Appletreedeals's ebay Money Quest

Everybody likes a bargain... and I like selling them! I got hooked on ebay when I found out there were buyers that would actually pay money for those old Legos from my son's childhood.

I had heard about ebay, and even surfed it once in a while, but never bought anything. When I saw some of the things people were selling, good deals... and crazy things too, I thought I would give it a try. I mean if someone was willing to buy a used coke can, why not used Legos?


I don't remember what that can sold for, but it didn't matter, it sold! So I did all the sign-up stuff to get an ebay seller's account, and I was 'off to the races'. There were other steps to start selling of course, but I took them one at a time, (there are a ton of lens to help you step through the process) and gradually became better at it.

I picked up some 'Tips & tricks' of creating a good listing, (that's what an ebay sellers auction is called), along the way, but I quickly learned the most important things were a sellers honesty and customer service!

My products are always what I say they are, (no tricky wording to hide behind when a buyer is not happy with the 'surprise' they received), and I include plenty of photos so the buyer can see all aspects of the item. And I ship very quickly. After all, you probably waited a few days for the end of the auction to win an item. I don't want to make you wait another 4 - 6 weeks to receive your hard-won purchase, I want you to be happy with your transaction with me so I can sell you something else. It's nice to get buyer feedback that says "Wow" I won the auction on Sunday and had it in my hands on Weds.!

As I struggled to get to the Christmas decorations in the attic, after moving too many storage containers with 5 years and 3 kids worth of toddler clothes, (the kid's will need these someday, says my wife), I almost stepped into an open plastic tub of my son's old Legos, (a long time forgotten). That was when I remembered seeing a lot of ebay auctions for Lego.

I occasionally surfed ebay, and was curious about the people and things they sold there. And now I was considering whether or not I could do it. After all what could it hurt, my son was older now and would never even remember, much less miss these old lego pieces.

You probably know the drill, so I won't explain here, (I'll give you some Squidoo ebay lens links farther down), but I jumped through all the necessary hoops and tasks to list my first auction on ebay and....

...Ok, as I was saying, I did some ebay research and saw that most of the used or bulk Lego auctions were for quantities or batches of similar pieces, so I divided that old tub of Legos into similar batches, took some photos, (my first photo efforts were really bad), wrote a really average description, and listed a couple batches on 7 day auctions. Wow, if this works I'll make a ton of money on ebay!

So now I'm checking my listings every couple hours, (don't laugh, I bet you did too with your first listings), and... nothing! Why weren't people bidding on my great Lego deals?

Of course, as a Newbie I didn't know about last minute bidding and sniping, so I had some disappointing days until the auction ending date neared and I finally started getting some watchers, and even some bids. But alas, come Sunday evening all my listings sold and I saw myself rolling in the the dough!


I was hooked... I could see dollar signs in every old toy, (and some not so old), storage case, attic box, and and anything else we had not used in a long time, (or as recently as yesterday). Little did I know that I was about to be sucked into that great black hole that most new ebay sellers fall into.... Soon I found myself... (let's have a coffee break)

As long as we're talking about collector's pieces and decor motifs, (we were weren't we?) Check out these Retired CMV pieces available on Bonanzle.

David Crockett Fire Co. No 1
1994 Firehouse Series - Retired 1995, Signed on back "Faline 95".

Medina Town Hall and Engine House
1990 Series VIII - Retired 1995, Signed on back "Faline 95" *This piece is from the last year's production of this series.

Stockbridge Town Offices
1997 Stockbridge Christmas Series - Signed "Faline 97"

Stockbridge Housatonic Bank
1997 Stockbridge Christmas Series - Signed "Faline 97"

...as I said, soon I found myself spending hours and hours in front of the screen, surfing for ideas, reading all those tips & tricks articles, (admit it, you did too!) , writing listings, revising listings, taking photos, editing those photos, looking at other power seller listings, (I will copy a good idea in a heart beat! why re-invent the wheel?), and, and , geez! is it really 3 am? What was I working on? My wife is threatening an intervention!

So, moving along... I soon had a thriving seller's account! I had a PayPay Merchant account, I was using Auctiva as a 3rd party lister, I had gotten pretty good at taking and editing photos, ( I even had photo tents, and lighting equipment), I picked a lot of brains, and was signed up for too many seller's tips newsletters. I found a niche for collector's items, a good source for those items, and within a few months I was a ...(drum roll) POWER SELLER!


And then there was a light at the end of the tunnel, things got easier because I got smarter. (about the process, anyway).I learned to automate everything I could, email management through ebay & Auctiva, bulk re-listing, USPS free pick-ups, free USPS shipping materials, man I was on a roll!

Until, Until I thought about blogging and other web marketing sources like, yes like Squidoo! Now I'm being sucked back into that internet black hole.

I'm sure there is a chapter 4 coming... but that's for another day. (and maybe another lens.

If you have gotten this far, thanks for hanging in there, I hope you feel it was worth it.

Gregory

Is a picture worth a thousand words? Here is my current ebay ratings.





...and here are some customer comments.




Have a question? Or just want to make contact?

Email me

You have probably heard it before, but ebay, 'she's a-changein'... so my products they're a-rangein' These sites also offer:

Safe and Secure payment options through PayPal, Credit Cards, eChecks, and of course your personal checks and money orders..
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Still the same 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, and speedy service as on ebay!

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A really bright and exciting place to shop. A lot like ebay in it's product types and variety, but it's not an auction site, it's buy-now eCommerce. (Just like a regular store).
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eCrater is a large and growing site that is also eCommerce, and not auctions. So you don't have to wait for those great deals. They're already there!.
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Another fun and exciting place to be. It's not an auction site, you can just put an item in your cart and check-out to buy it now... Or you can try to bargain with the seller by 'Making an Offer' to buy it at a lower price. Check it out!


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Hey, as long as you're here...why not check out my 'Info' Blog - The Cat's Meow Village Finder. See the history of CMV pieces, and the real buildings some are modeled after.

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Are you an eBay seller too? If so, make your own page like this. It's fast, fun, and free. (And you can earn a royalty just for selling your OWN stuff. Wild.)