For Mother's Day How About Helping Mom Sell on eBay?

Last week I went to visit my mother. She had asked me to come and hang out for a while after taking my kids to school. Since I had a few other things to do in the city anyway, I did. Usually I rush home to work because I feel guilty out having fun during work hours. LOL. But, she told me that I could bring my computer with me to work and she would not bother me. Yeah, um…. LOL! Anyway, as I sat there she kept trying to give me stuff. Stuff that I did not necessarily want to bring home. And this was not the first time.

As I replayed my visit in my mind just now I came up with a brilliant idea. And if your mother is anything like mine, you will love this too. For Mother’s Day how about promising mom a full day of your undivided attention to go through her stuff with her and help her list unwanted items on eBay? You could show her how to use the eBay Mobile app a few times and then let her loose.

I am not sure what it is exactly, but moms seems to love to save…. well everything! There could just be a gold mine waiting to happen. Here are a few thoughts that come to mine when thinking about what my mom (and friends) has in her house:

China – I think my mom has some China that might now be considered a collectors item from her wedding 42 years ago. Never used. I have not checked it out yet to see the details, but I plan on it.
A huge collection of beanie babies – My moms friends who has passed owned a huge collection. Actually she was kind of a hoarder, but a relatively neat hoarder, if that makes sense. I’m told that her family did not realize the value of what she had. When they moved her out of her apartment they threw away a ton of stuff that probably could have racked up quite a bit on eBay.
Designer purses – Lots of ladies have very nice purses that they no longer use. Those that are no longer manufactured really draw attention when listed.
Antiques – My mom loves watching the Antique Road Show. While she might not have something that will get appraised for $500,000 like some of those lucky people, I bet she has a few gems but she does not even realize it.
LPs aka Records – I have boxes and boxes of them in my basement. Although many *regular* folks do not play them much anymore, DJs and collectors love to get their hands on them.
Vintage Video Games – If you left some of your own goodies in mom’s basement, you may have some gems yourself. Old Atari, Coleco Vision, and other games from back when we were kids do sell on eBay.
Old Cameras – Working cameras, even those that are very old might just sell on eBay. There are camera collectors out there that love them.

These are just a few of the items that come to mind when I think about what I see at my mom’s and other’s homes. I bet there are also some unique things that I am not aware of just yet. The thought is scary, yet exciting. 🙂

So, think about sitting down with mom, showing her the eBay ropes, and helping her make some money.

Disclosure: This post is part of my involvement in the eBay Parent Panel Program.