Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/learn-how-you-can-effectively.html
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eBay is still a viable source of income? Huh. Have they tried selling this guide there?
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you never get the course creation date on these things. Fresh from 1999. lol
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Ebay is definitely still a viable source of income. Maybe more now than at any other point in the last decade.
I estimate it has been a decade at least since I last looked for anything on eBay. It seemed at that time to be infested with crap merchants and rigged thanks to sniping scripts/programs or “minimum selling amounts”.
If people are doing well there, then more power to them I suppose.
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The piles of garbage on Ebay are partly due to an outdated Universal Postal Union agreement that requires the USPS to subsidize inbound mail from China. That means they’re effectively able to ship orders to us for pennies, while domestic First Class parcel mail rates start just under $3 IF you have Commercial pricing AND you’re shipping to a nearby destination. USPS ponies up the difference in cost between what Chinese shippers pay and what it actually costs to deliver that mail in the US. The agreement was designed to bolster developing economies, but China is now the largest economy in the world, so we shouldn’t still be subsidizing their shipping costs while they undermine our economy.
We needed to renegotiate rates through the UPU, but the so-called developing economies voted down negotiations at every turn. And by the way, it’s not just us–most Northern European countries needed the same relief. Cue Donald Trump, who threatened to withdraw from the UPU entirely if we weren’t allowed to renegotiate. And guess what–for once he actually got something right. Countries are now allowed to self-declare postage rates, per a UPU agreement that is going into effect right now. It will make a difference for a number of sectors of our economy, somewhat reduce the flow of counterfeit goods into the US, and relieve an egregious burden on our postal system.
Anyhoo, my expectation is that this will also have the effect of decluttering Ebay. If you want a 10-pack of folding knives delivered (or maybe not) in two months (give or take) straight from mainland China for just $1.98, you better act fast!
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I just shut down my shop on eBay. You can make money there, but eBay makes it difficult. There are so many other up and coming selling platforms that it almost doesn’t make sense to pay them any more.
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Welcome to Boing Boing!
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