eBay is one of those things now-- either you know how to do it, you do it, and you love it, or you hear that someone knows how to do it and you go "I just don't know how to do it, and it seems hard." If the latter applies to you, here is a great way to create some passive income for yourself while you're learning how to use this (very useful) website.
OK, this one doesn't really count as passive income, as you have to spend the time listing the items, answering questions, and then sending out the stuff to the winning bidders, but still-- I bet there is something in your office (or living room, or kitchen) that you haven't used in six months or more, and that you'd much rather just get some money for.
This is the eBay challenge:
1. Look around your house, and find one thing that's worth a little something (so you'll be motivated to learn how to do this. I'm guessing a piece of $20 isn't going to break through the procrastination block you've maybe built up about eBay).
2. If you don't already have an account, sign up for eBay. It takes a little figuring out, but it's great to know how to do it, and after awhile it becomes second nature. Case in point: five years ago or so, I taught my 65 year old retiree father about eBay. I was visiting him recently, and discovered that he now has a whole online business selling Corvettes that he restores. If he can do it, you can do it! http://www.ebay.com.
3. List it, sell it, get the money, then go "wow, that was MUCH easier than I thought."
4. Use the money you made to buy an educational program (my idea of intellectual dividend reinvestment), or better yet, to make an extra payment toward your credit card debt.
No matter what you use the money for, you essentially got paid to learn something new. One thing about eBay that I like is that they've made listing your stuff SO much easier than it used to be. Sometimes they even fill in all the information for you, which is so great. I currently have six things up for auction on eBay, a result of my New Year's resolution to clean out stuff I don't use, and turn it into things that help me on my journey toward success. I'm probably selling $1,000 worth of stuff right now, which I think I'm going to use to attend a real estate seminar, or maybe buy some more books on tape. I figure you can never be too smart, after all.
The eBay challenge will repeat every month. I think this will help us streamline our lives, AND put money in our pockets while we do it.
