Summer season officially begins this week at our house. My baby girl finishes Kindergarten in a couple of days, leaving over two months of fun to be had! We don’t regularly take yearly vacations like some people, but we do take mini-trips throughout the year as a family. These mostly happen in conjunction with a social media conference I attend; while I work, the family has fun!

With summer, come added expenses. Aside from any vacation costs, there are also extra expenses associated with more people at home during the day (extra food, increased energy use, etc.). Additionally, for most, it also means summer camp and daycare costs.

As I’ve mentioned before, selling on eBay is a great way to earn extra income and raise funds for such things as these extra summer expenses. eBay wants to challenge you to take that summer vacation and help fund it by selling your old, unused items! It’s easy to sell on eBay and you don’t even pay any fees for listing an item; you only pay a fee if your item sells. Why not give it a try, right?

To get you started, here are some tips for selling on eBay:

• Ideas for Finding Items to Sell on eBay
• eBay PowerSeller Shares Tips For Getting Started Selling on eBay
• eBay’s Selling Inspiration House
• eBay’s Seller Information Center

To encourage you to give selling on eBay a try, we’ve got a great giveaway!

Selling on eBay Summer of Fun Giveaway

Give selling on eBay a try or share your past experiences in eBay selling and you could win an eBay gift card worth $100!

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a $100 eBay gift card, simply leave a comment below answering one or more of these questions:

1. Tell us about a recent item you sold on eBay.
2. How many listings do you currently have live on eBay?
3. How much money did you make in a recent sale?

All entries MUST include your eBay ID in order to qualify. All entries will be shared with Airfoil PR and eBay. By entering this giveaway, you agree to have your eBay ID shared with Airfoil PR and eBay.

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time only): Fund your summer vacation by selling on @eBay! Share eBay experience & enter to win $100 eBay gc! http://bit.ly/sellebaygv #giveaway #eBayParent
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this giveaway. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Sunday, June 10, 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. By entering this giveaway, you agree to have your eBay ID shared with Airfoil PR and eBay.

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

Photo: Mindaugas Danys/Flickr

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

We want you to treat yourself courtesy of eBay, so we’re giving away a $25 eBay gift card!

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.

Extra entries (optional):
Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time entry only): Enter to win a $25 eBay gift card from @modernmami! http://bit.ly/ujc6Ht #giveaway #contest #eBayMoney #eBayParent
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
5. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this contest. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

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