Posted on 09/10/2004 12:28:21 AM PDT by VisualizeSmallerGovernment
Indicators measure the nation's unemployment rate, consumer spending and other economic milestones, but Vice President Dick Cheney says it misses the hundreds of thousands who make money selling on eBay.
"That's a source that didn't even exist 10 years ago," Cheney told an audience in Cincinnati on Thursday. "Four hundred thousand people make some money trading on eBay."
San Jose, Calif.-based EBay Inc. is an Internet auction site where anyone can sell just about anything, including clothing, cell phones, jewelry, memorabilia, trinkets and automobiles.
Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards responded that Cheney's comments show how "out of touch" he and President Bush are with the economy.
"If we only included bake sales and how much money kids make at lemonade stands, this economy would really be cooking," Edwards said in a statement.
A lot of people sell on eBay as their job. Get with the times, Edwards!
"If we only included bake sales and how much money kids make at lemonade stands, this economy would really be cooking," Edwards said in a statement.
That's a good line though...
I'm sure Edwards and Co. have noted those sales and are quite prepared to sick the IRS on them if they are elected.
The next door neighbors I had when I lived in
San Angelo -- retired couple -- the husband made $45,000 a year reselling stuff on Ebay that he bought at garage sales.
I can't believe Edwards has so flippantly dismissed eBay! I bet he thinks his sarcastic remark is cute but I am sure a lot of eBayers even the Democrats would not appreciate it.
My husband and I had an Antique business and when we stopped doing Antique shows we sold most of our inventory on eBay. We were PowerSellers and made a living on eBay for approx. 4 years!
Edwards is dismissing what he apparently knows nothing about.
There are two Americas - one America where people sell goods and services people want to buy at prices they want to pay, and one America where people sue baby doctors out of existence using junk science.
If the DNC knew about eBay, they would have gone there to bid on a more convincing set of fake memos.
LOL! Or a better Veep than Edwards. I've seen Pez dispensers get more scrutiny than the Media gave the entire Democrat Convention.
BTTT
I'm no powerseller, but I do make much of my living from E-Bay. Edwards is as out of touch with reality as Kerry - typical limo liberals. I'll be really happy to see them join the ranks of the unemployed. (Even happier to see them doing the perp walk in some orange coveralls for something.)
''If we only included bake sales and how much money kids make at lemonade stands, this economy would really be cooking,'' Edwards said in a statement.
Friends own a bricks n' mortars store but also have added E-Bay and Internet sales rather recently--within the last year. They told me that they did $10K worth of E-Bay business during December. I suppose that's lemonade stand pocket change for a trial lawyer, but my neighbors were real happy about it. Internet sales are adding a whole new dynamic to their business.
I made the down payment on my house with the proceeds from eBay, and I'm hoping to do it for aliving full time in the next year. My Little Pony is way off-base.
So far, the Kerry-Edwards team doesn't seem to mind insulting eBay sellers and members of the National Guard. For people who are going to solve Terrorism using diplomatic means, they don't seem to be all that diplomatic.
This knee-jerk reaction to the eBay effect is why the John's are so dangerous for this country! They both put politics first and truth later.
Since Lawyer Edwards seems to place eBay on the same level as a lemonade stand or bake sale, someone ought to ask this idiot how much, in his own warped mind, he thinks that each of these business ventures gross in a day....
Surprise, surprise, surprise, Mr Edwards..... Now apologize.....
they can all kiss my a$$.
Look, I was 'unemployed', 2/03 to 10/03.
I took one unemployment comp check, because I made $60,000 FRIGGING BUCKS freelancing.
Yeah, uncle sugar took a hefty chunk, but still, that was one of my better earning years.
I signed on with one of my clients for a more stable job source (I just ain't big on cold calls and drumming up new sales).
So, Edwards, I was one of those impoverished unemployed last year. I didn't show up on your job rolls, or statistics. I did my own thing.
So, in my humble opinion, John/John, y'all ain't got a clue.
IMHO, of course.
**Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards responded that Cheney's comments show how "out of touch" he and President Bush are with the economy. "If we only included bake sales and how much money kids make at lemonade stands, this economy would really be cooking," Edwards said in a statement.
This knee-jerk reaction to the eBay effect is why the John's are so dangerous for this country! They both put politics first and truth later.
Since Lawyer Edwards seems to place eBay on the same level as a lemonade stand or bake sale, someone ought to ask this idiot how much, in his own warped mind, he thinks that each of these business ventures gross in a day....
Surprise, surprise, surprise, Mr Edwards..... Now apologize.....**
Yet again the VP shows that far from being "old and out of touch" he is aware of what is going on in the world.
Edwards is supposed to be young looking and have sex appeal to the younger voters but obviously has nothing in common with them if he did he would realise the amount of money Ebay grosses. Of course it is not only the younger people using Ebay but younger people are probably on the whole more aware of its potential.
Give me Dick Cheney any time a real man not a Ken doll like Edwards. Look at the wifes as well who looks the happiest and most content and quite frankly the most attractive, Lynne Cheney at 63 is gorgeous.
Does anyone actually have any stats on estimated income generated by EBay sellers? It would be great to shove a few good statistics into the dems' faces! I googled, but couldn't find anything.
eBay's gross sales were around $2.7 billion last year. That is what they took in from fees. Assuming fees are around 10% of total sales, then total sales would be around $27 billion.
By comparison, the total domestic box office of every movie released in 2003 was around $8.7 billion.
So when Kerry / Edwards suck up to Hollywood and pooh-pooh eBay sellers, they are actually dissing an industry LARGER than Hollywood. (Though the Hollywood money is divided among fewer people).
It should be noted that eBay's sales are rising rapidly, while Hollywood's are fairly stagnant.
Thank you kindly .. Appreciate your help.
I'm shocked!!! I had no idea you could make that much money on ebay. I've got tons & tons of books that I'd like to sell on ebay. Is there a trick to making a profit?
[friends] did $10K worth of E-Bay business during December
I'm stunned. In one month?! Somebody please tell me how to get started. Are there any tricks of the trade? What do you have to pay to ebay in order to sell your stuff?
Be careful of those discussion boards. It's better to have a 2nd id that you use only for the eBay discussion boards. It's happened in the past that someone has rubbed someone the wrong way and then they get stalked on eBay.
Good luck!
"Buy something and sell it for more than you paid for it." - Father Guido Sarducci.
I would reckon profits as dollars per lot sold, not dollars per item. Figure that it takes about 1 hour to post and process one lot. Set a minimum thresh hold of profit that you want to make on a lot, and post things that you can reasonably expect to sell for that much.
If you want to see what something sells for, do a completed item search on a similar item.
If you don't have enough of your own stuff to sell, you can always sell someone else's stuff on consignment. However, I wouldn't sell anything on consignment until I had some experience selling my own stuff.
Before selling, I would buy some stuff on eBay so you understand what the process is like to the buyer.
Be honest about your items. Be descriptive. If there's a flaw, mention the flaw. Don't be judgmental. Just be descriptive and let the bidders decide if the item is worth it.
Good luck!
Thanks, VSG!
I set up a storefront and have been making my living on eBay selling other peoples things. It's going great. I guess I live in that 'other' America.
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