COcheesehead
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Completely agree. When I tell people how much we’ve sold on eBay, they don’t believe it, then I show them our seller page and they are shocked. A hundred grand more in anyone’s life, makes a difference. That’s a lot of vacations.Have sold 4-5,000 items on ebay. Powerseller, have a store and everything sells buy it now. Total fees, ebay and Paypal run about 20%. But most items sold have a 400%-800% profit margin-so not a problem. Buy very low, sell high and use ebays advertising to cash in.
Fees too high? Not when you consider the downside of a brick and mortar, or antique mall presence. No shrinkage (theft) with ebay. Only had one or two crooked buyers in a decade, and ebay has backed me.
IMHO, an ebay store is the prefect hobby business. Start it up, shut it down for a few weeks or months as needed. Never a phone call from a buyer-(and most are very nice people).
Sure, I use Craigslist for a few items each year-usually large items (appliances, non-working scooter, bicycles, etc.), but ebay is easier once you learn the ropes. (And, for Craigslist, I meet in bank parking lots (lots of security cameras...).
Your ebay store can be a cash machine once you get the hang of it. I personally know of retiree sellers making $800 to $2000 a month-not a fortune, but a nice income for PT work (10 hours or so a week once you get it up and running.) Plus, it is a legit business from the view of IRS, which includes the same deductions the big boys/girls get.
Where to get inventory? Go to garage sales. Sellers routinely "give away" items for less than a buck which can sell for $15 to $20 or more. Are you an expert with a particular consumer item? (bikes, time pieces, cameras, computers, vtg. anything...) If so, you can buy broken things, fix them to sell, or sell the parts. There are people selling used motorcycle parts on ebay and netting $100k a year. Full time, obviously, but a nice gig!
Lots of people slam ebay: "high fees, crooked buyers, ebay backs buyers not sellers"....
yeah, well, keep the negative press going. It just keeps the marketplace open for people like me and you.
I also know many sellers who specialize in used designer clothing. Can you think of a more recession proof business? Gently worn clothing selling for 50%-80% off new prices?
Easy to learn. Tons of youtube videos out there. Don't spend any money on "tutors". Just learn on the fly. Look around your house and find a few "old things/collectibles" to start off with. Or hit the garage sales. For $25 you can find a dozen or more things to experiment with. If one or two sell (most likely for $15 to $25) you will get your money back, a nice profit and "free" learning.
Good luck, Imolder, hope I gave you some ideas. Your posts have always been an inspiration to me.
I am not sure if it’s been mentioned, but if you reach power seller status, $3000 in sales and at least 100 transactions, plus a few other things, they discount your sales costs and you show up higher in searches.