A Waste of Time I Say, eBay, Olay

I have been working so hard on this eBay thing, I will probably get the hang of it, but didn't want you all to think I am ignoring you, I'm not, I have too much "Stuff"

Very cute, Elsie! Have you thought of listing with www.craigslist.org ? It doesn't cost anything to list your items for sale. You select your state and city and post what you have to sell. There is no shipping costs either, as it is meant for people in the area to respond and buy your things. You just have to arrange a time and place to make the exchange.

Well, you're a braver soul than me Elsie. I still haven't dared try to sell anything on eBay.

I tried...didn't like it... gave up.

I really didn't ~get~ why eBay is so gosh darned popular.... love your poem

way to go Elsie!
I sell books on ebay - it doesn't bring in much, but they go to good homes, and I just can't throw out books that I have loved to read, even if I don't want them anymore...

Once you get a 'system' down of how to do things, it's really very simply to post on e-Bay to sell. I'd never set a price as low as 99 cents on items that are worth a lot more. You can make a suggested bid of what something's worth...and let others bid whatever they want. Getting under a dollar for things isn't even worth the bother. At least try to get your money's worth. I made some good money off things I've sold on e-Bay in the past.

I tried that with my frist item, a doll Rob, and I got one bid for .99 , I was glad I put up a reserve price, I don't think I am going to stick with this, seems to complicated to me. But my son wants me to try it, so giving it a go, I know it will be easier to do when I get the hang of it, thanks all for your comments.

Cute poem Elsie. I don't really like ebay but good luck with it.

Very cute poetry Elsie! Good luck--my friend steve uses it all the time to sell his tools but he had trouble getting pics to load too.

oh the many woes of an internet driven market.

You're so wonderful, Elsie! Hang in there for a while on eBay... it's not that big a deal when you get the hang of it. We're done pretty well selling on eBay but it does take patience and learning what works and what doesn't.

Elsie you always have a way with words. You make me smile. Hope you get the hang of the Ebay thang. I have been considering listing a few of my unwanted treasures there myself.

Oh, dear. Good luck, Elsie!

Elsie - you are great with words - you truly are - love this - have you thought of putting the pictures of the things you want to sell and asking Gather members to purchase them? Maybe you have something some of us may want to purchase. You can do it like an article with pictures strewn about - Ebay freaks me out - I haven't figured it out and keep asking folks to look for stuff for me. Now, I really need to get rid of stuff as well but I am just so connected to some of the things - they are part of me. Have a good weekend, Elsie. Salud.

My mom does ebay and it really has been beneficial

Great poem, Elsie. I sold a few things on ebay a few years ago. It worked and I got decent prices for the items, but not enough that it seemed worthwhile.

I know exactly what you mean Elsie. I never could get the hang of it and gave up. One good thing came out of your efforts, this cute little poem.

good luck on ebay

Cute poem Elsie. Good luck with the Ebay sales.

ebay does not go out of their way to make it easy. I have been selling there on and off for years. I just get the hang of it, and then they go and change everything!!! Sort of like Gather 'upgrades'????????
I put all my pictures in an 'auction' folder in my pictures and then it is easier to find them and upload them.
Make sure you charge enough for shipping/handling (packaging materials, gas to the post office, and all that) or you will really lose out.
I do beads, beading supplies, some handmade jewelry and some vintage stuff. I start most stuff at .99 (these are all small items) - and rarely get more than that for them. But the $4.50 for shipping makes up for a lot (I only charge shipping for the first item and then the rest are included - but you have to try different things to find what works for you). A lot of one item customers aren't happy - but the bigger buyers come back again and again.
I also have an ebay store ($15.95 a month and listing fees are only 3 cents with one free photo) - to be found in the searches though, you also have to keep some things in auction - I try to keep about 10 in the auction and have around 800 all together right now.

I LOVE EBAY! I have a rating of almost 660 and all positive. I haven't been selling as much as I use to but I plan getting back into it this summer. Maybe even next week while I'm on vacation.

And of course your poem was very good.

Good "reality" poem, Elsie! I don't have alot of Ebay experience.....I once bought a book there. It was a pretty easy thing at the time.

We sold a ton of stuff when we first moved, and really made some money on the antiques. I did my research, and knew the value of the item or at least the least amount I would take. I didn't start everything at .99, I actually started things at $2 or $5 unless I knew it was worth quite a bit. Then, I would start at $50 or whatever, but at least the person knew what the bottom dollar was, they didn't have to wonder about a reserve. I haven't sold anything for a while. It felt like a full time job there for a bit, but the extra money was nice. Good luck!

I think you'll get the hang of it, too. I believe if you don't sell the item, you can relist it for no fee, once. Unless they've changed that.

I actually know people that sell enough of ebay to supplement their income nicely! You should be able to sell the things that are crowding you and make a few dollars.

Elsie, I've been an eBay Powerseller for over a year. Please let me know if I can help you in any way!! If I could get the hang of it, anyone can!

That was so cute! Ebay is quite tedious and there are a lot of fees between them and Paypal! Good luck though!

oh dear Elsie... you are such a sweet lady... best of luck with Ebay... i've never tried it... hang in there... maybe Kimberly can help you... Bless your heart...



Glitter Rose Graphics

Good luck with Ebay. I list everything at my lowest price - no reserve and always have a Buy it Now price. I sell a LOT of cheap items.

I do not read you nearly enough lately Elsie.
This is great.

Cute poem, Elsie. I sold some things on eBay for a while and did okay, no, actually quite well, but I had trouble finding stuff to sell to make it a full-time thing. Haven't bought or sold there for several years now. Good luck!

Kep on keeping on, Elsie. With your perspicacity, tenacity and huge capacity for love, work and joy, you'll get there.

Elsie, This made me giggle. But please don't pout for long. I doubt you will though. My brother loves ebay. In passing I mentioned something I really, really wanted and within 2 weeks he'd found it on ebay and it was in the mail. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought of ebay. But he did and he grabbed it for me. He has had a lot of success in selling and in buying on ebay and sings its praises, so I hope you get the hang of it soon and find yourself flourishing. Just last week I found a line of clothing that is no longer being manufactured on ebay for my neighbor. It was quite by accident, but it was there. So hang in there.

Really cute poem!

We sold on Ebay from 2000 until last April. At one time we made really good money and we were both selling different items full time for a living. But eBay isn't like it was. Between eBay and Paypal the fees are too high and everybody wants everything for nothing. The relisting fees will kill any profit that you might have made. Fraud and knockoffs are so rampant I'd be afraid to buy anything there any more unless I knew the seller.

I love how you can always get a poem out of anything! I've never bought or sold anything there myself. I have a friend who makes pretty good money doing that stuff. She has sold furniture, paintings and she makes jewelry to sell. I've heard a lot of people say the fees are getting too high lately to make it worthwhile .

we've always had pretty good luck with ebay. I say that if it's too much of a bother for you, have your son list the stuff for you. Sounds like he's pretty experienced in ebay selling.

I know someone mentioned craigslist and I just wanted to share my experience with them. I listed some things with craigslist to try it out since there are no fees. I found it horribly annoying. People would call us all day long with questions, and then would try to haggle prices. Then, they'd want to come by our house to see the items. These are all problems you don't have on ebay. Which is why I'd gladly pay a small fee to list on ebay and avoid having to answer stupid questions on the phone, have crazy strangers in my house, and deal with people haggling try to rip you off.

I've bought 5 items on e-Bay, but never tried to sell anything. Your poem certainly speaks of frustration. I would not list anything unless it has a picture. I certainly hope things go much better for you.

Larry and I are thinking of selling some things on Ebay. I hope we have better luck. Loved the poem.

I read somewhere that grouping of similar items sells better and at a higher price than selling single items. Bear in mind, I've never tried selling anything on e-bay, so I'm not speaking from personal experience.

How do we find you and your items on e-bay?

Yes, Elsie, a link? Also, you might want to put your thought about links here:
Links that should and should not be on Gather

Elsie- This poem is NOT Spam. That is not the message I was trying to give. I was just wanting to see the items on Ebay and wondering if a link would be okay or not.

cute piece, reminds me of when I was using ebay.

when I was still in school I sold a lot of books this way and made enough pocket money to keep me happy. But then they changed things and I was always owing so I stopped. It was a great way to sell books at one point that I knew others could use and that I could make money off of, but not anymore.

This is a wonderful poem Elsie. I agree, you should add a link to your 'stuff' on eBay! Either make one or more of the words 'clickable', or just insert a clickable link at the end.

I wish you luck Elsie. Ebay can be frustrating at times, but it also can be good income at times. I bought most of Xaivers formula from there when he was a baby and I use to sell formula coupons on there and made a nice amount on them as well. My hubby does alot of selling off and on on Ebay and has done pretty good for the most part. Goodluck I hope it starts working out better for you hon.

Love itTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT !!

Sharon K.

Very cute little poem, Elsie!!!