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I signed up for eBay in December 1998. I had graduated from college that spring, and I knew there were enough collectibles in my parents’ house to keep me busy for a year or so and since I had lyme disease, that’s what I did to pay my student loans.
One of my very first sales was to someone in New Mexico. That was back when you had to actually e-mail the customer, they had to mail you a check or money order, etc. So we started chatting via e-mail from the time the auction ended. (And we have never quit. I just messaged him something on Facebook!) lol
Twenty years is a long time, especially for the Internet. He got married, had children, I got married. I became friends with his whole family on Facebook. I am still selling on eBay (longest break I have taken is about 3 months!)
My husband and I decided we wanted to take a domestic vacation and decided that it was time to visit New Mexico and meet one of my first customers. 🙂 We all had a great time. My friend, his daughter, and his sister went on a weekend get away with us to Santa Fe, and we all had a wonderful time. Neither my husband nor I had ever been to New Mexico before, and we loved it (so much so, we are talking about the possibility of moving there — but to a different part of the state than where our friend lives.)
Yes, we got photos of us with the item he bought from me. I can’t begin to say how much we all enjoyed it!
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I also signed up in the late 90’s, but to buy not sell. I lost interest, but then my mom wanted me to sell some Books for Dummies that she won in a sweepstakes. I had totally forgotten my password at that time, and websites didn’t have that nifty “forgot your password?” link yet. I guess I could have called, but I ended up creating a new account. So, my current account says I’ve been a member since 2003.
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Great story Jenn – thanks for sharing it.
Sharyn, I have almost the same history. I opened an account when I first heard of eBay, but then forgot my password and had to start a new account (because I was lazy and not much feedback yet on the 1st account).
First thing I ever sold was an auction for a Norm Abram video and blueprint. I listed it under the wrong category (DVDs instead of Woodworking) and only had one bidder. This was in ~2004 or 2005. I was done with selling on eBay after that.
In early 2015, I heard Jim Collin’s interview with J+R and discovered Scavenger Life. I got excited and busy and sold enough stuff in 9 months to take my wife and I to Ecuador (and Galapagos) where we met Jim Collins and a bunch of other great folks.
In 4 weeks I am retiring from my FT job at the age of 56 thanks to Jim Collins and Mr. MM and others. I think for now eBay will be 1/2 hobby and 1/2 business. I am so grateful to J+R for all the content and community they have built. Learning eBay has given me elasticity in my budget. For now, I am an eBay hobbiest, but I am confident I can ramp up as needed. Who knows, in two years I hope to have my first in college with a second following in his shoes.
Best wishes, Daniel.
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I too joined back in the late 90’s and sold a few things. It was such a hassle though and I always seemed to lose money on shipping. One thing I sold, about 13 yeas ago, was a Dr. Who scarf that my mom had made for me a long time ago and that I had worn for years in those cold Chicago winters.
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We were mainly in Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Roswell, and Tucumcari. It was the first time I had ever been to New Mexico and I wanted to see as much as possible.
I combined my first account with another one, so the date on my account no longer says 1998, but I remember when I signed up. 🙂
Been an amazing 20 years, that’s for certain. Now I’m wanting to sell off much of what is in the house and move. 🙂
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Jenn: Wow, you were all over the state! My dad was born in Roswell and grew up in Carlsbad. If you get a chance to go to Carlsbad Caverns sometime, it is a very cool place. Especially at night when the bats fly out of the cave. You can do a viewing and they are just above your head when they fly out.
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We had talked about going to Carlsbad Caverns, but I have a pesky lump on my side. It’s not dangerous, but it does start hurting if I walk too much, which really put a damper on our trip, but other than Santa Fe we didn’t do a whole lot of walking.
When we went to Santa Fe / Los Alamos / Chimayo we treated my friend, his sister and his daughter to two nights of hotel and we did a weekend trip together. They don’t travel much, and so it was especially exciting for his nine year old. 🙂
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