Hi! My name is John Tremblay, and I’ve been buying and selling to make money since the early 1980’s. When I first stumbled upon eBay in 1998, I had the same “ah ha” moment that I had when I first understood the concept of “buy low and sell high” while shopping at yard sales and flea markets.
I thought, “What a concept! Buy something for a quarter, and sell it for $1.00! Make 4 times your money simply by buying stuff at yard sales and flea markets, and then resell them!”
At the time, my primary interest and area of expertise was rare books (hence my eBay user name: jtbooks). I also enjoy rebinding old books. It is a hobby gone awry, as I currently have several thousand books at home.
Since this was all in the years before eBay, I used to have a lot of my stuff for sale at a local community center in northern New Hampshire. I couldn’t believe what people wanted and needed – and I did my best to fill that niche.
Besides a large collection of books, I had housewares, tools, and collectibles for sale at the center. In those days, the community center earned me a fair portion of my income until it was turned into what is now a resource center for a variety of social services and a child care center.
When Kathy, my wife, brought home our first computer, I was quite resistant to it. Until I saw eBay.
After spending a little time browsing eBay, I began to think about selling my own stuff online. After all, the community center was gone, and I needed another sales outlet.
I’ll never forget the first thing I sold on eBay. I offered a 2-volume book set about the Wright Brothers. Back then, I couldn’t load any photos, so I just listed the book.
To my pleasant surprise, the set sold for just over $50. $52.50, if my memory serves me correctly!
