eBAY: OH, I'M SOLD!

Two weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of joining about 20 or so other bloggers that make up the eBay Parent Panel at the eBay headquarters in San Jose. In addition to fun dinners and outings, our two days were filled with sessions about selling on eBay. To say that I learned a thing or two about all things "how to" eBay and that I wanted to come home and start selling immediately, would be an understatement. Sitting through these sessions, I was so deeply inspired and excited: There is NOTHING that can't be sold. From coupons to handbags to old appliances or cords, I realized I was sitting on a treasure trough of trash that could turn into CASH.

Here are a couple highlights and top tips:

What to List:

For ideas on what to list, check out their Selling Inspiration House. This page is AWESOME. The Inspiration House can help you figure out if things that you have around the house are worth selling by browsing through virtual rooms. http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/what-to-sell.html

-Costumes are top sellers on @eBay. People flock to site in Sept & Oct for children's costumes.

-Selling by season @eBay: Biggest trends in selling are during winter holidays and back to school

-Brand names and small items are the easiest things to sell for first time @eBay sellers. iPhones, iPads, iPods = SOLD.

Shipping:

-I learned that if your item weighs 13 oz or less, you can ship USPS First Class Mail... BUT shipping is still making me a little woozy. I won't lie. This is something I'm going to have to figure out. I loved fellow parent panel Caroline Murphy's, of Smarty Pants Mama, post about how to make this process easier.

And if you're really scared, (and I'm of no help), check out 5 Getting Started Tips for Selling on eBay from Sommer of the Green and CleanMom.

Proudly, I had a pretty great week last week and sold 5 of the 6 items I listed. The Target Coupon book didn't sell but I listed that as more of an experiment anyway, so I'm okay with that. Right now, I have a FAB makeup/eyeshadow kit (Brand new) from Urban Decay. Hoping it will sell.... Next week I plan on listing some electronic stuff, and an old maternity gown (and by gown, I mean a FORMAL Liz Lange satin gown I wore as a bridesmaid at 36 weeks preg. Hot).

Wish me luck on my selling endeavors AND if you have an questions, please leave a comment and I'll take it to the eBay Brainiacs that have been guiding me through this all!