When I started selling on eBay, I listed items around my house that I no longer needed. I’m a big fan of donating gently used clothing, shoes, and housewares, but once I sold on eBay, I realized just how much money I’d been giving away. I’m still a big fan of donations, but not until I check the sold listings on eBay to make sure I’m not giving them a bunch of money.
Eventually, I ran out of items to sell, that’s when I started going to garage sales to find inventory. I grew up going to garage sales. I love hunting to find treasure for a few dollars. Once I started selling on eBay, I saw them in a totally different light. I was amazed at how many sellers had no idea of the value of their item and were selling it for only a few dollars.
One morning my daughter and I were on our way home from a long morning of garage shopping. He had gotten a few items, but it wasn’t the best loot and he was a little disappointed. We got to our neighborhood and I saw a neon green sign at the end of the street. By the way, the neon green and pink cardstock is the best thing ever! All I have to do is look for these bright colors when I go out to the garage sale and I can easily identify my next turn. So, we drive to our neighbor’s house and start looking at the items for sale.
As I was looking through the stacks of things, I noticed that some clothes were hanging on a coat rack at the end of the table. I flipped through the hangers and found a jean jacket. As I was checking it for blemishes and blemishes, I realized it was a 100th Anniversary Edition Harley-Davidson jean jacket. That? As a bike enthusiast I don’t understand why he had it for sale. Even more amazing, she only wanted $3 for it. She was so excited to get back in the car and check out the sold listings on eBay. I was sure she could get at least $40, but when I did some research, I found that this particular jacket was selling for between $75 and $150, depending on the style.
I listed the jacket on eBay for $100 and it sold in just a few days. I got hooked! I knew this was something that could make me a lot of money and eventually replace my full-time income. I kept selling on eBay. Every Saturday morning, I’d get up and leave at 6:30, so I could be first at those yard sales. The saying “the early bird gets the worm” is very true.
Of course, not all sales are so lucrative. You have your bread and butter items which, to me, average sale is around $25. I still get really excited when I get those big sales. I have sold shoes for $50 to $75 that cost me only $5, I sold a toy Star Wars lightsaber for $65 that was $3, and I once sold a tie for $79 that was only $2. of generating a good income, this excitement definitely keeps you motivated!