proebayer

Bull remembers the exact day when his world changed. On April 22, 1998, he discovered eBay (www.ebay.com), the online trading site where you can find everything from brand-new shower curtains to secondhand clarinets. He registered on a lark and started browsing the message boards, where members write about items and their own trading experiences.

Bull and his wife, Alice, decided to trade Beanie Babies and other collectibles. Unfortunately, the Beanie Babies craze died fast. "We ended up donating $9,000 in Beanie Babies to Toys for Tots," he laughs. "We had 830 of them." Bob began using the message boards to help new traders learn the ropes. "And I've been doing it ever since-seven days a week, 80 to 90 hours a week," he says.

Bull has plenty of company in the eBay senior community. In March, about 20% of all visitors to eBay were 55 or older, according to the company. For many older adults like Bull, eBay is a way to keep busy and a place to make online friends. Others look to make a quick buck, using eBay as an alternative to a classified ad. And many retirees have developed eBay-based businesses, selling possessions of friends and relatives for a cut of the profits.

With millions of potential customers, the odds are good you'll get more for that antique sideboard or Persian rug than you would get at a consignment store or a garage sale. "There's a learning curve, and it does take work," says Jim Griffith, eBay's dean of education and author of The Official eBay Bible (Gotham, $24), a guide for traders. "But once you've got it down, after you've sold two or three items, you'll find ways to make it more efficient."

Earn Pocket Change and More
The company doesn't release average sales figures because volume differs significantly from seller to seller. But you can earn anywhere from pocket change to thousands of dollars, depending on your skill and the time you put into it. "There are power sellers who sell in the six figures, but there are only few who do it," says Marcia Cooper, 71, an eBay trading assistant, the title sanctioned by eBay for someone who sells on consignment for others.

To sell on eBay, you need a digital camera and merchandise. Getting started is easy, thanks to the many tutorials on eBay's site. You'll need to register, which is free. Then check out Seller Central (click "Sell," then "Seller Central"), which provides instructions on all aspects of selling, such as how to list an item and how to complete a sale.

You can either go the auction route or the straight sell. Cooper, who lives in Fort Lee, N.J., buys sporting tickets online or at the box office and straight-sells them on eBay. "If I start them at auction, I might get way below my buying price," she says.

If you think you want to use eBay for more than an occasional sale, Griffith suggests that you start off by buying something. That way, he says, you learn how eBay works from the perspectives of both buyer and seller. He notes that retirees usually do well because they understand the importance of customer service-shipping merchandise in the condition that was described, for example. "Older folks generally have fewer problems than younger people, because they bring a lifetime of experience," he says.

As in any business, your reputation is worth money on eBay. Every member has a feedback score, which is based on online ratings from your customers. If you sold a 1960 baseball pennant, for instance, the buyer can rate the experience as positive, neutral or negative via an online survey. Of his customers' 286 comments, Bull says: "I'm 100% positive, so people trust me."

The company gets a cut of every transaction. You pay to list an item, and you pay when you sell it. For an item with a starting price of $10 to $24.99, the listing fee is 60 cents. If that item sells for $25 or less, the final fee is 5.25% of the sale price. You'll also pay to post a photo. The buyer pays for shipping.

A digital camera is a must. "If you have to go to the extra hassle of getting film developed, and getting a CD made, it takes time and money," says retired photography instructor Norman Lenberg, of Madison, Wis.

Lenberg, 61, joined eBay in 2002 to clear out old photo equipment around the house. Soon after, he began selling items for friends, family and acquaintances. He's since become an eBay trading assistant. He offers this advice: If anything's damaged on the item you're selling, be sure to show it. Most of Lenberg's business comes by word of mouth. "I'll never run out of things to sell unless I run out of friends and neighbors," he says.

If you have items to sell but don't want to do the work yourself, you can turn to a trading assistant who lives near your home. (On the eBay site, click "Sell," then "Trading Assistants").You drop off your merchandise, or the trading assistant picks it up. The assistant photographs the item, writes and posts the ad, and sends you a check once the merchandise sells. The downside is you'll make less money. Lenberg, for instance, charges a 25% commission, and he's on the low end. Cooper charges 40%.

Cooper found eBay after being laid off at age 65 from her corporate marketing job during a downsizing. Her son introduced her to eBay, and she and her partner, Harvey Levine, 70, took to it quickly. "We started with the top shelf of our closet," she says, first selling household possessions, and soon after they began selling concert and sporting-event tickets. Today, they sell antiques, collectibles and other items, most of which come from their customers. They also look for merchandise at antique shops.

"From the outside in, it looks very easy, but making a living on eBay is not easy," says Cooper. In fact, 40% of her and Levine's annual income comes from teaching others how to use eBay. "We give classes at colleges and fund-raising events, and we travel all over the U.S. if people want us to lecture," she says.