Half a Step Over

Agent Wanted 

I need a new eBay agent. I had someone very good, but she and her husband decided to close their store for reasons I didn’t quite understand (and that my original connection to them didn’t understand either but didn’t want to push). That’s good for them. But where does it leave me? 

The hubby and I know that eventually we’ll move out of the house and into a much smaller space. That means I’ll be looking to sell a piano, a couple of couches, bookcases (although those I might put on—now, don’t mention this to that other group—Craigslist) and some other items. In fact, the more I can downsize, the less expensive the move will be, and I don't expect that to be cheap.

How to Sell

Anyone out there know how to sell the big stuff? Locally? I’ve found several eBay agents in my area, but they only want small items—and things they can look up first to make sure they can sell them. One shop said their minimum sale was $40. But I’m talking big stuff, like a couch and a piano. I'm still deciding how much of the small stuff to get rid of--lamps, side tables--but I suspect I'll take those and if necessary, get rid of them at the other end. And I also know I'll donate a pile of stuff that I don't want to deal with on sales.

Plus, I don’t have a PayPal account, although yes, I know I can get one. But, a friend just told me her boyfriend opened his account one morning and discovered he was missing a really large amount of money. Fortunately, he found out about it fairly quickly, was able to contacted those in charge, and the transaction was stopped. Stories like that make me crazy because I do plan to sell larger items, and I really don’t want to worry about how fast I move the money. This kind of thing always makes me edgier than I already am about the whole issue.

Reading Up

I’ve been downloading articles from the Internet on how to sell on eBay. I’m totally confused because most sellers seems to have have real “stores” and are selling small items, like cosmetics or kitchen appliances. I have a friend whose daughter routinely buys her children’s clothes there—and then sells them again—because she’s found a really good broker who deals with that type of item. But I’m getting confused on how to do it, and no one I know has actually sold anything on the site; they normally are only buyers, and I haven’t even done that. Then again, all of the articles say the best way to learn to sell is by buying some items. The problem is that I really don’t need anything.

And I know I can sell larger items because I have a friend who has already done so, but through the same agent who's no longer in the business. I just worry that big items are not really a good place to start if I want to try to sell my belongings. 

Yes, I'm Whining

Do I sound whiny about this? I know I do. I like to just hire someone I know I can trust to do stuff like this—I’ve had all the workmen for my house for years because they’re good. But I guess now I’ll have to do it myself…something I really don’t want to deal with. If anyone knows of a good source for learning how to sell “big” items, feel free to send them over.  

Now, back to sales lists, of which I have many.