Indiana-Joe's Epic Adventure Journal as I continue my successful journey through the Cash Lands of eBay & Craigslist Treasures!

...The weather was nice almost near 70 degrees but a little windy. Early in the morning I made my way through a few local yard sales I spotted on Craigslist. I found a few Disney items including some unopen packs of Disney Mickey Mouse "Thank you cards". They had packs of 25 for only a quarter. What a deal! Now I can include a nice thank you card with a business card in each item we ship and sell locally or Globally on eBay. Remember Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"There weren’t a lot of kids around, and when I was younger I ended up hanging out with adults a lot more, because I had to. I kind of grew up very quickly and became a little more mature more quickly than I see some of my relatives these days." ~ Pierre Omidyar

...You never know where or when you may find your next deal to Buy Local and Sell Global! I went to a nice train museum on Sunday and had a great time. The trains on display were terrific to see and some of the exhibits you could even walk through. The museum was having an end of season clearance and $30 sweatshirts were only $10. This screams deal and potential eBay Deals! You never know where your next hot item may come from and I found that many people like and collect train memorabilia. Remember Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"I think it is exciting to see what kinds of ideas they will come up with, things the world has never seen before. That is what I’m waiting for." ~ Pierre Omidyar

.....Spring time is here in the Midwest as the temperatures near 70 degrees. I know many people that are clearing the clutter and in some cases right to the curb! Ine person's unwanted items are another person's treasurers. Why not post a few flyers on a few community bulletin boards in the local stores in your area stating you are looking for specific unwanted items that may sell on the internet. You never know what you might discover! Remember the key....Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"You know, what we used to say around here was that it's a different company every three months. And that's really the Internet business. It's so fast moving that three years, it might as well be 30 years in any other industry. So it has been very, wild ride.” ~ Pierre Omidyar

....The day started off great as I found a few items that I wanted on eBay. Often I discuss about making money using Craigslist and eBay but it is also a great way to save money as you discover things you want to buy and can save by findign them on-line. I usually find more than I intially wanted but it is great to have more options just like shopping at the mall. I hope veryone is having a great day! Remember the key....Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Journalism is changing in a big way right now. Sometimes newspaper people just want to hear my take on it, being a moderately informed outsider." ~ Craig Newmark (founder of Craigslist)

...How are you doing with clearing the clutter and making some cash for your unwanted items? Is this the weekend you decide to start and take action? Don't forget to checkout Craigslist and see what types of potential deals are there. The key to cash starts with action and effort. Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Paper is so expensive. Maybe you will have your software running on the Net, collecting the news that you are interested in — hopefully throwing in something at random — and then you print out a small amount of stuff to read. And that is what you take with you to the café." ~ Craig Newmark (founder of Craigslist)

...As the Tax Day deadline approaches it reminds us of making a little more to help pay for everything we need to. If we clear the clutter and create cash, the cash can help with everyday bills or even taxes. Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"You'll fail at some things – that’s a learning experience that you need so that you can take that on to the next experience. What you learn from those challenges and those failures are what will get you past the next ones…I was the pretty consistent bull and the cheerleader on eBay actually." ~ Pierre Omidyar

...The weekend is almost here and its time to check out Craigslist to scope out the local garage sales in yoru area for this weekend. The more things you lcoate the betetr the odds for cash profits. Map out your driving rounds and see what others may miss. Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"We believe people are basically good; we believe everyone has something to contribute; we believe that an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people; we recognize and respect everyone as a unique individual; we encourage you to treat others the way you want to be treated." ~ Pierre Omidyar

...The day began as temperatures reached into the low 60's. I went to a few garage sales and found some sports related items and books. Often you cna find toys that children no longer want. The better the condition shape or still in the box the better, from Disney to Star Wars to Comic Book heroes, there can be nice opportunities found for in most cases just a few dollars. Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"What would happen within a marketplace if everyone had equal access to information and tools?. Would a level playing field enable individuals to compete alongside big businesses? What if members managed their own transactions and accountability?" ~ Pierre Omidyar

...Sunday is here and the weekend is almost half over. The weekends sure go by fast, don't they? I had fun taking several photots of items that I am going to list on eBay. The time spent on a clear sharp photo is time well spent. The more the buyer sees the better as you always want to present the true condition of your item. The more practice with your digital camera will make you a better photographer. Practice makes perfect. Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“We believe that business can be a tool for social good, ... Microfinance has already shown that enabling the poor to empower themselves economically can be good business.” ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

...Have you ever felt that Mondays can be the longest hardest days of the week? You can't wait for Monday to be over right? Well, today I had probably the best Monday I can remember. The weather was sunny and in the high 50's. I enjoyed today because as you work on things and see them to completion it is always fun. I also received a few of my recent eBay purchases in the mail today. I purchased a video VHS tape series that I wanted and when it came in the mail it was 10 times better than I had hoped. The VHS tapes were brand new and still in the shrink wrap. BNot only do I enjoying buying on Craigslist and Selling on eBay, I also like buying great items on eBay too! The deals you can find are sometimes one for a kind! Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"You have to really believe in what you’re doing, be passionate enough about it so that you will put in the hours and hard work that it takes to actually succeed there, and then you’ll be successful." ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

...The day was filled with sunshine and cooler air. As I left work I decided to pick-up a Subway sandwich on the way home. I noticed the local "Dollar Store" had free sales tax Tuesdays. This meand that the store pays your sales tax. This can relly add up because sales tax is 7%, Thus, you can save $7.00 if you spend $100. Sometimes these Dollar Stores get great colectible item that people like. I have foudn everythign from books, programs to sports related team items. Thus, if you buy from area stores, always know what days they have specials because it all adds up! Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"I’ve got a passion for solving a problem that I think I can solve in a new way. Not the difficult problems that some of the physicists that are here, for example, are talking about, but problems that seem easily solvable, that no one has bothered to attack because they think it’s impossible." ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

....The week is half over as I am already looking forward to the weekend. It is a great time because there are more and more garage slaes popping up with the nice weather. I always try to find the garage sales listed on Craigslist for my local area and they make out a plan for the weekend round-up. Often you can find some real gems at garage sales, but it is a numbers game and can be hit or miss. The great thing is in the late Spring many communities have an entire community garage sale where they have opportunities for blocks and blocks. Good luck with your internet business. Remember to Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"We have technology, finally, that for the first time in human history allows people to really maintain rich connections with much larger numbers of people." ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

....The day went by rather fast as I was on my way home I decided to stop off at T.J. Maxx, a local discount store of clothing, home asessories and odds and ends. This store can have some real bargains at times. The after holiday clearance sales are a must. I purchased several $14.99 Disney Christmas Ornamants for $1.00 and I have found countless team jerseys for under $10.00. Sports apparel can be a big seller especially when you have the popular or "hot" teams. When teams are winning everyone becomes a fan and wants to get in on the action or even "jump on the band-wagon" as we often hear.

Therefore, your internet business can fit into your day and become part of your daily routine whether you finding new items, posting flyers or mailing boxes. A little time management can go a long way. Remember to Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"I look at what the phone company does and do the opposite." ~ Craig Newmark (Founder of Craigslist)

...Friday fever is here and the weekend is just a day away. I know Saturday will be a busy day making the rounds to the garage sales. The temepratures are suppose to be in the high 60's with a chance of rain. I have to get an oil change for my car later in the day so it will be a little busy.

I always take a few items with me when I hit the garage sales. Some packing materials for fragile items such as newspapers or bubble wrap are critical. I also like to have a rubbermaid storage tote container and a few zip lock bags for the small items. This way it is easy to carry everything without a chance for breakage or losing the small items. Remember to Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“People were doing business with one another through the Internet already, through bulletin boards. But on the Web, we could make it interactive, we could create an auction, we could create a real marketplace. And that's really what triggered my imagination, if you will, and that's what I did.” ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

....I went to a few garage sales today and found some nice items for my eBay business. The items I found include Disney items, a few novelty license plates (or tags if you prefer) and several post cards. Sometimes the key is only spending a few dollars and you get all your money back by just selling one of the items and all the rest is pure profit. The other thing I found is sometimes you find a ton of stuff other times not as much, but it can be a numbers game and the right sale could make you hundreds of dollars! Remember to Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Give the individual the power to be a producer as well as a consumer.” ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

....Can you believe it is only 8 months until Christmas. This is an important date to track for people starting to purchase items and gifts for the holidays. Therefore, it is only 6 months until people start increasing their shopping for the holidays. As you discover some great bargains that would be some nice holiday additions, remember you don't really have that long to wait. So if you buy some great holiday ornamanets at deep discounted prices, you will be listing them on eBay before you know it! Remember to Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“People were doing business with one another through the Internet already, through bulletin boards. But on the Web, we could make it interactive, we could create an auction, we could create a real marketplace. And that's really what triggered my imagination, if you will, and that's what I did.” ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

Thanks for sharing this information, a great way to provide resources for REI. I've been curious about how e-bay works, and would like to give it a try. Also, would you have information on how to sell your own products on e-bay and craig's list? Is that a profitble strategy as well?

Thanks!

Thanks for all the tips and confidence-boosting info--this is great stuff! I'm sure you've mentioned how somewhere in this blog but please reiterate. Are you using a regular eBay auction to sell "global" or are you selling through the "international eBay"-whatever that is. I'm spending a lot of time reading and wondering, the more I read the more it seems I need to read. Of course I want the cheapest auctions with the best effects--do I really need all the "upgrades" or is a simple auction (on the eBay I know) all I need? I thought www.ebay.com from anywhere in the world is the same but that's obviously not the case. Thanks for sharing wisdom and happiness!

Thanks for stopping by my Epic Adventure Journal. It is true that Craigslist and eBay can produce soem great seed mone yfor real estate as well as there are many tasks we do day to day that we can incorpate into our routine to help us with our businesses. I found that real etsate and Craigslist/ebay can go hand in hand because I find local garage sales on Craigslist, find items to sell globally on eBay and also at times discover potential real estate deals. The great thing is yo ucna leverage time doing a few thigns at a minimum of additional effort. I have made some good cash selling on eBay. I have sold more than 5,000 items on eBay and the number grows each year. I am putting everythign I know on paper and looking forward to sharing it with others soi they can beenfit too. Good luck with your future deals. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Thanks for stopping by my Epic Adventure Journal. Also, thanks for the questions. There are so many things that I have learned through eBay through trial and error. When I sell global, I am only selling on eBay. You can usually select that you auction is international or just in teh USA. Many more millions of buyers are worlwide and anxious to find items as well.

The key becomes in charging the correct postage amount and completing the papework when shipping internationally. AIt is a good way to build a customer base and you will develope a system to follow. Th upgrades on eBay are nice, but you usually do not need the "add-ons" foir many items that you sell. Some of the keys are roighting the best description, headline (auction title) and takling a great picture of the item.

When you do all these things well, your auction will pop off the page compared to others. Good luck and I know you will find the internet business fun and enjoyable. Buy Local (Craigslist) and Sell Global (eBay)! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

'General Lee' auction ends at almost $10M
By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNNMoney.com
May 4, 2007

If the bids are real - and the eBayMotors.com auction was stopped once for fake bidding - a modified 1969 Dodge Charger, painted to look like the General Lee from the TV Show "The Dukes of Hazzard," nearly became the most expensive car ever auctioned.

The auction closed at $9,900,500 at 1:00 pm Friday. That puts it just $1.1 million away from the $11 million paid for a 1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Sports Coupe sold by the auction house Christie's in 1987. To date, that is the highest price ever paid for a car at auction, according to Christie's.

The car was used in the show, which typically went through several cars per episode during its 6-year production run in the early 1980s. But this one is owned by John Schneider, who played Bo Duke in the series, a role that was only slightly less central than that of the car.

"I'm excited as I can be but I'm not going to believe it until my banker calls and says 'buy me a beer'," said Schneider after the auction ended.

As the auction progressed, eBay officials contacted several of the top bidders and were assured that their bids were genuine and that the bidders could afford the millions they were bidding, said eBay spokeswoman Catherine England.

A winning bid on eBay consititutes a legally binding contract, England said.

After an earlier run-up in the bidding which went as high as $6.7 million, eBay officials disqualified several bids as facetious.

After that, all bidders on the car were required to register before bidding.

The car was also used in the 2000 TV Movie "The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood," a Dukes reunion film. Recently, it had a central role in the movie "Collier & Co., Hot Pursuit," a limited-release film produced by, directed by, distributed by and starring Schneider.

Schneider decided to auction the car in order to finance production of a sequel to that film.

Asked if the price may have gone so high because bidders wanted to help Schneider makes his next film, Scheider replied: "They sure weren't around the first time I was trying to raise money."

Ordinarily, a production-used General Lee would be worth about $150,000 to $200,000, said McKeel Hagerty, president of Hagerty Insurance, a collector car insurance company. About 20 of those are known to exist in reasonably good condition.

The opportunity to buy the car from "Bo Duke" himself would add some value, he said. But not millions of dollars.

"There is no basis in my experience in the collector car world to justify that kind value," Hagerty said of the eBay bids.

At the time Hagerty made that statement, bids for car had reached only $2.7 million.

Schneider owned the car even before its use in "The Dukes of Hazzard." He leased it to Warner Bros. for its original on-screen appearances.

The car has been extensively modified since then.

"I do something nice for the General about once a year," said Schneider.

The car now has a 725 horsepower Hemi motor, Dodge Viper brakes and a roll cage, all of which allow it to race at over 200 miles per hour.

Unlike the those on the TV character General Lee, this car's doors do open. There is a scratch near the driver's side window where Schneider, as Bo Duke, jumped into the car. Schneider left the scratch, figuring it only increases the car's value.

"On a scale of coolness of 1 to 10," said Schneider, "this has got to be a 12."

"The Dukes of Hazzard" centered around Bo Duke and his cousin Luke, played by Tom Wopat, working to undo the evil plans of the powerful and corrupt J.D. "Boss" Hogg, played by the late Sorrell Booke.

Every episode included at least one spectacular car chase over the dirt roads of the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia.

"It speaks to the passion around the show and how iconic the General Lee is," said Andy Holeman, vice president of consumer marketing for Country Music Television, said of the auction when bids had reached $2.7 million.

CMT airs nightly reruns of the show and sponsors the annual DukesFest in Nashville Tenn., an event that last year attracted 70,000 people and about 150 cars painted to look like the General Lee.

This year about 200 "General Lees" are expected at the June 2-3 event.

"The show, the car, is a phenomenal thing that is embedded in the American consciousness," said Ben Jones, the actor who played the mechanic Cooter Davenport on the show. He also served as a congressman.

In a 2004 survey conducted by Hagerty Insurance the General Lee was named America's most popular TV or movie car. The second most popular was the 1968 Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in the movie "Bullitt."

Bidding on Schneider's General Lee closed at about 1:00 pm eastern time on Friday.

When production on Schneider's planned "Collier & Co." sequel gets rolling, Schneider said, he'll have to start gathering all the pieces.

"My first call has got to be to the people who own the car," he said on Thursday.

He'll need to rent it back from them.

....I always enjoy hearing about what other DG Members are doing with Craigslist and eBay. So if you have had some success recently with Craigslist and eBay, please let others know by making a post on this journal.

One DG Member just emailed about their motorcycle. Here is their story...."Right now I am selling my motorcycle on Ebay so it won't be a distraction for me this summer from Real Estate. I have a BIN price of $1,000 (1979 Suzuki GS1000 it runs great it just ain't pretty) and right now I have 7 bids upto $660 and 3 days to go till auction closes. I put an ad on craigslist that matches the ebay listing with a link to the ebay listing and a link in both the craigslist and ebay listing that leads the buyer to a youtube video. In the Video I walk around the bike describing everything about it that I have done to it. I also start it and rev it up so everyone knows it runs! 774 views so far the listing." This is awesome and a great way to leverage the social media that is available to us. Thansk for sharing your story and I look forward to many others! Buy Local (Craigslist) and Sell Global (eBay)! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"When I started it, all I thought I was giving a little bit back to the community. Other people were doing a lot more. And I had no idea that this would become a thing of some small significance. It was just a little hobby and the only difference between a little hobby and what we have now is that we follow through." - Craig Newmark (founder of Craigslist)

... Got a few calls today from bandit flyerrs that IU put up in my local stores tha tread..."We Buy Collectible stuff! Disney, Sports Related Items, Precious Moment figures. If you want to sell for cash today Call!!!!" These flyers generated sevral calls. Lets see what treasures I can find! Buy Local and Sell Global! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Although I never figured that part of Craigslist might be owned by a public company, Meg Whitman and Pierre Omidyar (eBay) showed that they were interested in us for all the right reasons." ~ Craig Newmark (founder of Craigslist)

...Made a few followup calls today. I found a motivated seller that has Disney collectibles including Ron Lee designed figures and some older themepark items. I will check these items out over the weekend. Sometimes you can buys things in an entire lot and get much better pricing. The key is knowing what items will sell for and how much you want to offer. Thus, another tip is ask people to send you a brief list via email so you can run through the larger items to determining price points. Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"From the very beginning, I was involved in talking to people, listening to people. And it hasn't stopped. The idea was that people send me information; I'd ask them about it, listen, try to do something about it - and then ask for more feedback.": ~ Craig Newmark (founder of Craigslist)

...The week is flyign bay as the weekend is near. do not forget to check out the lcoal newspapers in your area for this weekend's garage sales. Also, I always check-out the lsitings and garage sale listing on Craigslist. The time of year is coming for the Community or entire subdivsion yard/garage sales. This is the "golden" time of year to be out and about! Some of your best deals may come form a variety of sources. Find the sources that work fo you and repeat often! Good luck garage sailing this weekend!

"We have technology, finally, that for the first time in human history allows people to really maintain rich connections with much larger numbers of people." ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

.....Everyday when you are out and about going through your normal daily routine, you never know what you may find. I stopped at the local Marshall's Store to get a new shirt and I walked in back to household items and I found some Precious Moment figures for $4.00 each. What a deal! Often I say items usch as this ca nscream deal. I have seen these figures at other small collectible stores in my area for $29.99. Always keep looking for the next deal because you never know when or where you may find it as you continue with your journal of buying local and selling global! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"I think those challenges are really critical and really important. What you learn from them is, of course, kind of what they say, ‘If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger,’ and it’s true. And what you learn from those challenges and those failures are what will get you past the next ones." ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

...The garage sales were plentiful in my local area today. The weather was in the low 70's with sunshine and it was a perfect day to be outside. I found several great items at various garage sales and the best part were most items were under $1.00 each!

I had the radio on as I went from garage sale to sale and the funny thing was the disc jockey on a radio station was talking about a city wide garage sale in Batavia, Illinois. It was too far for me to go but the great thing I know these huge sales are coming to my local area. This particular sale had more than 170 homes participating. This is the best time of year to find so many deals! Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"So the only thing you can do is have a certain set of values that you encourage people to adopt and the only way your customers are going to adopt those values is if they see that you’re living those values as well." ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

EBay CEO: Auctions may be 30 pct of 2011 listings
The Seattle Times
The Associated Press
April 30, 2010

EBay Inc. is still known by many consumers primarily as an online auction site operator, even though auctions now make up less than half of all listings on the site. And that figure could drop to 30 percent by 2011, eBay CEO John Donahoe said Thursday.

Donahoe made the prediction at eBay's annual shareholder meeting at the company's headquarters in San Jose.

Donahoe said auctions are still a good way to sell some items, like those that are hard to price. But buyers and sellers are moving increasingly toward fixed-price "Buy It Now" items.

Several years ago, auctions made up about 70 percent of the listings on eBay, but in the most recent quarter they accounted for about 45 percent, Donahoe said.

...The weather was in the low 70's for most of the day until later in the evening when it cooled down. I had an opportunity to checkout some items I had received a call about. Later in the afternoon, I took a ride to an outlet mall. It was really crowded, as shoppers were buying bargains. They had some good bargains for me but nothing that looked to good for the eBay busienss. Sometimes it can be hit or miss. When you find those hot items, it is worth the trip! Remember to Buy Local on Craigslist and Sell Globally on eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Pretty much so, from the very beginning we had the blessing of very limited resources, which meant we couldn’t do fancy stuff that we thought might be good, most of which turned out to be not so good ideas. So instead, we just progressed in small increments. We progress a little on the slow side, which may mean we lose some opportunity. But we respond to real needs and try to do real well in terms of helping out people, that seems to work. I guess I remember someone saying that markets are conversations, and they were right." - Craig Newmark (founder of Craigslist)

...I found an interesting article to share with everyone.

eBay's merchandise sales rise 24%
By Interent Retailer
April 21, 2010

The value of merchandise sold on eBay Inc.’s marketplace rose 24% year over year in the first quarter ended March 31, eBay Inc. reported today. Gross merchandise volume also rose 24% year over year in the fourth quarter of last year. The company’s Q1revenue grew 9% compared to a year ago.

In its Q1 release, eBay reported:

The value of goods sold through eBay’s online marketplaces, excluding autos, rose 24% in the fourth quarter to $13.37 billion from $10.80 billion in the same quarter last year. 58% of marketplace revenue was from outside the U.S.
Fixed-price sales represented 55% of marketplace volume compared to 49% a year earlier, reflecting eBay’s shift away from the auction format as more large and midsized retailers use eBay as a sales platform.

Active users of eBay’s marketplaces totaled 89.5 million, up 1% from 88.3 million a year earlier. (Active users are those who have listed or bought on eBay in the previous 12 months.)

Payment volume increased 35% year over year to $21.3 billion, of which 59% came from the company’s merchant services unit that handles online payments for e-retailers. Payments with eBay’s PayPal online payment service account for the majority of the rest, with Bill Me Later accounting for 1% of total payment volume.

Active users of eBay’s payment services, which include consumers with PayPal or Bill Me Later accounts, increased 15% year over year to 84.3 million from 73.1 million.

EBay’s total Q1 revenue rose 9% to $2.20 billion from $2.02 billion a year ago.

Q1 net income was $397.7 million, up 11% from $357.1 million a year ago.

“Our first quarter results reflect another strong step toward achieving our three-year growth and profitability goals. We are becoming a more customer-focused and technology-driven company, delivering more innovative products and experiences and driving operating efficiencies to reinvest in growth.” ~ John Donahoe (eBay Inc. President and CEO)