It's 5:23am and I am on eBay, checking my items that are up for auction, contemplating listing more items right now and hoping I have a bid on even just one of my existing items. I see a bid for one of my auctions at starting price and I jump for joy! I can barely contain my happiness. But then...wait a minute...I look at my listing again realizing that if my item sells at that starting auction price, I will make no money. Why did I start the auction so low? Ahh, yes, I remember. I once started an auction at a high starting price and nobody bid on my item, and so my item ended and I was not a winner this time along with somebody else. Instead I had to pay seller fees and thus lost money. Not again! Wait a minute, an eBay seller losing money? You may wonder, how can that be? Which leads us to the question....Being an eBay seller...Is it worth it?

The answer is a resounding Yes! Here is why. Well, let's start by noting that for many, being a seller is not a choice. We are either ill and can not work outside the home, laid off, have children that need tending to at home, or most common, simply can not afford a one income household and need a way to make an extra income. Now the reason why being an eBay seller is worth it is because all other options to making a stable and decent income fail in comparison to eBay for eBay provides the perfect venue to fulfill our needs. Now let's remember wise words before we start on our venture....My brother always told me "You need to spend money to make money". This holds very true and eBay is no exception to this.

You have to manage your sales, your time, and your money very carefully while selling on eBay. You don't just become an "eBay Seller" once you start, but you also become an Accountant, a Bargain shopper, a Multi Tasker, and the list does happily go on.

Managing your sales can be easy. It can be as simple as opening an Excel spreadsheet and entering your item for auction, the price it sold for, eBay listing fees, eBay final value fees, PayPal fees (if you choose to use PayPal), the price the item cost you, and of course, let's not forget shipping fees. You take the price your item sold for and subtract these fees and costs and you come up with your profit. Let's hope you make a profit every time.

Managing your time on eBay can be a bit more of a challenging task. An understatement. When I first started on eBay, it would take me anywhere from 1-3 hours to list a single item. I would do research, take pictures, and begin writing as I was listing the item. On top of this, once I was finished, I would go back and revise my listing over at least 10 times. No exaggeration. To this day though, I must admit, the revise feature is my favorite feature on eBay. It's easy to make mistakes at 5am. The way to solve the dilemma of spending your entire day and only having a few items listed to show for it, is to be prepared. To be prepared, the following must be done.

1. Take all the pictures of your items in one shot. Make sure the lighting is good, test a picture to see how it came out, and make sure it is the ideal location to take all of your pictures. Upload the pictures into a folder titled  "Ebay selling pictures" or whatever title you would like that helps make it accessible to you as you begin to list your items.

2. Do all of your research before you begin listing. Go through each of your items and do a search on eBay for similar items. If you find 50 similar items and no bids for any of them, then do not think that your item will be any different or that you as a seller are much different. In this case, put that item to the side and spend you time on the items that you feel have a good chance of being sold.

3. Know your product. You must know what you are selling to effectively sell it. Just about everything has a name brand. Go on the brands website and you will not only find out more about your product, but you may find the perfect item description for it as well....and you thought that you would have to spend all that time creating a description from scratch!

Managing your money can be the most difficult task and yet also the most rewarding as you do it right. To manage your money while selling on eBay, consider these things: Your sales. Look at the spreadsheet you created to manage your sales and figure out what you may need to do to increase your sales, increase your profit and minimize fees. Your time. Figure out the average daily time it takes you to be a seller on eBay versus your daily profit and come up with creative ways in being more efficient. Your cost. How much are your items costing you? It will be more fulfilling to give a gift to a friend rather than lose that money selling an item for much less than what you recently paid and to also have to pay fees. Make sure you make a profit each and every time or you'll have to change your name from "eBay Seller" to eBay Giver".

Once we take the proper steps, we will all learn the answer to the question of "Is it worth being an eBay seller?" is a certain yes...if it's done right. The latter part of the sentence being key. So, once you become an eBay seller you may never go back. Whether you do it part time or full time, you will realize the many benefits of selling on eBay. Lastly, remember practice makes perfect and soon being an eBay seller will become second nature to you. Well, if it doesn't, there is always the revise feature.

Oh, and one very last thing, as you embark on your journey in becoming an "eBay Seller", have a good time doing so. This life is too short to not enjoy what you are doing. So, do your best and enjoy every minute of it!