eBay

bldgre-80 · ‎12-20-2021

retired and bored so im going to start selling on ebay...... any suggestions, ive got lots of time on my hands, would do this just for fun. hobby...dont really need the money

zenben011 · ‎12-21-2021

*Also realize that you are a customer of eBay and their business is to make money from you!

kensgiftshop · ‎12-21-2021

@bldgre-80 wrote:
would do this just for fun.

I could think of better ways to have fun.

Have a great day.

maxine*j · ‎12-21-2021

Even though you're doing this to keep busy and active in retirement, and selling on eBay is actually pretty good for that, treat it from the outset as the small business it is.

Set up a seperate bank acount just for eBay, to use when you enroll in Managed Payments.

Keep good records of every cent that goes out and comes in. That doesn't have to be anything fancy to start with. Set up a simple spreadheet on the computer, or jot it all down in a notebook. Just make record-keeping a routine part of the hobby, an exercise for your mind and memory. Come tax time, hand this over to whoever prepares your taxes for you. You want to pay any taxes due on any net profits, but there's no reason to pay more than you must.

When you're preparing to list something for sale, do a search on eBay Completed Listings. Look at the ones that sold and the ones that did not. What did the successful seller do that you can emulate? What were the photos like? What keywords were used in the title and description? Et cetera.

Don't use auctions to begin with (if ever, depending upon what you're selling). Don't use Best Offer to begin with (although you can get into this later.) Use only Fixed Price with Immediate Payment Required to begin with.

Just a couple of random thoughts for you. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year on eBay.

=

dq3141 · ‎12-21-2021

@m60driver wrote:
@dq3141 wrote:
If you're planning to source from yard/estate sales, etc., isn't there anything else you can do with your time?
Well excuse me, but for me personally, being medically retired, there is little better for me to do than to go to such sales to find things to resell on Ebay to make some lunch money. Besides, in my area the only good music radio shows are in the mornings on the weekends when the sales happen. So for me, no, there is nothing better I can do with my time for a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday morning than to drive around to sales while listening to a great reggae show on Saturdays and a great blues show on Sundays. If you have something better this unemployable curmudgeon can do to make some lunch money so easily then pray tell.

OP clearly stated: "would do this just for fun. hobby...dont really need the money"

If YOU need money, great, do something to make money. The OP doesn't, so my advice stands. They can go volunteer somewhere, or take up a hobby that doesn't involve selling stuff.

dq3141 · ‎12-21-2021

@wildpitchsports wrote:
Welcome! Just be aware that if you are in the USA and sell over $600 starting next year you will be taxed on the total sales amount and will receive a 1099-K that you will need to file with your tax return.

Not this again. You're supposed to report the income WHETHER OR NOT YOU GET A 1099-K. That goes for next year, this year, and past years.

mtgraves7984 · ‎12-21-2021

@bldgre-80 wrote:
retired and bored so im going to start selling on ebay...... any suggestions, ive got lots of time on my hands, would do this just for fun. hobby...dont really need the money

@bldgre-80

Retired and bored, not needing the money, doing it for "fun". So you're going back to work, huh? Good luck...

monroe67 · ‎12-21-2021

Sell what you know. Usually that also means what you have.

For my selling ID, I started with fashion jewelry that I had purchased almost addictively from QVC, from a designer who passed away several years ago. I had recently retired and did not need to accessorize a business-office wardrobe anymore. But I knew what I had and roughly what I paid for them originally.

I sold many items for much less than their original prices, but at that time everything else, including gasoline, was also much cheaper. If I sold a necklace that originally sold for $50 and got only $10-$12, that helped fill up the gas tank. But the important thing was that I was establishing my seller reputation and routines for packaging and dropping things off at the post office.

When a relative passed away about 18 months ago, I inherited his collection of collectible coins. For him, they were sizable purchases based on his modest income. But I didn't know much about them at all. I knew nothing about "MS69" or "PF70." I decided to try to sell them on eBay, and I started to study. Boy, did I learn! Like, did you know that there are NO U.S. quarters, half-dollars, or dollar coins that are dated simply 1975? I didn't know that until 2020, 45 years later! (The US Mint decided to get a jump on the bicentennial observance and every one of those coins that were produced during 1975 bear the dates 1776-1976.)

And one very important bit of advice for new sellers: Read these Community Pages every day, both the buying and selling forums. Granted, you will probably see some conflicting responses, but you will catch on. You may make a mistake or two along the way, but you will learn from them.

Best of luck !!

bimm_corp · ‎12-21-2021

@bldgre-80

>would do this just for fun

If you're looking to have fun, better forget about it. Selling on eBay is no longer fun.

forward-motion · ‎12-22-2021

For the record, I'm not wrong. If you have a problem with the tax laws change. You haven't been reporting it. Making it a LIE. That is how I came to this conclusion. @1786davycrockett

powell-memorabilia · ‎12-22-2021

Ah, yet another doom & gloom message. Plenty of people make good money on eBay. Why not take them as Ana example, and improve your profitability?

dirk12955 · ‎12-22-2021

Doom and Gloom is exactly right. These boards are full of eBAyers that can't imagine anybody

running a profitable business on eBay and at the same time NOT calling CS on a daily basis.

I've called CS maybe 3 times in 22 years.

Maybe business would be better for some of our "Glass is half empty" sellers if they spent time encouraging new people instead of telling them "Abandon all hope, Ye who enter here"

powell-memorabilia · ‎12-22-2021

@dirk12955 wrote:
Doom and Gloom is exactly right. These boards are full of eBAyers that can't imagine anybody
running a profitable business on eBay and at the same time NOT calling CS on a daily basis.

No doubt that there are rare cases that require a call to CS. But, absolutely, so many sellers call eBay CS for everything. Slow sales? Call CS. Need to print a shipping label and want to know how to change from landscape to portrait? Call CS. Can't sell certain Dr. Seuss books on eBay? Call CS.

The worst part is that people so often know that CS can't do anything - they just call to complain.

kath.layn · ‎12-22-2021

Still reading? Here’s my 2 cents worth.
- Read, then ignore the nay-sayers.

- Lots of excellent advice re: what NOT to sell on these posts, read and pay attention!
- I also recommend EBay for Dummies, Great book!

-I think having a dedicated eBay bank account is a wise plan

Im also retired and here is why I enjoy selling on eBay. It gets me out of the house a couple of times a week hitting the thrift stores. I learn so much interesting stuff researching the items I find. I’ve steadily increased my sales over the years, learned how to pack fragile items safely, gradually learning to avoid stuff that nobody wants to buy. Other than buying my shipping supplies and “new” stuff to resell, I leave my eBay bank account alone. Then in late January I close up the shop and go to Mexico for a couple of months on my profits!

I try to only buy things I can mark up 4 or 5 times. Then I know I’m gonna make a profit. There IS fun to be had and money to be made. Best of luck!

turtles-trading-post · ‎12-22-2021

I was one of those covid-retired bored people who needed a project! I will say "sell what you know" as others already have said! Do you have a hobby? See if you can use that hobby knowledge to sell to other people in the hobby!

I am both a stamp and model car collector. I have vast stashes of goodies for both hobbies. I decided against selling model cars on eBay for a number of reasons... First, good inventory is hard to find and would involve multi thousand dollar purchases. I decided I didn't want to sell items over $100 on eBay because of the fraud factor. People I know who do sell in that market are upset when buyers will take a mint sealed kit (the fact that it's sealed doubles the value), break it open and steal a few parts out of it... then file with eBay that they've received a faulty item. The thieves aren't even smart... a buddy got back a vintage 1970 $200 kit that some idiot opened and stole the tires and chrome wheels from. Then he files a claim that it's incomplete... first, highly unlikely that a sealed kit would be incomplete... nor would it be missing chrome wheels... cut off the chrome tree where the rest of this tree is still present! With parts trees, it's all or nothing. Of course eBay is stupid and refunded the buyer. Buyer never returned the kit. So I'm not going there.

In the stamp arena again I own items worth many hundreds of dollars. But what do I focus on? Single items in the 99 cent to $10 range. Why? Because there is relatively little incentive to steal that little amount of money, plus the expertise needed to understand what I'm selling is such that someone in this hobby wouldn't want to ruin their reputation amongst dealers... For instance, in looking at a joy rider... someone who has bid up a dozen of my dollar items and not paid, I knew several of the sellers who had left him positive feedback, so I could communicate outside of eBay via email.

So what and why? I buy and collect New Jersey postmarks for my collection from a list of regular sellers in the category. I found it intriguing that they had a really good sell through rate, and selling some pretty common items to multiple bids. I thought it would be a fun business project... Could I duplicate their success and beat it by improving processes?

First I pulled the data from several of my favorite sellers... full 90 days that eBay allows. Then I waited and got an additional 90 days data, which gave me a full six months to analyze. I examined and charted all their business practices. I looked at their volumes, number of items listed vs sell through. Items sold at starting bid and those that resulted in multiple bids. What was their median sale? Once I did all of that I launched, and I'm having fun watching my little experiment grow and tweaking and improving as I go. Analyzing my data.. charting my results. It's just for fun!

Then what happened? I got a call for an intriguing consulting project that benefited covid vaccine distribution... so I'm doing that full time days, and playing with the eBay stuff in my spare time. I don't expect to make any real money at the eBay sales, it's just for fun.

The collectibles markets are fun. I meet interesting people, and it's rewarding to connect people with items that have been in my hoard for years. That said, I would NEVER do eBay selling consumer goods. The general public has that Walmart attitude that it's okay to screw businesses. I couldn't deal with that!

Sending America's collectibles where they belong, one auction at a time!