Freakonomics, one of my favorite sites (even though I don’t always get the point), is warning that the tax-free era for online shoppers may be endangered, despite the fact that Bush signed a bill last fall that extended tax-free moratorium until 2014. (In a nutshell, New York State is looking at taxing Amazon et al, and I’m sure other cash-strapped states like California are thinking about it, too.)
Which leads to my question: Is selling on ebay worth the trouble, especially if we’re going to have to figure in sales tax? BusinessWeek noted that the online seller lost some of its luster since it raised fees for its sellers, and I’ve heard a lot of grumblings from various corners that the site has gotten big, expensive and clumsy. (Try googling “ebay complaints.”)
I’m asking now because, while I’ve bought a lot of things on ebay, I’ve never gotten around to selling anything, even though I have a few interesting non-junk items in the corner earmarked for sale. I throw this question out because, at midlife, a lot of us have a lot of stuff. A WHOLE LOT of stuff, collected over the course of our interesting lives.
I’m at a point where I’d like to scale back, and I like the thought of recouping some of my expenses. And I suspect I’m not alone. Oh, sure, I know I could have another garage sale, but my last experience was pretty unpleasant. (I was overrun by cranky old men who wanted me to GIVE things away.)
If you have stories about selling things online, I’d like to hear them.
Update: According to this AP story, my scenario is already a reality.
April 15, 2008 at 4:04 am
I’ve thought of selling on ebay but haven’t yet, and if they make it too complicated I probably never will.
I usually just use consignment shops around town when I have things to sell.
April 17, 2008 at 7:18 pm
My husband sells things on e-bay, more as a way to reduce clutter than as a money-making venture. Ironically, he tends to make the biggest profit on stuff he gets at yards sales or thrift stores that he THINKS he will use but doesn’t (crock pots, etc.) He just puts the money into Pay Pal and I can use it to buy “Buy it now” stuff on e-bay like bras or toys. He is pretty much barred from bidding on collectibles!!
I also know people who figure out the value of items and sell them for a fixed price on craigslist. That does take some energy to field calls and meet up with people. We easily sold an IKEA loft bed that way.
April 22, 2008 at 8:14 am
We’ve sold some on e-bay, collectibles mostly. We’ve found that we don’t list anything that is too much of a pain in the tail to ship. Then there’s craigslist **aaahhhh***
April 22, 2008 at 8:52 am
Thanks for the comments. Craigslist in my neck of the woods is a little underdeveloped, but I’ll still look into it.