Over the past couple years I have received numerous unsolicited ads proclaiming that I could easily make a six figure income just by selling on eBay. I either threw them away, discarded them in the trash, or hit the delete button. Then I got to thinking…
I could use six figures. I could buy some more stuff. I could pay off all the credit cards plus the first, second, and third mortgages. Other people are doing it (according to all the ads) so it must work. Maybe I should try it.
I bought books and discs, went to a couple seminars, learned all the secrets, and finally set up shop.
My goal was to get rid of all the antiques, collectibles, vintage and heirloom stuff we have been accumulating in the attic, the basement, the garage, and a rented storage space. Add it all up: six figures easily.
As part of my research, I watched every rerun of Antiques Roadshow I could find. When the Keno Brothers appraised something, I checked my inventory and found we had one of them too.
Example: Leslie and Leigh were appraising a flange. It was a genuine antique produced in the Seventeenth Century (actually, somewhere between the years 1600-1699) by a famous flangemaker who lived on the corner of First and Second streets. This particular model was created at 3:17 in the afternoon, on a rainy day in August, on the north corner of the intersection. Flanges by this guy are highly desirable today. At auction, on a good day, with the right advertising, perfect weather conditions, ample customer parking, and an audience full of wealthy hungry flange collectors, this particular model should bring somewhere between $15,000 – $19,851.
Good grief! We have one just like that stashed out in the garage! The same make and model and serial number and hallmarks!
I cleaned it up, got rid of all that dirty old patina; took a digital picture and wrote a digital description; turned on the computer and put it up on eBay.
It was there in plain sight, in full view, for all the collectors around the world to see and covet for an entire week. I kept track of the hits, track of the watchers. In the last few seconds on the international marketplace it finally sold…for ninety nine cents (plus S&H).
Undaunted, I continued my home-based business, getting rid of collectibles from every corner of the house. By year’s end, I totaled up my gross sales. Happily, I succeeded in meeting my six figure goal. Specifically, I grossed a whopping total of $103.17 — that’s six figures (when you include the decimal point).
