eBay the Right Way
Learn how to sell on eBay the right way. Suzanne A. Wells has been selling on eBay since 2003 and has been an influencer in the eBay community since 2007. This podcast is designed for the full or part time at-home seller who loves the reselling process including the thrill of the hunt, rehoming used items, and building a home business they love. eBay is a way of life, not just a side hustle. Suzanne has been featured in Money Magazine, Martha Stewart Magazine, Women's World, and All You magazines as an eBay expert. You can find her on YouTube and Facebook as Suzanne A. Wells.
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Hey, there eBay friends. This is episode number 203 of eBay the right way. Today's date is February 5. 2025 My guest today is Joe Myra in California, and I have a special shout out this week. I want to recognize who might just be my youngest listener, Saul, who is six years old. Thank you for listening with your mom every week. Saul, I hear that you help your mom with her eBay business in different ways, and she really appreciates you keep doing what you're doing, and you will be a successful eBay seller one day too. Okay, now let's go to the chat with Saul's mom, Joe myRA. Hello, listers, welcome back. I have Joe Myra with us today, and you might remember her amazing sale on the group of the mahjong set, which we will talk about. So Good Morning Joe. Myra, and tell us where you're located. Good
Unknown:morning Suzanne. I'm located in Los Angeles, California, in San Fernando Valley. Yeah, okay,
Suzanne Wells:and we had scheduled this for a couple weeks ago, but the fires started happening around you. And do you want to give us a little bit of a recap about what you experienced during that? Yes,
Unknown:it was really crazy, like, it's, it started with, of course, the wind we we get that wind here, and it's like, we know already, if there's a wind, there's like, there might fire that will start. So, which is, normally, that's what happened. But this one was really, like, it was really blowing so hard, like, early in the morning until late at night, until the next day. It was like, we lost our power so we didn't had, like, some of my friends were like, Hey, are you okay? And like, Yeah, I'm fine. It's like, they're telling me. It's like, there's a fire. I'm like, I didn't know about the fire until the next day, when we went to the hotel because we didn't have electricity, so we have to, like, go to the hotel and that's everything, sink in. Like, there's it's not just a fire from like, usually the fire starts at the like, the mountains, and there's no, not too much houses. But this one is, yeah, it was, we were horrified when we saw how big was it. And it was not just one. It was like, two, three, and small fire starts in other places. So it was really scary. I
Suzanne Wells:bet being in the middle of all that just terrifying.
Unknown:Yeah, and it was really fast. It's like, there are people that really didn't had time to, like, took them, like, after the announcement, or like, the alert. It's like, took them, like, less than an hour to get out of their house.
Suzanne Wells:Yeah, just grab what you can and grab your pets and get out
Unknown:exactly, exactly. But you said
Suzanne Wells:they're not near you. It's just the smoke.
Unknown:It's just a smoke you can see when we were driving home. You can see the smoke from different places, so you know that it's still near you and you're just on alert. There was one that was near, but it was contained really fast. So it's like, I was like, oh, okay, we're good, but going to work the next day, and knowing that there's so much fire going on was like, you can't really, like, concentrate working, because you're right. I don't want to be here at work. I want to be at home with my family, but I have to go to work.
Suzanne Wells:And what is your your regular job? Oh, I'm a nurse.
Unknown:I work in urgent care. Mm, hmm. So yeah, we have to go,
Suzanne Wells:okay, good, very good. Um, nurses are underappreciated, but I appreciate them.
Unknown:Thank you so much. It's, yeah, it's, it's a lot of fun. It's. I It makes me really like, appreciate things and think about things, and especially life. And I love helping people. So
Suzanne Wells:very, good. Yeah, good. Now you have a family. So who is in your household?
Unknown:It's just me and my husband and oh, no, I have a kid. I forgot. I have a
Suzanne Wells:kid. You said you had to get your child off to school before we could have our zoom call. He says they're at school. So you forgot about them.
Unknown:I know. And you know he was the one that's like was telling me every time I take him to school, I have your podcast, right?
Suzanne Wells:Oh, great.
Unknown:And he said, Mom, I wish one day you will be interviewed in that podcast. So I don't think so. And then when I told him, it's like, you know, I think you know it's gonna happen. It's like, take it, Mom, please. You have to do this. It's like, Okay. And how old is he? He's six years old. Turning Oh,
Suzanne Wells:just six years old. Okay, so when this comes out, you did you tell him you're going to be on Yes, yes.
Unknown:He was so not upset, but he felt really down when because I told him we were gonna do it last week or something, right? And I told him, No, we have to cancel it. And it's like, oh no. He was feeling so down. And then I I forgot to tell him. It's like, we're gonna do it today.
Suzanne Wells:You shouldn't tell him. You should just when it when it comes out, just turn on the radio like you or the you know your whatever your phone or whatever you're listening to it and and just there you are. I know that's a good idea, definitely. And let him be surprised. Yes, I
Unknown:wonder if he will recognize my voice.
Suzanne Wells:Well, I mean, we say your name at the beginning. So there's, you have pretty unique names. So
Unknown:he calls me Joey. Okay, he calls me Joey. It's like, funny. Yeah, it's funny. It's like, every time he introduced me, this is Joey, my mom.
Suzanne Wells:Oh, that's funny. So okay, well, let's get into what brought you to eBay. How did you get started? Well,
Unknown:I had eBay. My My eBay account was Since 2004 Yeah, I had it for a long time, but I used to just buy from Ebay. I never thought of like really selling it in that platform and so and again, when I had the kid, the plan was for me to work two jobs and have my husband take care of the kid. But once I had the kid, I'm like, No, it's not going to happen. I want to be with him. And so I had to cut down my hours from working 16 hours a day to 20 a week. So it was really like, I'm not used to not working. I'm not right is being at home, and I was trying to figure it out, you know, what to do, like, to make money. And I was like, looking and checking, I checked Amazon. It's like, I'm not going to put that amount of money for an investment. It's, it's crazy that I was, like, thinking of, like, okay, maybe I can do an import business. I can import from, you know, from, I'm from the Philippines, so, okay, I was thinking, okay, maybe I can import something from the Philippines, that's, I don't think that's gonna happen also. And then I found your, your, um, podcast, I found your, actually, it's the YouTube. Oh, okay,
Suzanne Wells:okay. The all the what sold videos. Um, first
Unknown:it was how, Oh, I was doing research for how to sell on eBay, and then I found you, and then I got the courses. So I started first with clothes. So it's so funny. It's like, I took my husband to Ross and it's like, okay, just find the cheapest clothes that you can, that we can find, and I'll flip it so crazy and really early that I found out that I really don't like clothes. Right?
Suzanne Wells:They are a lot of work,
Unknown:yeah, and plus, you really have to find one that is like good return, like really good brand and good return. So that didn't work. And then I took my mom with my baby to this estate sale. So that was my first time to go and and then I'm like, okay, I can buy stuff. And I was just grabbing things so that I think will have a good return of investment, right? Yeah, so that's how it started.
Suzanne Wells:Well, yeah, most people do start small with testing the waters and learning the process, and then as you get more comfortable, you graduate to higher dollar items, which you do sell some very expensive items. Yeah,
Unknown:I think it goes from, you know, you start from small stuff. I do started with, like, selling my son's stuff also, and whatever I have at home. But we really, we, we live in a modest we live modestly, like we don't have high ticket items. I don't buy expensive clothes or those things. So it started with just selling what you know he's not you my son, what he's not using anymore, and my husband, what he's a musician, so what he doesn't use, or those things. Then afterwards, yeah, I started doing S, H sale, garage sale. And afterwards, just learning from experience, and of course, listening to, you know, people like you guys, that has more knowledge. And there you go,
Suzanne Wells:right. Well, let's, let's talk about that Mahjong set. I love how you did the photo for that. Oh, they kind of had the racks were kind of crossed in the in the case. And it was just a very striking and beautiful way to photograph it.
Unknown:So I usually I check the comps for things, and if I see that it's a high dollar or high ticket item, I like what you said. Just photograph it really nicely and everything. Because, of course, I don't want to return or anything like, right? So I know already that it's like, oh, it's, it's a it's a good one. And so I really like take time, photograph it, and those things. But that day is like, I was supposed to not work until later. So I was, I already have the everything set up, photograph and those things, and I just have to do the listing. And I was like, my supervisor called, can you come in already? It's like, No, give me a give me, like, an hour to get ready. And I was, I was in the Harry to, like, fix everything, do the the listing, and, of course, the description. And I was like, Okay, I price it first for like, 500 and like, well, I can always bring it down. If it does so I price it 500 then I put it up to 750 I'm like, Okay, if it doesn't get sold for 750 I can always go down. That's what that was, my thinking. I went to shower and I came out shower, and then there's a sale. Oh, I was like, what it's like in just a few minutes. I checked how long from the time that I listed it from the time it got sold? It was six minutes. Oh, my goodness. I was so like, Ah, I shouldn't have answered my supervisor. I should have just made more time and completing it, making sure it's like, I'm pricing it like, you know, higher than 750 but I'm like, Okay, it's like, Suzanne, like, what she said, there must be somebody has that, you know, alert for it. And this is like, okay, it's fine. So, yeah, that's
Suzanne Wells:so for $750 in six minutes. Yes. Now, where did you get that?
Unknown:I got it from. Facebook marketplace. Okay, I I got two like that one and another match on set that is made of bones and bamboo. Oh, okay, yeah. So again, my I took my son to his tumbling class, and I was just waiting for him. And of course, it's like, while waiting is I just went to Facebook and I messaged the guy, and I said, I want the other one, the the one with the bamboo and bones. And then I checked his listing, he had that one, so I messaged him again. I said, I want both. Can I have both of it? And I said, Well, when can you get I have a lot of messages. Okay, yeah. I said, I'm just finishing this, and we'll go get it. Okay, so the guy told me, so I asked him, it's like, so why are you partnering with this? It's like, yeah, have it for a long time, but I don't have friends anymore that want to play with me. Oh, okay, no more. I'll take care of good care of it.
Suzanne Wells:How much did he charge for it? So
Unknown:it was I paid for both of for $85
Suzanne Wells:Ah, you are kidding. So they're gonna say two or 380 $47 for each one, each Yes, the
Unknown:um, that one that got so the 750 I paid for 60 bucks. Uh huh. Then the other one was, is it 25 something like that?
Suzanne Wells:Wow. What an investment, what a return on investment, not just the amount of money but the time that I know. We had that in your possession, a short time, and you just flipped it for over 10 times what you paid. Yeah,
Unknown:so it took me maybe, like a month to post it, because as it, I just do things when, really, when I'm off and when the kid is in school, that's my time to really do things, take pictures or do stuff, really, for eBay. So that's why this is a really very for me. It's a very good side hassle, because, again, it's like I can do it whenever I want it, it it's it's not like I have to do it like, first before eBay, I was like, thinking, okay, maybe I can just do a VA. Be a VA for somebody work at home. But I'm like, No, I want to be my own boss. I want my own hours. I want to do things on my own time. And if I want to spend things time with my family as I can do it. I don't have to answer for anybody. That's why it's I'm so grateful for eBay. I can do I can do it whenever I want to do it. I can do it wherever I want to do it.
Suzanne Wells:Well. And when you said, be a VA like a virtual assistant for anybody else, you know I've I've come at the eBay business from every angle in my Well, this will be my 22nd year. Whoo, oh, you feel old, but no, it's a career path for me, and I do get the most enjoyment and fulfillment out of the treasure hunting and then selling the item and then getting the happy feedback. It's the whole, the whole process. I like to bring the whole thing full circle. And it's not the same when you're doing work for somebody else. You know, I've done consignment, which is fine, you know, I have nothing against that. If it works for you, great. But it's just the whole process of, you know, finding that item in a pile of junk at the thrift store, and you bring it home and maybe you clean it up. I don't mind that part, cleaning things and making them look presentable for the photos. I really like that part, because I feel like I'm rescuing things exactly, you know, you put it out there, and then it sells. And sometimes it takes two years to sell, but eventually it gets into the the right person's hands. And it's just the whole, the whole process that I enjoy. So see what you're saying when you just don't want to work for somebody else at you know, your home business, obviously, with your medical career, that's different. But your home business, yeah, you can be in charge of of all of it. And yes, so our our successes are our successes. And then our failures. We own our failures too, but they're not really failures. It's just like learning and up. I'm not going to do that again. Move on. Yes,
Unknown:that's right. It's like I have a saying, like, if you want to do it right, do it yourself. Exactly.
Suzanne Wells:That goes for a lot of things in life, doesn't it?
Unknown:It's like, you cannot blame anybody else except yourself. It's like, oh, and then, of course, when you make a mistake, it's a learning for you to like, Okay, I'm not going to do that again,
Suzanne Wells:right? Or I didn't really enjoy doing that. I think I'll, I'll skip that. I've been experimenting with all kinds of things on online auctions and just things that I'm never found in thrift stores. So one of them was vintage linens, like handkerchiefs and napkins and dresser scarves and all that. And it's like, oh, those would be so pretty and fun to work with. Well, I went overboard with cleaning them with, you know, OxiClean, and then ironing them, and then setting up the photo. And I'm like, you know, that's a lot of work. They're pretty to work with. And then, like Barbie clothing, it's just too small. I just, I don't it's too small for me. Some people love it, and that's great so, and it's very profitable, but I just, I did that once, and I'm like, I didn't really enjoy it. So yes, keep looking for the things that I really enjoy working with, because, you know, the world is our oyster. We can pick anything we want.
Unknown:Yeah, yeah, that's the good thing with eBay. It's like, you can just do whatever you want, whichever makes you happy. For me, it's like, I want to take picture of things that makes me happy, of course, like the profit from it also, right? But it's like, I, I like to see things. I was like, Oh, this is pretty and, and then find out that it's like, Oh, my. That's really like, gives, brings a big ROI. So it's, it's nice to have both,
Suzanne Wells:right, right. Well, let's talk about some other things you've sold.
Unknown:Oh, yeah, it's like, well, the the thing that really got me hooked with reselling is, so I went to again, an estate sale. This is during pandemic. Yeah, I know, I know it's like, people say it's like, you, you're not supposed to go out, but I'm like, I'm already exposed. Like, I work right? Yeah, it's like, I just have to make sure I wash my hands, have my mask and everything. So yeah, there
Suzanne Wells:was a lot of judgment during COVID, when some things were open and some things were closed. And I just think nobody knew what to do, yeah, and their their objective was keeping everybody safe. So, you know, our thrift stores did not close. I was living in Georgia. I went and, I mean, if they're open, I mean, this is how I earn my living. I was and I kind of, I did wear a mask, and I'm like, I hope I don't see anybody I know in here, because I don't want to, I don't want to be judged. But, you know, this is how I earn my living.
Unknown:I think it made me more bold to go out with, yeah, okay. They don't know me. They don't know me. It's like, it's fine. It's like, Yeah, and
Suzanne Wells:you can wear the mask and some sunglasses and a hat, and nobody's going to know
Unknown:it exactly. So back to that essays. They all went and get got some they have, there's, they have this bin for free. There was, like, stockings, and so, of course, free, it's like, I got it out from the free bin, and I got other stuff from them. And then once, when I check out, they said the free thing is $2 it's like, fine. It's fine. I'm like, so I paid for everything, and then I got home and checked the stockings, and it was like, I think it was three pairs in a box. So I got three boxes of it, and it was the old Hanes Heinz stockings. Yeah, yeah, with the green garter, singing, Oh, okay. And then so I went check the comps for it. It's like, oh my, it's really, it's a good, yeah, it's a good item to auction. So I. One did an auction for it. And the hear of like, the bidding coming in, yeah,
Suzanne Wells:your phone was making all the the dinging sounds, yeah.
Unknown:I was like, I came on showing to my husband, and it's like, Oh, my. It's like, just I did auction for like, one box and then the next box and the next box, and each box, so, like, more than 100 bucks. So I can't remember how much is it, but for a stockings, really it's it just made me like, oh,
Suzanne Wells:you know, it's funny you say that. And I don't think this is a coincidence, I ordered a whole bunch of stuff from an online auction that in. I just got the box a couple days ago, and I was going through it this morning, and some of it is vintage lingerie. And there are those stockings in there, which I've never sold, and they're, it's the boxes don't match what's inside. So I think I'll sell the stock and then sell the boxes separately, because just the boxes will sell, because they're, yeah. And I was like, Oh, this is, this is like, Christmas, going through this box and finding all these things that I would I've never found in thrift stores. Yeah, you are talking about the very item I just looked at right before we got on this call.
Unknown:It's just, and also what I got from you, the bra. Okay, bras, yes, yes. So lingerie, it's like, yeah, it, it does. Really sells. So I got, again, from an estate sale, like, bunches of bronze. Okay. I'm like, oh, yeah, I remember Suzanne said, you know, it's, it's, it's a good, it gives you a good ROI. So I'm like, okay, so I bought a bunch of it. It's like the big cup broth with
Suzanne Wells:all the big sizes, okay, with
Unknown:no pads or those things. And it's beautiful. It's really, I can't remember the brand, but it's really nice lacy bras. And so I got a lot of it, and I was like, looking at it, it's like, really looks brand new. But of course, when it's out of the the bag, or it's like, you know that it's like, you're not sure if it's like, brand new or not, but it looks brand new. And I was like, thinking, Did she alter it? You know those things that starts going my mind is, like, whatever. I'll just, I'll, I'll take pictures of it and then put it in my description. I'm not sure if it got altered or not. And it's like, it was selling, like, hotcakes. It was like, going really fast. Like, Oh, really. Okay, yeah, it's, it's just so funny how like, it's, it's true. It's like Brock and, you know, you can sell, bro,
Suzanne Wells:yeah, you can. Let's see the brands I focus on are, it's way cool. I don't know if I'm saying that, right, C, O, A, l, and then soma and Victoria's Secret, even some of the Olga and valley. It just depends on how much I'm paying for it and what size it is, and the style. And I like to sell the lacy ones, the real pretty ones, but then just the basic like T shirt bra that are minimizers, you know, functional, though, so well also, yeah,
Unknown:this one is, like, more on the lazy side, like, really beautiful risk case. Oh, okay, yeah. I don't know if, I I should say this, but it was like, it's amazing how I was thinking the market will go for bra will be female, but the one that was buying it were males, so,
Suzanne Wells:but you never know. It could just be a couple, a husband and wife, and every you know the accounts and the husband's name,
Unknown:yeah, that's what I
Suzanne Wells:I sold something the other day. It was a, like a vintage flexes shaper thing, mm hmm, body shaper. And it went to a what looked like a man's name in Las Vegas,
Unknown:yeah, it's, is
Suzanne Wells:this going to be used in, like, a drag show? You know, is this what's happening? You always want to know, but I wasn't going to ask. I don't care. Whatever you want to buy it for. That's fine. You know, your money's just as green as everybody else's except. Like, I'm not worried about that at all. But sometimes you'll see that on on the lingerie, the vintage lingerie, it goes to what looks like a man's name and, okay, yeah, yeah.
Unknown:I like, I like getting lingerie that are, like, big and talking about lingerie, it's like, I went back to my husband's mom still lives in Pennsylvania, so we went visit her. And there's st
Suzanne Wells:Venice, I think, yeah, Saint Vincent de Paul. It's
Unknown:Yes, yes. That's, that's the one. So I told my husband, just drop me off, and then I'll call you when it's time to pick me up. Less than an hour I called him back. I said, Pick me up already. It's like, why you already spend a lot of money? It's like, Yeah, I did. I bought a bunch of panties. Mm, hmm. Size. It's size from size nine to 12, I believe. So it's like, really big pennies, it's like. So what they did is they put it per pack. I think like per pack is like, sometimes it's nine pieces of pennies for $6 things like that. It depends on, I guess, I don't know how they they were, like, pricing it, but it cost me maybe $90 for a lot of it, like a big bag of, like, the trash bag of panties. And it's like, okay, so my mother in law was like, Oh, why are you buying big pennies? I'm like, I'm going to sell it. And they were looking at me like, okay. Like, just, just laughing, what I'm doing. And then, so what I did is, when I got home here, I took pictures of it first I was doing individually. And I'm like, it's so many that I'm like, Okay, I'll just do a lot, lot of three for $29 and sure enough, it's like, like, sometimes when I wake up in the morning, there's $100 sale of just panties. Oh, really. Okay, of course, of course, you always have a doubt of what you're doing, especially if it's the first, like, that's the first time I bought pennies and the bra. That's the first time I bought bras. But now I'm like, now I know what to get, and it's so you're learning from experience, so which is really like, it's so much fun for me.
Suzanne Wells:Good, good. Okay, that's that's a great story that you know you have to experiment with new products you're not going to know. And we've talked about this before on the podcast that eBay learns what sells well in your store on your account? Yes, so it takes a while to get that traffic from the search, um, if you've just starting out selling something, yes, have to have a few sales. And then eBay, the algorithm says, Oh, this item sells well in this store, and so it's just patience,
Unknown:yeah, yeah, I do believe that. Because, like, I said, it's like, you start putting in items which are the same. I'm like, I was like, Okay, it's not selling. But once, once get sold, then there's the traffic of getting the same item sold. So I do believe that that's why I like. I don't know if what I do is like, I like buying stuff the like, same item. Like, if it's like, panties, I'm gonna like, take picture of pitch, picture of all the pennies, and start listing them one by one, so that everything is like, all the same. And then, I don't know if that does it like afterwards you get sale after sale of the same item.
Suzanne Wells:Well, that is a fast way to get them listed. Is to list similar items, because you can just keep doing sell similar and most of your item specifics are already checked. So it does make it go faster. I think,
Unknown:yeah, it's like, but other people, I remember, some of them, gets bored of, you know, taking pictures, same thing. I'm like, I want to just focus on one, like, one category or something like that, and then other one. Yeah, it just depends
Suzanne Wells:on how you want to break up the monotony. Sometimes it's, I'll buy a lot of something and think, Oh, I'm just so sick of looking at this. I need to look at something else.
Unknown:Yeah. That's true. Also, yeah, that's true. Also, I bought, like, a bunch of buttons before, because I try to, like, buy small stuff, because I have a small, small I have a room for eBay, and then the garage. I converted that to, like, an eBay room with all this my items, and, of course, some shipping stuff. But yeah, I have to, like, always think of, how will I store it?
Suzanne Wells:Right? So small that you're thinking about that,
Unknown:yeah, so small is good for me.
Suzanne Wells:Oh, I'm sorry, how many items do you have listed? Uh, right
Unknown:now, let me see
Suzanne Wells:1200 Oh, good for you.
Unknown:Yes, I don't, I don't remove things that I've already posted. I I will, I can't, I will, like, bring the prices down, but I'm, I usually don't remove anything, because I already put my effort in this.
Suzanne Wells:Your time is invested. So there is a fine line that we walk of, like, Okay, this has been out there for years. You know, it's still there, but it could sell. So yesterday, I sold something I'd had for almost two years. It was a a wig, new in the box. I got a whole bunch of them at estate sale two years ago, and it was high quality, and I just had to wait for the right person. It sold for $90 and I only paid 20 for it. So, you know, I'd already done the work. And I do like selling wigs, because I like styling the hair and making it look pretty. And that's, that's a fun product for me list which there are some of those in that box with the lingerie. I got all kinds of stuff in there, but yeah. And then you're just, Oh, I'm so sick of looking at this and and then magically, it sells. And people will put that on the money making Mondays. They'll be like, Yeah, I had this thing three years, and it finally sold. Don't ever give up. You've already done the work. That's
Unknown:true. That's true. It's like, I even remember, um, buying this candle, candle you supposed to smell good, right? This smells like skunk,
Suzanne Wells:the skunk candle, yeah, that's a gift you give to a co worker. You don't like,
Unknown:oh, like, Oh, I remember Suzanne said weird cells. I was like, I remember the sense those
Suzanne Wells:things, not if it's gonna stink up your house.
Unknown:I put in a really, like, zip lock bag. Okay, so I'm like, looking at it and then smelling. It's like, why did I buy this? I keep on like, why did I buy this? It's like, and then afterwards, maybe it took a year to get sold, but it got sold. Like, see, somebody wants this kind of candle.
Suzanne Wells:That's funny, so you still have it? No, somebody bought it. All this, oh, somebody bought it, and how did you sell it for? Do you remember? I
Unknown:can't remember, but I just took whatever just to get it. You
Suzanne Wells:just, like, yes, you can have that. I don't care,
Unknown:because I usually bundle when I buy things. So I'm sure it was just, like, really, like, so cheap. Well, like, yeah, it's like, you can, you can take,
Suzanne Wells:like, there's, you know, there's all these joke candles out there. Now, um, one company, I think, is called Whiskey river candles. And some of them are just really horrible, and some of them are just so funny. Like, Oh, this smells like the middle child, the over ignored one. Or, you know, this smells like I'm going to drink wine tonight. Or, or they're just weird, you know, gross things. I wouldn't be surprised if there really was a skunk candle, but you're saying that wasn't the name of it. It It just smelled like that. No,
Unknown:it just smells like that. It was like, um, animal forms like a bunny. Oh, okay, those things. But when you smell, it's like, Oh, Jesus. Like to smell. And I even put in my description, it smells like skunk.
Suzanne Wells:Oh, that's so funny. I bet somebody bought it as a joke, mighty or for or for like somebody don't like I have to or like a white elephant gift, you know, at one of those parties where you know somebody's going to end up with it. I love that. Yeah. Do we go from talking about classy, elegant Mahjong sets to skunk candles,
Unknown:like the sky's the limit, that's right. So also the the cross stitch kit thing, right? Yes, um, I saw, Oh, this one was from a yard sale, and she was, she has this bag of cross stitch stuff, and there was one that's sealed dimensions the moonlight scaler. And so I told I asked her, it's like, how much is the bag? And she said,$20 I'm like, I just want this unopened one. Like, okay, thank you for 10 bucks. I'm like, still expensive. Five bucks. You can have it for $7 it's like, I still feel like it was high because, of course, I don't comp it when getting stuff. So I got that one, I went to my car and comp it, and it's like it's sells for 100 something dollars. Oh, so I went back to that garage sale again for the bag. And she said, Just give me $10 so I gave her $10 because I know already that it's like, okay, even it's 20 bucks, I still going to make money, just for the first one that I got right. And then I went through everything, and there's, there was another one, the same set, but it's open. So the open one I sold for $70 and the one that was still sealed, I sold 410
Suzanne Wells:you're just doing amazing.
Unknown:Oh, geez, just so funny. I'm like, because I always like, you, for me, you make money from the buy. Yes, you make money you buy. I always like, try to like, that's why I usually do a bundle. So it will go down as much as I can, right? So, yeah, that was, that was a fun one. Now, I think that was my latest one that it got so 410 so I'm so happy with that return. Yes,
Suzanne Wells:congratulations. That's wonderful
Unknown:then. So I usually now, now, nowadays I usually go to yard sale more than estate sale, okay? One here, I think they price it really high. The one that I used to go a lot, she does like, second day 50% third day 75% I go when it's 75%
Suzanne Wells:okay,
Unknown:but now she she put it higher. Her prices are higher. So it's like, plus, of course, my work, it wasn't jiving with her the day that she does this, the sale, the 75% off. She usually do it on Mondays, which, that's my work day. So it's, I'm not being able to go there. But that one was a good one. Also, I was able to get a whole room of, I don't know if you heard about bitty babies. It's like, yeah, yeah. American doll, oh,
Suzanne Wells:bitty babies, uh huh, yeah, a, i t y,
Unknown:uh it's like, B, I T, T Y, okay, so
Suzanne Wells:I thought you might have said Beanie Babies. Oh, no, no. Those are kind of No, not worth much,
Unknown:no. So it's a doll, yeah? But these are, like, he, she has a whole room of the clothes, okay, but no doll. So they are like, yeah, it was so interesting. It's like, so I went to that room and I saw beauty baby clothes and American girl clothes. So I didn't buy anything from that room. I bought something else from the other room. And I messaged her, I'm interested in getting the whole room of the American girl clothes. And then she messaged me back after the sale. It's like, okay, it's like, you can have it. My, my main reason of getting it was I saw that American girl clothes were selling. I didn't know about beauty baby's clothes that time. And then I went back and get the got the whole room for maybe. Three, two grand. Oh, wow, but it was a lot. The room was filled with clothes. I don't know. I don't know why, and I just like, okay, so I paid for everything, and then brought it home. It filled the our garage and my husband. So I showed it to my husband, and he said, so I said, this is money. And he said, it's like, that's a lot of work. I was like, I don't care about work. When it was like, when I was looking at it and comping it this were like, the beady baby clothes were like, just, just one set, or anything like that goes to from $20 to$100 okay? And she has, like, the old the old clothes. So sometimes, like, if it's like a set, I had to, like, do a research and just put everything, like, on a set, like, can, like, some of it's sold like, 80 bucks. And then again, some people do lots. So it really like, I, I had, like, waking up with a sale of like, 100 bucks of, like, different sets of Beanie Babies clothes and the American the American girl clothes also, but it was more on those Beanie Babies clothes that was like it was a good, good investment.
Suzanne Wells:So were the sets already put together, or did you have to figure that out?
Unknown:So the funny thing is, what they did, because there's a girl and a boy, so they do a set of that one. Okay, what I did is separate them. So if I bought that set, the the girl and a boy set for, like, of course, it was 75% off already, like, maybe for$10 so each one is like, $5 investment, and sold it for 3040, bucks. That was really like, Okay, that was really nice, but it the the clothes for the boys sells more than the girls. Oh,
Suzanne Wells:okay, probably because there's fewer of them, yeah,
Unknown:yeah, and I still have some left, but mostly for the American girls. Okay,
Suzanne Wells:okay. Now, so you mentioned your husband. Is he? Is he on board with this eBay business? He's
Unknown:more on like, I'll take him, and he likes something. He wants to keep it. So
Suzanne Wells:somebody else just said that that was on the podcast that their their husband just wants to buy stuff for himself. Yeah, it didn't really help with the treasure hunting too much. Yeah, I
Unknown:know it's so sometimes I take him with me, and if he likes it, it's like, that's your I'll tell him, I'll get it for you. That's our anniversary gift for you. That's my,
Suzanne Wells:okay, well, I guess if he's just, if he's going along to keep you company and carry things and unload things and be moral support. That's good.
Unknown:Yeah, there was a time that, again, after the pandemic, he didn't have work, and so I told him, Okay, I'll get another job. You have to take care of eBay. You have to do the you have. I'll do the listing when I'm off, but you have to do the shipping those things, and I didn't like it. It feels like I'm giving up my baby. I'm like, I was like, I'm I was like, working. I'm scared. That's like he didn't pack it dry.
Suzanne Wells:Okay, okay, so it's kind of like you're not great at delegating. I'm the same way I'm I'm too detail oriented. I don't want anybody touching my my eBay business. I do it the way I do it, and I've been doing it so long that it's just what's the word I'm looking for. It's just like my intuition. I just know how to do it. I don't explain this to anybody, yes, and it just comes naturally. So I feel you on that I'm I'm not real good at delegating things that require a lot of attention to detail, because I am very picky. Yes, my daughter worked for me for a while and and she was just like, Mom, you're just too picky. It doesn't matter. And I'm like, Yes, it does. It does matter.
Unknown:She's like, it'll snow without doing that. And I'm like, I know, but I want to do it that way. Yeah, even sometimes when I take picture of stuff, it's like. I doesn't that's not how I wanted to show so I want I do it again, or something like that,
Suzanne Wells:right? Yeah. I mean, I understand the perfectionist tendencies, but then again, it's just eBay. You know, it's not going in the Smithsonian as art or anything, but it's, it's a time issue. Yeah, can't be too perfectionist and too detail oriented, or you'll never get anything listed
Unknown:exactly. I always have to remind myself what you're saying. Like, okay, like Suzanne said it's like, I need to, like, listen, just listen, right?
Suzanne Wells:And you can always go back and tweak it later. And like you said, on the photos, they're not right. I do a lot of photo editing now. I don't worry about, you know, I get, try to get as good of lighting as I can and and if it's sometimes, like, the reds and the purples don't come out, right? So I just use photo editor tools with the color sliders instead of trying to, okay, I'm going to retake that in different light. No, I'll just fix it, you know, with technology, yes, a lot faster than having to go and set up the shot again and retake the picture so everything just evolves with this business. It just keeps evolving. And you have to find the the tools and the processes that are the most time efficient.
Unknown:Yeah, I'm really thankful for the technology now, like it's just editing it and the AI,
Suzanne Wells:maybe, here's the AI on eBay for writing the
Unknown:description. No, I tried that. No,
Suzanne Wells:everybody says the same thing. I tried it and it was ridiculous.
Unknown:Yes, I tried it and like, no,
Suzanne Wells:like, nobody would say that, nobody would search for that. You know what they come up with?
Unknown:Yeah, and it felt like it took me longer, right? I will edit what the AI put in there, because I don't like how it goes.
Suzanne Wells:I know AI is not useful if you have to correct it, yeah?
Unknown:So it says, No, that's more time consuming for me,
Suzanne Wells:right? Yeah. I think their intentions are good with giving us that option, but it's just not realistic. It comes out sounding like something out of a magazine that someone's just writing words to fill up the page. Like,
Unknown:yes, relevant, and it's the same thing, like, from one item to another, it's right. I'm like, No, that's not no,
Suzanne Wells:that's yeah. That doesn't work for me. Oh, well, we're smarter than AI. That's why it's artificial intelligent. It's not real. Yeah. Okay, well, we've been going for about an hour here. No, you have any final words for the listeners?
Unknown:Oh, why? I think it's more like just think of this as your own journey. It's not anybody's journey. It's like reselling. It's be, you have to be good to yourself. Like, just think of it. If it's making you having it, enjoy it more. It's, it's good for you. Don't, don't think of like, oh, somebody else is like, making this amount of money. It's like, just think of this as, like, an enjoying thing. For you, it's not. It's not. What do you call, I can't remember the word. It's not a race, yes, if, if you're going to do a race, do a race with yourself,
Suzanne Wells:right? Be better than you were yesterday, exactly. Don't compare yourself with other sellers. It's very hard not to but you don't know what that person has going on. You know, like social media, people only let you see what they want you to see. Yeah, so you don't know the full story of anybody. Just Just keep improving yourself, because that's really the only thing you can control, is yourself. Yep, that's true. I see that, yeah. And like Marie Kondo, if it doesn't bring you joy, don't do it. Yes,
Unknown:yes. This is eBay. Is really for me, it's, it's my joy. It's the time that I can relax, just be, be with myself, because, of course, my work is more on giving to others. This is giving back to me,
Suzanne Wells:right? Absolutely. Yeah. Make yourself important. Yeah. So here we. Good now. What are you up to this afternoon? Well,
Unknown:it's January. Again, it's tax season. Yes, so I have to go through with last year's book, and because I always have everything that got sold, what are the expenses? And it does really help with taxes to, like, put all your expenses, especially that I have this and my w2 it helps bring down our taxes. So right to, like, make sure that I go through each month all the expenses. So, yeah, so that's,
Suzanne Wells:I know you, I can tell that you're not looking forward to that, but I give you a gold star for doing it now in January. Good for you for getting it out of the way in January.
Unknown:Yeah, it's like, I just have to make sure all the expenses goes there. Because, again, it helps a lot for for us to, like, lessen the taxes
Suzanne Wells:so you have a big pile of stuff to be listed.
Unknown:I try not to, but still, like, I try as much as possible to like whatever I bring in that I take care of it. But yeah, not, not a much pile. It's is
Suzanne Wells:all that doll clothing you bought? Has that all listed? Oh,
Unknown:no, no, I didn't buy a dog clothing.
Suzanne Wells:Oh, the the bitty baby clothing, oh,
Unknown:that was like, it's gone. It's, oh, that was a long time ago, okay, yeah, that was long time ago. Now, it's like, it's more like, DVDs, like I buy for your consideration, DVDs, okay, so again, so maybe that's it. I tried to, like, just buy what's easy to list and easy to store,
Suzanne Wells:right? Okay, well, I just had visions of all this doll clothing piled up in your garage. It was still there, but no, you've already worked through it. So
Unknown:good for you. Yes, and I'm, I'm very, I'm a very, or it doesn't look like organized, but I try to put everything in the right places, because one thing I don't want is, like, not finding right that got sold. It's just drive me nuts. Like, I'm like, thinking they got sold before, and then it's like, I didn't remove it, or it got listed again, that that makes me nuts.
Suzanne Wells:I understand. Okay, well, I'll let you go and get to your work. And thanks again for coming on and rescheduling. And I hope things improve out there for you and
Unknown:for you guys too. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it, is so nice meeting you.
Suzanne Wells:You too. It's great to meet you. Okay, I'll see you on the Facebook group
Unknown:bye.
Suzanne Wells:Next week. My guest is Christine, who is also in California, and she does eBay part time alongside her full time job as a writer in the entertainment industry, she has some fun stories, so make sure to tune in for that episode. Thank you all again for supporting this podcast, and I hope you have a fantastic week on eBay. Bye, everybody. You