I SO love eBay...

[Stepharoonie!]

It's amazing what you can sell on eBay. I just sold a ton of my old clothes that are too big and some Disney stuff and made $271.60 so far (those are the paid for auctions...still another $100 in auctions people are sending MOs in to me). At this rate, Maddy and I will have a nice vacation

I have MORE clothes to put up tonight, still have some Disney items up now, and am really happy with my progress. Who knew old clothes could get you so much money?!

 

[jacksonsmom]

That is GREAT!
I really love EBay too.
If it wasn't for Ebay, I really would not have been able to go to Disney in the first place. At least without getting in debt!!!

 

[wendyl]

I got started selling on ebay because of reading about it here--and am thrilled and amazed at the success. I am slowing clearing out the junk from my house--and PEOPLE WANT IT--it's amazing.

I love waking up in the morning and checking to see how many "hits" i got overnight.

Ebay is the BEST part time job you could have. I'm just already sad for the day I run out of stuff to sell

 

[nana2tots]

I have bought a lot this past week off e-bay, i am interested in putting some things for sale on there, but don't know how, can someone HELP me????nana2tots

 

[mom2mira]

Me too!! I started selling right before I really started coming here often on the advice of someone I met through a coupon/deal board. We had just decided at the last minute that we would do a Disney trip(instead of Nashville/Memphis) with our tax refund since my dd is 3.5 and we are hoping to have another child soon. We wanted to go at least once before school and a baby would be an issue. Thanks to these boards, I got the 7 for 4 deal with the DV, but that only left several hundred for everything else. I knew I would trade for some things I could use on my coupon boards, but that cash would be an issue. I started selling in the end of February and we now, after just a little over two months of selling, have over $500 for the trip thanks to e-bay. I actually almost can't believe it. We also added a reimbursement check from our vision insurance, the rest from the tax refund and a few small rebate checks, so that we have $830 cash.

Using some money from mystery shopping(which I don't budget into our monthly budget) and trading on the coupon boards I also have $75 Disney Dollars, $25 in gas cards, $25 Landry's GC, $25 Club Car GC, a free appetizer coupon for Rainforest and $20 in Target GCs for groceries. I also have $30 in DV rewards coming and have 4 Q&C and 2 VKL vouchers. I am so amazed that we should be able to do this whole trip without dipping into our checking and most of it was thanks to e-bay and these boards.

I had planned on probably just e-baying before the trip, but I already have a few things ready to be listed when I get back. Since I stay at home, we can always use the extra money and it's just fun.

 

[tymegjus3]

When you sell your old clothes do you sell them in a lot or individually? Plus what are your average starting prices?
Thanks!!

 

[SeaShelley]

We just got a digital camera, so I'm going to be jumping onboard the E-bay band wagon.....as a seller. I've got plenty of experience as a buyer....story of my life!

Steph, I too would like to know your clothes selling strategies.....do tell!!!

I just finished reading the FAQ on this board about E-bay....what a wealth of info! Great job!

Wish me luck!

 

[Stepharoonie!]

Generally, I start all of my auctions out at $5. I feel that if something were to sell for $1.99 after eBay and PayPal fees, I'm not making anything.

Unless it's a "set" I sell all of my clothes seperately. If they've been worn before, I make sure they have been washed and cleaned. For pants, I'll measure the waist/inseam/length. Take the picture, load it up. If it's new, I just make sure to put down that it's either new with tag, or new without tag (NWT or NWOT).

I've found that "brand name" jeans do REALLY well. I've sold mainly Gap and Old Navy jeans and they average $10-20 a pair. Not bad for old jeans just laying around in a closet Capri and linen pants seem to do pretty well, too.

The main key is to just be upfront and honest in the auction. If there are no rips, stains, or tears, tell them. If there's a tiny flaw, tell them. If it comes from a smoke free home, DEFINTELY tell them....that's a biggie with a lot of customers (mine is a smoke free home). If it's not smoke free, assure your customers that you'll Febreeze the clothing or air it out.

I've also found that ANYTHING Disney clothing wise will almost always get bids on it. I had an old Grumpy shirt, a Disney Wonder shirt, and an Eeyore nightgown set and a Haunted Mansion shirt that were all too big and had been worn. Each started out at $5 and ended as follows:

Haunted Mansion : $13.25
Disney Wonder shirt: $6.50
Grumpy shirt: $7.50
Eeyore set: $5.00

Those are pretty good prices for clothing that is just sitting around that you do not wear!

Little kid's clothing does really well, too. I find that selling all clothes seperately will sometimes get you more. If you have two shirts or two pairs of pants together, not everyone wants both of them...so you may lose sales.

I haven't tried shoes yet, but then again, I mainly wear flip flips Maddy has a ton of old shoes that she wore once or twice, so they'll prolly go up soon. If you need any other help, just ask!

 

[SeaShelley]

Thanks for the great tips Steph! Do you usually limit yourself as to how many auctions you have going at one time? I can see myself getting overwhelmed FAST...especially with a full-time job and a Longaberger business! I'm thinking to limit myself to 10 auctions at a time...does that sound reasonable?

 

[Stepharoonie!]

I go up and down with auctions. The most I ever ran at one time was 200, and the post office HATED ME! LOL! I do try to limit myself because if not, I'll have a harder time trying to find boxes to pack with, and time to get to the post office. The max I've been doing is about 20. Right now I have 18 running, with 5 ending tomorrow, 1 ending Friday and the rest ending on Monday. I find if I stagger it a little, it seems like an "endless flow of money". Hehehe

 

[SeaShelley]

I would love that!!!!

Originally posted by Stepharoonie!
I find if I stagger it a little, it seems like an "endless flow of money". Hehehe

 

[zurgswife]

I'm an ebay loser....I've tried to sell videos and kids clothes haven't made but about $70 on about 16 items....That's only about $5 per item before fees...

I had some nice boys pants and shirts and only 1 bidder...Oh, well maybe I'll try a yard sale and then ship everything off to the thrift shop....

 

[disneymom3]

Oh, I agree! Every once in awhile I decide it is not worth it and get in this donation mode. And then I decide I am the person who needs the donations and I should sell my stuff, list a few things and get so thrilled with the money coming in!

I just listed three toys on Sunday that my kids never ever play with. The first one sold on Buy It Now--which I had never used before--for $22!!!!! Oh my gosh! No way would I have gotten more than $5 for that at a garage sale! I just need to get cracking and get more stuff listed. Like my maternity clothes--I would think plus sized maternity should go pretty well. I can only handle listing about ten things at once. (People already think I am crazy for all that I do--Realtor, mom of three, homeschool the 7 year old, and early childhood trainer--so I have to put some limits in somewhere! If only ebay made as much as selling houses!

 

[JustHolly]

That's great Stepharoonie!

Do you ever buy things at WDW to sell on Ebay? We have been tempted by the pins to try our luck. We were also tempted to pick up some things at the Disney Warehouse Sale last month, but decided it is too much work!

Hats off to you! Sounds like you are very successful! Let me know if you'll sell all my stuff for me!

I need to try your approach. I only seem to BUY things on Ebay!

Holly

 

[Stepharoonie!]

I'll buy things, but only at the Character Warehouse. They usually sell items that are still available in the parks, but at a MUCH discounted rate.

 

[Desi]

I started in Feb while getting rid of an old cabel system. then I was hooked. I found a salvage store who sells health and beauty products for 1.00, and needless to say they sell for alot more than that! NOT TO BRAG OF COURSE, but my goal for our trip this yr was 500.00 and I've just got a little ways to go!!
If you can find a good product that people want, there is $$ to be made. but someone said something about not being worth it after all the fees, and that is true, you make no money by selling 1.00 or 2.00 stuff.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

 

[jgates]

Keep digging thru your house! Amazing what you can find. This week I found the box of American Eagle coins I had from the mid-eighties. So I put those 10 up for auction. So far the 2 gold ones have the minimum bid so even if the other ones bite, I will still have cash in hand. They were just stuck in a box in the basement!

 

[Stepharoonie!]

That is the best thing about eBay....if it's something that's been laying around and collecting dust in your house, there's a good chance someone else wants it!!

 

[Disney_1derland]

I have lots of stuff and am fairly experienced with ebay as both a buyer and a seller. I have a huge walk-in closet full of stuff left over from my fathers attempt at being a flea market retailer. most of them are ceramic angel statuary. My dilemma is...do I Lot it or sell it individually? They retail between $15 and $75 but I was going to put them up for about $5 each. I really just want to get rid of it and quick and selling in Lots seems so much faster, IF it sells.

Any thoughts from the experts???

Thanks, I am constantly amazed at the knowledge here at the Dis that goes beyond Disney, you guys are an amazing resource!

 

[disneymom3]

Originally posted by Disney_1derland
My dilemma is...do I Lot it or sell it individually? They retail between $15 and $75 but I was going to put them up for about $5 each. I really just want to get rid of it and quick and selling in Lots seems so much faster, IF it sells.

I would go for selling them individually. If you run into a collector of those statues it's going to be easier to pick which ones you want. If some don't sell, then you can put some lots together and see how they do.

Although, if your only goal is to get rid of them, yeah it will be much faster to sell them in lots.

Good luck!