Do you remember the first item you ever sold online? Let us know by sending an email to ina@auctionbytes.com and we may publish your story. Today we hear from Kaniesia and Robert, whose first eBay sales led them down very different paths.
Hello.
The first item I sold on Ebay was a Peterson Field Guide to the Northeast (book) about 7 years ago. Until that time, I had only been a buyer. After that, I went to a garage sale and found an Encyclopedia of Turtles book, complete with protective plastic for $3. The next week I had $81 for the book, from an Ebay buyer.
Books sparked my passion for finding that diamond in the rough, and also began my quest as a savvy, economical shopper and seller.
Kaniesia Evenson
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My first item sold on eBay was a total disaster. When Ronald Reagan died, I had an unopened official presidential calendar. I went on eBay with an asking price of $4.99. My picture, which was taken from a scanning of the cover, didn't show up in the ad. I got a bid right away from a woman in North Carolina for $4.99. I sent it to her but got mixed up and put down UPS instead of USPS and it took $10 to mail it to her.
I called her to see if she got the package OK and she said it came through in fine shape. In talking to her, I told her about the mix up and she very graciously offered to send me the difference in price and even offered to put me in contact with someone who would help me put pictures in other eBay items I might sell.
I had setup a Pay Pal account but didn't notice that a seller would have to have a minimum of $10 before payment would be credited to my account. I have never tried to sell anything on eBay since.
Robert Ramsdell
Albany, OR
About the author:
Ina Steiner is Editor of AuctionBytes.com and author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). She has a background in marketing and research in the high-tech and publishing fields. If you have story ideas, comments or questions, send them to ina@auctionbytes.com.
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