That’s right. I made some money from the internet.

It was the first time, and first times are special, so I decided to write about it. How did I do it and how much did I make? Well, I finally stopped procrastinating and signed up for eBay. I took inspiration from Freddy Smidlap and his series about selling on eBay. I have a bunch of things that would be great candidates for selling on eBay, but I’ve been hesitant to go for it, as my goal is usually to try and reduce “to do list” items from my busy life, not add something else to manage.

But after having sold something through eBay, I don’t think it could get much easier. The only thing that could make for a better peace of mind during the process would be having a scale to weight the product, to buy the right postage for shipping. It’s truly easy money.

How much did I make? A whopping $30.43 my very first week from something I’d priced for $12.99.

I sold a pretty cool San Francisco Giants beer stein, it even says Beat LA in German on one side that I got for “free”. While it’s super cool, it’s been collecting dust in my garage, along with a parade of other things I’ve acquired over the years. So I decided to get the ball rolling and snapped a few photos of the mug with the help of my four year old daughter and posted it on the site. The first day I had some “watchers”, which soon turned into bids, then money being deposited into my checking account.

Why hang onto this stuff? This cup was neatly tucked away on an organized shelf, so it wasn’t like it was in the way or my garage looked like one of those hoarder households you see on tv. I also love sports, especially items from a club’s past glory years. But what am I going to do with these things? I don’t see myself as one of those people with knickknacks stacked around my shelves or a man cave in my garage (my garage is a workshop, not a hang out).

It’s time to let go. Same with my books and any other junk I’m not using or haven’t used. The way I see it, any item that I’m holding onto and haven’t touched in months will go to the chopping block. What’s the point of owning something I don’t use and honestly forget I even own till I rummage around and find it? Usually when this happens, I get a warm fuzzy feeling thinking about a long ago use I had for the item. I savor the memory for a few moments and then put the thing back away to be forgotten again.

Why keep things just because I might have space available to store it? Especially if I can make some money from the item. I don’t think I’ll make a ton of money, but this first go has been pretty entertaining and strangely satisfying.

The plan for our eBay money is to quickly invest this “extra” cash, as minuscule as it might be, into the market. I’m not sure where or what I’ll invest in quite yet, but it will be a different fund from my regular and beloved VTSAX just to switch things up and diversify. Likely an ETF because of the easy entry. Anyway, I don’t see the eBay money being anything too significant, but it will be nice to have the small sum growing when there otherwise would have been nothing.

Minimizing

I’ve moved quite a bit over the years. I don’t much enjoy the process of moving an entire household, but if there’s a silver lining to moving, it’s been the cleansing that goes on when I rediscover how much bull shit I’ve acquired over the years. Thus ensues a ritual tossing or donating the excess goods that tend to fill up a home with room to spare.

I bought a house in 2015, and so haven’t moved or done a deep dive of possessions since. The house has plenty of space, more than we need for a family of four to be quite honest. And I’ve watched my once tidy garage become a bit more cramped. Nothing crazy, but the shelves are definitely filling out. My two daughters go through more things than I like to admit, both toys and clothes. And we just have things. Things being anything we used sporadically but wouldn’t notice if it were missing or things we stumble across and forgot we owned.

Being a carpenter, I have a bunch of tools sitting around that I no longer use. Tools I may have purchased for a single side job or project. Needing one specialty tool to get the job done is a double-edged sword. Yes, I got the job done faster and with a better end product, but I then end up with a tool that I might not ever use again. I can think of a brand new Bosch plunge router sitting in the garage that I’ve only ever used for building my daughter’s crib yet spent $240 dollars for. I’m beyond happy about the purchase, as it allowed me to build something for my kids, but the tool is a specialty item and it’s been unused for 7 years since I don’t make much furniture.

I’m sure once I offload some of my unused tools I’ll have a project come up that will require something I’ve sold. Luckily, I’ve recently found out about tool lending libraries across the Bay Area. A FIRE pursuer’s dream for saving money on home projects.

Internet Money

Okay, this was a watershed moment for me getting paid through a completely online transaction (other than physically dropping off the package at the post office). I know eBay has been around for years and many other sites do much the same thing.

I’m late to the party, I know.

Still, this is the first time I’ve gotten some cash flow from the internet. And it feels spectacular. Yes, $30 bucks isn’t a life-changing amount of money, but it feels like I made $3K. Maybe because I’ve opened a door that I knew existed yet have never gotten around to attempting to open. Seeing that eBay money deposited into my checking account felt like I’d crossed a bridge. Money was coming in from somewhere else than my main employer or investment dividends. To put it simply, it just felt good. And different than selling a car or things at a garage sale.

I hope this can be the first of many monetary deposits from the internet into my bank account. The thought of making money from the internet is sort of like fishing from the sea. I know there’s fish in there swimming around, but I can’t see them. I see other people fishing, making money from their endeavors, and I’ve never been sure if I could do it till I threw in my line. Obviously, down the road, eBay won’t be the way I make money from the internet…maybe some freelance writing or even consulting now that I’ve converted over to a knowledge based worker.

Starting out as a carpenter, a true hands on type of blue collar work, I never thought I’d be able to work remotely like I have this year. A carpenter working remotely? Even a superintendent. Yet, I’m here doing it. Goes to show the future can have many surprises in store for us. I wonder what ten years down the road will be like for me?

I’m coming to terms with the fact that my FI number isn’t going to determine when our family starts to travel full time. The amount I have invested will play a role in this decision to quit work and travel the globe, but it won’t be the only deciding factor. Being able to make some money from the computer is a start. Making a little bit more than $30 bucks and doing it without selling physical items I have stored in my garage will be another problem to sort out over the next few years.

Anyway, I’ve cast my line out to the sea and I can happily report that I’ve pulled out a fish.

Have you ever made some money from the internet? Sold anything on eBay? Freelanced online? Any side hustle? Love to hear about it.