A Fake Friend and My Obsession with eBay

I started selling on eBay last year and found the process overly addictive. Initially it was a pain and incredibly time consuming, but once I figured out the process I was hooked. I started with selling small things around the house and it morphed into vintage clothes, designer handbags, luggage and retro oddities.

To look more professional I created an eBay and Bonanza store and invested in marketing materials and mailing supplies (self-adhesive mailing bags, etc.). My final purchase was something I had always wanted – a MANNEQUIN! Meet ‘Priscilla’ – she is my six foot size 2 cash cow artificial friend. Putting the different outfits on her is like playing  dolls as an adult. However, I have to admit that some of the novelty of having a mannequin has worn off as her leg seems to fall off whenever I have to put pants on her. So annoying. With her removable parts and heavy base, she is not very mobile. However, she did help me by standing in the front window when I was out of town. At night, the car lights would hit her silhouette so it looked like she was staring out of the window. It worked too because all of my surrounding neighbors were broken in while I was away. Thank you Priscilla!

Darling was kind of freaked out about having a mannequin in the house – he kept seeing her in the corner-of- his-eye and thinking someone was in the room. My crazy girlfriends love her though, and during my last get together we ended up taking photos with her. Priscilla looked uh-mazing – and us? Well – we didn’t fare so well. More cocktails = less attractive photos.

As the store became more successful I began experimenting with consignment services. My big plan was to launch an online consignment business in April and focus on higher end items. Have you ever been in a ‘I Sold it on eBay’ franchise? They are gross, and when I was there it looked like the people in front of me were dropping off stolen goods. Not to mention it smelled like urine – totally unimpressed and slightly horrified. However, they were incredibly busy so it showed me there was a need for online listing services. I charged ahead.

Just as I was building up my referrals, the opportunity/news of going to Germany came up. I might be able to continue selling in Germany on some level, but for now I will be closing my two online stores as I get ready to leave. I am still collecting vintage coats for next winter and will sort through my remaining inventory.  There is SO MUCH TO DO to be able to leave...... slightly panicking.