Do your kids complain that you're always "playing" on ebay? Do you have rooms full of interesting stuff they can't touch? While you're taking pictures and writing listings, are they planted in front of the television or video games, waiting for you to finish?

You're missing an opportunity. Get your kids involved. You'll be surprised what they can learn.

• Teach them to be discerning shoppers. I find my items to sell at auctions, estate sales, yard sales and thrift stores. Turns out all of my girls like the auction house best--so do I! So I put them to work rummaging through boxes, looking for interesting items my customers might like. They have to examine pieces for flaws, signatures and quality. I knew it was paying off one day at the mall when my youngest daughter turned a blouse inside out and said, "This isn't sewn very good, is it?"
• Teach them economic reality. Do you remember your first paycheck, and how stunned you were by the tax deductions? What? How can they take my money? "Gotta pay for the ride," I tell my girls. Selling on ebay is the same way. When they find something they think they can sell, we go over costs. If they pay $5 for an item, how much do they have to sell it for in order to make a profit? A few financial losses teaches them real fast how to be wise with their money.
• Teach them consideration for others. My policy is, describe accurately, get the merchandise to the buyer as soon as possible and package it so it is in the same shape when it reaches the new owner as it was when it left me. I model honesty and ethics. When the tempation arises to cut corners or fudge a bit, I talk it over with the kids. I ask them how they'd feel if they thought they were getting one thing, but got another. Or if their "new" item had a crack or stain or tear? I've purchased some things for them from ebay, and you should hear them howl if the package takes forever to arrive, or if it's poorly packaged. I remind them of that when they're helping me package items for shipping.
• Teach them organization. It's more than just buying and selling. There are records to keep, invoices to scrutinize, and files to maintain. Inventory has to be sorted, cleaned, and stored. Mailing supplies can take over the house if not kept organized. Even little kids can come up with ingenious methods for keeping track of inventory and supplies. They can also learn about time management and how to balance their lives between work, play and family time.
• Teach them how to deal with others. Conflict is a part of life. By understanding why people get upset or unreasonable, and understanding your own reactions, you can deal with conflicts that arise without them turning into wars. I don't hide soured transactions from the kids. I ask them, "What could I have done better? If you were the buyer, what would you like me to do?"
• Teach them work is about more than money. I enjoy selling on ebay. I like the challenges and creativity involved. I really like scouting for merchandise. An upside to working from home is that the kids can see that I love my work. They watch me problem-solve and learn from my mistakes. This opens many discussions about how it's all about give and take, that sometimes drudgery is necessary, and that it doesn't always have to be fun, but it can still be rewarding.

So enourage the kids to help out with the business. Even if they don't become ebay enterpreneurs, there is still much that ebay can teach them.