When I started selling on eBay, I listed items around my house that I no longer needed. I’m a big fan of donating gently used clothing, shoes, and home goods, but once I sold on eBay, I realized how much money I’d been giving away. I’m still a big fan of donations, but not until I check the sold listings on eBay to make sure I’m not giving them a handful of money.
Eventually, I ran out of items to sell, which is when I started going to garage sales to find inventory. I grew up going to garage sales. I love to hunt for treasure for a few dollars. Once I started selling on eBay, I saw them in a totally different light. I was amazed at the number of sellers who had no idea of the value of their item and were selling it for just a few dollars.
One morning, my daughter and I were on our way home from a long morning of garage shopping. He had gotten some items, but it wasn’t the best loot and he was a bit disappointed. We got to our neighborhood and I saw a green neon sign at the end of the street. By the way, neon green and pink cardstock is the best invention! All I have to do is look for these bright colors when I head out to the garage sale and I can easily identify my next turn. So, we drive to our neighbor’s house and start looking for the items for sale.
As I was looking through the piles of stuff, I noticed some clothes hanging on a rack at the end of the table. I flipped through the hangers and found a jean jacket. As I checked it for stains and blemishes, I realized it was a Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Edition jean jacket. What? As a bike enthusiast, I don’t understand why he had it for sale. Even more surprising, she only wanted $3 for him. She was so excited to get back in the car and check out the sold listings on eBay. I was sure she could get at least $40, but when I did some research, I found that this particular jacket was selling for between $75 and $150, depending on the style.
I listed the jacket on eBay for $100 and it sold out in just a few days. I got hooked! I knew this was something I could make a lot of money on and eventually replace my full-time income. I kept selling on eBay. Every Saturday morning, I was up and out at 6:30, so I could be first at those garage sales. The saying “the one who gets up early, gets the worm” is very true.
Of course, not all sales are so lucrative. You have your bread and butter items which, to me, the average sale is around $25. I still get really excited when I get those big sales. I’ve sold shoes for $50 to $75 that were only $5, sold a toy Star Wars lightsaber for $65 that was $3, and once sold a tie for $79 that was only $2. of generating good income, this excitement definitely keeps you motivated!