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 Sarah who worked her way up from newbie to connoisseur.

Hi Ina,
I started out on eBay as a buyer (mostly of little girl's dresses), but it helped build up my feedback score and knowledge to a point that I felt comfortable trying my hand at selling. I'll admit that I don't remember the first item I sold online, but I know it was one of our wedding presents and that it was in 2004. My first sales on eBay were all of our china, crystal and flatware that was too fancy for our lifestyle. However, once I'd sold all of my own stuff, I started going to garage sales and thrift shops for the first time in my life...and that's where the excitement began!

My most memorable "first" sale was for a nondescript Frankoma vase that I found at a parking lot sale in Allen, TX. I dropped my kids off at a lacrosse game and stopped by the sale. I picked up the vase and saw a Frankoma mark that was different than the bold stamped ones I'd seen before, so I figured it was a fake (what little I knew). In the little window of time I had before picking up my daughter for her next sporting event, I researched and found that the "Pot and Puma" mark on the vase was highly valued. Imagine my frustration when I couldn't get back to the sale before 2 p.m.

Luckily for me, the sellers hadn't left yet and the vase was still there. I picked it up and casually asked "How much?" She sold it to me for 25 cents, and I sold it on eBay for $448!! Needless to say, I was hooked. Since then, I've become a regular on the eBay Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain Discussion Board. Between the wealth of knowledge on that board and my own research, I've become much more savvy, but the thrill of finding a bargain never grows old!
Sarah Peters (eBay ID: sgpsells)