Always Thinking eBay

2

Encarta’s definition of “rummage” is “to make a rapid search for or through something by carelessly moving and disarranging things or to find something by searching.”

I have to admit, I do my share of rummaging, although my version takes slightly longer and is more in depth. Whenever I’m in a department store, a thrift store or a garage sale, I cannot keep myself from digging through the clearance racks or rummaging through boxes of garage sale merchandise. Why? Because I’m always on the lookout for fantastic deals on things I think I can resell on eBay for a profit. It’s almost an illness. You likely know the feeling.

Even if I’m short on time, I frequently find myself drawn toward the backs of certain stores where the clearance merchandise is often hidden. The eBay seller in me says, “If I don’t at least take a quick peek at what’s been marked down 90 percent, I could be missing a huge opportunity to make some big bucks.”

When it comes to garage sales, I have a little more control. I don’t slam on my brakes and foam at the mouth whenever I spot a sign announcing, “Yard sale today!” OK, maybe a little drooling, but that’s to be expected, right? The approach I take is more methodical: I check the local paper and Craigslist ahead of time, and look for a few big sales that I think will have the most stuff to browse through. Then when I actually go to these sales, the seller in me takes over.

I ask myself, would someone buy this on eBay? Have I seen something similar to this sell on eBay? How much did it go for? I have found some great deals with this approach—and made good profits!

My rummaging for merchandise does get in the way sometimes, especially if my husband and daughter are with me. They hate waiting on me when I’m in “the zone,” and will usually make themselves scarce so I can concentrate. Even when I promise to just run into the store and grab a couple things, I must admit I have deliberately made wrong turns (wink, wink) and conveniently ended up in the clearance section. Oops!

At least my family understands my illness and is supportive. Not all the time, but they do the best they can.