Monday, June 06, 2005

My flawed ebay plan

Currently I am poor. impoverished.

A couple of weeks ago I embarked on a plan to start selling stuff on ebay to make some extra money.

I've started selling some of my audio books and the odd DVD. The trouble is I have only made 12.50 so far and I'm already running out of things to sell. I really thought I'd cracked this poverty thing too.

5 comments:

The Goldfish said...

Alas, this is low season on eBay and there are certain items, like DVDs and CDs which you would be lucky to sell anyway, since they’re so cheap elsewhere on-line. That is unless you’re selling relatively recent movies or those classic albums like the Beatles and Stones which never get reduced in price. Audiobooks are dear from shops of course but unless someone who wants that particular book happens to be searching for it just now, you may be out of luck.

One thing that people don’t necessarily think about are clothes. I have made a fortune selling clothes on eBay – once or twice I have made a hundred percent profit on items which I bought new from the shops but never wore. Stuff like an old leather jacket you don’t wear any more, shoes or boots which are hardly worn, etc.

The oddest thing I sold on eBay was a book I only listed as a bit of a joke when I was showing my parents how to use eBay. It was an old book belonging to my Granddad (recently deceased) called Pheasants and Wild Fowl of the World. I put it on for two pounds fifty and got twenty-five pounds.

Of course there is always your soul. There was a great spate of such sales last autumn and you could probably make a grand or two if you were prepared to accept dollars.

Karen said...

Rather than just your soul, I'd buy the complete you, Damon. I mean, think about it. All of that great entertainment in one compact package!

Katie said...

How come you're so poor Damon? Don't you get paid at your Media work if you know what I am saying?

Come and help me out at H.A.D you would make a brilliant volunteer!

Darediva said...

Ah, ebay. A recent divorce has left me in a state where I am too poor to pay attention.

I looked around to determine what someone might buy. Oh! How about that expensive watch I got for a uni graduation gift? The one that no longer runs, starts with an "R", ends in an "X" and I can't afford to have repaired? Less than two hours after I put it on auction, a fellow from Miami emails to ask what I'd take for a Buy it Now price. I did a little research into his buying habits, and found he was good for it. I now have a new washer and dryer.

But my big sellers now are braille emblazoned tshirts, done to order! Although they do NOT say what yours does, Damon. Only YOURS will have "Fluffy pink cat".

Eliza said...

Yup, unfortunately, DVDs and CDs have very little market. The one thing on which I *did* make a killing on eBay? Ancient books from my school library. I taught at a school with a library that seriously had not gotten a new book since 1958. Finally, in 2000, the school got a grant so we could buy new books. Hundreds of old YA novels were set to be sent to the SHREDDER. I was told I could take whatever I wanted before they got shipped out. Most of these were well-worn, pictorial (library-issue) cover version. Ie, NOT something you'd think would be highly collectible. But, with a bit of research, I found out which ones fetched the bucks. There were tons that went for 10 or 20 bucks, many that got 40-50, and one--with all of the library markings, dog-earred edges and even some rips--that got over 200! I then started going to library used book sales to buy specifically to sell and did make a bit of money that way, but the "found" books were the best (and, as that was probably at the height of eBay selling--enough buyers to keep the prices up but not so many that there were many sellers selling the same thing--I know I'd never hit that success again, even if I still had the energy to do the book fairs).

I realize that this may not be the most relevant product if you can't see, but the idea can be applied to other stuff (learning a particular niche market and then buying things on the cheap that you can sell for more).

I had stopped selling because it got to be too much work (my hatred of going to the post office knows no limits). These days, I want to get back into selling, mostly to get rid of some of my clothes and stuff, but I need to get a digital camera first. (Back when I was really into selling, it was all about scanning. I didn't know people who owned digital cameras. And we walked uphill, both ways, barefoot. Ahhhh, technology). Damn, now you've got me all antsy about this. I keep telling myself that I'll make enough in just a couple of weeks to cover the cost of the camera, but I still can't bring myself to make the investment.

Which brings up an interesting point about selling things that aren't specifically targeted at people with visual impairments (like the cds and dvds, although those are probably less essential. but, with clothes and stuff, definitely). Generally, having a picture generally greatly ups the selling price. It's totally unfair, yes, but I'm wondering if not including an image (which, granted, is my assumption. I may be acting incredibly ignorantly here, and I apologize if I'm wrong on this and you do do that) is reducing the number of people who are even clicking on your auctions to begin with.