eBay Tip: Be Careful Who You Tell

I NEVER mention the word “eBay” when shopping for merchandise to resell. If I ever receive questions about the quantity I purchase, I typically say something along the lines of “the sales are too good to pass up” or “these will be perfect gifts”. This is not a lie since I frequently use items from my eBay stash as gifts anyway and sometimes the sales are just too good to ignore! In no way do I consider what I do taking advantage since the retail store has a goal to sellĀ merchandiseĀ and my objective is to find merchandise that I can make money off of. If a store doesn’t want to make a sale, then they need to remove the merchandise from their clearance racks.

My reasoning is because not everyone will be enthusiastic with the fact you are making a profit reselling their merchandise. Some managers have a real problem with it. For example, I used to buy merchandise at the Burberry outlet; however, one day I carried several umbrellas to the register and was told there was a 5 item limit. When I asked the reasoning since I saw no rules posted by the cash register, the manager firmly stated “Burberry merchandise is popping up on eBay and it is diminishing our brand”. I was stunned. I would think making a sale would be important to the outlet but not if it meant the items could potentially show up on eBay (and for the record, the Burberry merchandise does not sell for less than outlet prices on eBay so I am confused how the brand is being diminished).

I follow the same rule when shopping at yard sales or discount stores to obtain eBay or Craigslist merchandise, I never mention my intention because some people just do not want to know (or need to know) you plan on making a profit from their junk.

Have you ever been scrutinized for being an eBay reseller? How do you handle questions while shopping?

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