Real World Mom By Day -- eBay Mom By Night!

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"I usually can't get to the computer until after the kids are in bed," Susan says. After they are safely tucked in, she shops for all of the family essentials. "It's kind of a treat for me to go shopping on eBay," she says. "eBay has enabled me to buy exactly what I want at reasonable prices, and I like the fact that such a huge volume of items is available."

Living in rural Michigan, Susan says eBay provides the opportunity to go shopping without having to get the kids ready for a long outing, maneuvering them through a shopping mall, and even then, likely not finding some of the items she needs. "I am about 20 miles from the next largest city, which has a population of about 5,000 people," she says. "I don't have a mall nearby, but even if I did, I probably wouldn't be able to find the quality of items at the prices that I've found on eBay. It's great because if you live in a rural area, all you have to have is a phone line and the ability to get deliveries to be able to go shopping and buy just about anything you need. Shopping on eBay saves me time and money."

Susan especially enjoys the convenience of shopping in her own home in an unhurried environment. She highly recommends eBay for other moms, especially those with small children. "For parents, it's especially convenient," she says. "eBay allows me to be able to sit down and think about my purchases, rather than being in a store where I would be in a hurry with the kids," she says.

Knowing manufacturers also helps to ensure the quality of the items she buys. "I think my children have nicer toys and clothes because of some of the great brand-name items I've been able to purchase on eBay. I haven't been disappointed in the quality of anything that I have bought, and I have found that the sellers are pretty honest," she says.

What has Susan bought on eBay for her family? "We've bought clothes, and some other really nice things in good condition for everyone in my family. I've found Hannah Andersson (an upscale children's clothing company) clothes for much lower than retail."

She also makes items for her family. "I am a knitter -- I am currently making a hat -- and I've bought quite a bit of yarn and knitting needles on eBay. I am looking at spinning wheels now because I am also learning how to spin. There are antique wheels, new wheels -- I even found a walking wheel (an unusual type of spinning wheel)," she says.

Tonka toys, Fisher-Price toys, and an old tool set for her son that was made in the 1950s are cherished eBay acquisitions. "Many of the older items are much better quality than what you can find in the stores nowadays," she says. She has also found children's readers and other books to assist in home-schooling.

Her eBay experience has also been used to teach her daughter the value of working for something you want. "My 8 ½ -year-old saw a Breyer horse that she liked, and I said she could have the horse if she could earn the money for it within the time period that the auction ended." Besides her regular chores, she helped with cleaning and picking up after the younger children, so Susan bid on and won the horse for her.

In addition to finding items for the children, Susan's husband purchased a hand saw ("most people use chain saws so these are hard to locate outside of eBay") and she has purchased a vintage watch, comforters, and Sasha dolls for her collection. "I had Sasha dolls as a child but my parents couldn't afford to buy me more than a couple of them," she says. "Now I have about 50. They are very special dolls of high quality. If I hadn't been able to find them on eBay, I wouldn't have been able to find them very easily. I've also bought some of the less expensive types of Sasha dolls for my children because I want them to have the same quality and love of the dolls that I had as a child. I get a lot of satisfaction from seeing my own daughters playing with them."