I've Really Done It

I've been making purchases on eBay for around four years now. I knew all the ins and outs of buying. I found textbooks and movies at great prices -a student's dream world. I had to discipline myself into going onto the site with a list and never adding anything to my cart that wasn't on the list. I created a "Wish List" for all the amazing items that were "wants" and left them sitting there until the day I had the gumption (and budget) for catching 'hold of a few frivolities.
I've found it's hard to say no to something like a DVD that's listed at $3.50, even when the shipping costs are added.
In all my traipsing about through the web-based wonderland powered by eBay, I was always a little apprehensive about using the site to sell. Despite their reassurance that it's "simple", "fun", and even "profitable" (what's not to like about that, right?)I couldn't squelch the feelings of uneasiness about it.
Me? Sell my things on the internet? What if I posted something for sale and then it got lost/burned/ruined by a flood or earthquake??? THEN WHAT? What would I tell the poor buyer? "I'm sorry, I'm new at this. Can I take you out to dinner sometime to make up for it?" All the while, dreading the thought of the horrible things they'd write in my seller review. The entire digital world would look at my items with interest, until at last they opened the link to my buyer reviews: "Lousy, irresponsible, and as deceitful as an untamed weasel." "Terrible service -product arrived quickly, but was soaked in rancid bacon grease! DO NOT BUY FROM THIS SELLER!"
Well, this week was a turning point. In this chapter of my life's history, I've made the transformation from a flat character to a round character (in a strictly literary sense). Translation: I'm dynamic. I made a drastic change.
I sold some things on eBay, and I wasn't even afraid. I listed 2 very large and boring textbooks for sale. They're both worth a fair bit, so I decided to try my hand at the game. Not even a day had passed before I sold the first, and the second was soon to follow. With the thrill of a 4-year-old kid, I toted the items to the post office to package and mail them.
Here's a recap:
I select a mailing envelope big enough for the book.
In the elated ecstasy of a succesful seller, I put it in, and seal it.
I then realize that I had left out the packing slip I had printed out.
Oh. Oops. I wonder if this adhesive stuff will allow me to re-open it for a second...
...oh good. It will.
It's not looking pretty, but it will work. OK. In goes the packing list, and I fold the tab over once again and press to seal it shut (again).
I'm all smiles as I approach the service desk to have it weighed and shipped, when I realize that the "to" address is now sealed inside the package on the packing slip.
Ugh. I wasn't about to try and open the thing again, so I trudged back to the school to look it up on the web. In the end, I got it sent off successfully, now wiser having completed the process for the first time.
A key point to take away from this: keep a cool head when you process your orders. "It's not personal, it's business."
So in the end, I've converted some bulky matter into liquid funds to be sent directly to my bank account. Those large books will no longer occupy space in my room, and I'm all the richer/smarter/more confident for having done it.
The problem is, I've now got the selling mindset. I'm looking at every item I own as a possible sale item.
"Hmm, I don't really use that anymore do I?"
"College students don't really need that."
"My roommate hardly touches his guitar. I wonder if he'd notice...."
"That lamp in the library ....I wonder how much I'd fetch for that ...probably a pretty penny ..."
You see the trouble?
Even my rock samples are under scrutiny. The sad thing is, there are scads of folks out there who'd actually bid on a hunk of petrified wood.
What section would I list it in though? Antiques and valuables? It is very old and very valuable ....
So there you have it.
On that note, would anyone like to buy a 1-pound burger? (see photo)