Selling on Ebay...Ugh

eBay has been around for a long time now.  I have been buying things for years on the popular site.  After collecting for several years I wanted to take a crack at selling.

Getting started was hard!  The amount of time researching each item was surprisingly eating up a lot of my day.  Taking the perfect photographs proved to be very challenging.  Posting the item...another tedious task.  And shipping?  Don't get me started!

My first sale was a Mickey Mouse waffle maker which I made a nice profit from (flea market find).  It was exciting to see someone bid on my item!  Then came the packaging and shipping.  I find this part the absolute worst.  When I walk in the post office I know the lady behind the counter wants to just die!  Ok, maybe not, but I know it must be frustrating because I have so many questions.  Thankfully I am starting to get the hang of it.

My 1st eBay sale - Mickey Mouse Waffle Iron.  

I currently have over 40 items listed on eBay!  Here is the link if you want to be nosey http://www.ebay.com/usr/amock007. It has gotten easier but still very challenging and time consuming.   eBay has been a very good experience.   Because I plan on having my own little shop this spring, it has allowed me to familiarize myself with all kinds of terms, names, markings, pricing, and a million other things.  It has also allowed me to sort my items and have a way of selling items I know wouldn't sell at a shop.

Want to know what my crack cocaine is?  Buying box lots at auctions without knowing what is in them.  There, I said it.

A super fabulous box lot I purchased at an auction.

When I am able to start going through the boxes, I am in "Junk Heaven."  It is a thrill, a rush - it is my high.  I find things I actually need and use, items for the store, and stuff perfect for eBay.  I am currently addicted to buying box lots and my family is on the brink of giving me an intervention.

But can you blame me?  Look at the fun mixture of awesomeness!  These are some of the box lots I have purchased.  There are several items I still have not been able to properly identify.  

Among the unidentified items consists a set of 9 point star candle holders from Fitz & Floyd.  They are porcelain and glazed black.  I have been searching and have found very little. 

The only thing I have been able to find happens to be on Etsy.   A listing for 2 silver stars like mine listed for $65.  Nice!  I also emailed a store which carried similar items.  The response?  They had not seen anything like them, the items are old, and the best part - the markings indicate they were manufactured in a Japanese factory which was destroyed by an earthquake.  Say what?!  Quite an interesting story so far for these little candle holders I found in a box.  

Another box lot I recently won at an auction.  This lot contained the Fitz and Floyd stars that will soon make me a millionaire.  (Far upper right)

My plan is to sell them on eBay.  Maybe I have a $100,000 item!  Probably not, but trying to get there can be an exciting and educational ride.