In an attempt to increase my family's monthly income, I started selling on eBay. I found that eBay can be an extremely exciting thing and an extremely frustrating thing all at the same time.

eBay Fees. When I first started selling on eBay I was not prepared for all the fees I would incur. I lost money on many things I was selling at first. I quickly learned that you need to sell something for at least $1.25 to cover all eBay and PayPal fees assuming there was no investment in the product you were selling. I would recommend opening an eBay store if you list more than 30 things a month. A store is $15.95 a month, but your insertion fees are much lower, .06 cents versus .55 cents and up. I also stumbled upon auctiva.com which is a FREE website that will list your items on eBay. This site will allow you to add additional pictures and schedule a specific time for a listing at no additional costs (if done directly through eBay you would incur additional fees. I have also been able to create a master template for my auctions through this program. Auctiva.com has saved me money and time.

Inventory Sourcing. I was very successful on eBay when I was selling things around my house that I no longer needed. If it sold great (some things I was amazed about how well they sold) and if it didn't sell I just put it in the Goodwill pile. No real loss there. I struggled with the inventory I purchased at garage sales and discount retail stores. I had an hard time selling what I purchase. It is much more difficult to swallow putting something you recently bought in the Goodwill pile. Till this day, I conitnue to struggle with finding a niche that will bring in a steady stream of income for me.

Shipping Dilemmas. When I first started selling on eBay I spent a small fortune on packing supplies. The best discovery I made was that if you send something via USPS Priority Mail they provide you with FREE envelopes and Free Boxes. You can even order the envelopes and boxes over the Internet on the Post Office's website and have them sent to your house at no cost to you. You can also print your own postage from your computer (you will need to invest in a scale - you can find one on eBay for less than $20 including shipping) and receive Free delivery confirmation. You can also schedule a pick up your package at your home free of charge with prepaid postage. No more waiting in line at the post office.

Overall, I have made some money with eBay. I have picked up a lot of tricks along the way and I am sure that there are many more out there that I still need to learn.

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