The Spotlight's On:
kindra617
by Ryan
eBay Staff Member

It was in September 2003 that kindra617 (view her About Me page) decided to start selling some of her 200,000 baseball cards on eBay. She had been collecting them from an early age, and decided that there were a few she didn't want any more. Back then, she was at home after the birth of her first child, and took the advice of a friend to “check out eBay.” It began as nothing more than a hobby, but her early success selling in the Sports Memorabilia, Cards & Fan Shop category soon blossomed into a viable business. “I received such amazing results that I continued to sell. Now I buy whole collections to sell on eBay, take consignments, and even resell items I buy from other sellers on eBay.”

Every week saw a little growth in her eBay business, and it wasn't long before kindra617 realized the potential opportunity that awaited her. By June of 2004, her eBay sales generated enough income to let her quit her job as a grocery store manager, and devote more time to her husband and children. She contrasts the drudgery of her old job with the exhilaration of being able to work on her own terms.

“I was working 45-60 hours per week, with a schedule that had me working different times every day. Both my children were in day care. I would be so tired when I returned home that my husband took charge of the kids, and I spent far too little time with them. Now the kids are out of day care, I have the energy and the time to play with them. My feet don't hurt, and my husband sees me smiling every day. And, oh yes, did I mention the money?”

kindra617 now spends roughly eight hours a day on eBay—checking her active listings, responding to buyers' inquiries, creating new listings, and closely reviewing past sales performance. Keeping an eye on her past performance helps her better understand successful sales strategies, enabling her to focus on the most consistently profitable categories.

kindra617 uses Advanced Search on eBay extensively. Whether she's a buyer shopping for a great deal or a seller preparing a listing, she's found that Advanced Search can be helpful in determining the right prices. “Checking the completed listings box in Advanced Search helps me to review recently sold items, and helps me set prices on items I'm selling, as well as understand what I can expect to pay for an item I'm looking for.”

While advanced searches can help members better evaluate the price of items, kindra617 insists that feedback is the tool people need most when actually deciding to transact. “A good feedback score immediately increases your trust in your trading partner. Sellers know they will get paid for an item, and buyers know they will receive an item on time, and as described.” She's proud of her own feedback score—after almost 4,000 transactions, she has 100% positive feedback.

In the event that something does go wrong with one of her transactions, kindra617 is confident that her feedback will reassure her trading partners that she will do everything in her power to make it right. “People know that I have nothing but the best intentions and that I will do whatever is needed to fix the problem to protect my perfect reputation.”

As her eBay business grew, kindra617 didn't want it to become a tiring job occupying her whole day, like her previous grocery manager position. So she decided to use tools like Selling Manager Pro and Turbo Lister to help keep her operation efficient, as well as provide useful reports that she could analyze to fine-tune her sales strategies. “Selling Manager helps me track every aspect of my sales—from the listing process all the way to completing the sale. I know how many items I have for sale at any given time, how much they are selling for, and when the listings will end. I can also track how many items are paid and ready to ship.”

When she has a free moment from listing and selling - and, of course, from her kids - kindra617 likes to “hit up” the discussion boards. There she not only finds others who want to share advice and general knowledge about selling on eBay, but is also able to learn what buyers in her categories are looking for, so she can tailor her listings accordingly. “The discussion boards are a great way to find out what people are concerned about, and what new eBay members have questions about.”

kindra617 knows that eBay can sometimes be an overwhelming experience, especially for new members. To those who may feel intimidated to venture out on the discussion boards for the first time, she says, “I would tell any new eBay member that the only dumb question is the one never asked. eBay Community members are always willing to help other members.”

Without question, kindra617 feels that eBay has dramatically changed her life. She continues to be amazed at being able to touch people's lives in unexpected ways. One of her most memorable eBay-related stories is selling an antique school atlas, dating from 1914. kindra617 was a little puzzled by the probing questions about the item that the eventual buyer had been asking. After the listing ended and the buyer had received the atlas, he wrote to her explaining the significance of the item. “He informed me that his 100 year old grandfather had actually used the same atlas when he was a schoolboy, and that he had bought it as a present for his grandfather's 100th birthday! WOW!! He told me that his grandfather cried.”

kindra617 is also thrilled to have the opportunity to be actively involved in many aspects of the eBay Community. “eBay is my life. I am a PowerSeller and a Trading Assistant. I also offer free eBay training for new sellers in my small town. I rely on eBay to help support my family, and every day I spend on eBay I'm reminded of how good people are, and that no matter how bad things get in the world, our world (on eBay) is a good and safe place to live in.”

We would like to thank kindra617 for sharing her thoughts and comments with us! If you would like to be considered for the Community Spotlight Program check out our Community Profile page and follow the instructions near the bottom of that page.