modernmami™ » get started selling on eBay

You May Have an Extra $7,000 in Your Home and Don’t Even Know It!

Melanie Edwards — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 19:31:36 +0000

What could you do with $7,000? Pay off some debt? Family vacation? Save it for a rainy day?

While I can think of many things we could probably do with that amount of money, I’m not exactly sure what I’d do with $7,000. I do know that I’d be grateful to come across such an amount of cash! Who wouldn’t, right?

Well, apparently, you and I may have $7,000 worth of stuff just laying around the house. eBay recently sent me this interesting piece of information: “According to a 2011 study from research firm NPD, the average American family has about $7,000 worth of unused stuff.” Who knew?

Reading that statistic makes me want to dig around the house to see what sorts of items I have that could earn me some extra cash. I could take those spare things in the home, and sell them on eBay. I definitely don’t want to let a potential $7,000 slip by! Without even looking, I can think of a couple of things I have that we’re not using and I could sell on eBay:

There’s that extra business suit my husband never wore and is sitting in his closet with the tags still on it.
I believe I have a couple of blouses that are also brand-new with tags still on them that I haven’t worn – and apparently won’t any time soon.
My kids have many toys they’ve outgrown that I’m sure other families will enjoy.
I acquired some Disney items that I’m sure a Disney collector will enjoy adding to their collection.
There’s an extra digital camera that is sitting on our office shelf and has never been used.

It’s amazing how many things we save thinking we’ll one day use them and they end up sitting around for months, maybe even years, never even opened. Why do we do this? Isn’t it better to make room for things we’ll actually use or even just make some extra space in our house, and in turn, our lives?

Take a look around your house and see how many unused, unopened, or brand-new items you have that you could list and sell on eBay. Maybe you don’t have $7,000 worth of stuff, but I’m sure you have a couple of hundred, at the very least. If you decide to sell your items on eBay, take a look over some of these past posts I’ve shared to help you get started:

If you find yourself with an extra $7,000 on-hand after selling on eBay, share the wealth, won’t you? {ahem} Seriously, though, feel free to share links to your listed items on eBay in the comments below!

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

Photo: Joe Shlabotnik/Flickr

7 Simple Ways to Get Your eBay Items Sold!

Melanie Edwards — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 02:24:50 +0000

My adventure in learning about selling on eBay continues. This last month, I tried to sell a couple of items – a Disney-engraved Swarovski crystals business card holder and a book. Neither item sold, unfortunately, but I received great feedback from other eBay sellers on how I can fix my listings when I relist the items. In particular, Windy Mayes Sibbersen of windylou.com and a fellow eBay Parent Panel member, provided me with a lot of input and suggestions.

1. Study other listings. Look at listings for the same items and see how those sellers have described the item. Also look at their policies and consider using similar language on your listing.

2. Optimize your listing’s title - use keywords and use all allowed characters. Keywords help items show up when people search on eBay. Using terms people might use in their search, even if not a part of the item’s actual name, will help your listing get some eyes. For example, for my business card holder, Windy suggested I use terms like Mickey Mouse, Disneyland, and Disney World.

3. Add more photos! Though you only get one free photo with your listing, if you add more, it might help buyers see your item better. Consider adding photos showing different views of the item, close up shots of details, and any photos that will help people truly get a feel for the item. If you’re only using one photo, make sure it’s bright and clear. I made this mistake and used a photo I took of the business card holder with my phone, as I was listing the item using the eBay mobile app.

4. Provide a detailed description. Windy suggests telling a story when describing your item. Let potential buyers know who might like the item, if it makes for a good gift, and why that person would like it. I have thought about this and think that when I relist the business card holder, I’ll let folks know that it might make for a great gift for Disney fans and collectors or perhaps a recent college grad. A member of the eBay PR team at Airfoil PR also suggested that I provide specific details, such as how many crystals it has, the type of material it’s made with, etc. She also mentioned including information on how I came to own the item and why I’m selling it. For the book, she said to be sure the ISBN number is included.

5. List more than one item at a time. I didn’t think of this, but Windy shared that the more items you have listed, the more likely it is someone will find them. They might find one of your items through a search, then see others listed by you, and click over to see what else you have selling. With 50 free listings allowed by eBay each month, I’m severely not taking advantage of this strategy.

6. Try different categories. Airfoil PR suggested I try listing the business card holder in the collectibles section instead of desk accessories, where I had it listed. This makes sense now that I think about it, since so many people collect Disney items and might buy it for that purpose rather than to use it as an actual business card holder.

7. Promote listings via social media. The Airfoil PR team reminded me that it doesn’t hurt to share your eBay listings on Facebook and Twitter, as you never know who might be intrigued. On Twitter, be sure to use appropriate hashtags, such as #Disney, #collectible, and #rare for my business card holder.

I am definitely going to take these suggestions and put them into action when I relist these two items and list any new items in the future.

What do you usually look for when viewing an eBay item and considering it for purchase?

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

Photo: Sold Sign, AKZOphoto/Flickr

Selling on eBay For a Summer of Fun {Giveaway}

Melanie Edwards — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:08:43 +0000

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:

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:

Tell us about a recent item you sold on eBay.
How many listings do you currently have live on eBay?
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.

Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
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
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.
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