by Tristen OBrien on October 14, 2011
The garden gnome… The strange, but cute, looking statue that sits in your yard. Everyone may know the Travelocity roaming gnome from the commercials , but did you know that there is a huge niche for these? It’s true, some people just can’t get enough of their lawn ornaments, and this fits right it.
I run in to these at Goodwill all of the time, but you need to know what you are looking for. There are some gnomes that are plastic, and have no weight to them. You should pass on those. You are looking for a gnome that is heavy in weight, and odd. As you know, many people love weird and odd items, and for some reason there are a lot of weird and odd gnomes. Also, sets of like gnomes to great. Let’s take a look at some completed listings:
Now not all gnomes are treated equally. These gnomes sold well, but you might run into some that sell for $15-$20. It all depends on the brand (if there is one), weight, and size. Most of the gnomes I find at Goodwill are under $2, so its worth it either way. Remember, picking out a gnome is like picking out a car to some people. They need just the right one. The one that fits them, and can express their personality. With that said, I have had the most luck selling these on a 30 day fixed listing.
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by Tristen OBrien on October 13, 2011
When people ask about my story and what I do, the common objection I get is – I don’t have any extra money to start buying eBay inventory. For some reason I like when someone tells me that. Not because they don’t have any extra money, but it reminds me of myself when I first started. You don’t need a lot of money to start buying and selling on eBay. Matter of fact, you don’t need any money. I love sharing this story with people, because I have seen many new eBay Entrepreneur’s become very successful with just starting with $0.
When I really started to get serious about selling on eBay, I was in the same boat. With no job, I didn’t have any extra cash to spend. Of course the normal fear came up – what if my inventory doesn’t sell?. I first started with selling items in my home. I knew that I would easily be able to get some extra cash that way. At first I sold:
- Big Screen TV
- Antique Christmas Dolls
- A Necklace
- A Watch
- A Camera
I knew that I could make some easy money selling items I really didn’t need (although I miss my Big TV). Really, it was just clutter in our house. We didn’t need those items more than we needed the money at the time. I made a pretty good chuck of change by selling those, and I had the intention of keeping the money incase of an emergency. Not to long after collecting my money and getting the items shipped, I ran into a
Target store gold mine! I won’t go into this with detail because I have already wrote a post about this story, but I found a huge stack of PS3 Rock Band Complete Set’s. I was able to use the money that I made from those 5 items, and more than double my money.
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The point that I am trying to make is that you don’t have to look far. You can start with selling clutter in your home, and snowball that money into something bigger. I truly believe that you get back what you give out, so share this with someone today. You never know who really could use some passive income, or who really needs a new career. This message may be able to change someone’s life. Remember that you may need to sacrifice a material possession, but you can start living the lifestyle you want today!
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HERE
by Tristen OBrien on October 12, 2011
Selling on eBay is VERY exciting! If you are selling for a living or even if you are trying to make some passive income, eBay can be the best route for you. You may go out to different retailers and find some good eBay inventory, throw it on eBay, and make some money! That feeling is great, but what happens when you start to burn out? At some point, you may feel defeated, overwhelmed, or just tired. eBay may be the last thing you want to even look at. Why is that? Where did the excitement go? It could be because you did not write down any goals. You have no finnish line! You are burnt out because you think that the race will never end, and that you will keep going and going. Goals are the golden key. Goals help you feel a sense of accomplishment, and keeps the fuel pumping. It establishes a foundation of purpose and allows you to feel fulfilled.
I once had no goals myself. When I first started selling on eBay, I felt that excitement every time I found something to sell on eBay, and when something did sell… Oh Boy! I felt great! That feeling slowly started to fade away. That excitement was replaced with anxiety and resentment towards eBay. It was like I no structure in my work life and I didn’t feel any pride. Thats when I realized that this is MY business, and no one is going to create a structure for me. Success is up to you, and you alone. Setting goals has brought back that excitement! It makes me feel as if I am accomplishing something everyday.
I use to just have a monthly goal, but that was not enough for me. The structure I needed was a daily, weekly, and monthly goal. Of course if I was hitting my daily goal, then I would hit the others. Here is an example of what it may look like:
Hypothetical OCTOBER GOAL: $6,000
|
Daily |
Weekly |
Monthly |
| Goodwill: |
$165 |
$825 |
$3,300 |
| Big Lots: |
$50 |
$250 |
$1,000 |
| Target: |
$25 |
$125 |
$500 |
| Shoe Store: |
na |
$75 |
$300 |
| Walmart: |
na |
$75 |
$300 |
| Online: |
$20 |
$100 |
$400 |
| Other: |
$10 |
$50 |
$200 |
I picked a large number because I wanted you to see that breaking it down per day makes it seem achievable! I definitely don’t make $6,000 per month with eBay, but that is my goal. Consistency is the best advice I have for you. Always take action everyday to hit your goal. Now I don’t go to every store every day, so somedays Goodwill will have to pick up the slack. At least I know my daily goal, so when I hit it, I can go home. Sometimes I can hit my daily goal in one store, then I have the choice – do I go home or do I go to another store and bank up for the next day? This is just a simple example of how I like to look at it, but it gives me a great structure and keeps me motivated!
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