I have been an ebay seller for a long time and I have chosen to make it selling online a full time career. To many of you out there it would seem I am living the dream. Work at home, my own boss, no time clocks, no nagging boss, just alone in the chair behind a computer screen. I get emails all the time asking me about how to go about selling online full time. It's all about the stuff. Find something you like, find suppliers, sell like crazy.
I will say that this is more work then you might think and much harder to establish then it seems, at least it was for me. The first 4 years I worked ALL THE TIME. I still work a lot but I have gotten better and more efficient since I started The Camera Hunter in August of 2000.
The last two years I have been working hard on my website www.thecamerahunter.com
It has been a work and progress and probably always will be. It is my baby. If you look around there you might get the impression that it's owned by a large corporation but it's just me.
I work alone but want to be taken seriously so a real website is essential. If you think I have a lot of great information about photography on ebay then you will love my website. I have about 10,000 item descriptions there, all well thought out and informative.
I mainly deal in camera equipment and specialize in small accessories. Just like an auto parts store doesn't sell cars, I don't typically sell cameras. I do have a vast supply of collectable and usable film cameras that always get listed on ebay, not on my website. Most of the items I sell are brand new but when I do sell some used things you can count on the description to state the condition accurately.
KEY TO SUCCESS
In all my years of selling I have always had very low shipping charges. I believe this has been the main key to my success. If you look at my ebay feedback you will see I have MANY THOUSAND repeat feedback. This is just a number anymore to me.
As you can see from my ebay listings I try to drive home the combined shipping which I wish all online sellers did. Inflated shipping fees are a real obstruction to online sales.
HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING?
I spend a lot of time typing up descriptions, tweaking descriptions for my ebay listings and my website www.thecamerahunter.com
I get very few listing related questions about product. Most questions are about shipping. It is hard for people to believe that there isn't a catch and that my shipping charges really are that low.
My goal is to have great listings with easy to understand descriptions written in plain English that will empower you to use my products successfully as well as make an informed decision.
This has been another key to my success. I don't sell junk. You can get equipment cheaper, my prices tend to be a little higher but you get what you pay for. I get daily emails thanking me for a nice item delivered quickly and several times a week I get the I bought this same thing from another ebay seller only to find that it's not what it's supposed to be, does not work for my camera, seller will not take it back, sad. I don't play that game.
RETURN POLICY
I have a 14 day unconditional return policy for my ebay sales and average about 6 returns a year.
I am an old school photo equipment seller that still believes in the 14 day inspection period. I also pay return shipping which is always the same amount I charged you to ship it. If you paid the lowest $2.00 fee for normal 1st class delivery but decide to return it for a refund via registered, insured, overnight express guaranteed for $29.98 to send me back a $10 item please do not expect me to cover your expenses. Of course this will be a no brainer to most of you but as you might suspect it really has happened and happens at least a few times a year. As you also might suspect my refusal to pay the return shipping over and above my shipping charges generates negative feedback for me. Oh well, that's life in ebay land.
A little bit about my life.......it is a long story but you have to hear a little of it.
I am happily married to my LOVELY and TALENTED wife Heather. She has been a saving grace in my life, an Angel sent from the Lord. She is home schooling 2 of our 4 children and doing a great job. Through all of the changes we have had here she has stuck with me, without her I would never be able to do what I do. We work hard at our house. We enjoy our Church and the Family it provides us. We attend a wonderful Presbyterian Church in Tacoma Washington. Other family interests include gardening, crafts, reading, singing, eating...lots of eating...and living our lives the way the Lord would have us. We are blessed with many great friends and with a life style most people only dream of.
I worked as an Optical Laboratory Technician for 15 years. I am well versed and equipped in cutting of most any material. I have the ability and equipment to cut glass and plastic here at home. I can custom cut ground glass for camera backs. I enjoy working with my hands and playing with my machinery. I made eyeglasses at the Optical Lab. and I am considered and expert in what is referred to as hand edging by my peers. I don't want to blow my own horn......LOL.......but this is MY about me page so I thought I should talk about me....custom cutting lenses is one of my skills. I started buying and selling to pay doctors bills for my second child. He was born with two congenative heart defects. I didn't really make much money and in fact I probably spent more than I made. I had a lot to learn. I have been buying and selling now for over 5 years and manage to make a living at it. My son is all healed up now......Praise the Lord....and we now have four children. I work from my home. It is more work than I thought it would be but I am enjoying it and it's getting better all the time.
Favorite Links
www.thecamerahunter.com
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