I came across this artcle on MSN this morning, 4 Real Jobs You Can Do From Home, and thought it would be a great one to share with you. After reading this article you will see there are ways to make a living while working at home, although most of the opportunities listed in the article won't get you rich.
One of the options was survey taking but they provided very little info on what you actually would be making. Samples and free product are nice but they don't pay the bills and are seldom given in quantities that will make a difference in your weekly shopping needs. Read about my experience with survey taking. While you are at it read about one of the at-home call center agent jobs listed in this article, West At Home.
Another option listed was selling on eBay. I worked for a lady who started out selling antiques on eBay with $20 worth of merchandise. Diane Bingham, owner of FromGlobalToYou, is now a PowerSeller on eBay and employees upwards of 50 people and buys and sells hundreds of thousands of dollars of antiques every year. I worked for her writing descriptions, uploading photos, and opening and monitoring auctions-all from home.
I got the eBay selling bug and began to list my own items such as baby clothes, board games, home decor items and the like. The MSN article mentions staying organized and that is the key to being successful at this endeavor. You also need to know your 'merchandise' and do some research into the value and demand for each item.
Of course, if the item doesn't sell you still owe the listing fees so I would suggest taking it slow at first. Research eBay and other auction sites to find out what are hot ticket items. I am a board game collector and when I was on eBay looking for some games to purchase I noticed some board games that were selling for over $30. The next time I was at a thrift store I looked for similar games and found 4 which I purchased for $2 each. I ended up selling them for $25 to $30 each.
I still list items here and there but I really didn't like the boxing up the items and taking them to the post office part so I stopped doing it regularly. It can be quite addicting too-watching your auctions and those of your 'competitors'-but if you really put in the effort you could make a tidy sum and who knows, you might be the next rags to riches eBay PowerSeller on the block!
It is nice to see opportunitie that aren't based in the great get rich scheme of homebased businesses. Know I'm not a mom, but I am a work from home dad and enjoy your articles.
I have worked with ebay with some success and have found help in the following address. http://www.auctiontips.com/t.cgi/ 864834
Working from home for anybody can be frought with anxiety and certainly challenges. The rewards, especially as they are associated with my 4 year old daughter, are priceless. I wouldn't change now and have come quite comfortable with the success of being a home based business father.
Posted by: Tim Whelan | February 25, 2006 4:56 AM | Permalink to Comment