Ok, for those of you who don't know, I run an online clothing store called Mens_Choice on eBay (http://www.menschoice.info/). Yes, there's yet another shameless plug. Well, the reason I bring this up is that I realized this week that it's been almost a decade that I've been eBaying. It all started in 2002 when I visited my local Goodwill and started selling clothes to make a few extra bucks. After a decade of selling new and previously owned brand name clothing and shoes on eBay, I don't really have much to show for it. Or do I? Have I really learned anything in the last decade?
This month I've toyed with the idea of selling my business to move on to the next phase of my life, but what will that be? I received some interest from a couple interested in taking over my little eBay empire, but as I tried to sell the guy on my business, I quickly realized that what I do isn't the most desireable business proposal. How do I convince someone that they want to buy, sort, launder, picture and list hundreds of items each week just to get by? Sure, I've managed to move my business from my home to a commercial suite downtown, and the equity I build in that suite will pay off when it's sold, but at what cost?
I guess in 10 years I've learned how to do a few things, but I still haven't figured it all out. To me, eBay is like one cruel video game with no end. I click and click every week, but there's no princess waiting for me at the end of this game. There's no happy music and fireworks telling me I've conquered the game. Where's the reward in all this? At least when I was a reporter there was a finished copy of the newspaper waiting on my desk at the end of each week. A small reward staring me in the face as if to say "nice work kid, now what are you gonna write about this week?"
As more competition swarms the eBay market, and postage prices go up each year, my little evil empire has gotten more evil with each passing day. A decade of hard work and all I've really managed to do is pay my bills and get by. Is this really the American dream of small business ownership? When I was a kid I always wanted to have my own business. Back then, it was a baseball card shop. Why not, right? Take your interest and turn it into a business. I guess I've managed to live my dream for a decade. But, as my 35th birthday looms, I suddenly have the feeling that maybe it's time to start fresh and dream again. Hopefully my next vision will reward me with more than a huge stack of clothes each week and a commercial suite full of merchandise.
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