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I have this thought every now and again and it seems like it makes sense. When I hear about things selling for a lot like designer clothes and other stuff it seems like eBay is the place for the wealthy to go to find their deals to pay less for something and appear wealthier but save money at the same time. Just a random thought.
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I do think a good many ebay buyers are quite well off, and, yes, we are (for many things) the equivalent of an online thrift store. I also think there are a lot of “aspirational” buyers on eBay…rising business execs, for example, who save money by buying their wardrobe (and other stuff) here as they climb up the ladder. And of course, set designers, costumers and interior decorators love ebay, too.
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I think there’s some truth in what you’re saying, but I think the reason “wealthy” people are buying used stuff on ebay (especially clothes) is because they don’t want to be seen in a thrift store.
Ebay is also a great place to sell items that most people would consider embarrassing to buy in person such as, adult diapers, marital aids, OTC medication (like Prep-H), etc.
If one can find a steady supply of “embarrassing items” to sell I think they would be fairly successful on ebay.
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Gompers, I agree. I wish I could find a steady supply of that sort of stuff. As to the rich buying here because they don’t want to be seen in a thrift store? Probably true for some, but I suspect time is also a big factor….they don’t have time to run around to thrift stores and dig through racks trying to find the hidden gems. That’s also why some online sellers focus on “curating” stuff they sell to the upper tier at crazy high prices…
One thing J and R taught me: Remember you are not your buyer. I have to remind myself when I buy (just because I don’t like something, doesn’t mean there’s no buyer for it) and when I price (just because I wouldn’t pay more than five bucks for something, doesn’t mean there isn’t someone who’d happily pay fifty)
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When I was money poor and time rich (IE, unemployed), I was doing some arcade and pinball repair for a friend. He was paying me quite well to do just routine maintenance on his machines with some minor troubleshooting. The whole time I kept thinking “Why doesn’t he do this himself – it’s not that hard. He’s wasting money!”.
Since then two things happened.
1. I have way more money.
2. I have 4 kids compared to the 1 back then.I’m now time poor and have plenty money.
I now understand why he was paying me to do this work – he was with his family while I was making his games work great so he could later enjoy them with friends and family. He was also helping me out because of my situation. Unfortunately that friend died quite unexpectedly a couple years ago, leaving behind two children and his wife. I constantly think back on the two different perspectives we had that time I was working in his gameroom and how things eventually turned out. It is constantly on my mind as I waste the prime of my life away at a day job away from my family.
So after that tangent, back to my point. Some people realize their time is better spent on more important things than cruising a goodwill for a specific need. They have the money, so they just buy it instantly on ebay and apply that time to more meaningful things.
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This is an interesting topic. I think there are definitely some people who are well off but don’t mind buying clean used items. Maybe some would be put off by shopping at thrifts – I suspect more people under 40 than over. But lack of time to hunt and convenience are key. The internet is always open and you can find exactly what you want quickly without digging. Plus in our not so distant memories was the great depression. Even our wealthiest clients were fairly paralyzed emotionally.
My friend just had a vintage tiki birthday party. She found amazing deals on vintage tablecloths and a beautiful dress on Ebay. While I charge high prices for my hunt time and would have priced her finds much higher, there are other (volume?) sellers on Ebay who do not require as much meat on the bone or maybe do not value the same items as I do. So, there are bargains to be had on Ebay. Even those like my friend who could easily afford to shop new love to get bargains and authenticity too.
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I would say ebay is the thrift store for the lazy and too busy (to shop) people.
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To succeed with buying things at Thrifts, you need to shop many and often. For example, currently, I am finding lots of nice shorts for me (lost some weight), but I know I won’t find any jeans. Too many jeans lookers right now in late fall. And I found 3 nice womens sandals (like new) last week-but no snow boots-I was buying boots last summer.I have been buying 90% plus of my clothing and shoes at thrifts/yardsales for the last 5 years. But I can’t expect to find what I want at any one random store-I have to hit many. If I am patient, I will find nice things for $3-7 each. Or I can go on ebay and find them for $25-35 plus shipping. It can be cheap, or easy, but rarely both.
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I don’t know about other areas of the country, but where I live all the Goodwill and Savers stores organize their clothes by gender and size. So I don’t think a clothes buyer would waste too much time in a thrift store here. OTOH, electronics and housewares are disorganized and one could waste a lot of time those depts.
One thing I have learned since selling on ebay and amazon is never underestimate the stupidity or laziness of the (buyers). I’m sure that sounds negative, but I don’t know how else to describe it.
The advent of the smart phone has removed some of the stupid people from the pool, but those same people haven’t figured out how to sell on amazon or ebay yet. That’s what concerns me for the future of reselling.
Imagine a day when those same stupid people can talk into a phone and say “mens levis jeans size 36 x 32 new with tags $35.99” and ebay makes the listing automatically, collects the cash and forwards it to you. Then we’ll only be left with the lazy and/or people without smart phones or computers.
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