Several years ago, I was totally and completely addicted to eBay. Lily was a baby back then and we were having a tough time adjusting to life as a single income family. I was doing graphic design here and there, but needed something else that could make me money after our nightly 2 am feedings. You know, other than roaming the streets.
From the moment I sold my first pair of jeans, I was hooked. I went to bed thinking about what I could list next and woke up ready to photograph, write, and post my listings. My dining room table was assembly line of boxes, bubble wrap and tape. I bought a postal scale and formed a tight bond with the postman who appeared at my door daily to pick up my newest sales.
I systematically went through every time in my house, making piles of the best things to sell and mapping out the most successful listing times (collectibles and Sunday nights, if you’re interested.) I sold old clothes, old books, my wedding crystal and stemware… I sold everything. My mom would give me things only once I agreed not to list them. Jeff walked around the house with me, marking the items he’d kill me if I sold.
When I had run out of things to sell around the house, I started buying things just to sell. I scoured Marshalls and yard sales for bargains and listed them immediately. I got a wholesale number and started an eBay store. It was a job.
And then I had another baby, and soon after that, another. Suddenly the shopping and the listing and the shipping became too much to keep up with. While I once prided myself on keeping ahead of the trends, I had seemed to have lost my touch. The $3 enamel bowls I once sold for upwards of $60 were selling for ten bucks and hardly worth my effort. These days, I sell a few things here and there, but it’s not the addiction it once was.
Apparently, though, I have passed the eBay gene on to a new generation. Yesterday, Lily put on a pair of never worn shoes that had seemingly grown too small overnight. I guess we’ll have to sell them on eBay, Mommy, she sighed as she kicked them off. I laughed and gave her a hug, already plotting out the listing in my head. I think someday we could make quite a team together.
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{ 52 comments }
Tooo cute !!!!!
What a scream! Ditto for me, ditto, ditto. …and kids learn fast, don’t they?!
I think to do this with the best of intentions – but never get around to it. A fried of mine sells everything her kids don’t wear on ebay. Do people really buy used clothing? I know that sounds so stupid!
Lots of people don’t buy *new* clothing!
My addiction is with craigslist. I sold a rocker and it went in a day. Then I started going through and picking out other things (though I found out kids clothes don’t sell well, but all my maternity stuff went). I don’t drink coffee so I needed some type of addiction.
I just sold an extra crib on craigslist. Made $100 in an hour. I’m always slightly worried that I’m inviting a serial killer into my home, but not quite enough to stop selling.
I love eBay! I love buying things for less on there, but I’ve never had much luck selling anything… maybe you could teach me some tricks! lol
Ooh she is too cute! I love selling stuff on ebay too. I did the same thing you did after my baby was born last year…but I ran out of things to sell, and just stopped it right there. I think about starting it back up one day though.
I never got into the Ebay thing. The few times I sold it turned into such a hassle and with all the fees so darn expensive.
It can be a total hassle, and the fees suck. But I made well over $1000 in a few months selling enamel bowls that I bought for three bucks. That was worth it!
I have been there! I even sold crystal goblets that someone gave us as a wedding gift. WTF was I going going to do with waterford crystal toasting flutes?
You two would be formidable. But no mention of the person who turned you onto this? I always cite the source for my return habit!
I had no idea we had this in common! I could have written the same post (except that it wouldn’t have sounded quite as good as yours). I used to visit the thrift store once a week buying up vintage toys and legos and name brand clothes. I’d clean them up and sell them. I funded a couple of Christmases that way. And then I decided it wasn’t worth the time anymore. Or maybe I just decided I liked blogging better. Who knows.
Blogging ended every other hobby of mine. Sigh.
That’s like me with Craigslist! My husband laughs and says that if it’s not bolted down in our house, look out because I just may sell it!
Having just combined two households, I have a bunch of crap I want to sell. But I’m afraid the eBay train has moved on and like you said, you just can’t get what you used to for things. So I toy instead with donating stuff and getting more out the tax write-off.
My sister likes Craigslist for that kind of stuff, but I’m Ebay all the way! Of course I haven’t listed anything for two years, but I browse all the time.
Sounds like you already are quite the dynamic duo!
Happy eBaying!
I have always wanted to sell stuff on ebay – but it sounds like so much work… I think I could get addicted to BUYING stuff on ebay though. I found several lovely Limoges serving pieces in one “phase” about a year ago. I was hoping to find some of last season’s J. Crew collection recently – but no dice.
Oooh, that sounds so tempting. I’m already so addicted to quite a few places on the internet, maybe I should add eBay. I’m always worried that it would be too complicated and that I would forget to send stuff off. I do have a lot of books I’m thinking of taking to a recycling shop just now, though – maybe I could make some money instead.
I’ve always been a buyer, not a seller. I think that’s because I’m lazy.
Oh my… FUN! I wish I could do this… there is actually A LOT of stuff I want to sell… but I’m too lazy to get organized like you! So cute that your daughter said that and that she knows about ebay! I want to sell my wedding dress… I think…
Never got into e-bay. It has always been craigslist here in my casa.
Oohhh, I’ve got the Craigslist addiction going on like no other. So easy to sell stuff, and I’m constantly perusing for stuff to trade!
I did that too! In fact, I probably have a roll of bubble wrap in the garage and the scale around somewhere that needs to be updated to the current rates… I’d get up every morning at 5:30am just to pack the boxes and then ship them over my lunch break. I’d had a cut in my hours and that was our way to get back on track. I went to estate auctions and filled our garage with junk. Another reason our garbage man hated us… I went thru the boxes looking for diamonds in the rough. Sold a little old childrens book for over $100 that I had purchased in a big box of books for $1. I was thrilled! Now tho, I just jump on Ebay to buy batteries for my outdated tech stuff… or other items. I don’t think I’ll ever go hardcore like I was, ever again.
My kids begged me not to sell their Christmas dress that didn’t fit them anymore on Ebay! I realized I had a problem…
Oh, that’s so sad! You know it’s time to cut back when the kids are traumatized!
I too went through this same stage. I did very well with it.
Then, like you, baby #3 has come along and I just don’t have the time and energy to put into that it deserves.
I love Ebay – and now Craig’s List…
I just made $50 yesterday selling old baby stuff!
Baby Girl cries when I threathen to sell her stuff, whether it is something she can still use or not. I think she inherited the pack rat gene from her dad.
And, btw, I have pictures of her for you in her Sweet Petunia stuff. I’ll email them to you.
LOL! Glad the clothes worked out- I love them!!
I too am addicted to selling on eBay. I’ll buy stuff at garage sales and our 6 year old will whisper “is that for us or eBay”?
But you’re right. The days of bidders squabbling over wal-mart branded jeans are over. Sales are few and far between and you have to buy smart to make any money. But it keeps me in haircuts, groceries, and an occassion massage. I’m addicted for LIFE.
omg ! i am absolutely in love with selling things on ebay .. but i dont know how to do it and make so much money .. and it is such a hassle taking the pics and describing the items at such length .. then sometimes they dont even sell :( but sometimes its totally worth it !
I love Ebay- I have sold a few things, but my sick addiction is attempting to get a total bargain there. Every once in awhile I go nuts and bid on like 15 things before I know I have done it! Thankfully, I rarely win them all at once!
How funny! They really pay attention.
I have to warn you that every listing I’ve put up for new kid’s shoes has gone unsold. I don’t know why—I’ve tried Nikes, Jumping Jacks, sandals, sneakers, oxfords, but no luck! If you have success and can share your tip on that merchandise category, I’ve got a pile of never-worns sitting on my dining room table.
I’m also completely amused by the people who go to eBay to buy gift cards. Partially used gift cards. And pay virtually 98% of face value, plus shipping. What’s up with that? I was recently feeling broke (okay, I still feel broke but that’s another story) and sold an Old Navy gift card. It was a $50 card that actually said Christmas 2008 on it, and I had used $21.10 of its value. So I was selling a $29.90 Christmas gift card in June. Winning bid? $28.50. People are crazy!
It has changed, hasn’t it??
And the gift cards amuse me too. And the coupons? Crazy.
We are kindred spirits….
I was an e-bay addict, really I mean whore the past few years. I sold all of Angry Toddler’s clothing on there. I had people stalk my auctions.
I have like 3 totes of his stuff right now, I just want to give it away…
Don’t have time..too busy blogging, and fighting for sponges.
I love eBay. I sell things just to get them out of my house, but I love buying too.
I can absolutely relate! eBay was my main source of independent income (aside from web design/graphic design) after Princess Nagger was born – I made sure I had no less than 10 listings (starting/ending Sunday night of course!) and even sold stuff for other people for a percentage of the sale. But when Princess Nagger got to the walking/talking stage, there seemed to be no time. Plus I think seeing her really sad over some of her barely used toys being boxed up or picked up did me in (I convinced her we needed to sell them before Christmas so there would be room for Santa to bring more…) It was funny, though, when Princess Nagger would talk about selling some of her toys on eBay when she was 4. :)
eBay definitely isn’t the money source it used to be after they changed all their rules and rates. I think Craigslist has made a difference on that, too – but I’m leery about selling anything on Craigslist because I’m so far out in the boonies that I worry ‘who’ will be coming to my doorstep. ;)
i totally need an ebay lesson when you are here. i love to shop AND could use the entertainment…fyi, i remember when sara was about lily’s age and i was into buying on the phone (pre-internet shopping days). one day, i was giving my credit card # and sara started reciting it by memory with me. i thought it was time to stop the catalog shopping for a bit. thank god the internet is silent…at least she no longer knows my number!
Watch out, Craigs List comes next. That’s scary cause you never know who might show up to your meeting place!
LOVE it. I have a crapload of stuff for Craigslist in my living room. It’s been there for 3 weeks. I am SO with it on listing promptly…
Mr.H is an ebay maniac! when he buys something he always justifies the purchase with “I can always ebay it later!”
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No!! Not once have I wondered where top auction sellers source their stock from! Oy.
LOL…we went through a similar phase…baby clothes, baby items, toys…I would plan whole days at garage sales looking for things I could double or triple my money one ebay…I have been known to make over $200 profit on items I found at garage sales..My husband would clean photo and list the items, I would email, collect the $$ and take to the post office…Then EVERYBODY was doing it…and it lost it’s thrill…I miss it.
Oh, I don’t even have the energy to think about selling stuff on e-bay much less do it! Plus, I fully believe that if I get rid of the baby stuff that it guarantees we’ll have another surprise baby!
Dont miss Ebay too much! Alot has changed in the last 3 years (new president, bad market, increased seller , paypal, and postage fees) and mostly sellers are not making ANY money and are getting screwed! Keep that in mind before investing in anything you want to sell for profit!
I did ebay for a while too.. but I feel like things arent selling the way they were a few years ago.. and the trips to the post office were too much of a hassle for my lazy self.
I loved it when Kaish was a baby too. And no more babies came to make me too busy. I don’t know what happened. I just stopped one day. This summer my brother found some books at a yard sale (Value Tales) and he had bought a similiar set on ebay over a year ago for almost $200 so we put them on, and only got $30. Isn’t that crazy?
I’ve never sold anything on Ebay, but I’m a recent convert to the buying side. It’s only a matter of time before I start selling stuff, too. It is SO addicting.
Been there done that!! I have a big box of stuff to list on there but have been dragging my feet. I even already took the pictures.
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