Making A Living From E-Bay- Can It Be Done?

MickKnipfler

I had already heard about it though...can we negotiate the rate?

soolin

MickKnipfler wrote:

I had already heard about it though...can we negotiate the rate?

For you, anything!

Actually, I seem to recall that general kitchen things were often cheaper in France as well, so maybe extend that day trip a bit and have a good look.

Soo

Hintza

I returned from africa a few years ago with nothing. I started learning on EBay about two years ago and started to get serious in July 2005 I have now been at it full time for about 10 months. My initial capital a year ago was £1,000, my turnover for the year will be just under £150,000. I set a minimum gross margin figure of 35% (unless I know I can shift an item very fast and in such circumstances might drop to around 25%).

To reach sales like this over the past year I work seven days a week, researching products, finding suppliers, dealing with sales and sorting out returns. I'm bloody knackered and this week have pulled all my sales just to catch my breath (also I currently have very little stock which is a worry).

What I sell is a big secret (a few on MSE know...sssh) as there are no barriers to entry and is very easily replicated, my competitors are growing all the time and makes it harder every month to keep ahead I have to constantly expand my product base.

To trade successfully on ebay is not about books but about risk, research, bloody hard work and knowing when to take a loss.

eenu

razorbladekisses wrote:

I'm certainly not jealous of the guy. Claiming it is easy is such an understatement. It involves a great deal of hard work, long hours and dedication. Money doesn't come easy.

It is easy! 30 minutes ringing around suppliers on wed/thur. Purchased and shipped to me by friday.

2 hrs on the saturday checking and config'in the units to F defaults. 30 minutes listing on the sunday.

30 - 45 minutes packing 3 units (rough guide)

30minutes to get to the PO and send (or as i will now start doing courier service from my door!)

So lets look at this 4 hours work......lets call it 6 for the hell of it assuming i run over on each of the tasks and factoring in some weeks there is more than 3 units and answering email.

Thats like a salary of £32 per hour. God i could do more if i wanted but i have other things running that make me more so i prioritise my time.

Sometimes if i buy from a particular supplier i don't need to take the time to inspect and config the units as i know and trust the guy i buy from....i only need to spend 15seconds a unit making sure it powers on. Thus making more profit per time unit in those weeks.

Like people have said - depends what your defination of hard work is but my ebay sideline is basically a £10k a year salary for 6 hours a week work maximum. Thats less than one day in a normal 9-5 job! I'm not all saying for 6hrs on ebay your going to make £10k but you could make more than your doing sat here typing negative thoughts on this thread. Anyway i think some people here are very negative and against the spirit of the boards and as i have said previously...in the time you have taken to try and disprove me, challenge me and rip me to pieces you could have run round your house...found some old tat and sold it and had a treat this weekend!

cafenervosa_2

razorbladekisses wrote:

I respect your point of view but I still retain my view that it isn't easy. It's a great deal of hard work.

I just want to say something but don't think i'm going against you because ebay is a lot of work.

Hard work can be defined in different ways. I have worked in a supermarket filling pop (11 or more full pallets a night), I used to do the work of 2 or sometimes 3 people. Working non stop for 8 hours with 45 mins break in all. I define this as the hardest work I have ever likely to do in my life, I did this for a few years. Its not totally out of order to compare it to slave work, and for how much money, £35 a night is about right. You won't be surprised to hear that eventually my back went on me and I was forced out of all that heavy lifting.

Now I still work there but am only part time and is a sitting down job. The money is poor only just over £5 an hour but its easy and fits in well with my ebaying. I am a powerseller and a lot of time goes into research, dealing with suppliers, ordering stock, accounts, packing, answering emails. It is hard work but I actually love it. Its much more rewarding than a flat rate wage as I know the more I put into it the more rewarding it can be. Hard work yes, but for me, its a breeze compared to the slave labour they have you do on the night shift.

Sugar_Coated_Owl

You have a good point cafenervosa. I've never thought of it like that before.

All I can say is well done to those that have made a good income from eBay and good luck to everyone else who are trading on eBay. I hope you all do well

Moglex

razorbladekisses wrote:

Call me skeptical but I really do find all this hard to believe.

You're sceptical.

Can I also point out that you can't spell 'sceptical' ?

Sugar_Coated_Owl

Like I care. Jeez, what a waste of a post.

Sugar_Coated_Owl

I checked the dictionary and it says:

No entry found for sceptical.

3 entries found for skeptical

Eagle_1

If anyone knows a decent market for making money then let me know what to sell..............somehow I dont think you are gonna tell me tho :think: :think:

Pm if you decide to tho hehehehehe