I was slow to start using ebay but I’m happily obsessed with it now. Yesterday I won a Dora the Explorer scooter for $5. I picked it up and my little girl is happily whizzing around the house. Someone’s de-clutter has made Caterina very happy but do I have room for all this extra stuff?
I love watching Hoarders. The advice is simple – if you buy something new, get rid of something old. Be careful what you buy, don’t buy something you already have just because it is cheap. I am trying to do this but it is so easy to get excited by the items I find on ebay. I have accidentally won two Ben 10 scooters and they are on their way. I am looking for a desk for my bedroom but haven’t sold my old cot yet. Does ebay solve our clutter problems or is it simply the swapping of clutter?
Clothing are the worst items to buy on ebay. My sister and bought a lot of clothes on ebay over a six month period last year and it was only a handful of items that were the right size, the right colour or looked as good in real life as they did in the picture. My sister was so funny. Every time I turned up to her house she’d try to force some rejected item of clothing on me. She’s pretty good at buying clothes for me but even I couldn’t wear some of the clothing that turned up. Our worst moment was a gorgeous, very small and depressing black dress from Bardot. It was beautiful and we both tried our best to squeeze into it, thinking we could fix the bumps and lumps with shape wear but we were kidding ourselves and she had to re-list it for sale.
I usually buy my Clinque Dark Spot Corrector on ebay and save about $20 in the process but it does take ages to arrive because it is from overseas. Then I go through my rationing stage where I have to use the smallest amount of the cream so I don’t run out before the new one arrives.
I am trying to be a smarter ebay shopper and seller. I have become a watcher, not a bidder. I stalk items and if I really want them I make sure to log in for the final hour of the auction and hope the price stays reasonable.
I am a lazy seller. I always choose pick up only. I can’t be bothered organising delivery and with two small children, the post office is a no-go-zone for me.
My iPhone has made it easier to photograph and list items and today I plan to do some selling. My clutter is about to become someone else’s clutter and then I will add some of their clutter to mine. It’s a fun pastime but not profitable because items sell so cheaply at the moment and I am always planning to replace my sold item with something else.
Do ebay businesses still make lots of money or are they too victims of low, low prices?
Today I need to find a small office desk, a small office chair and I’d also like to find a Spiderman scooter for my son so each child has their scooter of choice. Then I can use my newly purchased multiple Ben 10 scooters and gifts and I might even try and sell my old plastic Christmas tree and some kitchen gadgets I bought but never opened. Someone else can slice and dice and discover the ease of cleaning, even after slicing and dicing sticky and colourful foods.
La Dolce Vita – Jo Abi








