The Great Escape

Firstly let me tell you that if you need an opinion stating, excellently all the why’s and wherefores of eBay then please refer to ‘eBay Gum’ by Alflavor, an excellent opinion which will point you in the right direction.

My sister began first on eBay and told me all about it. To be honest, I thought oh right she’s found something else on the Internet, but I’ve not got time for all of that! So I did nothing. A few months later she was still talking about it – and I was still doing nothing…

Starting Out
~~~~~~~~~~

It really is very east o get hooked on eBay – within a month I had made £200, had a much tidier house with a lot less junk and was looking at items in charity shops in a whole new light. I never actually bought anything specially to sell on eBay but just did my own stuff, any freebies I got sent of got from supermarkets etc. Or things I had made (crystal necklaces and the like).

Being rather ‘glum’ at work, this is an understatement but it is 5.40 on Sunday and I really don’t want to dwell on work…. I began to look at eBay during the day from my PC at work and just generally peruse what people were doing. I noticed that some people were selling the same sort of items (or trying to) but when one person was commanding £20 -£30 for an item someone else was getting £5…why? What could this mean to me?

I also saw how to use the gallery. For an extra 15p per listing you can have a little picture on the actual search list. You get one picture for free anyway and I just used to do this, but a gallery picture which lists alongside your item, means it comes up on more searches and also looks great in your free and easy to set up eBay store.

I decided I wanted to open my own eBay store. I have always wanted my own shop – a new agey type affair would suit me down to the ground. Anyway, not being able to afford property at this time, but still having dreams, I opening my eBay shop.

I wasn’t happy; I’d spent 3 days at Earls Court just before the weekend and now Tuesday I was driving to yet another show. Not a happy bunny… However I entered the NEC to find 8 halls of toys and gifts, a positive cornucopia of wholesale opportunities!!

Finally seller’s on eBay get ‘trusted’ by their feedback, a little number in brackets after your name. If you have a high number it means you have bought and sold a lot and been successful in your dealings, people will leave you feedback comments such as; ‘pleasure to deal with’ ‘Good eBayer’ ‘ Great communication, good sent swiftly’ and the like.

Hopefully, this will get even more sellers to visit my shop – knowing they will get a good deal into he bargain.

Well, it may be a pipe dream, but my plans are to keep on with the eBay store, learn how to set up my own web site and set up an online store.

Anyone who wants to be on my mailing list can contact me on helen@paganscave.co.uk - take a look at the store and tell me what you think!!

I thought you may like to hear how I was getting on, and if it lets just one person out there know you can begin to work for yourself and give the dead end job the 'heaveho' then it's worth writing this bit! You may notive I have updated my shop address as we are now Ltd. I set up a limited company on 11.11.03. My partner Richard has learnt to use Dreamweaver and has completed a great new web site for me - see my home page for details. And biggest thing of all.... I left my awful job and now work 3 days per week in a new job and 2 days a week for myself, we thought it's no use jakking everything in in one go and stepping into the great unknown, so this is a nice way of keeping the mortgage paid at the same time as working for myself!!