Going, Going, Gone...

Finally unpacking my things, 4 months after moving in with The Elkboy (don't ask) coz well, being unemployed, Her Royal Hoboness can't exactly shirk from her domestic duties by playing the "busy" card anymore.

Turns out I have tons of stuff. How anyone could rack up so much in just a couple of years or so is beyond me. I came to this country with just two suitcases not very long ago, after all. Sure, they were as huge as the Buckingham Palace but that's beside the point.

Needless to say, my acquisitions consist mainly of fashion items: clothes, shoes, bags, bling and the like with no real value until after decades from now maybe, when they might be considered "vintage" and fetch millions at Christie's or Sotheby's - provided they haven't been devoured by moths or other creepy crawlies by then. Until then though, clothes in particular, even unworn, could only fetch a fraction of their original price, if at all.

I've considered renting a kiosk at a flea market to offload some of my belongings. I'm one to hoard and hold on tightly to things like a vise grip but when you have literally boxes and boxes of stuff you didn't know you even owned, then perhaps you never really needed those things in the first place. Plus, Her Royal Hoboness could use the cash, obviously.

Unfortunately, flea markets are apparently seasonal in Singapore. Some groups organize them at certain locations several times a year but there aren't any permanent ones or at least, I haven't found them. I don't exactly shop in those places, myself. Her Royal Hoboness wouldn't be caught dead despite recently entering Hobo-hood. My next option then is to spread a bedsheet at a sidewalk in Chinatown or Little India and lay down my stash right where the foot traffic is but thinking about the effort required makes my head reel. Hot sun, smelly passers-by, hard sidewalk...need I say more? I think you need to apply for some kind of permit, too. Just way too much hassle.

Thank God for the concept of online auctions then and its premiere developer ebay, I could sell my items right at the comfort of my living room...or not. The process sounds much simpler than it actually is. You have to take good quality pictures of each item, determine a selling price through research and try to describe them in glowing terms before uploading all of these information into individual auction pages - not exactly effortless. It felt like a full-time job and I didn't get a single cent for my hard work.

Also, I had this idea that I'd be rolling in dough in no time. I've heard of the most ridiculous things getting sold on ebay: nail clippings, ghost in a jar, Britney Spear's half-eaten sandwich, a piece of Cheetos in the shape of Elvis. How can my gorgeous Tommy Hilfiger Parasol clutch or my funky Fornarina unicorn shirt not sell, right? I look at all the stuff I listed on my page and I always have to stop myself buying them at those über cheap prices! And yet, I've sold a grand total of 2 friggin' items in two friggin' weeks.


Check out my auctions here and find your next shopping steal!

It seems that ebayers in Singapore wouldn't touch your item with a 40-foot pole unless you price it at 1 dollar or something really cheap. Oh, and don't forget to include free shipping. A chipmunk has better chances of selling acorns to the Russians. That doesn't make much sense, but that's the point. Weirdly enough, the two sales I've made so far have been to people in other countries who talked me into shipping overseas even when I'm technically just selling locally. There seem to be some parameters that need to be met before you can sell worldwide although your auctions would still be accessible even if only to those who are really searching for them.

All else considered, ebay is a great way to kill time, checking every now and then to see if anyone has placed a bid on any of your items even when you know there likely won't be any. At least it keeps Her Royal Hoboness busy enough to stay home and thus, indirectly cut spendings. Of course there's the small but costly issue of bidding on other people's auctions but that's another story.