eBay Rocks!

So, if you've been following... I am a financially challenged part-time college student. I applied to a couple of employment opportunities that interested me on careerbuilder.com, but have had no response from those applications. However, many MANY insurance agents are looking for new salesteam members .... and the local auto-mall needs more car salespeople... and a few spammers want to help me set up a bank account so I can help them broaden their business horizons in the US. Something's gotta give...

Enter eBay. The international auction site that has taken the world by storm and just keeps on rolling! I took a quick look at my personal inventory, you know, the stuff sitting for the past 10 years in storage (or some part of 10 years as I shuffle it in and out of use). I did a few searches on eBay to see if my "stuff" had reasonable cash value, and ... well, some of it does! So, how should I invoke my old seller ID and move this stuff from storage to bank account?... eBay has changed over the past couple of years while I was sleeping!

eBay gives sellers a lot more free helpers (Vendio services) to attract more customers and keep buyers in the seller's store longer. Seller feedback (from buyer) is a 5-star scale, buyer feedback (from seller) cannot be negative... it seems all payments must filter through PayPal or eBay gets really upset... it's ok. I prefer PayPal.

Some things have not changed. The postage rates continue to go up, and the services get consolidates (read: some cheaper options are no longer available). Buyers complain over shipping charges even when they come out ahead of the actual charge! Example: buyer wins auction on 3 separate items (textbooks). I consolidate shipping and send cheapest way (per request).... USPS Media Rate. The eBay postage calculator charges the buyer the exact postage (right to the penny!). At the post office, I pay an additional $0.80 for delivery confirmation. The buyer leaves me positive feedback but warns that my "shipping charges are pricey." Ah, well, I shot the buyer an email politely defending the charge. Very politely! I don't want to lose my new customer. I have other items they will want (based on purchase history) and have yet to be listed....

All this to say, I am glad I got back into eBay. I am paring down my clutter and stacking up some much needed dough (haha stack now, pay to insurance, phone, gasoline, Walmart, FoodLion, student loans...)