posted on November 17, 2002 03:39:04 PM new
Hello all,
I am sure you are all busy but I am curious, have you ever had someone say to you, you don't have a "real job" because you sell on ebay?
I guess it's getting to me, I get, your on the computer again? Like I am playing a game or something... I am doing a real job, and a real gamble too but hey who pays the bills?
Anyway I need a good comeback to these dumbies, as I know they don't have a clue what ebay entails.
Next question I have two ID's can you have 3 if I take on consignments I would want another is it ebay legal?
Thanks happy selling!
posted on November 17, 2002 04:05:08 PM new
I understand where you are coming from there. Both my finance and I are self employed and there are times we just dont have alot of cash. I am constantly hearing from my mother in law those famous words "Well maybe it is time for you to get a real job" Here is the kicker though I make more than she does at her real job. I also hear it many other places. How wonderful it must be to sit home all day and "play" on the computer. Dont get me wrong I love my job, but I know there is some work involved and I work hard. Trust me I think we all hear it now and again. I am with you though, anyone with a good comeback I would love to hear from. Thanks for letting me vent!
posted on November 17, 2002 04:13:01 PM new
A woman at work used to make fun of me all the time for my ebay Fun with my garage sale finds! One day in an administrative meeting she made a remark and I had had enough. I asked her "If I told you to give me a dollar and I guarantee I will give you back at least $20 in 7 days, would you?" Of course she said yes. I remarked "well, I do that every day while I am having fun on ebay".
She never made another remark and now the boss is concerned I will quit and do ebay fulltime.
posted on November 17, 2002 04:17:06 PM new
Knowbody has ever said that to me but if they do they will get an ear full. In my real job before retirement I went to work, worked 8 hours went home. I was also on call for most of my years but that was because I wanted to make money and money I did make. Ebay is like that you can do it a little and then if you want more money you can do it a lot. But ebay is worse than my real job I am not guaranteed a paycheck unless I work gazallion hours a day and I only do eBay part time and that is still gazallion hours. No rest for the wicked.
If someone tells you that just say to them.
Try it for your self then come back and tell me. BTW equipment for this eBay job costs a whole lot more than my real job did.
posted on November 17, 2002 04:34:48 PM new
I think I would sincerely ask that they spend only one day with me from start to finish and to fill my shoes for that one day.
After they stumbled to bed at 2 - 3 in the morning just to get up and go at it again early the next day I'm sure they would realize it's a real job.
posted on November 17, 2002 05:19:15 PM newhave you ever had someone say to you, you don't have a "real job" because you sell on ebay?
Oh, brother have I! Not only that, I work as an office manager during the day and my boyfriend constantly tells me it's not a "real job" because I get to sit during the day. He's a contractor doing physical labor. The fact that I come home from work and head straight to my computer and put in another 6 hours each night does not constiture a real job. Let's not forget the making dinner "breaks", the laundry breaks, the house cleaning breaks, etc.
posted on November 17, 2002 05:37:22 PM new
No, this is not a real job for me. I place 10 to 20 auctions a week. I refuse to sit at my computer all day long listing auctions. Libra, you are so right. Try it, you might NOT like it. I am too old to put all of the hours that you YUPPIES can. I don't need too any way, but it keeps me in Absolute!! lol
posted on November 17, 2002 05:59:20 PM new
So glad you understand! No it's not full time for me either I do hair, full time cargiver for grandma and 3 kids no help! My hair is falling out but I need the money college is expensive!
funny even my family doesn't consider caring for their mom a job! I only cook, clean, shop, Dr. visits, listen to the same story 3 times a day, wound care potty care, go to funerals for entertainment...blah blah blah, I think hard labor jobs would be easier!
This is my fun job and my kid money, thanks for letting me vent!!
posted on November 17, 2002 06:24:46 PM new
My ebay turned into a real job. I was downsized last January got tired of the 40 mile 1-3/4 hour ( oneway) commute to downtown Seattle I started with ebay I now own my own company with a partner and 2 employees and looking at getting a brick and mortar next year
posted on November 17, 2002 08:39:24 PM new
Well that is so funnt because I used to get the same stupid comments made to me, that is of course until my wife quit her job and came to work for me, Oh ya and that is of course until we just got our new home, o'ya and also the new car, not gloating by any means, but ebay is a 9am - 9pm 7 days a week. Now I have my friends and family calling me all the time asking for help and advice so they can do what we do. I of course don't even encourage such a stunt for average individuals, we are of the elite, we have much patience, and we hold the future of retail stores in the palm of our hands, we are ebay power sellers! And I am dam proud to be!!! If you make a good living on ebay than you need to feel very proud, it's something that very very few individuals can do. Good Luck to You and your indevors, and welcome to the real world of online marketing.
[ edited by roskhardfitness on Nov 17, 2002 08:43 PM ]
posted on November 17, 2002 11:55:08 PM new
Ask them when they are going to get a real life? Going to work 9-5, 40 hours a week for thirty years is not a real life. A real life is doing what you love, even if it means doing nothing, or earning less; it means more time with the family and not co-workers.
Ask them why they aren't a real friend? Real friends understand and listen to your plans and try to help you, not pull you down from your dreams.
You can always thank them for being a servant for entepeneurs like you. Tell them thanks for doing the dirty work.
posted on November 18, 2002 05:25:26 AM new
This is a fun thread. I get that comment all the time from people about ebay and in my job too. I'm a nurse who is a "prenatal care coordinator". Basically what I do is educate low income or high risk families in pregnancy and newborn cares - lots of social work type referrals in my job too. I hear all the time from people "what a fun job - you get to drive around and play with babies all day". Well, yes, I do get to play with babies. I also have been in a house when the police stormed the door during a drug raid. I have also been propositioned countless times by men of the house who were high on who knows what, and I have had patients who have decided they better walk me to my car which is 25 feet from the front door because it isn't safe where they live after noon. (boy, could I tell many more stories). At any rate I love both of my jobs - yes, ebay is a job and I need it to pay the bills. As far as I am concerned there are too few people in this world who can honestly say "I don't mind waking up in the morning and going to work because I love my job".
posted on November 18, 2002 06:57:46 AM new
"Ask them when they are going to get a real life? Going to work 9-5, 40 hours a week for thirty years is not a real life. A real life is doing what you love, even if it means doing nothing, or earning less; it means more time with the family and not co-workers."
AMEN Quickdraw29! I have the double whammy. I am full-time at eBay (6 months now, still going strong) after years of part-time selling originally via classifieds(remember those) and then eBay about four years ago. I am also the stay at home Dad of my two boys 5 and 2, while my wife goes to "work" each day as computer graphic designer. I do the school dropoff/pickup, watch our 2 year old during the day, Dr. office, Dentist, teacher conferences, PTA, field trips, sick kid duty, laundry, dishes, meals, you name it. I volunteer with my local Salvation Army, and my son's elementary school. All while listing, emailing, packing, ect. You know the drill.
So, not only do I get the eBay questions, I also get the "You make your wife do all the work?" questions. WHAT???
I never, NEVER, would be able to do all of this with a "real" job. How many Dad's are able to be as active in their child's life and the community around them. I'm thankful everyday that I can do this. It's never been about getting rich, but the quality of life lived. I give it a year and my wife will be working with me.
posted on November 18, 2002 07:41:33 AM new
"You make your wife do all the work?"
At work, she gets a lot of, "why are you working and he's at home sitting on his butt, the man is supposed to be working."
We're the leaders of a new work at home trend and these people are still stuck in the past era. I belive it was a "Fortune" article a month back when they discussed this very issue of men at home and the wife working. Some people are smart enough to make choices based on logic and not be pressured to do what everyone else does.
Someday many of these same people will be working at home too as technology replaces their jobs.
posted on November 18, 2002 08:34:43 AM new
I fortunately have had a very supportive group of friends and family that are happy that I've found something that I really enjoy doing. You should be proud that you had the cajones to swim against life's current and stake your own claim. It's a leap of faith that only a select few have the courage to do.
When those pessimists make fun of you for "not having a real job" then ask them to give you a call when they're 50 and laid off from their company as a result of being downsized. Then ask them to pick up the phone 12 months later when they're still unemployed because no business wants to pay them to do what they can have some whipper snapper straight out of college do for half the money. Then have them call you 24 months later when they've lost their car, their home, their spouse and their life savings because they've gambled their entire future on the false premise that security lies within corporate america. Finally, drive up to their place of employment and ask them how they're enjoying their new job? Then very politely tell them you'd like fries with that order and that you'd like it super sized.
posted on November 18, 2002 08:45:09 AM new
Besides selling on ebay for part of the year I have a RL business I go to almost daily. At times when customers come in they assume because the store isn't busy that I have time to waste just as they do, not realizing that I am working on other things like my website or digging through mounds of paper work. I guess they think I just stand there all day taking money and I wish running a business was that easy.
Many times I am "trapped" as I listen to the story of what they used to own or what they threw away or the gory details of someone's medical problems. I have been grabbing a bite to eat and customers have commented that they are suffering from diarrhea.
After work and on Sundays some relatives and friends assumed that all my time was free and they had a difficult time believing that work just doesn't "stop" when I am at home. In the past few years I have learned to cut conversations short and firmly state that I have work to do. True friends understand.
posted on November 18, 2002 09:40:54 AM new
After almost 30 years of self employment, there are those who still don't get it. There are times when I must do things, no alternatives. People just assume that I can break off anytime, do whatever strikes my fancy and go goof off whenever I want. But when I see friends getting laid off right before Christmas, no bonus by the way, and being run ragged with demands for unpaid overtime, on calls that last 14 hours, I can see the advantages we have. What irks me no end is when we are out searching flea markets, house sales, antique malls and garage sales I am working, this is not recreation.
posted on November 18, 2002 09:47:43 AM new
My brother and brother-in-law were laid off in December of previous years. Why people think a "real job" is better than a "real business" is beyond me.
posted on November 18, 2002 10:16:25 AM new
I have a regular job,with lots of overtime,but I stilled get joked about at work about ebay.Not for selling,but for BUYING-Im called MR EBAY at work.Im always bragging about how much I saved by buying stuff on ebay-I did 99 percent of my Christmas shopping on ebay last year.I also sell but I do it for the fun of it and what I make is fun money.I cant believe how much I save when buying on ebay-the "mark up" in the regular stores is unbelieveable.Another thing is I can buy almost anything I want on ebay-some things I never even knew existed. So I take my "fun money" I make on ebay and go Christmas shopping and it litterly costs me nothing-I could have never afford all those "goodies" if it hadnt been for ebay.--so I salute all you sellers,I know what hard work it is even thou I dont sell as much as you do-and if anyone harrass's you about selling on ebay,go tell them to TAKE THEIR JOB AND SHOVE IT
[ edited by classicrock000 on Nov 18, 2002 10:27 AM ]
posted on November 18, 2002 11:20:49 AM new
Many business text books will define an entrepreneur as a person who sees a market niche, recognizes it as such, and has the courage and risk-taking ability to take the steps to fill that market niche.
Back in 1998, I was buying on eBay. I had a nice paying job, headed accounting and finance for a big city firm. I was in my early 40s. I felt confined and bleak. It finally dawned on me, right at the time I discovered buying on eBay, that I was living my life for others.
What I mean is that when you work for others, you are selling more than your labor to the employer, you are selling your life - and you only get one life. All of your initiative, ideas and creativity goes to the employer, day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month, year-after-year, until you are retired or are dead.
At the same time I had this epiphany, I saw for myself how I could make a living selling on eBay. I handed in my resignation, and gosh, the look on the CEO's face was spectacular, makes me wish I had a video of the scene.
Today, I can say that life is good, that I have no mortgage, that I have no car loans, that I have no credit card debt, and that I have considerable asset accounts.
Another plus, is that my husband became disabled a few years ago, unable to earn any income, and the loss of his income was not significant due to my earnings and the growing asset accounts, plus I am able to care for him because I work at home.
All of this is due to seeing the market niche, and taking the steps to become an entrepreneur.
The most remarkable thing I have learned over the past years, is that I will never have to be an employee again. Once you are in business for yourself, once you are a part of the special world of the self-employed, it becomes easy to spot other market niches, and know how to make money to support yourself and your family without ever being an employee again.
posted on November 18, 2002 11:39:50 AM new
Good thread. I worked for 6 years full time, and doing ebay and other online consulting on the side. I would actually make more money here than my "real" job but with a family, I needed the benefits that a real job provided. My wife is now working outside of the house (She tried to get a job for many years that was a permanent one, she is in a tough field but finally found one) so she has a decent salary and benefits, and I do my online work full time and stay at home with my kids (also 2 and 5) - I love it! Since family and friends knew I was making more from this than my other job, I don't have to deal with the "when are you going to get a real job" questions. I can go out and make $20 an hour or more easily in the workforce, but after taxes, daycare, wear and tear, it probably isn't worth it. The plus side to this is that my wife only works 33 weeks a year, so we have lots of time off, and 2 months out of the year we travel. I could never do that before, I had generous benefits but still only 3 weeks off a year.
While I do have the advantage of taking time off during the day to do what I want (going to see Harry Potter at a matinee today) I also do work a lot of hours, and sort of am on call a lot. My other online business has clients around the world, so it is not unusual for me to be providing technical support at midnight to someone in Australia. When you work 9-5, you are done at 5 and do what you want. I prefer this lifestyle though, and don't plan on changing anytime soon...
posted on November 18, 2002 12:27:45 PM new
I've come close to having a "real job"..once....20 years ago I was a Bike messenger!! Since then I've NEVER had a "real" job, but I've always worked REAL HARD to support myself. I don't have to wear a label that says so..this is my job and I LOVE IT! no excuses, no justification... I LOVE MY "JOB". How many people do you know with "real jobs" can honestly say that? I hate having a "boss" and the thought of making some annonymous wealthy entity even wealthier for dog bones makes me cringe! True..Ebay is now that entity, but atleast I have a say in how big my dog bones will be. The harder I work here, the more bones I get. If Ebay crumbles...I'll find something else, I always have and I always will. There is nothing more REAL than making your own way. I think the people who have the most derogatory things to say about an alternative way of making a living are just a tad bit jealous... and wish they had the courage it takes to leave the trap. You do what you do, you should be really proud of yourself!...just say "Ebay is a real job" end of story.
posted on November 18, 2002 02:33:38 PM new
Oh sure ~ I hear that all the time and makes me soo mad
I tell them forget the stock market, give me a few bucks and I'll invest it for you almost risk free and sure to make instant return many times over your investment with me !! They look at me like I'm crazy or something!! lol !!
My husband knows what I make on my ebay items and what I paid for them, he is always amazed but still won't give me a few bucks!
Stupid does as stupid is or something like that !
But hey ~ that's ok ~ We all know where to put our money
posted on November 18, 2002 02:41:33 PM new
yep, 24/7 for husband and I. I about cringe when longtime acquaintances run into us out and about and say, "How nice ... I hear you retired and are selling online" [they equate choosing to sell full time online with 'retiring'?!?!?] Holy mackerel, we both work longer hours and more days a week than when we worked for 'da man'
posted on November 18, 2002 03:09:01 PM new
I spent 5 hours today so far packaging, shipping, and answering emails. Haven't even listed anything yet...YES this is a real job.
posted on November 18, 2002 10:19:30 PM new
Just suffice it to say...if someone has never sold anything through an online auction, they will never understand all that goes into the whole process.
"Who's tending the bar? Sniping works up a thirst"
Sniping works up a thirst"