A friend, Kdogg, and I are hoping to travel this August. This might be news to my family and friends, as Kdogg and I just as-close-to-finalized-plans as possible yesterday, but I now have a goal: make cash for the trip.
I'm hoping to start my new job as soon as the paperwork comes through. Despite my flirting adventure, I still haven't gotten anything in my mailbox permitting me to work at my future place of employment. Typical, right? Those MEN. All game, no discipline. So I'm just stuck here waiting.
In the meantime, I have hooked up with an independent bookbuyer/seller around Paris. Let's call him ScarfBoy. When ScarfBoy first moved to Paris, he loved on Odessa Street, too, so obviously he's alright in my book.
He's extremely positive, and refreshingly smart without being pompous about it. On more than one occasion, I've caught myself being impressed by his cultural knowledge (art, history, etc). However, he is extremely technologically challenged. I am not. So it's a bit of a match made in heaven, as he has 70 cartons of books to sell, but it's the internet that has the market for them. Books, meet Ebay. Ebay, meet books.
So I spend my free time (?) uploading books, writing descriptions, researching prices. Most of the time, ScarfBoy's ideal prices are dead on. It's actually quite amazing - he usually only wavers by a euro or two. Twice now, however, I have found books that he originally bought at only 5 or 6 euros to be listed as selling at 90 or 100 euros. He only asks for 20 or 30, but I secretly hope the Ebay markets work in our favor. Still - selling them at 20 is better than not selling them at all, so we put the minimum price. Then we just cross our fingers.
ScarfBoy and I split the profits. That is, from whatever money we make, we first pay for the original price of the book, and then the price it cost to put online. Whatever's left, we split. I can't LOSE money in the adventure, but I can lose some time. However, time is money, so does it come back to me losing money? In the end, I like to think of it as a no-risk deal for me.
The main point of the story is that I have become fully and COMPLETELY obsessed with Ebay. I used to sort of psycho buy (that one experience with the needles really got to me, as did the tortilla press battle), but I gave up after I got the few things I really "needed." Now, however, I sort of psycho sell. I can't stop monitering my products! I can't stop obsessing over what's selling and what's not! Stop me!
I'm wondering if the Ebay people knew how addictive their tool would be. It's overwhelming sometimes. I try to restrain myself, but just can't help logging in. Five times a day.
Your posting reminds me of a friend who was similarly obsessed. She would freak out in the when eBay would temporarily shut down the site for maintenance...like at 4 am!
Am i sad for clicking on those three images in the top right hand of your page hoping that they would do something fun, like have a different skin for the page?
I also like the form box names, v cool
Laurie - I REALLY hope I don't get that obsessed. I'm not good at keeping obsession to a minimum, though. Especially when there's profits involved! (Have already sold some stuff, which is not calming the obsession any).
Neil - That would be so cool. Leopard skin. That's a play on words, in a way.