I'm sure I show up in the views, and maybe a couple of other Mudcatters, but you have had 45 hits now. I see the new wording.

I've concluded that eBay is like gambling--don't put things out there that you can't afford to not get the money for. If you can sell it in the newspaper or some other way for a set price and have someone come buy it when you're wanting to sell it, that's best. If that option isn't there and you're willing to take a chance that someone will see it and buy it, hopefully for a reasonable price, then list it at eBay.

I've only scratched the surface on the strategies but through trial and error one of the most off-putting phrases out there is "no returns." I think people will move on over choosing to buy something when there's no chance of fixing it if it is completely wrong--people worry that the description might be misleading. I've bought things that were so unlike the descriptions and even though I had to pay return postage, I sent them back. The way the rating system was set up I didn't dare complain at the bait and switch those sellers were doing, but now sellers aren't supposed to be able to blast unhappy buyers.

It puts sellers in a tougher position if they run into a crackpot buyer, but it means sellers also have to be sure they're selling exactly what they say they are. If this had been in place when I bought a couple of different rugs I would have been frank and said those sellers didn't know what they were talking about to pass off acrylic rugs as wool, or to hide big tears from the camera and describe them as intact. Etc.

It has been my observation that people who sell the same thing for a good price over time develop a following and some momentum. People who sell various things tend to get lucky sometimes and not others. I think that if you're looking for an online business you would have to either decide on a set of products to sell, or have such a broad base of sales going so that averaging would make it act more like an income.

It's Friday! I have to work today, I took yesterday off, but I'll take a couple of days next week. Gotta move more of this stuff, and I am going to create a larger photo area in my sun room so I don't need to lay my cutting board on the floor in the living room. The cats leave it alone, but I'm going to have a dog in the house for the next month (recovering from heart worms). I need to put things out of harm's way. I don't think she is a chewer, but she will be bored.

SRS