Question:
I have quite a bit of nice clothing that I don't wear that I would like to sell, and sometime soon I would like to start selling original/custom clothing (primarily plus sizes 12-26, grouped by body type, with a feminine edge)and accessories as well, preferably over the internet instead of consignment or brick-and-mortar.  The main problem I have is that I don't have a credit card or checking account, thus I'm limited as to how I can accept different forms of payment, Paypal hasn't yet gotten back to me as to whether or not I can use a savings account, and it makes it difficult for me to set up an Ebay account.  Right now all I can accept would be cash, checks or money orders.  An alternative to that is of course GothicAuctions, but not everything I want to sell is strictly "gothic" per se, though I think given the wide variety of interests in this group I could cater to many of you with what I've got in mind.  The only other thing I could think of was to just set up some kind of basic site, but then I don't really want to promote myself as a "business" right now because of all the legalities, and I would prefer to start off with an affiliation of some sort and get some feedback and credibility before I go all the way into running a full-on ebusiness.  (That and I don't have the capital to start a business right now anyway.) Has anyone else been in the same situation that has started a business this way?  Any thoughts or advice?  Pitfalls to avoid?  Your experience?

Answer:
I have quite a bit of nice clothing that I don't wear that I would -like to sell, and sometime soon I would like to start selling -original/custom clothing <snip- -The main -problem I have is that I don't have a credit card or checking account, -thus I'm limited as to how I can accept different forms of payment, -Paypal hasn't yet gotten back to me as to whether or not I can use a -savings account, and it makes it difficult for me to set up an Ebay -account.

Hmm, I'm not sure how Paypal is when you're starting out with them and don't already have card/checking, but I know once you're 'in' you can get a discounted account that accepts credit card payments if you fit certain guidelines (probably if you make several thousand/month, so that would be more for down the road, hopefully, when you have an ebay Store as well).

Right now all I can accept would be cash, checks or money -orders

. Being able to accept Paypal would be ideal. Once you get it, you can set it up to just accept bank transfers (no fees) but it's a hassle to get your buyers to stick to this sometimes and 'they' say accepting credit cards is best for your business. Remember, in auctions one can charge a reasonable set handling fee as long as it's not outlined what it is for beyond "handling". There's also Bidpay/Western Union --the buyer pays the fees, and I've noticed non-US people use it the most.

An alternative to that is of course GothicAuctions, but not -everything I want to sell is strictly "gothic" per se, though I think -given the wide variety of interests in this group I could cater to -many of you with what I've got in mind.

That would be a good alternative, and the best part--no fees. There's also Velvet Garden which charges IIRC a flat 10% fee and your ad is up for a year. Custom items show up there often, so it may be a good place to start as well. I think the weekly mailing list is at over 5K people!

The only other thing I could -think of was to just set up some kind of basic site, but then I don't -really want to promote myself as a "business" right now because of all -the legalities, and I would prefer to start off with an affiliation of -some sort and get some feedback and credibility before I go all the -way into running a full-on ebusiness.  (That and I don't have the -capital to start a business right now anyway.) -Has anyone else been in the same situation that has started a business -this way?  Any thoughts or advice?  Pitfalls to avoid?  Your -experience?

Well, I don't have a 'business' per se, and don't consider my ebay selling activities one either, but I have been using it often lately and consider it a good second source of income. First off, check out the 'Community' message boards--particularly Seller Central. Use the search feature on it with your questions--a wide variety of topics are discussed, and you may get ideas on running/growing an ebay business. They're also great when you're running an auction and something weird or problematic comes up (and trust me, it will) and you need an answer right away. Much more useful than trying to contact actual ebay staff!

I would just start out as a regular seller on there (you need to make a certain amount to open an ebay store anyway). Try out just one or two simple auctions, note what seems to work and what doesn't, and work from there. Research items first to see which categories/titles seem to work best. When you list it now lets you put in search terms and tells you which categories are best. Read through the Seller message board for advice and ideas, try to determine your item's weight in the package and shipping costs in advance, be honest with buyers (not implying you wouldn't, but just as a general guideline), outline your auction rules for buyers and stick to them (makes life easier).

One final note, I use their Turbo Lister software which makes setting up/uploading auctions easier, but be warned it often wants to download 'updates' before updating and sometimes it takes a few tries to get it to upload the auctions.