How long have you been on eBay?

[markmopar]

I saw some conversation in another thread about how long some folks had been on eBay. So I thought I'd pose the question.

I started Jan 2, 1999(according to eBay). Back in the days when you left feedback for anyone whether you had a deal with them or not.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[vpnavy]

Member since: Mar 07, 1999

 

[Drmad7]

I've been a member since 96 or 97.. Before Paypal was created (was X-pay or something like that) and you could ship your item BEFORE you got paid. I remember because after a year or two of membership, I sent a guy a Vince Carter RC and didn't get paid. I looked his info up on eBay and called. Found out his son made the deal and he mailed the card back to me! I would still have that account except it was linked to an old email and eBay could not reset it. I used my wife's account for so long I forgot it wasn't mine!

 

[diggummup]

'04 for me, a newbie compared to you guys, lol. I sold on there before I ever purchased. Still remember my first sale. Wish I still had the piece. Seen many changes since then, a few good, most not.

 

[kingskid1611]

I am a real newbie feb, 2010 but I buy more than I sell. I started selling but it got to complicated with all the rules.

 

[masterjedi]

I dont remember the year but I started when there was only 1200 items total on the whole site for sale. I was even one of the 1st power sellers and i even received a hand signed Christmas card from Ebay with approx 12 signatures thanking me for selling on the site. (I still have it stored away here somewhere). After a few years of starting I would run (600) items for sale all of the time. It was almost a full time job. Now i only buy on the site. All of the fees just got out of hand. Ebay's and shipping fees...

 

[trdhrdr007]

I've been on eBay since December of 1998. Started selling a couple years ago.

 

[diggummup]

Now i only buy on the site. All of the fees just got out of hand. Ebay's and shipping fees...

Come on now, it's not that bad. It's still much cheaper than any local auction house, even when Paypal fees are added in.

 

[Oddjob]

2004 for me. Wife had hers since 99.

 

[Oregon Viking]

March-11-01.
I remember I was using dial up. Picture loading was slooooooooooowwwwwwwwww.

 

[smokeythecat]

Early 1999. My kids talked me into it.

 

[Palmetto Pony]

The date shown on my account is Nov 11, 1998. It's actually earlier due a change in user names causing it to miscalculate the date. I joined in sometime in ' 96 or '97. A friend at work told me about it and it opened a whole new way to spend my money!

 

[EastCoastmetal]

I sell a few things off and on since 2013 I think, mostly coins and related stuff.

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Been on fleabay since 1996. I used to run mainframes back then and worked night shift. During backups I had a couple of hours to kill as you couldn't touch the systems until the backups were completed, and ebay was so small back then that you could look at every item on the site in a couple of hours - lol

Twenty years later and it's insane.... I miss the good ole days.

hh,
Brian

 

[MotherOfGeeks]

I had to look it up, April 1998. I started by buying and selling used baby clothes & sci-fi paperbacks. I gave up selling when I added up the Ebay and Paypal fees and realized they made more money than I did 3 months in a row.

 

[BosnMate]

Ebay says it was 1999, but I'm sure it was before that. A fellow at work told me about ebay. He's gone now, and I can't remember when he passed away, but it sticks in my mind it was before that. Anyhow, back in those days it was great. Fees were low, and regulations were few. No pay pal, you waited until the check cleared before shipping. I remember one of the first items I sold on ebay was a carving of an Indian chief that I didn't have much invested in. Would have sold it locally for $35, but nobody showed any interest. Listed it on ebay, and it ended up selling for over $300, and the buyer asked if I had any more, he would take them all. Needless to say I was hooked. Ended up purchasing some really good deals also, and made some other good sales, but all good things seem to come to an end. Over the years the fees and regulations went up and up, and some of the buyers turned out to be flakes, and postage went out of site, and I got disgusted with what was happening, and haven't done a thing, bought or sold for several years now. When ever I get weak and think about selling something on ebay, I come to this forum and read some of the problems, and that's enough to change my mind.

 

[masterjedi]

Ebay says it was 1999, but I'm sure it was before that. A fellow at work told me about ebay. He's gone now, and I can't remember when he passed away, but it sticks in my mind it was before that. Anyhow, back in those days it was great. Fees were low, and regulations were few. No pay pal, you waited until the check cleared before shipping. I remember one of the first items I sold on ebay was a carving of an Indian chief that I didn't have much invested in. Would have sold it locally for $35, but nobody showed any interest. Listed it on ebay, and it ended up selling for over $300, and the buyer asked if I had any more, he would take them all. Needless to say I was hooked. Ended up purchasing some really good deals also, and made some other good sales, but all good things seem to come to an end. Over the years the fees and regulations went up and up, and some of the buyers turned out to be flakes, and postage went out of site, and I got disgusted with what was happening, and haven't done a thing, bought or sold for several years now. When ever I get weak and think about selling something on ebay, I come to this forum and read some of the problems, and that's enough to change my mind.

That is why I quit too... The fees :/... I used to sell over 60 guns a month back in the day. I was a licensed gun dealer then and Ebay let me sell them on the site until they banned gun sales. I still buy items off the site but never sell anymore...

 

[cyberdan]

15 years for me. started may 23, 2001

At the time I accepted credit cards, I even had that machine where you put the card down and then a two part paper form and run the handle back and forth. The customer would even give me their card number. Then that progressed to a small key board machine where I would key in the card number. The bad part was every month the card processing company came up with new and unexpected fees. As soon as paypal came around those machines went in the trash and I jumped ship. Same steady fees and no unexpected ones, even when ebay took over. (surprised)

can't remember what I sold, other then spreadsheet programs I wrote for soap and toiletry makers. Didn't start selling a lot till I started hitting yard sales about 7 years ago. Just hit 1000 F/B this year.

 

[deserdog]

1999, back when it was cheap, easy and you made alot more money!

 

[masterjedi]

I used to sell a informational CD on eBay to help sellers of how to make your ads cool... Gifs, HTML. Pics, motion, music in your ads ... etc.... the good old days