Easy Money on Ebay?

Ebay was only two years old when I discoveredgenerator.The little generator fired up on the first
it.A friend I worked with was also starting to sellpull, and with the help of a few extension cords
on Ebay at about the same time, and weand power strips, we had a computer network up
exchanged ideas and experiences constantly.and running at My partners house. It was then we
Since we were already working together on ourmade another interesting discovery. Cable internet
Ebay ventures, we decided to combine ourconnections do not work without electricity. I had
resources into one company and grow it while wea DSL internet connection at my house, so off
were still both working our regular job. We foundwe go with a partially charged battery in my
our niche selling technical books and manuals aslaptop to test my internet connection. SUCCESS!
our little company began to grow and prosper.DSL works off the phone line power so it was still
Our co-workers at the company we worked atfunctional. We made a quick drive back to My
during the day came to consider us the "Ebaypartners house to tear down the computer
Experts". We were answering questions aboutnetwork and load the generator, then back to my
online auctions on a daily basis, but one coworkerhouse to set it all up again.
had the same comment every day."Hey, showAt 4:30 the next morning We had the network
me how to make easy money on Ebay!" heonline and a couple of lamps for light. We were
would ask. It became a standing joke betweenself-contained, and open for business. Now we
My partner and I that usually came up aroundcould get to work, and so we did, for the next
two or three in the morning during a marathonstraight 48 hours. We had a pickup truck load of
packing or email answering session. One of uspackages ready for the post office when it hit us,
would look at the other and mutter in a disgusted"Is the post office open?". A quick phone call ( by
tone "Yea, Easy money on Ebay.."In January ofthe way, cell phones and cordless phones are
2002, we had more sales, and more auctionsuseless during a blackout. The simplest
running than ever before. We were looking at 100plug-it-in-the-wall phones work great.) found us
to 150 auctions a day closing, and enjoying awith another problem. Our local post office was
sell-through rate of close to 75%. Our shelvesclosed (no electricity there either.) They did tell us
were piled high with books and manuals, thethe regional USPS hub had power, and was open
shipping area was well stocked with supplies, and24/7. The bad news is, the regional hub was 75
we were ready for long hours of fulfilling ourmiles away in Oklahoma City!Meanwhile, back at
orders.Then, as if fate stepped in to see justthe fuel issue... We were relieved to discover that
what we were made of, a huge ice storm hit ourtwo local gas stations had rented generators and
part of Oklahoma taking out large sections thewere open for business. We gassed up and
electrical grid. It doesn't take a rocket scientist toheaded for Oklahoma City. With the load of
figure out that online businesses can do withoutpackages on the way to customers and most of
many things, but electricity is NOT on that list!the other urgent tasks completed, we took a
On the third day of the blackout, we were ablemuch needed break. We shut down the network
to learn from the radio (battery powered) that itand use the generator to power an electric griddle
wasn't just our area, but over HALF the state ofand make a hot meal. The little generator wouldn't
Oklahoma. Worse yet, the damage was sopower both at the same time without throwing
extensive it was going to be at least TWOit's breaker.For the next two weeks, that poor
WEEKS before power was restored! A quicklittle generator ran constantly keeping the
calculation and we almost panicked. We wouldcomputers running and the shipments going out,
have over two THOUSAND AUCTIONS END, andthe questions answered, and our customers
no way to contact the bidders! If we didn't keephappy. Every other day I would make the 150
up with the sales, payments, and shipping on amile round trip to the USPS hub in Oklahoma City,
daily basis, we were in deep trouble... We couldn'tstopping on the way back to fill the gas
imagine what a mess it would be in TWOcontainers for the generator, and fuel up the
WEEKS!The fourth day into the blackout, I madetruck for the next trip.One evening we took a
an executive decision. I grabbed the companyshort break, and stepped outside for a breath of
checkbook, and headed for our closest Lowe'sfresh air. We noticed something different.... THE
Home Improvement center (about 70 milesSTREET LIGHTS WERE ON! I ran inside and tried
away..). The little roadtrip turned into quite thethe lights... ELECTRICITY!I went next door and
adventure. Strange thing about a massiveasked my neighbor how long the power had been
blackout is gas stations can't pump gas withoutback on. "Oh, about four or five hours..". We had
electricity, and you are burning gas while you arebeen so wrapped up working in our self-contained
driving around looking for a gas station that wasoffice, we hadn't realized the power had come
open for business. I was running on luck andback on!
fumes before I finally found a station and filled up.With our ordeal behind us, we couldn't resist the
With a full tank of gas, I made it to Lowe's andtemptation to elebrate with a cold beer and a
purchased a generator. We assembled thetoast..."Here's to "easy money" on Ebay!"KL Bohn
generator in record time, put oil in the engine andis an Industrial Engineer with a passion for
then realized... Uh Oh, we need gas for thetechnology and especially Ebay.Ebay was only two
generator. No local gas stations were open foryears old when I discovered it quite by accident. 7
business, and we didn't want to risk another road1/2 years, and over 85,000 transactions later I'm
trip. Using an old trick I hadn't used since I wasstill hooked on Ebay as a seller, buyer, and
growing up on a farm, we were able to getshareholder.
enough gas out of my pickup truck to fuel up the