Friday, June 30, 2006

Too Scared to Sell

I have three boxes of homeschool stuff I need to unload. While I have been buying on Ebay forever, I have never sold and frankly, I'm almost too scared to try. I'm equally scared to sell on the homeschool boards.

Some of the stuff I have I will give to friends, such as flash cards, books that aren't in the best of condition, but I have some stuff that we have outgrown that are worth some money. I would imagine I could make enough to buy all the science supplies I want, plus some.

So why am I so scared?

If I try to sell on Ebay, I know to get a new checking account so that our main account isn't tied up with Paypal. I've heard horror stories about freezing checking accounts and I'd be close to death if that happened. I know how to accurately describe what I have. I'm just a chicken.

I don't know how to do shipping. I'd want to charge a very small fee for shipping and handling -- meaning I'd go out and buy something to ship the books in. I don't know how to do shipping charges, though. Personally, I don't buy near as much on Ebay as I used to because of shipping fees so I'd probably do media mail. I think everything I have qualifies for that.

I'm just a wimp. All I need to do is jump in.

Someone tell me to do it. I don't want to be tripping over boxes for the next month.

Ugh.

4 comments:

Angela said...

Just do it! I have been selling on ebay for years, and it is so simple! In the beginning I only accepted checks and money orders, and that may be the way to go the first time. Adding Paypal is very simple, and does not tie up your checking account to receive funds. You will also want to get a paypal debit card, so you can spend the $$ you take via paypal anywhere you wish (instead of just ebay auctions).
Many books can be shipped in padded envelopes, which I often get from Walmart, or even cheaper, in packs of 2 at the $$ store. Shipping for books falls under media mail, and is much cheaper. I get boxes from the local CVS store to ship larger lots. Give it a shot!!!

Frankie said...

Thanks for giving me some courage! I may just give it a shot -- in a few weeks. ;-)

Oh, the reason I want to start a new checking account is: I joined a yahoo group a couple of years ago called eBay moms. I learned on that group that if there is ever a dispute with Paypal, Paypal freezes your account. Now I'm honest and would describe my stuff as best as possible, but I know there are some people out there who aren't -- and it would be just my luck to run into one of them. Plus, I've decided it would be nice to have a separate account for homeschooling just because sometimes I want to buy something and there's no money in the budget. Rather than using the credit card, it would be nice to have a stash. Oh, and my husband would not be on the account. lol (He trusts me and he should.)

I'll check the dollar store this weekend and pick up some envelopes. Thanks!

Frankie said...

Oh, thanks for the info on the debit card. I'll definitely get one!

Michelle L. said...

You'll do great selling on e-bay. I sell a lot on there and occasionally on the WTM swap board. I get the padded envelopes too and they're great and come in all sizes. Homeschool stuff sells very well on e-bay. I have always had great luck.