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What My Kids and I Learned About Business by Selling Cards on eBay
Like a lot of kids, mine went through a phase where they were fascinated with the idea of running a lemonade stand. The thought of setting up a little table, pouring drinks, and making a few bucks seemed magical to them. But I wanted to take that enthusiasm a step further—why not create an “online lemonade stand” that we could run long-term?
As an entrepreneur, I saw it as a chance to introduce them to business in a fun, low-stakes way. Something we could do together, make a few mistakes, learn from them, and maybe even turn a small profit. That’s how we started our little family-run eBay shop selling collectible cards.
Setting the Ground Rules
Before we listed our first card, I had to decide a few key things:
- How much time and effort were we willing to put in?
- How much money were we comfortable investing?
- What selling strategy made the most sense for us?
After doing some research, I decided we wouldn’t use the auction format. Auctions can be unpredictable—not just in how much a card sells for, but also in whether the winning bidder will actually pay. Instead, we’d use fixed “Buy It Now” pricing. This way, we had control over our prices, and buyers would need to decide if they wanted the card at our listed price.
Seemed straightforward enough. List the cards, wait for buyers, and ship them out. Simple, right? Well, not exactly.
The Unexpected Lesson About Customer Psychology
What caught me off guard was how often buyers would message me with something like:
"Hey, would you be willing to take $X for this card?"
At first, my response was always the same:
"Hey, no thanks—price is firm."
What happened next was surprising. More often than not, I’d get a notification that we had just sold the card… at full price. And sometimes, it was the exact same person who had just asked for a discount.
Even more surprising? Some of these buyers would actually thank me for replying.
That’s when I realized something important: even in something as simple as buying and selling trading cards, people want connection. They want to be acknowledged. Even if they don’t get the discount they were hoping for, they feel better about making the purchase when they’ve had a brief back-and-forth.
The Fact That Buyers Thank Me Tells Me Something...
The fact that buyers thank me just for responding tells me that most other eBay sellers don’t do this. Either they:
- Are scared to interact with customers.
- Think it’s a hassle and not worth their time.
- Feel they are too busy to engage.
But I think they’re missing the whole point of business: making the other person feel good about handing you their hard-earned money.
It’s such a small effort, yet it makes a huge difference. Not only does it build trust with the buyer, but it also makes us stand out in a crowded marketplace.
When you’re selling something that can be seen as a commodity—where there’s little to no difference between your listing and someone else’s—any chance to differentiate yourself is a win. And if something as simple as acknowledging a buyer’s message helps us distance ourselves from the competition, we’ll take that edge every time.
Takeaways for Any Small Business
Whether you’re selling collectibles online or running a brick-and-mortar shop, the lesson is the same: Don’t underestimate the power of simple, respectful communication.
Engaging with customers, even when it’s just to say “no,” in a respectful way, can build trust and lead to unexpected sales. If you run a business, don’t be afraid to have those little interactions. You never know what kind of results they might bring.
And for me? What started as a fun project with my kids turned into a real lesson in business, customer psychology, and the surprising impact of a simple reply.
"Know what’s enough. Build what matters.”
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