Sunday, November 25, 2007, 11:35 pm

Lesson in economics...

Well, supposedly some people make money on eBay.

I'm not one of them. With only one exception, I've lost money on everything I've ever sold.

It's frustrating. I can start low and hope a bidding frenzy takes it over what I paid for it... which is what I do when items actually sell. But the bidding frenzy never takes place.

Or, I can set the starting bid at a price to guarantee I won't lose any money. I've tried this method too... and as you might expect, these items still adorn my shelf.

So, now I'm wondering... how does someone actually manage to make money on eBay? At the rate I'm going... I'm going to eventually sell myself into the poor house! Not exactly the reason people sell stuff online!

Maybe everything I have is actually shit? I've considered that. However, I see other people selling the same shit... but their stuff sells for more. So, what am I doing wrong? Is it a matter as simple as poor timing? Do my feet stink?

For instance, the items I sold today... were I to perform a search a couple of results come up. The items that come up have a HIGHER starting bid than mine. I had a couple of watchers, so perhaps they didn't want to bid up the people who had bid on my stuff...

Or perhaps they watch like I do... and forget 90% of the time.

Anyway, I'd be willing to bet dollars for doughnuts that these higher priced items sell.

So, what am I doing wrong? Perhaps I just don't have that "flair" for marketing?

Or, perhaps I don't have anything that anyone actually wants. At least anything that anyone wants to buy from me.

Well, I guess since I apparently don't "get" online auctions... I should just stay away. I can't afford to keep losing money until I figure it out.

And I wonder why I get so apprehensive when it comes to investing in anything... even if the numbers work!