Ebay sellers thread (other platforms too)

[disneysteve]

Listed the Magnetic Organizer today on Offer Up and sold it today for $10. About 10 people messaged me today asking if still available

On Marketplace I often get 10-50 "is this available?" messages before someone actually follows through. I don't know why people do that but it happens all the time.

[QuarterMillionMan]

The eBay buyer who bought my $35 broken Lenovo laptop gave me a good review. I was worried the buyer would not be able to fix it and would give me a bad review.

[disneysteve]

The eBay buyer who bought my $35 broken Lenovo laptop gave me a good review. I was worried the buyer would not be able to fix it and would give me a bad review.

That's good. Every time I sell something "for parts" I worry that the buyer won't understand what they are buying (even though I make it very clear in the listing and I message them immediately after they buy it).

QMM, I have a few watches to sell for parts. They might work. I just don't know and I'm not going to the trouble of replacing the batteries to find out. Any tips? When we took them to our jeweler along with the gold we sold, he recommended selling them on ebay.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Start by changing the battery. Order a tool such as these $5.99 on eBay. The back case of each watch has notches or grooves where the tool sits in those notches and you then twist it counterclockwise in order to screw it open. And order an assorted coin type batteries such as this on eBay for $6.99. It's easy to change the battery which is mostly like what caused the watches to die. A fresh battery will bring it back to life.

Watch Battery Removal Tool for sale | eBay

40 Assorted Super Alkaline Button Batteries Coin Cell Set Watch Calculator | eBay

[QuarterMillionMan]

Another pro-tip from me is to order a $4.59 watch bracelet tool in order to shorten or length watch bracelets. I hate it when a watch is toose and dangling. I use this tool to remove links to have the watch fit snug over my wrist. Aj jeweler will charge $20 for a repair you can do yourself.

Watch Bracelet Tool for sale | eBay

[disneysteve]

Just to show it's not all sunshine and rainbows...

I sent a shipment to Replacements a couple of weeks ago. Total offer price was $126. After inspection, they found chips or scratches on multiple items so didn't buy most of the pieces. Their payment to me was $26. My cost for the items and shipping was $40.18 for a loss of $14.18. Oh well. They can't all be winners.

On the other hand, we scored at an estate sale today, and I really went with low expectations based on the photos but found numerous items once there. One piece, a large baking dish, was $15 and Replacements is buying it for $200. I spent a total of $330 there so getting back $200 on just one piece is great. A teapot and sugar bowl which we bought today sold recently on ebay for $165 and we also got the creamer so the full set should bring at least that much. I'll be in the black just on those few items. We got 8 plates that go for $15-$35 each on ebay and a bunch of other items. Some will go to Replacements, some will go on ebay, but in the end, I should make a few hundred on the deal. It'll keep me busy for a while getting it all listed.

[disneysteve]

My goal today was to inspect and pack a bunch of recently acquired china for shipping. That activity lasted about 20-30 minutes before I gave up and told my wife that I wanted to start planning my next road trip to North Carolina. Shipping works out to be a little cheaper but is way more work than driving down. There are pros and cons to either option but I'm realizing more and more that the driving option just makes more sense all around and is far more efficient even if the net profit is a bit smaller. Looks like I'll be hitting the road on May 21.

[disneysteve]

we scored at an estate sale today

Initial tally. Spent $330 at yesterday’s sale. The items going to Replacements come to $571.

Then there are 10 more items I’ll sell on eBay but I’m already nicely ahead before I do that. They should bring another $250 or more.

[disneysteve]

March 2025 wrap up

ebay:
$1,068.04 gross
$825.83 net

Replacements:
$889.75 gross
$444.22 net

Marketplace:
$50.00 gross
$50.00 net

Total:
$2,007.79 gross
$1,320.05 net

March was a good solid month. No complaints. Steady sales. Average ebay sale was almost $40 which is great.

My focus for April will be catching up on listing on ebay. My next trip to Replacements will be in late May so I'll keep accumulating stock until then. I did mail a $200 order to them yesterday but other than that, there probably won't be any Replacements income in April.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

What is your hobby goal $1500 net income? Or $16k a year for a roth contribution?

[disneysteve]

What is your hobby goal $1500 net income? Or $16k a year for a roth contribution?

My goal had been $600/mo net, but that turned out to be too low. If my reselling can at least pay for our health insurance, I would count that as a win, so $1,000/mo covers that. Or if I can earn enough to max our Roths that would also be great, so $1,333/mo.

I also need to point out that the Net number I post each month isn't the true net once taxes are filed. After deducting expenses and paying taxes, the real profit is smaller than that.

[QuarterMillionMan]

My most recent sale sold a Viper RAM for $32 at auction where I started it at $1.

[disneysteve]

Keep it up QMM. As long as you're happy with the prices you're getting, that's great.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Yes eBay is wonderful at selling things that I no longer need or would have discarded. It's satisfying getting paid and keeping my apartment less cluttered. As a seller, I give feedback almost immediately after a buyer pays. I've noticed that some sellers wait until I as the buyer gives the sellers feedback. I guess some sellers want to wait so that if I as a buyer give the seller negative feedback the seller can reciprocate and give me negative feedback. Would you suggest I continue to give immediate feedback or wait like some sellers do to retaliate (if needed).