I Profited $200 From eBay My First Month. Here’s What Happened.
eBay, The Beginnings of Arbitrage
How It Started
I graduated from college in June 2018. Since then I have been working my engineering job, a typical 9–5 job if you will. It wasn’t until I learned about the eBay side hustle that I could make more money on the side of my day job. At first, I was skeptical about the eBay arbitrage hustle. There are fees and seller limitations for the free account and it seemed like there would be a lot of scammers. In addition, I didn’t think you could make more than a few bucks off of it. However, that all changed when I made $200 profit from one garage sale.
Mindset Change
The Power of $200 Per Month
So what happened when I profited $200? Well for one, I continued the eBay hustle. Making $200 extra really changed my mindset. I made $200 with less than 1 hour of work. With $200 I can more than enough pay for gas in a month (I drive a Prius and commute 350 miles a week). I could use the money for a date or some extra money for investing. It can help with birthday and Christmas gifts as well. This made me think, if I could consistently make $200 or more every month, I could really benefit from it.
The Hunt Is On
Shopping is now a new adventure. Instead of looking for things to buy for me, I end up looking for things to buy that you can resell for profit. It ends up being like a game or hunt. A hunt for items to flip (slang for reselling). Thrift stores and garage sales became my hunting grounds and I even end up on craigslist and other sites to see what people are giving away for me to sell.
Not A Lot Of Time? No Big Deal.
The great thing about reselling on eBay is that I can put as much time or work into it as you want and it doesn’t take that much time. I typically work on my eBay resells or side hustles after my 9–5 job and on weekends. The buying can be done at any time I am free, and the shipping takes only 15 minutes out of my day (this may be different for you, as your post office may be closer or further).
What I learned
Make Money Online Anywhere
eBay arbitrage does require a little bit of labor e.g. going out to buy stuff and then going to the USPS store to ship them. However, it taught me the power of side hustles. There are endless possibilities with arbitrage. Whether you use eBay, Shopify, Amazon FBA you can resell anywhere you live.
Anyone Can Do It
Anyone can sell on eBay there are no limitations or restrictions to whom can sell. In fact, I taught my aunt how to sell on eBay and she consistently makes $200+ a month on a free account. I’ve heard of many people well in their 70s and 80s reselling on eBay for fun as well as kids in their teenage years making some money.
Business Lessons
Through my eBay side hustle, I learned to work for my effort and not my time. Instead of a salary or hourly pay, it feels much more rewarding when you make money off of each item you sell. It pushes me to sell more and more each time. In addition, I learned more about side hustles in general, making money, profit margins, as well as how to sell online.
If this article interested you at all and you want to learn more about side hustles read this article.
This article is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered Financial or Legal Advice. Not all information will be accurate. Consult a financial professional before making any significant financial decisions.
