This seems like it's going to be a profitable week. I have bids on 13 of my 50 items so far . . . my hope is to sell at last half of my items.
All my lots are closing tonight and tomorrow night and I'm up to $93.30 on just those 13 things.
Sometimes what is popular to people surprise me. I listed a porcelain tea set that the girls played with once. I have it back in it's original packaging, asked $3.50 for it . . . and it's up to $8.50 with 11 people still watching the auction.
The boys have moved to big boy beds, so I'm ridding myself of all the crib bedding. I listed that it's all well used, and still it's up to $15.80 with 22 people watching, and that's just the fitted sheets.
I know that throwing it all into a garbage bag and donating it would be nice of me and much easier, but I have 5 kids and I'm a stay at home mom. We can definitely use this money and it keeps me busy. Gives me a sense of accomplishment and makes me feel like I'm contributing a little bit.
As I'm going through my house, decluttering every area . . . I'm trying to envision what I want each room to look like, then trying to purge the rest. Then I separate into "save for next child", "eBay", "donate", or "garage sale".
I have found that Craig's List is more trouble then it's worth. I sold a little bit, but I have sooo many people contacting me and no follow through. I am just boxing up everything that I don't want to deal with on eBay in the garage. Mostly because it's too big to deal with shipping.
The kids have the last week in March off, so I'm ending the month with a garage sale. I'm hoping for decent weather . . .
A pre-Spring sale to reduce some of the large items I have cluttering my garage.
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I have been selling on eBay for a few years. With time I have gotten better at it.
I thought that I would share with you some of the things I have learned.
• If you are a beginner, use the simple format on eBay. I still use it. It covers the basics and it doesn't take 10 minutes to list one item.
• List items between 7pm and 9pm . . . this is the time I have the most luck. Dinner is finished for moms that may bid on my items, and ends before it gets too late. You have to remember the time zones, that time frame starts at 5pm on the West coast and ends at 10 pm on the East coast.
• Make sure you have a box or envelope to ship your item in. Nothing worse then having to go out and buy a box.
• Put similar items in groupings. You'll be able to get rid of items faster, and the price may get higher than if you list them individually because the buyer feels like they are getting a better deal. More is better to a lot of people.
• If your home is smoke-free, list it. That is VERY important to a lot of people.
• Pre-type your listings in WORD or any type program, as you take the pictures. List the TITLE, DESCRIPTION, CONDITION, SIZE, etc. It saves a lot of time. Also with the 2-hour "best" window for listing, you'll be able to list more in that period of time by copying and pasting into the eBay format.
• List your item for the least amount of money you want to sell the item for. If you only have 1 person interested in your item and you started bidding at 99 cents, they may make a bid of $10.00 . . . but get it for 99 cents because no one else bid it up. I always start an item for the amount I want for it, and usually get more.
• Take nice photos. They don't have to be professional, but the nicer the photo, the better the buyer can see what they are bidding on. Also, the more money you can probably get for the item. (I usually only list one photo [because it is free], unless it's a lot of items, or if I think showing more detail will bring more money to the item.)
• Sell you items before the right season to make the most money. If you have Halloween costume, list them at the beginning of October when everyone is looking. If you have winter coats, list them in Sept/Oct. If you have bathing suits or sun dresses, list them in March/April. Try to list just before the time when your item is most useful, you'll get more money.
• Make sure you charge enough for shipping! The post office costs more then you would think. Pre-package items and take them in to check out prices if you are unsure. Check out how much it will cost to ship to California (90210 :)) it'll give you the most expensive cost of shipping - (for me in the Midwest.)
• eBay gives you 50 free listings each month. My goal is to use them all. Sometimes they will have promotions to allow you to list more for free, you just have to watch for them. This keeps me busy enough for the month, and if I finish early, I just prepare for the next month.
• Get the eBay app if you have a smart phone. Every time someone bids on an items, the app will let me know with a "cha-ching!". . . no better sound :) I know, corny, but it puts a smile on my face every time!
If the item doesn't sell, just hit the re-list button and back up to auction it goes. If it doesn't sell the first week, it doesn't mean it never will. And re-listing is easy. If the item doesn't sell, I just throw it in the donate pile.
To some people, this extra work probably won't make sense. In that case, donate. For me, it does. The extra money is helping to pay off some debit, while saving $$$ to help purchase our next home. Every cent helps, and the cents are already adding up.
So, have fun selling all your extra clutter and clothes. And pray for great weather for the end of the month and remember to laugh at me if a blizzard hits!!!
And if you have some eBay tips to share, pass them along . . .
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