Monday, December 15, 2008

Why Does Ebay Cost Me Time and Money?

Money is tight, time is short and there is stuff all over my house. I know the solution - Ebay! So on a Sunday, while hubby is golfing in 40 degree weather, I take inventory. No longer use that sofa, check, found those dolls at a garage sale, yep, don't use that comforter any more, sure, put it on the list. 10 Days later I find myself swamped with packaging, satisfied that people from Ohio to New York have gotten great deals, and I've barely made enough money to pay for the shipping. $5 or 10% whichever is greater was donated to Habitat for Humanity. And can you believe nobody even wanted vintage Effanbee dolls for $5.99 NIB NR?!


Undercalculating the shipping cost to send some blankets and pillows turned into a $30 loss, and the rest of my profit was spent to maintain my 100% positive feedback rating? "What, you didn't realize it was a pickup only item? No problem, I'll find a way to get it to you!" I'm awaiting a phone call from a North Dakota trucker (she bought the TV/VCR/DVD combo for $161 for her mom and will pick it up on her next route through Omaha.)





And I'm still trying to find a box for that cute table and chairs that I sold for $49 (it will cost more than that to ship). Let this be a lesson to you. Don't buy the stuff in the first place, or if you must sell, consider your local Craigslist. At least those people are in the neighborhood.

No comments: