Clicking For Cash!

From NY1

Extra cash may be only a mouse click away. NY1’s Tara Lynn Wagner filed the following Money Matters report.

Internet auction sights and marketplaces have made it possible to sell virtually anything, new or used.

Officials at eBay say even a broken iPod can bring in some bucks, since people can still use it for parts.

“Something that is trash to you is good for somebody else on eBay because they’re looking for things that you don’t really have interest in anymore,” says eBay Tech and Toy Director Cat Schwartz. “But somebody out there does, I guarantee it.”

New Yorker Jennifer Stevens started small, listing a few CDs and books, and now helps other people sell everything from collectible dolls to an accordion. Her auction block strategy: list low and you might incite a bidding war.

“If you start something for a penny, every one thinks, ‘oh, I might win it very cheaply,’” advises Stevens, an eBay business consultant. “And a lot of people will get excited and bid and the price will go up.”

There are fees involved. The auction site takes a small percentage of the final price and charges a listing fee whether or not the item sells. However, this summer, the company began offering sellers a chance to list five items a month for free.

“This is great for new sellers who are a little leery of listing something, particularly if they want to start it at a little higher price,” Stevens says. “There’s that worry of if I list it at $100, people may not buy it and i’ll be out the dollar that I paid for the listing.”

If you wish to forgo the fees and formal bidding process of Ebay, there are some free alternatives out there that some sellers say let them feel like they have the power.

Michael Payne has put his complete Masters of the Universe collection on Craigslist. While some feel the anonymity of shipping their sold items is safer, Payne prefers to keep his sales local, hand delivering items when possible.