Originally Posted by
thinktubes
Ebay member since 1999/2500+ transactions. Much scaled back in recent years.
The metric I use is clearing $35 per hour. This includes time spent prepping, photos, writing, listing, fees, going to the PO, etc...
If I can't hit that mark, I have better things to do with my time.
People overlook some of the time factor. I did a round trip drop off and pack of a frameset this week, and I even had supplies on hand. Supplies like box bikes don't just show up! You have to go get them. Then you also have the packing supplies. In my case, one and a half rolls of packing tape (not cheap), three pieces of pipe insulation, about 30 zip ties, label stock to print two labels. It all adds up. It took me 1 hour 45 minutes including the trip to drop off the shipment at the nearest Fed Ex ship point. Yesterday I shipped another one, saved a little time as it went USPS and they pick up from my front porch!
If you have "buying disorder" (like to buy stuff), you either have to find an outlet, or you WILL become a hoarder. But as a J O B, there are better gigs for sure. The really serious ebay sellers tend to focus on new items, find a source in China, or drop ship, and have thousands of listings. Thats a TON of work!