Deos anyone else buy and sell things on eBay just so you can have a tinker with them?

[DaveB]

Problem is when you realise you are going to have to do all this work for between 99p and £1.99 plus whatever you can get for over charging P&P per book. My heart sinks in to my boots when this dawns on me and it goes back in the loft.

MrsB used to do this, had an online book shop via E-Bay but it took so long to list the books in a way that got people to actually buy them it was hardly worth the effort. Worked out at well below minimum wage in effect.

[Benny]

I was toying with the idea of creating a business around this

Local man passed away recently and his family had to travel from many parts of the UK to clear the house / put stuff in storage and then tidy up the house for putting on the market all of which took three weekends plus hiring of vans etc

They could have called in the local house clearance people and received a nominal sum... but given the amount of people who live long distances away from elderly relatives I think a better more complete service would be:

1. Company comes in and creates an agreed inventory of the house contents
2. Company then sells contents on eBay and keeps %
3. Company disposes of any unsold items to local tat man and keeps %
4. Company then leases with local estate agent and keeps % of house sale (in return for keeping lawns cut hedges trimmed etc)

1-3 can be done /seen over t'internet

(of course the company would sublet the house during 4 and then charge the estate for "securing premises")

There would have to be an initial view on the possible revenue generated - maybe only focus on middle-upper class estates

thoughts?