Johne49 makes it big on eBay

Light up candy cane toe socks. Baby blue padded toilet seats and hand knit tissue box cozies. Gyrating Elvis clocks freakishly equipped with independently swinging Elvis legs. Equine art tee shirts and puppies-in-a-basket stationery. Like it or not, these meaningless articles of crap collect annually underneath our Christmas trees. And whether their agonizing presence results from tightfistedness, thoughtlessness or sheer regiftedness, it's safe to say there's a place out there for the lucky rabbit's foot key chain that rests sadly dismembered in the corner of your dresser drawer. The opportunity to turn your ill-received gifts into fun money is just a website away, and it's all about eBay.

For many of us, the world of eBay is an understandably shifty place: not knowing the ins and outs of the system can really hose you over, both in selling and buying. But for those who have taken the time to become eBay know-it-alls as UCD sophomore Matthew Engelmann has done, eBay is a way of life.

Engelmann has been dabbling in eBay since April of 2002. What started with a resale of random things around his parents' house has led to constant collection and reselling of items that run the categorical gamut of money-making interests. Think collectable coins, vintage Coors clocks, artisan Baltic amber cufflinks, small pet step ladders, box sets from the History Channel, men's Calvin Klein shirts and the occasional (and seasonally appropriate) snow blower. The list is exhaustive, but the search, buy and sell regimen Engelmann has tapped into decidedly beats minimum wage.

In addition to his eBay-found booty, Engelmann spends his summer at garage sales and auctions so he can stock up on sellable items, spending every Friday and Saturday running around the 'burbs from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon.

By purchasing summer items during the winter and winter items during the summer, Engelmann maximizes his profit. As a dedicated ebusinessman, you can imagine his basement serves as quite the holding ground for gainful (and sometimes off-season) eBay items. His standbys include most types of electronic equipment - wireless routers, DVD players and computer software - but he has had luck with charming Winnie-the-Pooh lighting accessories as well. So now that you know Winnie-the-Pooh lamps can sell for $50, there's no excuse for allowing your thermostat to reach Siberia-cold temperatures.

Engelmann's largest transaction (at least in size) came in the form of a 30 foot boat! Recounting the story in an interview, Engelmann explains, "I posted [the boat] on eBay and that week some guy in Oregon bought it, came down, hitched it up and took it back to Oregon." For this particular Oregonian, Engelmann's reasonable selling price and positive eBay reputation made the 2,000 mile trip worth the time and distance.

Though the boat stands as one of the more interesting deals in Engelmann's eBay history, his most profitable purchase involved itself with the regrettably pervasive Pokémon trading card. As Engelmann describes, "This seller had six boxes of the first Pokémon cards that came out. He didn't know what he had and he sold all six boxes to me for $200 with shipping, and after receiving the boxes, I sold them one by one on eBay for $600 a piece. I made over $3,000 on a $200 dollar purchase." The first edition Pokémon cards date to the far back days of 1998, but who cares of about their lack of establishment when they're basically dollar bills with cartoon features.

These are the promising sides of eBay; however, knowing the value of a potential eBay item and knowing when your posted eBay trinkets have reached their bidding apex takes some time. But despite what you might think, you don't have to be an expert on whatever collectible piece of junk you might be selling (Matthew is not an expert on Winnie the Pooh lamps). Instead, Engelmann looks for things he knows there's a market for - not necessarily things he knows everything about. He goes for basics; things like leather jackets are some of the simplest yet most lucrative items he sells.

So if he is out and about scouting for popular effects and he runs across something of questionable value but obvious potential, he'll call one of his eBay cohorts to look up how much the item is going for. That's all it takes. All you have to know when setting out on your own eBay adventures is the relative demand and value of any given item.

Well, at least that's all there is in the beginning. You've also got to stay organized, and it's crucial that you establish good feedback from your eBay clients. You've got to be able to answer questions for buyers, and you've got to be committed to sending a product out as soon as it sells.

Engelmann's system consists of buying stuff during the week, writing and posting item descriptions and pictures at the end of the week and packaging the item as soon as he posts it on eBay. This way nothing goes unpackaged and no part of his system gets backlogged. Though certain things may take some more time to sell than others, if you're patient, that stubborn Winnie-the-Pooh lamp will be off your hands faster than you can say "Christopher Robin."

Matthew warns, "eBay is something that you have to want to do, you have to set aside the time, and it's something you have to follow through with." He says, "It is definitely a learning process, and it will take you a long time to figure out. It took me a good year to know my stuff and to get going and know the changes through eBay and how everything works. But once you get set it up and you sell a couple things, you're pretty much good to go."

While Engelmann knows a lot about eBay, he hasn't thought about trading in his UCD education for full-time eBay profits. "I have never really considered not going to college for eBay. It has made me a lot of money over the years but it is too inconsistent to do full-time." It is his hobby, and he affectionately states, "I love to see when people are interested in what you have to sell, and I also like the bidding process. I usually like to check my auctions as often as possible because I always like seeing a new bid on what you have for sale; the increase in value over the week always excites me."

Get excited, study eBay, know the rules and ask some of your eBay savvy friends for a little instruction. Otherwise, have fun making a profit off your least favorite holiday gift.