I’m very lucky to have a father who has taught me how to search for items and sell them. Some of my fondest memories are getting up at the dreadfully early hour of 6 AM to go garage saleing in Colorado. Sometimes my younger sister would come; sometimes she didn’t want to get up that early. He would buy us doughnuts for breakfast and we would cruise around neighborhoods, evaluating sales from the street before deciding to pull in or not. It didn’t take me long to figure out that brightly colored items usually equaled toys or that boxes lined up under tables most likely contained books. After a couple hours of looking at things, Dad would go to 7eleven and buy me peanut M&M’s and get a Big Gulp for himself. What a delight to get a drink of the soda whenever I asked for it! These trips always yielded some sort of treasure: a pig for my collection, a new book to read, some pretty figurine, or, best of all, a new pony.
Dad also liked to sell at flea markets and gun shows. Mom occasionally sold items at craft shows. I always went, coloring book, crayons, and a few toys in tow to keep me occupied. I didn’t know it at the time, and I doubt they did either, but my parents were instilling in me a love for the hunt and the joy of the sale.
After rediscovering my love for ponies, I turned to eBay to sell extras that I found at garage sales, flea markets, and thrift shops. I had been buying Dinotopia items for a long time, but it was the ponies that I sold.
I have been selling items on eBay ever since 2000. At first, because I wasn’t 18, I had to do my buying and selling under my dad’s account. The day I turned 18, I opened my eBay account, Dinosmart, and started selling for myself. I looked at ended items and tried to figure out why some would sell higher than others, despite being exactly the same. It came down to two things.
First, your listing must be extremely appealing. The item has to be clearly described and made to sound exciting. A vintage glo worm to cheer your little one in the middle of the night is far more appealing than just a 1980’s green glo worm that works. Lots of pictures are a must too! If the item glows in the dark, take it to a dark place and try to photograph the glowing action. Black lights help with this too.
Secondly, the day your auction ends has a tremendous impact on the final selling price. I have listed items on every day of the week and Sunday night seems to be the consistent time to get the highest price. People are home Sunday nights because they have work in the morning, they’re in a good mood from a great weekend, and they’re looking forward to the money they’ll make in the coming week, so they’ll spend now. List your item on Sunday night and you can’t go wrong.
And speaking of Sunday night listings… I listed 26 auctions, including Canterlot ponies and the very desirable McDonalds Friendship is Magic ponies. Go check them out! Maybe you’ll find something you like. Dinosmart’s eBay auctions
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