Our guest today is Cynthia commonly known as TheCynch by her twitter followers (me and etc) .
She’s an internet socialite whose had a lot of success on Ebay (antiques) and she even offers a course on how to go about being a great ebayer.

So basically, I noticed that a lot of teen and kid entrepreneurs always start off on ebay (most of the time) .
So I thought Cynthia could add more value to this website by sharing some of her tips with us via an interview.

So here you go….

• 
  Introduction about you:

I’m a recent University of Washington graduate with a Communication degree. I split my time between being a Power Seller on eBay and being a tech/social media/business blogger.

• How you discovered ebay?

I’ve been interested in eBay since I was 13. Around that time, eBay was all the rage and I loved the idea of normal people turning profits with the Internet.

I listed a few things early on, such as Pokemon cards, when I was 13 or 14.

• Your greatest loss on ebay?

I once spent over $300 on a pair of antique barometers. I was taking a risk because I didn’t know how much they were actually worth. I thought I had remembered seeing a similar pair sell for $600.

I was wrong. They sold at $30 for the pair.

• Your biggest gain on ebay?

I recently sold an antique shaving mug for almost $6000. The investment cost was about $20.

You can read the full story about it here: www.ebaycynthia.com

• How has trading on ebay helped you?
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EBay has helped me pay for college and has made me an independent woman. I was able to move out of the house, pay for rent, school and my car all on my own dime. It’s been a great job for college since I’ve been able to create my own hours.

It’s empowering to be able to dictate when and how much I work, and is far better than having someone else arrange my work schedule.

• How did you deal with starting on ebay at such a young age ?

Using eBay as a trading website has been just like a regular job, except it’s come with a lot more responsibility and a lot more work.

My parents have conditioned me to work from an early age, so I’m used to having a tough work ethic. I definitely credit them to shaping my drive and ambition.

• How did your age help you?

I think I have a lot more energy than a lot of eBayers and antique dealers out there. I can run through a morning’s worth of garage sales or a day’s worth of packing and shipping with ease without feeling rundown at the end of the day.

I’m a lot more tech-savvy as well, which has helped me research new items more efficiently.

Many people have assumed that I know nothing about business or antiques, so I’ve used the "dumb kid" card to my advantage. It helps me avoid people that want to pick my brain about my trading secrets.

• How did your age hinder you?

People have made fun of my age in the antiquing business.

People have made less-than-polite comments such as: "Oh, you must have gotten your allowance this week" or "Where’s your parents?."

I’ve also felt prejudiced against by new employees at auction houses. I typically inspect all items before leaving an auction bid, which means it’s a hands-on job. New employees typically think I’m an inexperienced lookie-loo and try to make me stop touching the items that are going to get auctioned (even though I typically end up spending hundreds to thousands of dollars per auction).

Although sometimes it’s been tough getting respect for who I am and what I do, it’s given me a tougher skin. If you look at it that way, the negativity has been a blessing in disguise.

• Can anyone make it on ebay?

EBay is a great way for anyone to make a living from home and through the Internet. Yes, anyone with an Internet connection, ambition, and a good work ethic can make it on eBay.

• Pros and cons of being an ebayer compared to other MoneyMakingOnline
• opportunities such as blogging, affiliate marketing etc?

I’ll say that eBay involves a lot more physical work, whereas blogging and affiliate marketing involve a lot more mental work.

It just depends on your own personal preferences, expertise, and ways in which you like to work.

• Tips on being a great ebayer:

1. Build up your eBay reputation by getting at least 20+ feedback. You can do this by making small purchases on eBay and getting feedback from sellers. EBayers are a wary lot, so it’s not the best idea to try to sell something if you have 0 feedback.

2. If you have no idea what to sell, then try to sell a little bit of everything and see what sticks. Hit garage sales (the earlier, the better!), thrift shops and clearance sales. If you see something for sale that looks like it’s worth more, take the chance.

3. Product photos sell the item more than the description does. Sometimes, I find that eBayers don’t even read my description before bidding on an item! With this in mind, it’s hard to look like a professional if your photos are grainy, dark, or not cropped right. Take the extra time to make color, contrast, and cropping adjustments to the photos, and you’ll find that the end price will be higher.

4. Not everything will sell, but don’t give up! Persistence is key.

I’m taking signups for trade secrets at: www.ebaycynthia.com. My full blogging website is: www.thecynch.com.

www.thecynch.com

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