[paulmish]

Hi all - just another 2 cents:

I got tired of wearing "good" jewelry all the time (not that I have a vault of it...) and I fell in love with fashion jewelry. I started an Ebay store, and I followed a very specific business plan (I have a business degree and a math/education degree). I gave it 9 months, and I tried EVERYTHING. I got nothing but glowing feedback, because the prices were so artifically low, that people were getting awesome jewely for about 1/3 of the value. When I closed my store, I had alot of disappointed customers emailing me - I didn't have the heart to tell them that I wasn't a charitable foundation. In the end, I was in the RED $400. I started doing bazaars, and made over $500 from the first 2 shows combined. After that I was in the black. I cleared about $700 last year with very little time invested. And that was only in three months. I hope to clear $1500 this year - depending on the numbers of shows, it could be much more. I'm trying to start doing home parties, but I have NO spare time, so maybe in a few months or so, I'll concentrate on that.

My opinion of Ebay is that alot of people try it, lose money, and quit. In the meantime, these people keep cheap prices alive. Kind of Darwinian, huh?