Through our partnership with eBay, I’ve been learning a lot about how various people use eBay to either earn a little extra spending money, make a living from selling on eBay, and every scenario in-between. One of the latest ways I’m learning about families who sell on eBay is through the eBay MoneyMakers video series. Each video series highlights a family and shows how selling on eBay has impacted their life. It’s amazing to hear these stories and see how families are earning money online through selling on eBay.

Selling on eBay Helps Family Overcome Unemployment

The first eBay MoneyMakers video introduces us to the O’Brien family of Westfield, Indiana. Soon after relocating for a job, Tristen O’Brien’s position was eliminated and he found himself unemployed. Sadly, this occurred just a week after their son’s birth. As you can imagine, they needed to find a way to earn some money fast! By selling household items on eBay, they began to fund their day-to-day expenses. Eventually, as they gained experience in selling on eBay, they began to sell clearance and vintage items for profit. Tristen O’Brien is now employed, but the family continues to sell on eBay and even have a blog to share their tips for selling on eBay. Check out their video below to find out more about the O’Brien family, then read on to learn about another family who’s had success selling on eBay.

eBay MoneyMakers: The O’Brien family makes money online in the midst of economic difficulties

One-Income Family Supplements Earnings by Selling on eBay

The second eBay MoneyMakers video in the series features the Sibbersen family, who has been using eBay since they got married to supplement their one-income family. The extra income from selling on eBay allowed Windy Sibbersen to stay home with their children. Much like the O’Brien family, they began by selling items in their home they no longer needed, then moved on to buying discounted items they could resell. The family has been able to fund family trips with their eBay income, as well as extra expenses not normally within budget. Additionally, the family uses their funds to give back to the community by ‘adopting a family’ during the holidays. Learn more about the Sibbersens and check out their story in the video below.

eBay MoneyMakers: The Sibbersen family finds financial comfort through extra eBay income

ModernMami™.com Reader Giveaway

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How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this contest for a $25 eBay gift card, simply leave a comment below sharing how you would use extra funds earned from selling on eBay.

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All entries must be in by Friday, January 6, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident. No purchase necessary. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winner will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: ModernMami.com is a member of the eBay Parent Panel, a compensated program.

Photo by Mike Knell

It’s been about three months since we moved from one house to another. We got rid of a lot of things in that move. A few things went to our nearest donation spot, while I piled up many others so I could resell them. Since then, I’ve been planning to have a garage sale “one of these weekends.” But, of course, one thing or another always happens that prevents me from preparing for a garage sale. Now, the holidays are coming, so there will be even less time for me to prepare for a garage sale.

This all got me thinking that maybe it would just be better if I took a whole day to sit down with my phone by my stacks of things to sell and used the eBay app to take pics and get the items listed. It would take a while with the amount of items I have, but at least it would only be the time spent getting them listed. I wouldn’t have to prepare AND host a garage sale, which would take a whole day (or two) out of my time. There are some other benefits I thought about that would make selling on eBay better than having a garage sale.

One plus is that with eBay, I get more privacy. I don’t have to worry about listing my home address as I would need to on a classified ad for a garage sale. Nor is there a need to provide my home address via email after being contacted with interest for an item listed on Craigslist. There’s a lot of anonymity with selling online, which I think is great since you can never be too sure these days. I can list items, answer questions, and sell, all through the eBay platform. When I ship an item, I can write my address in the return address spot, but I certainly won’t have to if I choose not to.

Another benefit is that I can reach more people by selling on eBay than through a garage sale. I’ll also be able to market my sale items by sharing them via social media. Chances are that my items would sell for more than I’d get at a garage sale too. Garage sales are known for being able to find great deals and for negotiation.

So, while I’ll probably still have a garage sale for some of the larger items that would make shipping them cumbersome, I think I’ll invest some time to list the smaller items on eBay. It’s definitely worth a try!

What has been your experience in hosting garage sales? Do you find there’s a benefit to selling on eBay in comparison?

Disclosure: ModernMami.com is a member of the eBay Parent Panel, a compensated program.

Photo: marya (emdot)