eBay

In this time of holiday cheer and giving and others, I only have one concern: cashing in.

This year, I started selling my possessions on eBay. It all started innocently enough. My room was getting cluttered, even by my standards. Instead of just tossing stuff out to the curb, I decided to post them on eBay. I no longer have a need for a Natalie Cole “Unforgettable” tour t-shirt, but maybe someone else does. And so, I began to think of this as a service to others.

At first, I was selling the stuff around my room. Books, CDs, clothes hanging in my closet, hidden from the light of day. I wasn’t bringing in a lot of money, but enough to pay for my weekly Fiore’s sandwich. Plus, many of these items were either gifts, or bought so long ago, void of any monetary value. For example:
• 14 pins from the 1980s with messages like, “Life is not a dress rehearsal”. “I’m Not Deaf, I’m Ignoring You”. Maybe someone at TGI Friday’s needed more flare. In any case, I made $8.50.
• A CBS News issued VHS of Any Rooney commentaries
• A Smothers Brothers instructional VHS on using a yo-yo
• New Kids on the Block giant wall hanging.
• 10 ALF comic books

It was great. Little by little, my room was getting less cluttered. But then I discovered something: buying for the sole purpose of selling. The impetus of this was at the Billy Joel concerts I was going to at Madison Square Garden. Since the 12-show run was a record at the Garden, they printed up posters with all of the MSG dates on them. They were selling them for $10. I bought one and put it on eBay. It sold for almost $40. So at the next show, I bought another. And it sold for $57. I saw a good thing and at the third show bought even more. The selling price of all the posters ended up paying for a couple of the concert tickets.

When I went home to Washington for Labor Day, I began cleaning my bedroom with a vengeance. My Mom was so proud. She was so relieved that I was getting rid of all these childhood things I was hanging onto. Little did she know my cleaning was for pure profit. Boxes of childhood mementos filled my car and my room was now more cluttered than ever. Taking photos of everything, listing them and tracking them like a fiend occupied my entire day. I cramped my finger by refreshing the page so often.

eBay had morphed into a form of gambling. Like a casino, you have to pay to play, which you do on eBay by paying the listing fees. Losing is not selling the item and the goal is to win. Not just win, but win big. I don't just want one bid and be done with it. I want many bids and for the selling price to be stratisphereic. Jackpot!

Once I started working back at Mystery Diagnosis, I thought I this would calm the obsession a bit. I’d be putting all of my energy into working and not listing. However, of all the buildings in all of New York, this was not the one to work in to keep the eBay at bay. I work in a very trendy, fashion-oriented building. It is not uncommon to share the elevator with gorgeous models and sharply dressed executives. As a result, sometimes these companies have sample sales and the whole building is invited to look.

The first was for this label I had never heard of, Ports 1961. After some research, I saw they sold in many of the high-end department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue (probably why I had never heard of them – H&M or bust, baby!). A skirt priced at $395 was selling for $5. Yes, $5! A $235 sweater vest sold for $10. And a tailored pair of pants was $10 as well. I just bought those few items and put them up. If they didn’t sell, I would have been happy enough to keep them. But they sold. A couple of weeks ago, Club Monaco had a sample sale and I went overboard. The prices were so low and irresistable. I was buying, and buying, all for the sole purpose of listing them on eBay. Most of the items are currently selling or sold, and I will make my money back, but not really profit greatly. This is where I have a problem.

Those who know me, know that I don’t do anything halfway. It’s love or hate. All or nothing. I knew I was spending too much for clothing I didn’t know if I could sell. And clothing that wouldn’t fit me if they didn’t sell. And giving stuff away means no money is made. And that defeats the whole purpose of why I started to eBay in the first place.

With this realization and acceptance in place, I knew that after these auctions ended, I would take a break from eBay. That was until I saw the sign in the elevator yesterday for a Karl Lagerfeld sample sale. With my co-workers disappearing through the day and returning with garment bags, the temptation became too great to overcome. I went downstairs and rummaged through the racks. I made one purchase, far less than my past sample sales. A gorgeous full-length men’s wool coat, originally priced at $1,000. I bought it for $110 and hoping it will sell and help pay for my Cleveland trip in a couple weeks.

And if you want to contribute to the cause, you can check out my listings. Seller name: lettermangirl (of course).

And then I’ll stop. Really.

Quote of the Day:
“Sometimes people carry to such perfection the mask they have assumed that in due course they actually become the person they seem.” --W. Somerset Maugham