ebay...anyone do it full-time?

[colby2611]

i have a full time job and sell on the side. i don't think i could do it full time. it is a lot of work, sorting ,listing scaning ,ect. but it fills my addiction and enjoy it most of the time

[mouschi]

I am sure it is possible, but not probable to do ebay full time. You would be best suited to have multiple selling outlets, and other ways to supplement your income. Of course, it never hurts to have as low of bills as possible. I've always thought of it like this: Do you really need that nice new shiny car that you pay $500/mo for on a lease ... understanding it is at the expense of staying on the work treadmill for several hours longer each week? I think I'd rather drive around in a tin can, if it frees me up to do what I want.

I am a business owner, so I don't sell cards full time by any means, but I think that helps my case personally. If I did cards full time, it would *feel* like a job. Right now, it is just a super fun hobby that can generate income from time to time. It is funny how, the thought of landing a $1,500 project for my company simply can't touch the excitement of selling $500 worth of cards.

[Qwasian]

Originally Posted by solt0131

It's not hard at all, you travel to shows, you buy smart, you buy big, you don't rip unless it's a product that you have made money on before and know you'll make money on again. You take no chances and you put all your effort into it like you would any full time job. The reason people fail at this is they have no boss staring over their shoulder to keep them rolling all the time. They get distracted at home and lose focus.

yeah you can make alot buying from shows, there are little to no shows in my area anymore though, if your in a good area this is a great way to make some $$$

[solt0131]

Originally Posted by Qwasian

yeah you can make alot buying from shows, there are little to no shows in my area anymore though, if your in a good area this is a great way to make some $$$

You have to travel. If I did this full time, I would travel to eastern PA, NJ, NY, OH, WV, MD and VA.

[justinhiggs]

Originally Posted by dashcounter

i was wondering if anyone does ebay or amazon or something here full-time. what do you sell? or can you legit make a good living off of selling cards?

Selling or buying? I talked to a guy who said he made 25k last year. He opened 10 cases of bowman chrome between him and another guy and sold every card individually.

[robwhois]

I was laid off 3 days after christmas 2 years back, and made ebay selling kind of a full time thing. I didn't just settle on one thing though, I would sell pretty much anything I could make money on. Could I live off of all the sales (especially in ny)..not really, but it definitely helped me pay the bills while I looked for a decent paying job again

[Neuhart Cards]

I was a financial advisor (stock broker) for 15 years and now sell cards full-time through my LCS and on eBay. Making it in this business is the same as making it in any business.

1-You have to have capital. So many "players" in the card trade have very little actual bankroll.
2-Understand the time value of money. I would rather sell a 5k deal in one day than sell that lot for 6k over 3 months.
3-Have business sense. Understand debits and credits and expenses and income. Yes, there is a difference between sales and profits.
4-Know your business. If you are a lawyer or doctor or car salesman, you have to know your market. There is no difference in the world of cards.

[DaveTaplin]

I have made my living off Ebay for the past 2 years. I don't seem to be getting rich but it is enough to survive. I have two girls age 2 & 6 and it is awesome how much time I can spend with them.

About 1% of what I sell is cards and I probably lose money on that. I sell mostly Board Games, Toys & Kids books. I purchase nearly everything from thrift stores. On average I make 9 times what I spend on an item (after fees). Making a 900% return is insane but it takes a lot of $3 purchases to amount to much.

I am limited by the fact that the thrift stores only have so much. It doesn't matter how much capital I have, if I have nothing to buy. I have gotten pretty organized but I have a considerable amount of space taken up by merchandise.

[robwhois]

Originally Posted by DaveTaplin

I have made my living off Ebay for the past 2 years. I don't seem to be getting rich but it is enough to survive. I have two girls age 2 & 6 and it is awesome how much time I can spend with them.

About 1% of what I sell is cards and I probably lose money on that. I sell mostly Board Games, Toys & Kids books. I purchase nearly everything from thrift stores. On average I make 9 times what I spend on an item (after fees). Making a 900% return is insane but it takes a lot of $3 purchases to amount to much.

I am limited by the fact that the thrift stores only have so much. It doesn't matter how much capital I have, if I have nothing to buy. I have gotten pretty organized but I have a considerable amount of space taken up by merchandise.

I did the thrift store thing as well, you should also try garage sales, I made alot of good deals and money on stuff I found on saturday and sunday mornings.

[matt6822]

I work with a guy that sells stuff on ebay. He mostly sells books. His wife just quit her job to stay home and do ebay all day. He made $20k last year and only doing it "part time".

I also know a woman that does ebay full time. All she does is buy clothes on clearance and what not and sells them on ebay. She just bought a house. She said it is alot of work.

[Ncbrowe]

Also check out local auctions. I have done well with the thrift stores, garage sales and auctions. The auctions though remember set your highest price and stick to it. The people that frequent the auction will be hostile to the newbs. Once you make them pay a few times by dropping out at your max, you will prob own the rest of the auction.

[gmen]

Yeah I can tell you its not easy. Lots of scanning and posting and mailing. Just started selling on ebay to make a few extra bucks but Its not like I can quit my job or anything. Been collecting for a long time and unfortunately have to sell some of it. Eventually I will run out of inventory and then what?

[HadWayTooMuch]

I guess the key question is, "What is making a living?"

I spent most of my 20s and 30s going from job to job surviving and making some extra cash on ebay. I tried multiple times to "make a living on ebay" but couldn't do it. I know have a well paying full time job and play with ebay on the side. If I could make $25K full time on ebay, I couldn't survive on it. I could never make what I make now on ebay and would never consider it until I get old and retire.

Considering I put in 10-20 hours a week in fun on ebay and only make a small amount, I can't imagine the work necessary to make $50K or more if it's even possible without miracle products falling from the sky. And keep in mind, I don't mean $50K or more in sales, I mean in take home profit that can go to bills, vacations and life.

[rickyjim]

Originally Posted by solt0131

This guy has been doing it all his life:

colbytosidney | eBay

He's one of the biggest buyers on the East Coast.

he works hard and is one of the nicest buyers too..

[DaveTaplin]

Originally Posted by HadWayTooMuch

I guess the key question is, "What is making a living?"

I made $31K (profit) on Ebay last year. This year will probably be a little better. I don't ever foresee being able to make much ore than $40K a year based on the model I now have. I put in about 50 hours a week. I like what I do and I have a lot of time to spend with my family as I work at home.

[HadWayTooMuch]

Originally Posted by DaveTaplin

I made $31K (profit) on Ebay last year. This year will probably be a little better. I don't ever foresee being able to make much ore than $40K a year based on the model I now have. I put in about 50 hours a week. I like what I do and I have a lot of time to spend with my family as I work at home.

If you're happy, that's all that matters. 10 years ago, I would have jumped in excitement over $31K the way things had been going. It's a decent amount of money considering how hard it is to make it on ebay in my opinion. But a 40 hour per week job will probably pay more (in a career situation) which makes it harder as you get older, depending on your situation of course. If you don't have to pay for child care and such, that's worth thousands and thousands of dollars in itself.

[jlcherry2477]

Originally Posted by solt0131

The reason people fail at this is they have no boss staring over their shoulder to keep them rolling all the time. They get distracted at home and lose focus.

I think this is one of my main issues...I currently do this FULL-TIME as I have been in-between jobs going on 1 year now. I apply to at least 2-3 jobs per week as I continue to work on my Ebay Store (4 months going). However, the fact that there aren't any defined "rules" or policies I need to adhere to myself, I find it very difficult to scan/post for hours at a time and can find myself taking a 2 hour lunch break...not good!

I don't have "high" dollar cards, but those $5-10 cards add up if you can keep a consistent flow of sales. I am still in the process of breaking down several collections I have purchased. I can say that for the past 4 months I have made 75% of what my normal job would pay me, without the constant pressure of managers and politics. It has given me alot more time with my daughter, but you will find yourselves working late nights and probably 6 if not 7 days/week.

I took vacation (definitely unpaid) last month and noticed a huge decline in sales and traffic, so it definitely hurts to be away from the store for any length of time. I could be making much more if I just park my butt in the chair and scan/post some items. I have well over 10k cards to be listed. I hope to one day have a consistent flow of inventory in which sales are steady and I can manage a decent income.

I will say if you ever decide to do something of this nature to make sure you have a sizable amount of savings to keep the bills paid until your store can generate the volume necessary to make ends meet.

[realshemp]

Originally Posted by smackvay

i did it full time for the past eight months and made on mine and my old ladys account over 40 grand the #1 key is having product and a steady supply of it whatever it is the longer you have it the more and more people come to you to buy it. om me if i can give you any advice as i have around 2000 fd back and 100% positive if i can be of any help to you

but that still only equals out to $60,000 per year... with my expenses I have a hard time making ends meet on double that.

My mother does the yard sale thing. Her and my dad go out every Saturday and troll yard sales for deals then she sells them on eBay for large margins (500% - 1000%), but most items end up selling for $5-$10 and she could never keep up the volume required to make a living.

[jrc209]

I sell on amazon Full time and brought in $180k last year!! Yes it can be done!! No i dont sell cards

[dawger13]

Interesting, I would like to know more about having a LCS and also operating on EBay. I have been doing this for some time although I never take it to seriously as I just sell what I can. My lottery dream is to open a LCS and be able to bust all the wax I can and not worry about a profit.

I would agree that capital is the key some of you guys buy multiple cases of product and I simply can't see myself doing that. Not that I can't afford it, I have a good job and make decent $ as does my wife, but I cannto justify to myself busting that much when I know that I will not have the discipline to scan and post all those cards.

For now I am keeping it under the 50 per month so I get my free auctions...

[chrismiller81]

Originally Posted by qwasian

in my opinion it's not really profitable for the amount of work you have to put in.........

You can guess at prospects and rookies and then sell when they are at top value, but? You will miss alot trying to do it............

Alot of people have these stories of cards and how they do this & that...... I really don't believe that anyone makes "alot" of money on cards..... You can make some, but i think most people end up in the red with ebay & paypal fee's, buying product etc. It's really not a smart biz to be in, if you operate it as a hobby and then have a regular job it's alot better because you have steady income and don't have to worry about it from check to check.... You will get desperate and sell stuff for a loss time to time if you need money.

ebay fees kill you! My last months ebay fees were 679.00.. Way to much!! Its a fun side job/hobby

[HadWayTooMuch]

I keep wondering if I want to get to the point where I pay ebay $249 per month for my store. I'm at the $50 level right now. I ifigure you need 10K items to make it cost effective. So that's $549 per month before selling one thing.

Any thoughts on what kind of business you can do with 10K or 20K items in your store? And any thoughts on the guys that have the entire 1982 Fleer set (or something like that) in their store? They're paying $21 per month. Do they sell enough 1982 (or whatever) to justify that?

[derium]

I own a Brick and Mortar store and a full time eBay store. The eBay store BY FARR makes more money than the physical shop. My wife works shipping full time, I help part time and we hired a new person to help with shipping.

If you guys have any questions about what to do feel free to ask. We are hovering around 2,000 listed items but we will be starting the 10,000 auction challenge right after summer

[plinvestments]

Originally Posted by Qwasian

yeah you can make alot buying from shows, there are little to no shows in my area anymore though, if your in a good area this is a great way to make some $$$

Which side of the table? I see dealers asking for way more than ebay.

[derium]

Originally Posted by Qwasian

in my opinion it's not really profitable for the amount of work you have to put in.........

you can guess at prospects and rookies and then sell when they are at top value, but? you will miss alot trying to do it............

alot of people have these stories of cards and how they do this & that...... I really don't believe that anyone makes "ALOT" of money on cards..... you can make some, but I think most people end up in the red with ebay & paypal fee's, buying product etc. it's really not a smart biz to be in, if you operate it as a hobby and then have a regular job it's alot better because you have steady income and don't have to worry about it from check to check.... you will get desperate and sell stuff for a loss time to time if you need money.

you're dead wrong. While it's true I pay around $600 a week in eBay fees, that's a good thing. it means I'm selling that much stuff.

You have to keep in mine if you do eBay full time, this means you need to register it as a business. What's that mean? Oh yeah, getting all your product at cost. So we crack our product cheaper than most people, and we have an outlet to sell even the junk cards.

An eBay business is easier then you think. I spend most of my time working at the Brick and Mortar and we keep the eBay around where my wife can handle all the shipping (and a new part timer).

The best part of an eBay store? YOU control how much business you do and how much you make. Selling too many auctions? Then stop listing, need more money? Invest into more products ect. Not saying we are striking it rich, but we are making really good money.

Would it be considered rude if I posted a screenshot of how much in sales me and the wife do while owning an eBay business pretty much for fun?

EDIT

Sorry if I come across as a jerk here, I just hear people in my shop all day long talk about they wish you could make money on eBay. I tell people at least 5 times a week you CAN. The main reason you can? Is people 99% of the people think you can't make money, so they do not try. Therefore you have less people doing it. If everyone had an eBay store there would be zero money to make due to undercutting. But since not many people do, there is plenty to be made!