I have been reading about people that have virtual stores.  Other people sell stuff on eBay.  Others are developing and selling their own products.  is there anything that you do that can be considered as an online business??  Do you actually make money to survive with that?

I've often considered a virtual store and eBay.  I've heard of people having great success selling many things, even yard sale "junk", on ebay.  I guess you just need a product people want to buy. 

One of my neighbors made 3 thousand dollars in one month selling stuff on eBay.  She keeps selling things there! She focused on "seasonal stuff" and she makes money that way.

I think I really need to set up an account on Ebay because I have lots of stuff that I am just giving away, for the most part, on Freecycle. I really need to try to get some of my money back on it.  I just don't know if it is worth it.

I think you should try selling them first!  Think that one man's junk is another man's (and in most cases another woman's) treasures!  If you can't seel it, then give it away.  Or try at your local flea market to get rid of your stuff in one day.

I used to do the flea market thing.  I just don't feel like standing there all day, but it could very well be worth my while.

The trick about flea markets, is doing it with a couple of friends.  You get all your junk together, try to be equal amounts, and then divide your earnings in equal parts and have a ball while selling the whole day together.

I have some items at home which I no longer need. I brought a play yard that cost $199 almost 6 months back and a exercising cycle that cost $100 a year back. How much do you think I can sell these items for and where?

I have no experience selling on eBay so I will base it on my off line selling.  We owned a store and we are adding 12% for every product that we can sell.  Perhaps, this same thing can be applied online.

I have an old, very beat up walking doll that has to be at least sixty years old. It has rollers on the bottom of her feet and that's how the doll walks, though the mechanism is frozen up. A friend of mine that runs an antique, and home decor business is looking up where the doll came from and the value. She's doing this on Ebay and says she's had a lot of valuations answered there. So that's something Ebay does that I had no idea they do.

rubybeetle:

I've often considered a virtual store and eBay.  I've heard of people having great success selling many things, even yard sale "junk", on ebay.  I guess you just need a product people want to buy. 

eBay used to be good for stuff like this, but unfortunately it's a different place now. Buyers have to beware of things like inflated (horribly inflated) shipping charges and sellers also have to be careful.  It's not at all like it was 5 or 6 years ago.  :-(

My husband bought some JFK memorabilia from a guy on Ebay and got a very good deal. A week after the stuff was deliviered, the guy sent my husband a check for $2.50 because he'd charged him too much for shipping charges. I guess if you have the luck to deal with an honest person it's ok.
 

I got my very first store at Amazon. You don’t need to own the products that you are going to sell with them. All you have to do is to drive some customer to them and then you will get some money out of the transaction.

chocoguy:

I got my very first store at Amazon. You don’t need to own the products that you are going to sell with them. All you have to do is to drive some customer to them and then you will get some money out of the transaction.

I'm not understanding how this would work for you, Chocoguy... how can you have a store if you don't have a product to sell?  And if your name and reputation are associated with the store, what happens if a customer isn't satisfied?  And why wouldn't they put their own name behind the things they're selling?  Sorry for all the questions... I got lost somewhere.  :-)

 

mollyL:

My husband bought some JFK memorabilia from a guy on Ebay and got a very good deal. A week after the stuff was deliviered, the guy sent my husband a check for $2.50 because he'd charged him too much for shipping charges. I guess if you have the luck to deal with an honest person it's ok.
 

 Wow, that is truly impressive.  That was indeed one of the honest sellers.  It used to be more like that in the past but I haven't seen a whole lot of it lately.  Very good to hear!