Years ago I made tons of money selling Lionel and American Flyer trains on eBay. I could buy sets and sell the individual items separately and make a 200% return.

I also bought a TV and radio repair shop that went out of business in 1958 at an auction in 1996 for $200. That netted me about $7,000.

In 2001, I bought a Lionel collection for $950 on eBay and sold the pieces individually for around $6000.

Today, there is nothing I can find on eBay that can be turned for a profit. I have only been able to find a small niche market that turns maybe $100 a month if I am lucky.

I am about to try selling T-shirts, but my expectation will be a profit of $100 a month.

Is anyone else doing better?

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1983 300SD "Guderian"
1987 MR2
2015 Camry
2015 Chevy Spark
2006 Hyundai Tucson

Nope, but I've got an old Lionel train set you might be interestd in.

Oh? got any info on it? I love trains

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

I still make a buck or two here and there, but only when I luck across something locally. Rarely can you buy on eBay and expect to resell there for a profit (unless you're handy and can repair broken items; then you MIGHT do OK).

I picked up a couple of somewhat rare road bikes at a garage sale a couple of years ago and turned a tidy profit on eBay. I have done the same with some vintage electronics and other bits and bobs, but the longer eBay is around, the more people are aware of it. That means there are fewer and fewer folks who DON'T turn to it as an appraisal tool. Everyone with a Beatles record thinks it's worth $100, and everyone with a W123 diesel thinks it's a $4000 veggie-mobile.

The days of prospecting (in this way) are coming to an end. Don't even get me started on the eBay/PayPal fee structures and risks to the seller.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

yep, Ebay is making loads. for me I get one unreasonable buyer and it will blow what scant money I make and then some

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

There's a monthly auction in NC that sells off seized cars (drugs, etc) to the public. I went once and never again. It is so locally famous and so well attended that they often bid up the price above market. Silly.

Here is the link if you want to see. The next auction is Feb 4

http://www.meaauctions.com/auction-list.cfm

no benzes this time

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo

Alamo - Same thoughts I made a ton of dough years ago, PowerSeller all that crap. But I was able to find real good quality stuff and it was unique. Just can't put my hands on that right product anymore the market is to saturated.

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BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

We're still doing OK buying on eBay for resale on eBay (or elsewhere), but it's in a narrow niche of Business & Industrial items. We are not often "fixing" things, but we try to buy things at liquidation prices, then resell them at significantly higher prices. That involves solid familiarity with the niche, thorough descriptions, and great pictures - all things that can help to convince a prospective buyer that we know our stuff, and that he will get what was described, without drama.

In some cases, it requires a genial willingness to keep a relatively esoteric item up for sale for a long time while waiting for the right buyer to find it. It sometimes involves collecting related items - often over the course of months and months - to resell together as a "turnkey" package. It sometimes involves taking on the risks and inconvenience associated with international transactions.

The narrowness of the niche sharply limits the potential for growth, but one advantage is that it has not historically attracted bad buyers - so we have not yet been harmed too much by some of the eBay policy changes that have really "given wings" to bad buyers (or to competitors who wish to hurt one's business).

One of our big concerns is that eBay will eventually tweak the site (hard enough) such that many of the liquidator types that we often buy from won't be able to continue to sell there.

Ebay has been good for me. I refitted my entire Print and Sign shop a few years ago for about 80% less than it would have cost me locally.

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For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!

E-Bay is very good for the niche market. At least for me. Machinery and parts for machinery. I haven't done well selling off any of my machinery. I usually took a loss. Still, I have boughten replacement machinery at what I value it at a lower price.
I also do RC airplane stuff. I have sold some stuff on E-Bay and some at local swap meets. There is stuff, if I had it, I would sell on E-Bay. Some motors, wouldn't fetch much at a swap meet. Maybe a big one, it would. You might have one or two people who are even interested. On E-Bay, you might have a dozen, or at least two to bid between each other. THe more common ones, I don't know if it bothers to list on E-Bay or not.
Tom

As a hobbyist, eBay used to be a great way of obtaining product to refurbish and resell, but I've found that eliminating the middle man with Craigslist works just as well, especially if there's a local market for obtaining and selling the items.

Good points on the niche market issue. I buy on eBay regularly; there is just nothing left that I am interested in that can routinely be purchased on eBay and resold there for profit. I am sure there are niche markets where that's possible, but I have no interest in trying to stay ahead of the trends. Sounds too much like work.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

I find that selling hardware from furniture usually nets me more than I would have gotten for the whole dresser.

Misc tools, and knick knacks still sell pretty well.

Weirdly, I sold my broken iphone for $270 bucks! Go figure

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Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

Yessir, I parted out a set of old JBL speakers for FAR more than complete sets were giong for. Shipping factors in, and you get folks who have items in need of restoration, and they need specific parts. Works for me (and shipping little items is SO much easier!).

Did you receive feedback for the phone yet? I've had buyers who fail to read my description, then email after the item's been received to lodge a complaint that's clearly addressed in my description. Trouble is, they can simply say it's "not as described," ship it back, and I have to refund their payment. Then, I'm out shipping.

eBay's become a real hassle for honest sellers.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

No feedback yet, but I sold the phone as broken/for parts. I dont see how he could say "not as described" because it actually still works.

I was making a killing on some laundry pedastals that I had, I bought them for $10 each, and sold them for about $150 each.

They were a pain to ship, as they were right at the max ship size for usps.

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Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2