The First Thing That I Sold On eBay

I am often asked how I got started selling on eBay. Growing up in a thrifty family, we'd spend many Saturday mornings going to yard sales looking for bargains. We also attended live auctions and found some really great buys.  As a teenager, I'd find stuff for $.25 or $1.00 and would dream about ways to sell them for more.  Since my options were limited to re-selling at a flea market or opening a brick and mortar store (which was out of the question), I'd just pass it by or if it was just too good, I'd buy it and store it away.

Fast forward to 1999 when I discovered eBay! Wow, a way to make money on stuff that I had lying around the house!

My first sale was a small square antique pillowcase with a Southern Belle embroidered on it. I purchased a big pile of linens for $1 at an auction a few years earlier, and this pillowcase was part of that lot.  I thought it was cute but not something that I would use.  I put if at auction starting at $.99 and it ended up selling for over $50!  I was hooked!

After that I started looking around the house for other things to sell, and you could pretty much buy anything.  Which got me thinking...

My first purchase on eBay was not a small one. I found an antique oak buffet from the Arts & Crafts era.  I fell in love with it and had to have it.  After placing the winning bid of just under $1000 it was mine! Except I didn't think too much about shipping and the buffet was in Canada.  So it was flown in via Air Canada for the low price of $300 (ouch) and we had to pick it up at our major airport,which wasn't very convenient. It all turned out fine, and the buffet still sits in our dining room and is one of my favorite pieces of furniture.

My beloved buffet

The best thing about the purchase is that it taught me that you could truly sell just about anything on eBay. The sky was the limit! Since that time I've sold anything from a tiny doll the size of an eraser head for about $65, an antique desk for about $600 to a single Boy Scout patch for $450.

This patch sold for $450 with a terrible photo no less!

Although the eBay of today doesn't bring the prices on some thing that it used to, the truth still holds that you can sell just about anything on the site.  If you are just getting started, take a look around your house and see what you could try to sell. You may be shocked at how much you can get for your 1980's toys and stuff animals or your kids clothing from last year.

 My Buddy doll from the 1980's sold

for $90 just minutes after listing him.

Check back for more stories of what's sold and what you can sell for big profits!