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Money

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Monday, February 09, 2009

Debt and Marriage: How Selling on eBay Helped Me

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Sell Their Stuff On eBayAnyone who is in debt, or has been before, is aware of the stress it can place upon other areas of life. I know it all too well: my marriage almost ended because of our financial worries. We were overextended and stressed out over our mounting debt, and that made us more prone to argue about anything and everything else. Our relationship is faring much better these days, mainly because I am now actively seeking work, plus I'm bringing in a little extra money each month by selling on eBay.

I started my eBay "career" by selling a dress, similar to the one in the photo, that I wore when I was a bridesmaid in my mother's second wedding. I really liked the dress, and it had a bit of sentimental value to me because my mother passed away a couple of years ago. I knew, however, that the chances of me ever wearing it again were low. I ended up selling it for $48.00- not bad for something I didn't pay a dime for, and that was just languishing in my closet!

I also sell eBooks on CD. I found a website where private-label resale eBooks can be downloaded free of charge. For the price of a blank CD (less than fifty cents), plus a dollar or two for shipping, I had an instantly successful product. In my first week of selling eBooks, I had over fifty orders. My profit that first week alone was almost one hundred dollars!
Oster stand mixer sold on eBay
Not stopping there, I also make a decent amount of money by selling assorted knick-knacks and small items that I pick up at yard sales and flea markets for a low price. For example, last month I bought a 1970s-era Oster stand mixer at a garage sale for $4. I took it home, cleaned it up, and made sure that it worked and all the parts and pieces were there. Then I listed it on eBay, and it sold for $77 plus shipping. Quite a profit!

I also sell through drop-shipping. I list items that I think will sell. When the auctions end, and the money for the item is in my PayPal account, I go back to the drop-shipper's website, place the order, and the item is delivered directly to the customer. I don't have to keep an inventory or anything, which is what makes drop-shipping a convenient way to get into the eBay business. I have sold everything from baby items to mp3 players, and some are more profitable than others.


motorcycle sold on eBayMy biggest eBay sale to date is a motorcycle. My husband had it advertised in our local newspaper first. We had a few callers, but no one wanted to give a fair price for it. I listed it on eBay Motors, with a starting bid of $900, and it took off from there. It sold for $1,750, which was $250 more than we had hoped for.

I'm not claiming that becoming an eBay seller is a ticket to financial security, but I've been able to pay for our family's health coverage, and occasionally I can afford to put a little bit of money toward our credit card debt.

Money issues can cause stress in a marriage. I know it did for me, mainly because I didn't feel as if I was contributing to the household finances. Finding a side job (such as eBay selling) can go a long way toward easing that worry, and ironing some of the "wrinkles" out of daily life.

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for a great entry.

Though I feel that eBay's fees are exorbitant, I believe that selling the stuff that we really don't need on eBay is a great way to keep your head above water during tough economic times. Better than turning to payday lenders and their ilk, IMHO.

Even seasoned eBay sellers are sick and tired of the high fees. eBay has been without any serious competition for way too long, and that's never good for consumers. It's the reason why antitrust laws exist.

I've read some good things about Bonanzle. I wish the company all the best. It's going to be tough taking on the eBay monolith during a deep recession.

You should also consider selling stuff via Craigslist, which is free and the traffic to that site is huge. Last summer, I wasted my time and money placing ads in local papers for a business opportunity. The ads did not perform well, but as soon as I placed the same ad in Craigslist -- for free -- I got about 30 responses per day.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 9:01:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for your comment and your suggestions. I actually have sold things on Craigslist, bigger items that would have been too expensive to ship through eBay. I will definitely look into Bonanzle and see what they have to offer.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 4:59:00 PM  

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