EcommerceBytes-Update, Number 165 - April 16, 2006 - ISSN 1528-6703     8 of 9

AuctionBytes Feature: First Item Sold Online

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We received an outpouring of stories from our inaugural publication of the "First Item Sold Online" feature in March. It seems everyone remembers his or her first item ever sold online!

Today we hear from Adrian Simmons, whose first sale was in 1998, and a reader named Dianne. While some stories are long and some are short, they are all interesting - even when that first eBay experience was not positive.

Hello Ina,
I went to a yard sale in 1998 and saw a pretty Blue Glass Vase. I bought it for $1 just because I thought it was pretty. I had been buying on ebay for a few months, but had never tried selling. I just wanted to see what it was like to sell something so I listed the Blue Vase. Voila! It sold for $40! I have studied and learned a lot about glass since then and now know it was an Spiral Opalescent Fenton Vase. Back then, after fees, I profited about $38, needless to say I was hooked.
Sincerely,
Adrian Simmons

***

Hi Ina,
After having fun looking at the listings (and buying a few items!), I decided to sell some CD's I did not care to own anymore. This was around May or June of 1998.

The first item I listed (and sold) was Music from the TV show NORTHERN EXPOSURE. Was I surprised to see it bid up to $19.00! Alas, this was also my first non-paying bidder!!

But luckily, this did not discourage me. I am now one half of a power-selling team that has successfully sold over 25,000 items over the past five years!
Sincerely,
Dianne

Do you remember the first item you ever sold online? Let us know by sending an email to ina@auctionbytes.com and we may publish your story.

About the author:

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com.

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