Ebay is Great for Extra Income for Stay at Home Moms!
Written: Jul 08 '04
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I have been an Ebay member for five years now. Ebay is something that most people have heard of. When I’m talking to folks who don’t know what it is (like my Grandpa for example) I explain to them that it is much like a garage sale, but on the computer. Sellers have auctions that people bid on and buy things. The great thing is that so many people use this service that you are able to sell things with millions of people looking at the auctions and you can purchase unique things that you may not be able to find locally.
Seller Information:
Fees:
Ebay charges an insertion fee to list your auction. If your item does not sell then you are still charged the insertion fee. However, you can re-list your item for a second time and if it sells then the second insertion fee is refunded. If your item does not sell for the second time you are out of luck and are out of pocket the fee for listing two auctions. The insertion fee is based on the amount of the starting price of your auction. For items that you start under $1.00 the fee is .30. The fee goes up from there based on the amount for a maximum insertion fee of $4.80 (additional fees for items listed under Ebay motors or Ebay Real Estate). Then when the auction closes another fee is charged, which is called a final value fee. This depends on the closing price of the auction. If it ends at less than $25 the fee is 5.25% of the closing price. If the closing amount is more than that the percentage goes down based on the amount.
With each auction listing you get to show one free picture. After that the fee is .15 per picture. I usually use the one free picture with Ebay. Then I would like to show additional pictures of the item for sale I use my image hosting service that is called Inkfrog. Having a picture with your auction listing will increase your chances of selling the item and getting a higher price. People want to see what they are buying.
There are other fees that can be charged for various things that you can add to your auction such as featured auction, highlight, border, subtitle, gallery or buy it now. Normally I don’t use the extra services because I try to keep my fees as low as possible.
Duration of Auctions:
You decide how long to run the auction for. You can pick one day, three days, five days, seven days or ten days. There is an additional .20 fee if you chose the ten day option. Normally I have all of my auctions for the seven day period. That is the longest you can run an auction without paying an additional fee.
If you are listing your auctions, but would like them to start at a later day you can pick the schedule option as well. There is a .10 fee per auction that you schedule. You can pick the date and the time to start the auction.
Ways You Can Sell:
You can list your items in a normal auction that is listed for one-ten days depending on what you pick. During a normal auction you can add the buy it now option for an additional .05 charge. This is where you start the auction out at a certain price, but if someone wants to end the auction early they can at a price that you set. Or you can sell your item at a fixed price where people do not bid, but can only buy at the price you set.
Misc. Sellers Info:
If you want to sell on Ebay you must first register with them. It is free to register. After you are signed up you will go to the section that says “Sell”. It will take you to a sell your item that will guide you through doing the listing. It is easy to use. If you have a problem with something there is a help section at Ebay that I have went to many times when I have had questions.
Buyers Info:
When looking for a particular item you can go to search and type the item that you are looking for. Or you can look at items by the category that it is in. You need to look at the item good and if you have any questions be sure and email the seller. There is an “ask seller a question” link on each auction where you can get in touch with the seller through Ebay’s mail system.
You also need to look at the seller’s feedback very carefully. Feedback is left on a buyer or seller when the transaction is complete. This is like an Ebay member’s report card. You can leave a comment for each transaction that you have and that comment must be labeled positive, negative or neutral. You want to be very careful when looking over the feedback. If a seller has 42 negatives for not sending out the item or having crappy items you know that is someone you don’t want to deal with.
You then place a bid for the maximum amount you want to spend. If the auction is listed at a fixed price or has a buy it now price that you would like to pay you can end the auction immediately. Be sure and read all of the terms on the auction carefully. If the seller says that they don’t take personal checks you don’t want to get into a disagreement with them because they won’t take your personal check. It is best to read all of the seller’s terms and conditions so that you know what to expect up front and know what you are agreeing to.
Normally when I win an auction I will complete the Ebay checkout which sends my name and address to the seller. I then wait for the seller to contact me with payment instructions if it is not listed on the auction. Many times the seller will take Paypal and I can pay immediately when the auction ends. If they do take Paypal I send the payment right then or I wait to get instructions from the seller if the payment information is not included on the auction.
Categories at Ebay:
There is such a huge variety of things that you can buy or sell at Ebay. The categories at Ebay are the following: Antiques, Art, Books, Business & Industrial, Cameras & Photo, Cars, Parts & Other Vehicles, Clothes, Shoes & Accessories, Coins, Collectibles, Computers & Networking, Electronics, Crafts, Dolls & Bears, DVDs & Movies, Entertainment Memorabilia, Gift Certificates, Health & Beauty, Home & Garden, Jewelry & Watches, Music, Musical Instruments, Pottery & Glass, Real Estate, Sporting Goods, Sports Mem, Cards, Stamps, Tickets, Toys & Hobbies, Travel and Video Games.
You can find most anything at Ebay.
Final Thoughts:
I really do love Ebay. I enjoy making a little extra money through Ebay and I also enjoy buying things from there. It is great for people to make extra income from the comfort of their own home. It’s nice to be able to work on it at 2 am in your pajamas with no makeup. You set your own schedule and do it as much or as little as you like.
I have been able to find a variety of things at Ebay that I could not find locally. I have found books and CDs that were out of print. I added to my John Ritter movie collection from Ebay. I have bought jewelry and Christmas gifts. My son is now starting a hat pin collection and I hope to find some cool baseball pins for his hat.
Between buying and selling I have done literally several thousand transactions. Most of the transactions have went very smoothly and have not had any problems. There have been a few times when I’ve wanted to pull my hair out, but for the most part it has been great.
Using the site is easy. It guides you through the process. At times I have had to email Ebay about a particular question that I couldn’t find the answer to. They usually respond politely within 24 hours. I have also signed up to get announcements sent to me through email. There is usually a couple of times a year that they have a free listing day. I love those days because you can really save a lot of money on your listing fees if you are able to spend the day working on your Ebay stuff. At other times they offer specials such as you can list your items with a gallery picture for .01 instead of the normal .25 fee.
A great place to find things to sell is at estate sales, local auctions and yard sales. You can sometimes get some really good deals and turn around and sell them on Ebay for a profit. That is always fun. If you enjoy that type of work it is a great business to get into. I am a stay at home mom and at times the Ebay income has helped our family stay afloat.
Other Ebay Related Reviews:
Inkfrog.com ~ My Image Hosting Place
Bidpay.com ~ A place you can buy Western Union money orders to pay for an auction (free service for sellers)
USPS.com ~ estimate your shipping costs before you mail
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? numerous items
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About the Author
Member: Wendy
Location: ~Music City USA~
Reviews written: 238
Trusted by: 264 members
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