EBay

Let's start with one of the more popular idea's for making money from home......EBay.

I use to really enjoy EBay, both selling and buying, but as I hear more and more stories of both sides getting burnt, I have backed away from using them. I, personally, have only been burnt once by a fellow EBay user (A buyer). But once was enough, since this was a portion of my work at home income. I didn't make BIG money, so every little dollar I lost on that deal, did hit me where it hurts, in the pocketbook. I did use other online methods later, and I will talk about those at a later date.

I also, think EBay's fees are getting out of hand for the "little people" who want to use it. Maybe it's not so bad on sellers that run stores, have large inventory of their items, have that MUST HAVE item- that is going to sell (without having to re-list it), but for people who are just trying to make a few extra dollars to make somewhat of a living or even supplement their income, they add up.

The feedback system. The concept is good, but the EBay users who can so easily abuse it, it's horrible. I had/have a good feedback rating, so this never got me, but I knew a couple of other users it did "get". Some folks will post neg. feedback, if they don't have it right away (I'm not talking about sellers who mail their items out slow or not at all), but some buyers expect their goods immediately.

Buyers who have buyer's remorse. Most sellers will let even those be returned (most everyone wants happy customer's), but than buyer's want their shipping back (even if the ad states there will be none given), etc. So, if the seller refuses, the chances the buyer will leave neg. feedback is great.

Some users leave neg. feedback just to be jerks! These are the "lowlifes".

**A tip-reviewing feedback is recommended, but if ou are wanting to deal with a user and there is some neg. feedback, check their overall feedback. In most cases you can review the feedback of the user leaving the neg. feedback, I read their's too, just to see if they have a pattern.**

Payment methods taken by EBay for the auctions. They ALL have their pitfalls.
Paypal-have you read some of those horror stories?
Money orders and Cashier checks-I'd really watch those, especially for bigger ticket items. So easy for someone to send out a fake one.
Personal Checks-(this is where I got burnt). Of course it bounced (I hadn't sent out item thankfully), and then that set off the chain reaction in my account. I had enough to cover it and all checks that had already been sent out of my account, but the it still cost me in fees from my bank.

So, overall........there are pro's and con's to EBay. And yes, you can make a living off of them, if you have product to sell, that people want. I made an "ok" living for 3 months while I was unemployed (laid off), but thankfully I had some money saved previously, so we could still "do" things as a family. Because I could never had done that with what I made selling on EBay (No fault of theirs).
Just remember to proceed with caution, as a seller and a buyer, when thinking of using them.

P.S. The EBay community can be brutal.

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