One Woman's Junk Is Your Treasure... Selling on eBay from Old Mystic, Conn.

Meet Erika Taylor from Old Mystic, Connecticut.
On eBay, she sells under the user name: One-Womans-Junk-Is-Your-Treasure

Working from home is a but a dream for many, from young mothers to retirees. Ericka Taylor, 52, from Old Mystic lives that dream everyday on eBay.

You might be surprised at what she sells: her inventory includes old typewriters, sewing machines and even vintage vacuum cleaners!

Erika started out selling a few things from her own home on eBay in 2004. Then she stopped for a while.

In February of last year, a friend of hers bought an old farmhouse in North Stonington. The house was full of stuff, and it was all going to the dump. On a whim, Erika thought some of that stuff might do well on eBay, and she she asked her friend to drop it off at her house. It was dumped on her front porch.

Erika's husband is a yard sale and flea market junkie. He doesn't sell on eBay himself, but he started researching items he saw at yards sales on eBay, and he was amazed!

"He really has a knack for it. Now our house looks like something out of the old TV show, 'Sanford and Sons'!"

She and her husband hunt out great finds to sell on eBay every weekend — even throughout the winter months. And she says, "The Stonington Dump is a gold mine!"

Apparently, the dump has a building where people can put out used merchandise they no longer want, but someone else may have a use for.

Ericka has a surprising list of items she has sold on eBay -- many are items I would never think of trying online myself. She searches out vintage electronics, including 8-track players, typewriters, sewing machines, and old vacuum cleaners. She also likes to sell old games, toys, and puzzles.

She claims many buyers have no problem paying for shipping on a vintage vacuum cleaner, and she doesn't mind packing them up for shipment!

When it comes to shipping, one sale that stands out in her memory was for a collection of Hot Wheels cars in a box that a man in Belgium paid $62 to ship!

In one year of doing this full-time, she has mailed items to 48 states and 14 countries.

Her former career was in developing Continuing Education programs. Erika's background in marketing and graphic design has given her an edge in creating attractive and informative listings that often result in higher bids than others selling similar merchandise.

Her tips for successful listings include checking completed auctions on eBay for items she may be unfamiliar with prior to listing them. Also, taking clear photos is important, and providing extra detail in descriptions. Erika supplies all measurements on whatever she sells, believing that the extra steps she takes with her listing process offers the customer a better sense of trust in dealing with her.

Ericka says, "It's important to me that my listings are appealing and informative for the buyer."

She also takes great care in her packaging. She wraps her merchandise in brown paper and uses her logo on packing materials.

If working on her own has a downside, it's the lack of contact with other people.

However, to ensure timely delivery, Erika ships packages every day. She enjoys her trips to the Old Mystic Post Office and the nearby UPS Store. She appreciates the efforts of the ladies at the Old Mystic post office — as well those of the staff at the nearby UPS store — and since she loves to garden, she'll often bring them flowers from her yard.

Check out Erika's eBay listings:

One Woman's Junk Is Your Treasure!
http://stores.ebay.com/One-Womans-Junk-Is-Your-Treasure

"The name says it all! Selling anything and everything as long as it is in good condition, unique, interesting, useful, vintage, decorative or fun! Typewriters, Sewing Machines, Vacuum Cleaners, Electronics, Books, Games, Toys, Magazines, Cameras and more!"