them myself LOL!!! but i get them on sale for like 99 cents and sell them from 6.99-12.99. works for me!! now i sell about 40 a week plus other stuff, although my inventory is way way WAY down. now that my spouse is beigining to get stronger from the cancer battle we have been fighting the past 7 months i plan to get back on board more full time after the 4th of july holiday. i hope as we can really use the money.

[TheBajan]

a g string is you know...google it ROFL!!!!!!

OMGosh!!! Those pictures should never be on my computer! That's too funny! I would look pretty odd shopping for one myself so I suppose that if I wanted one I'd go to eBay for it but wow... what a thought! Good laugh

[keepsmiling]

I was a Power Seller on ebay back in the day. Now it's 100 times more difficult for the seller than it used to be. They have virtually forced the lil guys out, quite deliberately in fact. Just a warning for anyone thinking it's easy money.... there is a huge amount of work and a serious learning curve involved. Be very aware that you can LOSE money easily.

I keep planning to get back on and sell but get discouraged by how low prices have gone and how much I have to relearn I have piles of stuff here that really should get listed.

Tobee, we'll have to talk someday I do remember when Beanie Babies were the HOT item on ebay!

[df04527]

Haha tobee! Too funny! I STILL have a bag full of those beanies! Lol

[AngelinaCat]

Hi All:

I moved these posts into a thread of their own, so that maybe others interested in eBay will get some help.

[Flamingo]

eBay is not what it used to be and unless one is looking for vintage or collectible items, it is usually cheaper to get the item online with free shipping and/or other discounts or purchase locally. I have had an eBay account since 1997 or so and over the past few years, have maybe logged in there only several times. I find Amazon.com and other places much cheaper to get stuff online. In the past I sold some old vintage dolls and a few other items passed on to me via my mother's estate which my children did not want and those went quickly. So many people now make jewelry that unless you are looking for something vintage or specific, you can basically now make it yourself for pennies on the dollar.

Some people also enjoy the thrill of bidding on items and I recall one person I used to work with telling me they had to go to therapy to get out of their addiction of buying old postcards. I personally have found selling anything on eBay, unless vintage or hard to find, more expensive timewise and fee wise, just due to the expansion of the internet and being able to find items way cheaper and easier elsewhere now. Will eBay become a thing of the past? It seems to be heading there....

[GoGoGophers]

I used to sell things on eBay. I sold a line of makeup that was very difficult to get from the manufacturer directly without it being a serious PITA. They had no retail outlets so there was a niche market for people like me who were willing to deal with the manufacturer and then sell to the public via eBay without the standard shipping and membership hassles that the manufacturer had.

I had several problems that caused me to walk away from the whole thing. One was a competitor who was (successfully) creating a monopoly on the product line. She sniped every single competitor's auction and then turned around and re-sold everything at a way-marked-up price. The stuff she was selling was old and had changed hands several times. People who wanted to buy the products were shut out of the bidding process unless they bought from her, at her higher prices. She had numerous IDs and it was almost impossible for sellers to block her because she made new accounts on what seemed to be a daily basis. eBay didn't really care that someone was manipulating the marketplace. They just wanted their fees. I got the impression that it was not an isolated incident. It made me realize that eBay really isn't a free marketplace anymore.

The other difficulty was that some buyers were scam artists. I can't even begin to list all of the naughty things that some buyers do. They can only do it because eBay's system not only allows it, it fosters it in some ways. Buyers who know how to manipulate the system can get away with a good seller fleecing and are free to go on and do it to someone else again and again.

Between the dirty sellers, the dirty buyers, and eBay's indifference I simply let it go. It is too easy to lose big money there. I'm not sure if people can really get in and make any money anymore. I still buy stuff on eBay occasionally but I usually check other online retailers before buying from eBay. Things are often cheaper elsewhere.

[df04527]

I gave up on ebay years ago and havent logged in since. Not to mention my account was hacked.

[keepsmiling]

I buy regularly, especially cell phones and other small electronics . Cheap and quick and easier than running a million places.

Agree with gophers tho -- ebay took all power away from sellers and made it too easy for buyers to scam. Good time to buy, not so much to sell. Some do make a living at it but just be advised- taint "easy". You need a full understanding of marketing and postal and shipping arrangements just for starters. Then there's a lot of hand holding as the stupid questions come, and dealing with the scammers.

Then there are the market hogs- believe it or not this kind of nonsense goes on with the "well worn shoes". If you want a laugh, look into that sometime. Bizarre.

[Bell30656]

My 9-year-old daughter dropped her iPhone in the toilet. I got her a new one for $49 from AT&T (plus an additional commitment on my contract). Then I put her water damaged, non-working iPhone on eBay for sale. It sold for $200!!! I made certain that the auction ad said numerous times that it was water damaged and did not work. We used the extra money to purchase a Life-proof case.

[ksgirl38]

I've bought and sold quite a few things on ebay. I've sold some Christmas and birthday gifts I received that just weren't quite my thing or size. I've even sold some gift cards this way for stores I didn't think I'd return to. I always seem to find something when I clean out a closet that I'll give it a try selling on ebay. At least it gets it out of my house. I buy all my printer cartridges on ebay. The ink is much less expensive than anywhere else. Some of it may be expired, but I've never had a problem with it. I find ebay is a great place to find discontinued or hard to find items. It's always a great alternative to find items that you know you won't use much and don't want to put the money out for something new.

[keepsmiling]

If expired (or unexpired) ink isn't working, soak it for a while in very hot water. You may have to keep changing the water for a few hours til it unplugs.

Yes, this is a great thing to buy on ebay.