Monday 13 October 2008

281 days to go: The eBay Swap Shop



Today (Sunday October 12th), it was lovely and warm all day with temperatures up to a tropical 18C!!
I wore this grey fine knit dress from Gap with a turquoise camisole, brown Clark's shoes and the beads which inspired my current turquoise phase.
The dress is another eBay "Swap" and I have been asked by several bloggers to explain how it works.

In essence it is my own made up Swap Shop. There is no facility on eBay for this but as my blog is called workthatwardrobe, I have decided to use that ethos of working with what I have.
Essentially I post items of clothing that are too big/too small or don't suit me on eBay.
I usually add an £1 - £2 to the postage charges which gives a little added extra to cover the fees for the items that sell and those that don't sell.
So for example this weekend I got £6.95 for a new Look skirt which is too big, £10.50 for some Next Trousers which make my legs look like two short planks and £5.74 for this skirt I got on EBay a few weeks ago for £3 but it is really too long and too big on the waist.
So, having sold a few items I get the money paid into my PayPal account which I use as credit to bid for new items.
I make sure that there is enough credit to cover the postage costs I incur (which I transfer to my bank account) and the eBay charges I get for posting and selling.
The bonus is I get lots of parcels through the post and money has never left my purse.
Heather has suggested that using this method I may never have to purchase any new clothes again.
I think she may be right!

11 comments:

Heather Bestel said...

In the present financial climate, I think this may become a trend. And another good reason to write that book.
There could be an introductory chapter on the whole swop idea and then a diary of 'what you wore', basically a print version of your blog.
Then a chapter explaining how the rest of us can do it, with tips.
There you go - sorted! LOL
Heather x

Jane said...

Thanks Heather - If you know of any publishers interested please let me know!

Stacy Kraus McDonald said...

I like Heather's idea... you should do it!

The gray dress is great. I should list some clothes on ebay.

Jules said...

Great idea but I dont like the notion of adding money to P&P to cover fees. I think that is a bit dishonest.

Christina Lee said...

OOh I like! Thanks for explaining how that works-it's tempting to try it. And the book idea- go for it!

Jane said...

Jules - Welcome. As for being dishonest the P&P is clearly stated and the cost isn't just postage it's packing too. In my view package can include anything from the contribution to selling (fraction of use of computer/electricity/broadband fees), materials to post, journey to the post office etc.
I agree it would be dishonest if they were slapped on at the end without prior knowledge. But I don't believe clearly stating the P&P costs is dishonest.

Sheila said...

So glad this is working out for you! You look fab in this dress!

Mervat said...

Hi Jane,
I am also a fellow writer (professionally, a medical writer and personally, recently started on a novel), and have been following your blog from the beginning. Good on you for all you have achieved so far with your existing wardrobe and the ingenious idea of ebay swapping.
Mervat (Sydney, Australia).

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Nana Erin said...

That is GENIUS!~

Della Street Dreaming said...

I just love the sound of this. I'm worried that if I did it I wouldn't wrap the parcels up properly or I'd undercharge for the postage. But maybe I should seriously investigate doing this because I love the sound of no money coming out of your purse & getting lots of parcels in the mail