- This topic has 10 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 10 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
Hey all! I’m Sam — I’ve been listening to the podcast and reselling for a couple of months now, so I wanted to get on the forums.
I have about 150 items in my Ebay store so far, roughly 50% clothing/shoes, the rest various knick knacks and such. Most of it is items I have bought from thrift stores and yard sales for $1-10 and am selling for $15-75. That’s my sourcing goal at this point, and I am doing research as I go while also just following my eye. I have done a little over $500 in gross sales so far, which is encouraging.
I am in my mid-twenties, and live in Northern California. I have a full time day job working at the post office which is of course turning out to be a big advantage in my side business. I’m lucky to already know a lot about the shipping world, which has been helpful. Also I can just bring my ebay shipments to work every day.
My goal is to make enough money reselling that I can quit my job and do this full time. I want the freedom to work for myself and make sure my hard work counts for something. I want to own my time!
I can’t wait to make this my life! I have a good feeling it will work out. So far it has been a lot of fun. I also like the idea of various side ventures like Jay and Ryanne have — I would love to drive an ice cream truck one day, or run a pumpkin patch/Christmas tree farm.
Can’t wait to poke around the forum and meet you all!
-
-
-
Hey Simon, good to know we’re well represented! I live up in the northern valley and do a lot of scavenging around Sacramento.
And hi Jay, nice to meet you.
I am a full time, career postal clerk. I’m grateful to have the job and for many it’s a great ticket to a middle class life, but it’s just not for me. I have always had a wild, independent spirit and I’m happiest creating a life for myself instead of slaving away for someone else’s interests. I’m tired of producing $1000 in value so someone else can make $100 off it and pay me a dollar.
I used to own a small gutter cleaning business and played music on the side, and I enjoyed my work life much more then. Reselling seems to be more along those lines, and excites me the same way working for myself used to. I would rather be happy and free than have a pension.
As far as common shipping mistakes resellers make, there are not too many obvious ones. Make sure your barcodes are easily scannable — that can cause problems in the mailstream. Also, this seems an obvious one, but being nice to your mail carrier is huge. Whether or not it’s right, they have incredible leeway to affect your business, and most essentially can’t be fired. You don’t want them holding a grudge against you for the next 20 years. But that’s generally not an issue for normal, kind people.
-
I assume that getting an actual full-time USPS job is not an easy feat in your area. In our county, people work part-time as substitutes for years waiting for the handle of full-time employees to finally retire. The pension and benefits are the best thing going for many.
I also realized I disliked working for someone else, but I would not give that job up easily. Spend your free time building up your eBay store so you can:
–see if you really like the day to day of scavenging and selling.
–keep making money at the USPS job until you prove you can make a consistent income on eBay.Could you go part-time at USPS so you keep your government status?
-
-
It has not been an easy decision. There is something to be said for stability and security, but it is not everything — especially for me at this early stage in my life when I have no one to support but myself. I will never be in a such a good circumstance to try something new and exciting like this, and I want that freedom more than anything.
I’m very lucky to have my postal job, and I worked hard to get it. But life is too short to stay somewhere you’re unhappy.
In the meantime, I have no plans to quit right away. I will be developing my Ebay store on the side while I save money and tie up loose ends. If all goes well I hope to be fully independent in 1-2 years. It may also be possible for me to take a part time position with USPS once I get to that point.
-
Totally understood. Do you want to waste your youth on a “boring” job? Because I had an untraditional path, my 20’s and 30’s were full of so many experiences (good and bad) that are authentically mine and make up who I am today.
On the other hand, since you’re starting the USPS job so early, cant you put in 25 years and then retire with a pension, then you can start a whole new life that already funded.
Whats the pension age?
-
-
Unfortunately, while the USPS requires 30 years to retire, the minimum federal retirement age is 57, which would put me on track for 34 more years.
-
-
Thanks for the advice! I will be doing a lot of sleeping on it — luckily I have all the time in the world to prepare and make a decision.
I know I’m still probably in a honeymoon period of sorts, but it’s been incredibly interesting so far. I’ve had a lot of fun, and most importantly, I’ve felt that spark of freedom and creativity while scavenging that I’m looking for.
We’ll see how it goes!
-
The government benefits are great… but not enough to put in decades of work if you’re fed up with the job. I hope your job stays fun for a long time.
My advice is save save save your money. That way if you decide you are done, you will have options.
You may want to check out https://mrmoneymustache.com He firmly believes anyone can quit work in about 8 to 10 years. His blogs are filled with unusual life choices that enable you to live on 25% to 50% of your income and save the rest. It’s a rabbit hole of a blog.. but very informative.
Life is about choices.. it’s great that we live in a country that gives us so many.
Good Luck
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.