I actually had to make a trek to the post office the other day like a commoner and the woman working the counter, upon seeing my eBay branded Priority Mail boxes (which oddly enough I was using to mail a non-eBay related item), asked me if I sold on eBay. I told her simply that I did and she launched into a rant about how I am wasting my time.
She used to sell on eBay many years ago, she informed me, and it was a waste of her time. She would buy things and then resell them and never made any profit. So now she’s made it her business to warn everyone she sees that selling on eBay is a waste of time. She concluded her rant by saying, “People should know that it’s impossible to make money selling on eBay.”
Now, I like this lady and we chat the few times I go to the post office. Lord knows I don’t want to get a postal carrier mad at me, let alone get into a fight about eBay with a random lady. But at the same time, as someone who has earned a part or full time income on eBay for the last 12 years as well as an author and blogger who tries to help people share the sort of success I have had, I couldn’t let this remark go by without saying something.
So I said casually that I have been selling on eBay for “a while” and have been happy with it.
Well, she counters, she sold on eBay for at least 6 months and made no money. From the way she said 6 months like it was a decade, it was obvious she felt like she had given it as much of a chance as it deserved. How long have YOU been selling, she countered? It was a challenge but I really didn’t want to play.
I told her I started in March of 1997. Then came a list of antagonistic questions such as “You aren’t really making money are you?” which, when I informed her, begrudgingly, that I was, result in her looking at me with crossed arms saying, “Well then how do you do it?”
It was like she expected me to create and sell something on the spot so that she could see the profit with her own two eyes because she clearly didn’t believe me. At this point I am getting ticked that she isn’t even ringing up my postage so I said something about it being intimidating for newcomers but a great marketplace when you get the hang of it. Then I gave her my usual spiel about how much the marketplace has improved from what it was in the 90s, etc. Basically, I steered the conversation to eBay in general in enough of a bland way that there was nothing for her to fight me over.
She finally started ringing up my boxes again while I talked and, as I gave her my credit card to go, admitted that she had only tried it many years ago and that maybe she should give it another go. I have seen her since then and we are still cool but she hasn’t commented on my eBay boxes again, nor has she tried to “warn me” about eBay since then. I would love to think she has stopped warning people about eBay but I suspect she still is.
What is the point of this long story about my being harassed at the post office?
I think a lot of people go into eBay with the wrong idea. eBay is a marketplace where you can earn *some* extra money and, if you are good at it, it can become a full time job. This lady clearly went on the site expecting to get rich and felt it was her duty to warn people off this get rich quick scam. She felt that she got burned enough that she was evangelizing and warning people off the site based on only her one small experience.
So what is the moral of this story? eBay is not a one size fits all solution. It is a marketplace that works for some people, some businesses but not all. Just because you had a bad experience, doesn’t mean that my experience will be bad.
By the same token, just because I have had good experiences doesn’t mean that your experiences will necessarily be good. Sure, I can try to pass out tips or advice on how to make it more likely your experience will be good but, in the end, your experience will be totally unique to mine.
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The point of your blog is right on target. The reason I began my weekly internet radio program is the hype, infomercials, spam emails all claiming to enable people to get rich quick.
eBay does not fit all business models or plans, just like any other marketplace. It takes work, dedication, and the ability to change and adapt quickly. For some product lines it is very good, and for some not so good. This is much like a grocery store. Some things sell well, some don’t.
In years gone bye, eBay may have contributed to these unreal expectations, but lately scammers and others attempting to line their own pockets have perpetuated the message.
Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus, but he works very hard all year!
The point of your blog is right on target. The reason I began my weekly internet radio program is the hype, infomercials, spam emails all claiming to enable people to get rich quick.
eBay does not fit all business models or plans, just like any other marketplace. It takes work, dedication, and the ability to change and adapt quickly. For some product lines it is very good, and for some not so good. This is much like a grocery store. Some things sell well, some don’t.
In years gone bye, eBay may have contributed to these unreal expectations, but lately scammers and others attempting to line their own pockets have perpetuated the message.
Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus, but he works very hard all year!
Nice post, Hillary.
Nice post, Hillary.
I hear that all the time from people who, when you delve deeper, have sold maybe 1-2 items in a period of a few months and gave up. I think it’s not knowing what to sell, not understanding how to price it & taking poor pictures that does it for most. Anyway, I had my 3rd sale in two days (woo hoo) just this morning. I think with anything – if you put some time into it, you’ll most likely reap the rewards.
I hear that all the time from people who, when you delve deeper, have sold maybe 1-2 items in a period of a few months and gave up. I think it’s not knowing what to sell, not understanding how to price it & taking poor pictures that does it for most. Anyway, I had my 3rd sale in two days (woo hoo) just this morning. I think with anything – if you put some time into it, you’ll most likely reap the rewards.
Great post Hillary!
I sure enjoyed it as I got a chuckle from being able to relate!
**cheers** to those that take the time to learn success!
Blessings, Danna
Great post Hillary!
I sure enjoyed it as I got a chuckle from being able to relate!
**cheers** to those that take the time to learn success!
Blessings, Danna
Poor people are always amazed how the rich make money. They never believe it's possible or legal to make money without “working at a job” for 50+ years.
Don't argue with these people, you can't fix stupid.
While I wouldn't go that far, Jim, I do think a lot of people tend to be attracted by “get rich quick” schemes and get turned off by work. I cannot imagine why anyone would jump into any business without first researching it and going into it expecting to adjust with the market and changes but some people just want a quick solution.
I agree it's easy to sell, but not easy to profit from ebay!
I agree it’s easy to sell, but not easy to profit from ebay!
It is not impossible but it was much easier in years past to make money on ebay. Since 2008 it is terribly hard. I have been on ebay since 2000 and I generate monthly cash flows over thousands but my net profits are only in the hundreds. Fees that used to be 3 to 5% are now 20%. Anti-sellers policies have made it incredibly easy for buyers to openly steal from sellers. Ten years ago, the number of dishonest buyers on ebay made up about 1%. I would estimate that number is now closer to 7% to 8%. These dishonest buyers know that ebay will believe everything they say and only what they say. If a seller sells a sealed blu-ray, and the buyer claims a used CD is inside or it is just empty. The buyer gets a full refund and the seller is out not only his product but also the cost to ship it. After this happened to me for the ninth time in seven months, I began having to open and confirm content. Since doing this, I have yet to find a package that contained a used item in the sealed container.
If you sell electronics on ebay, expect to get 20% back with different items in the boxes than you shipped. The buyers will claim defects & than then send you back any old piece of junk they have lying around. If you do not kiss butt and just hand over money, the buyer will file a claim and it will not matter what proof the seller has, the buyer will win without any proof to support what they claim. In the end the buyer steals your item and gets you to pay shipping and then gets to leave you a negative feedback, while the buyer is fully protected from anyone knowing what he has done and he can go and do it to another. How do you handle a situation like this. The seller just pays and pays and gets absolutely no protection at all. I am a top rated seller but not a week goes buy that I am not victimized by atleast one scammer. It is amazing to me that ebay tells sellers you have to expect some dishonest buyers and that is just part of the system. This sounds like an open endorsement of dishonestly if done by the buyer. Ebay has an entirely different view if the seller is even accused of dishonesty. They are suspended immediately pending an investigation, and it will be one-sided and the seller’s opinion will generally be given no wieght. How do you deal with a company that when asked about dishonest buyers says “We need dishonest buyers to keep our sellers honest”……..WHAT?