Ebay Seller Spotlight: Kimberlyht’s Attic ~ New and Resale Children’s Clothing

I am thrilled to introduce a new series to my blog called EBay Seller Spotlight.

As you all know I love eBay! I love buying but mostly I love selling on eBay. It is a great way to free up the clutter in your home and turn it into some extra money. I have been selling on eBay since 2005 and learned a bunch of tips and strategies that I share with all of you every week. If you want to read what I have already posted about then click here.

In addition to hearing about my experiences I thought it would be very helpful to hear from other eBay sellers as well. Everybody brings a different perspective when it comes to what has worked for them with successfully selling on eBay.

So without further ado let me introduce you to the first eBay seller in my EBay Seller Spotlight Series.

Sometimes, just like in the bloggy world, you become colleagues and/or friends with other sellers on eBay. It doesn't happen as much but it does happen.  Well I got to know our first feature seller Kimberly almost two years ago. It started when she bought my e-book and then we just kept in touch sharing advice and always offering each other support. She is a great person and mom. I am so happy to be featuring her and her eBay store.

I asked her to share with us a little about herself and her experiences with selling on eBay. This is what she had to say:

Hi, I'm a Mom to two young kids who works part-time in the "real" world and manages a store on ebay.  My ebay store is Kimberlyht's Attic and I sell new and used children's clothing (both boy's and girl's) mainly from Gymboree.  I consider this to be my hobby, but it probably is more like a small business.

I got started selling in October 2008 and quickly became hooked.  Before that time I had bought a few things over the years, but never much as I wasn't sure I trusted online selling.  I was looking for Halloween costumes for my kids and couldn't believe the prices on some of them.  I had a nice one that didn't fit my kids anymore and decided to sell it.  I did OK, but was a little too close to Halloween to get the maximum dollar.   One of my next items was a used pair of Stride Rite shoes from my son that went for $15.50!  I was shocked that someone would pay that for used shoes (wides sell well) and got amazing feedback on how pleased she was with the purchase.  Talk about win-win!  Needless to say I was hooked.  A few months after that, I bought This Mama Works It ebook (great, detailed advice) and opened my own store.  I expanded past the things boxed away in our house, and now sell new stuff too.

My favorite part of selling on eBay is the buying!  I love not only finding that great "must have" item, I especially enjoy finding adorable outfits for my kids that I know will resell well.  I used to dress my kids in no name clearance rack stuff and found out the hard way that those clothes just don't resell.  Now I have almost nothing that isn't Gymboree, Janie and Jack, Hanna Anderson, Gap, Ralph Lauren or other brands that sell well hanging in my kid's closets.  Once I learned how to shop the sales, pick the better selling items and ALWAYS shop Gymboree with a coupon, my kids look much cuter and it costs me less in the long run than big box store clearance.  Often I actually sell an outfit for more than I paid for it after my kids have worn it for a season!

My least favorite part of selling on eBay is actually sitting down to do it.  If you aren't organized and disciplined, you can waste a lot of time on searches and checking your inventory.  My first listing took me over an hour because I didn't know how to upload my photos.  Now I batch all my tasks (photos, editing, uploading, researching price and listing on the front end and packaging and shipping after the sale) so each listing takes less than 10 minutes total (IF I stay on task!)  It is also hard to look at your kids clothing as a buyer would and describe it accurately, a must if you want good feedback.  I get emotionally invested in the outfits and the accompanying memories.  Plus, I don't like laundry and sometimes getting a listing ready is really about doing laundry.

If I were to advise someone starting out, I'd recommend to start small.  Find something around the house in great shape that you don't want and learn with that (outgrown clothes and unwanted gifts are great places to start.)  If you only want to sell your kids outgrown stuff, learn what sells well, dress your kids in that and learn how to keep it looking great (there are some great laundry tips on eBay).  If you want to expand to other selling, begin in one area and learn as much as you can so you know how to acquire inventory and still make a profit.  That's why I mostly sell Gymboree, I'm still figuring out how to get great deals on other brands.  You may stumble upon other bargans in the process, but don't spread yourself too thin.

Bonus she is giving TMWI readers a discount!!

Through April 30, 2010, I am offering 10% off listing price (excluding shipping) to TMWI readers.  At checkout, request a total instead of paying and mention TMWI in the message box and I will send you an updated invoice.  Hope to see you soon!

Kimberly thank you so much for sharing your eBay story and giving such great advice. I can relate to a lot of what you had to say. Especially the part on finding the time to sell on eBay. That for me is the hardest especially being a busy working mom. And I loved what you said about selling your kids outfits for more than what you paid for them. My husband always says our kids get paid to wear their clothes.

I hope you, my readers, enjoyed this interview as much as I did. Take some time and check out her store. She has got a HUGE selection of super cute stuff.

If you sell on eBay and want to be featured then please contact me.

Tagged as: Ebay Seller Spotlight, Ebay Tips