Buying and Selling on eBay: Tips, Tricks, Problems & Questions

Snoogz said:

WANT: Boys or Toddlers DAPPER CLOTHING. PM

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on this topic, I saw a onesy for a 12 month old last week. Blackwatch flannel with toggle buttons.

my first thought was for you folks who are expecting......However, it was missing a toggle and had a small hole so I had to leave it.

concealed said:

I have said it before in this thread, but I wouldn't give up a traditional career to do this. In my opinion it is the perfect side hustle. The hours spent working at this hustle full time for most people is at least 60+ hours a week. You will likely make more money, and have less stress if you work a "regular" job for ~40 hours and supplement that with 20 hours a week of flipping.

The reasons against going for it are that there is definitely an upper limit to how much you can make, especially depending on location. This may not be an issue as a relatively young guy with low expenses, but most will want to raise a family, and that becomes tougher to do. There are no retirement/health care/insurance benefits provided in addition to salary. The five-ten year outlook is not favorable for large increases outside of your own process efficiency gains, as thrift store prices continue to tick up, more competition emerges, etc. I am not saying it will shrivel to nothing, but ask Nataku, less meat on the bones than there was 6-7 years ago.

In conclusion, for most, its not a wise financial decision to pursue this full time. Now, if you have a damning criminal record, not much of a traditional resume, or some other extenuating circumstance that makes it more difficult to find employment, then that changes things considerably.

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Wanted to jump in here, I think Concealed hit it on the head. Not sure how old you (Jdrizzy) are, but the long term vision and budgeting aspect are hard concepts to truly grasp and math out. Insurance alone is ridiculous, luckily my employer pays about 90% of my $16,000 a year family plan. Also consider the money you need to be putting towards your retirement out of every single paycheck. The quantity of this will obviously depend on your other retirement benefits, but I do about 6% into a retirement fund which is in addition to the union based retirement system that I will be vested in and of course social security. I should do more than 6%, and will once I make more money, but it's another piece to consider. Then of course you have to count the state and federal taxes and ask yourself what your backup plan is in the event that this is not a lucrative business for 30-40 years. If you are younger (I think you are?) now is the time to get into that entry level position in whatever field you're interested in, work the 60 hour work weeks,and to build that resume and gain knowledge. If you finish a BS/BA degree in whatever, then don't use it for 5-10 years, you are going to be much less marketable when you try to break into the field.

If you're truly passionate about it, are you willing to move? I would do some research around the wealthiest regions/counties and then figure out how to live somewhere close without breaking the bank on the cost of living. I'd also do research around the state laws for consigning and other business/financial aspects. Are kid(s) in your near or long-term future? I thought my wife and I budgeted well until we had a baby and tried to find $800 a month for childcare which ignores the formula, diapers, and other constant costs. If you say the baby can stay home with you since you'll work from home will that impact your ability to go out thrifting and your ability to work from home? God bless our babysitter, I know I could not do it.

Full time flipping works for some, but that's also because it works for their family system. I enjoy it as a part time hobby that fluctuates based on my "normal life." Whatever you choose, just make sure you are choosing with a long-term vision and a back up plan (or two).

cdgreg said:

...
Also consider the money you need to be putting towards your retirement out of every single paycheck. The quantity of this will obviously depend on your other retirement benefits, but I do about 6% into a retirement fund which is in addition to the union based retirement system that I will be vested in and of course social security. I should do more than 6%, and will once I make more money, but it's another piece to consider.
...

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A side-note on this, for anyone who thrifts part-time and has a full-time job with 401k matching from their employer: I don't know why I didn't do it before, but I just doubled my 401k contribution, realizing that I make more than that (the additional 401k deduction) from my thrift reselling. My employer only matches 50% (I think gone are the days where they match 100% or more; maybe at Google or someplace they still do), but that's free money. Nowhere else do I get a guaranteed 50% ROI, plus whatever the fund earns. I have no small amount of disdain for my job and may not be there a whole lot longer; in the meantime I'm going to get as much free matching money from them as I can - beats the hell out of a pay raise in the long run. I would urge anyone who has any sort of matching to do the same - max it out if they can. But even if there is no matching, you still gotta save for retirement, unless you want to be a greeter at WalMart when you're 72.

jebarne said:

on this topic, I saw a onesy for a 12 month old last week. Blackwatch flannel with toggle buttons.

my first thought was for you folks who are expecting......However, it was missing a toggle and had a small hole so I had to leave it.

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Awe man, that sounds legit! Thanks so much for keeping an eye out for us though, that is very thoughtful!

ATLnoob said:

greeter at Goodwill when you're 72.

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FTFY

Cherry Pick that ****!

Snoogz said:

greeter at Goodwill when you're 72

FTFY

Cherry Pick that ****!

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I've never seen greeters at a Goodwill - someone always says "Hello, welcome to Goodwill!" when you walk in, but they're the folks working the registers...plus they can't buy stuff until it's been there a week or longer (at my local GW's).

Far as cherry-picking goes: one Goodwill puts all the new arrivals on some racks at the front of the store, before they sort thru it and put it where it belongs...love that - a huge time-saver for me.

ATLnoob said:

A side-note on this, for anyone who thrifts part-time and has a full-time job with 401k matching from their employer: I don't know why I didn't do it before, but I just doubled my 401k contribution, realizing that I make more than that (the additional 401k deduction) from my thrift reselling. My employer only matches 50% (I think gone are the days where they match 100% or more; maybe at Google or someplace they still do), but that's free money. Nowhere else do I get a guaranteed 50% ROI, plus whatever the fund earns. I have no small amount of disdain for my job and may not be there a whole lot longer; in the meantime I'm going to get as much free matching money from them as I can - beats the hell out of a pay raise in the long run. I would urge anyone who has any sort of matching to do the same - max it out if they can. But even if there is no matching, you still gotta save for retirement, unless you want to be a greeter at WalMart when you're 72.

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100% match up to 5% of salary here. No matching after that. Just for a data point.

Anyone interested in a "shoe bag" lot split? I have too many shoes and a crap ton to sell. Would like to get shoe bags for personal use and to include with my sales. I think it would be nice.

Anyone interested and how many pairs? I'd prob buy about 300-400 sets for myself.

http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=flannel+shoe+bag

Brianpore said:

Anyone interested in a "shoe bag" lot split? I have too many shoes and a crap ton to sell. Would like to get shoe bags for personal use and to include with my sales. I think it would be nice.

Anyone interested and how many pairs? I'd prob buy about 300-400 sets for myself.

http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=flannel+shoe+bag

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Funny you bring this up, I almost pulled the trigger on a couple hundred of them a few months back. For personal use, and to include in sales over XXX $ amount.

cdgreg said:

If you're truly passionate about it, are you willing to move? I would do some research around the wealthiest regions/counties and then figure out how to live somewhere close without breaking the bank on the cost of living. I'd also do research around the state laws for consigning and other business/financial aspects. Are kid(s) in your near or long-term future? I thought my wife and I budgeted well until we had a baby and tried to find $800 a month for childcare which ignores the formula, diapers, and other constant costs. If you say the baby can stay home with you since you'll work from home will that impact your ability to go out thrifting and your ability to work from home? God bless our babysitter, I know I could not do it.

Full time flipping works for some, but that's also because it works for their family system. I enjoy it as a part time hobby that fluctuates based on my "normal life." Whatever you choose, just make sure you are choosing with a long-term vision and a back up plan (or two).

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I wanted to comment about the child affecting your ability to work...

A friend of mine and his wife had a baby in late December. I went to their business to drop of some shirts to get screen printed yesterday. When I walked in the door, I was greeted by the mom with the baby in a sling. Now, obviously it helps that they work together and can presumably take turns watching the kid, but I thought it was cool that they are able to balance work in such a way that they don't need daycare or to leave the kid with their parents.

Obviously there are different factors affecting people whose work relies solely on them being able to go out picking.

I have to tell you thought that being able to write off 1/3 of our rent, utilities, phone bills, and internet service helped a lot when it came time to file our 2013 taxes! Going forward with this, I will almost certainly acquire a vehicle that will only be used for business. It just makes sense... And yes, I will make more money doing this than I would as a web designer, despite my degree.

To piggyback on having kids and doing this full time...its hard. I know there are a few full timers here, including myself who have children. The balance between doing this and raising a family is tough at times. You cannot successfully be working on pictures, measurements, or listings while watching a toddler run around you doing laps. But, somehow you make it work, end of story!

I know people have dealt with this before, how should i respond to this:

"Thanks for your great service getting this shipped out so quickly, It's very much appreciated.
I have closely inspected this jacket and unfortunately I feel this is not an authentic Ermenegildo Zegna, the label is crooked and does not look genuine...and above all this jacket is fused (glued), not full canvassed as are my other 10 Zegna's.
Please understand I am not accusing you of selling me a fake, as I am sure you were not aware of this.
I would like to return this for a full refund including shipping, since this is no fault of my own. I see that you have a no return policy, but I hope you understand my concerns and that this is an exception to the rule."

Kind Regards,
MXXxx



http://www.ebay.com/itm/121334777107?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649

The suit label does seem genuine and so does the tag...

SchoolyardBully said:

I know people have dealt with this before, how should i respond to this:

"Thanks for your great service getting this shipped out so quickly, It's very much appreciated.
I have closely inspected this jacket and unfortunately I feel this is not an authentic Ermenegildo Zegna, the label is crooked and does not look genuine...and above all this jacket is fused (glued), not full canvassed as are my other 10 Zegna's.
Please understand I am not accusing you of selling me a fake, as I am sure you were not aware of this.
I would like to return this for a full refund including shipping, since this is no fault of my own. I see that you have a no return policy, but I hope you understand my concerns and that this is an exception to the rule."

Kind Regards,
MXXxx



http://www.ebay.com/itm/121334777107?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649

The suit label does seem genuine and so does the tag...

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It's going to be incredibly hard for you to fight that since you didn't even put a pic of the tag in the listing (always do this if you can!). You'd probably have gotten higher bids as well.

As for the rest of it... Does EZ have lower level lines that are fused? I don't have a ton of experience selling suits and blazers, so can't comment on the details.

Fueco said:

It's going to be incredibly hard for you to fight that since you didn't even put a pic of the tag in the listing (always do this if you can!). You'd probably have gotten higher bids as well.

As for the rest of it... Does EZ have lower level lines that are fused? I don't have a ton of experience selling suits and blazers, so can't comment on the details.

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I do actually, it's all below the description if you scroll down a bit

Fueco said:

It's going to be incredibly hard for you to fight that since you didn't even put a pic of the tag in the listing (always do this if you can!). You'd probably have gotten higher bids as well.

As for the rest of it... Does EZ have lower level lines that are fused? I don't have a ton of experience selling suits and blazers, so can't comment on the details.

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I believe some of the Z Zegna stuff is fused, but I'm not positive. I KNOW some of it is half canvas, and I THINK some of it is fused. I another thread regular could confirm this.

But whether it's fused or not isn't really relevant? The buyer didn't ask about that and just assumed it apparently. That doesn't make it fake.

"It's not as nice as my other ones"= buyers remorse.