Ebay sellers thread (other platforms too)

[disneysteve]

Amazing how eBay is so effective at selling items. Listed this new bike rack last week for $35 and allowed offers. Tonight a buyer offered $30 so I accepted. I thought it might take months to sell but I was surprised that it only took 1 week to sell.

Good job.

I’ve said many times that it is ridiculous how easy it can be to make money on eBay. Anyone who needs some extra income really should consider it. Fairly often, at least a couple of times a month, something I list will sell within 24 hours and sometimes the same day. I’ve had things sell within 15 minutes of listing.

[disneysteve]

March 2024 wrap up

Ebay:
$693.74 gross
$441.98 net
32 sales

Not quite as bad as February. The first 3 weeks were very slow but the last week picked up. Still below my goal of $600 net per month. Total net for the quarter was $1,791 so only $9 below my goal. I'm hoping that it picks up now with spring and tax refunds and stuff.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

How bad was feb?

[disneysteve]

How bad was feb?

From post #568

Total:
$479.99 gross
$333.96 net

[QuarterMillionMan]

The buyer of the 2-bike carrier hitch came to pick up the item on 4/3/24. I scanned the QR code from his phone and it shows as "delivered." I gave the buyer a good review. I'm hoping he gives me the same. That should complete the process of "free local pickup" unless the buyer has some other issue. Never know and It's not over until the opera lady sings.

[disneysteve]

Ebay was totally dead for a few days. I made a sale on 4/1 and then nothing at all 4/2-4/5 which is pretty unusual for me. I finally got a sale yesterday and it was a nice one. On 3/28 I bought a set of stainless flatware for $35 and sold it yesterday for $150 (and I hadn't listed it right away so it only took a few days to sell). I got another small sale this morning.

I went to a neat sale yesterday. The homeowner was a psychologist and avid book lover. There were thousands of books in the house. The 2nd floor loft was a full out library with the rolling ladder and everything. Floor to ceiling shelves and I think it was a 12-foot celing. We couldn't even access the top couple of shelves becaue the ladder wasn't working. The book collection dated back to the 40s and had many first editions and classics. I only bought 10 items but I should do well with them. Not fast sellers necessarily but quality items.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Not all buyers will leave feedback and or they could leave negative feedback but a positive feedback is nice such as this one.

[disneysteve]

Not all buyers will leave feedback and or they could leave negative feedback but a positive feedback is nice such as this one.

Positive feedback is always good.

I hit 1,500 feedback the other day. Only took me 27 years (but I wasn’t actively selling that whole time). 206 of them are from the past 12 months.

[disneysteve]

April 2024 wrap up

Ebay:
$689.93 gross
$415.25 net
22 sales

Marketplace:
$50 gross
$50 net

Total:
$739.93 gross
$465.25 net

Another sluggish month, but it finally seems to be picking up. I've also been buying and listing more which helps. We were away for a few days in April when my account was on vacation mode which always affects things a bit. Still, third month in a row below my goal of $600/month. I'm hoping things are back on track now. We shall see.

[disneysteve]

I forgot to mention that my actual numbers are a little better than what I posted. When I sell personal items, I zero out the cost to match the sale and expense to give zero profit. If something sells for $20 and ebay fees are $3, I'll enter my cost as $17 to show no profit on the sale (that's how our accountant advised me to record those sales since we're not making money on those items). In reality, if I sell something that we don't need or want and I walk away with $17, that's profit in my mind. It just isn't for tax purposes since the item originally cost us more than that.

[disneysteve]

The reselling business never ceases to amaze me. It's really a license to print money. I went to an estate sale last Friday (5/10). They were clearing out a house and doing a $10 bag sale. In the basement, I paid $10 for a bunch of old model trains, 1 locomotive and 8 cars. Upstairs, I paid $10 for a bunch of china, 8 pieces total.

I sold 4 of the china items to Replacements.com for $66. The other 4 items (2 go together) are currently listed on ebay for between $47 and $59.

I've already sold 3 of the trains, the locomotive and 2 of the cars, for $118. The other 6 trains cars are listed on ebay for between $18 and $24.

$20 spent a week ago has already generated $184 in sales. I still have 6 trains and 4 pieces of china left to sell which should ultimately bring in over $200 more. Probably around $400 all together in the end from a $20 investment. The stock market is great but the returns aren't anywhere near as good as this.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Incredible deals steve!

[disneysteve]

May 2024 wrap up

Ebay:
$964.01 gross
$648.96 net
40 sales

Marketplace:
$75 gross
$55 net
2 sales

Replacements.com:
$66 gross
$43.10 net
1 sale of 4 items

Total:
$1,105.01 gross
$747.06 net

Finally back on track and over my $600/mo goal just from ebay alone. It was nice to see things pick up after 3 slow months. It will be interesting to see how the next few months go as summer tends to be a slower time in general.

One new thing I started doing last month is online estate sales. They are run by one of the same companies that runs the in-person sales I attend. I've hesitated getting involved because you can't see the items before you buy them (other than photos) and condition is super important for the stuff I sell, but I took a chance and bought a set of china. I paid $24 for 38 pieces. So far, I've sold 10 pieces for $38.98. Once I sell all 38 I should come out nicely ahead. I've only done that one auction so far. I bid on some other items but got outbid. There's one running right now that has several items I'm interested in so hopefully I'll win some of those.

[disneysteve]

I hit 400 active listings for the first time today. I almost got there yesterday but then made a couple of sales.

[disneysteve]

I paid $10 for a bunch of china, 8 pieces total.

I sold 4 of the china items to Replacements.com for $66.

Since making that sale to Replacements, I've been actively seeking more opportunities to resell china to them. Thursday night, I won an online estate sale auction for a set of china for $73. I picked it up yesterday morning, cleaned it up, and separated out the items they aren't buying and a couple of items that were damaged.

The stuff Replacements will buy from that pattern comes to $742.

I spent last night and tonight getting it all packed up. I have a couple of questions before I ship it off so I will call them tomorrow to clarify a couple of things. As long as everything is in order, I'll get them labeled and shipped out either tomorrow or Tuesday. Once they receive everything, they inspect it and if all's well, they deposit the payment into my PayPal account within a week or so.

So hopefully, my $73 will turn into $742 minus what I spend on postage leaving me around $600 profit.

On Friday, I bought 3 other sets of china at an estate sale. I have to get those sorted and organized, then pack and ship them out too. I don't have a final tally on what I'll get for them but it should be around $1,800. I spent $225 for everything.

Packing all of the china is rather tedious but the return on investment is great.