There are some things that make me anxious about selling things on eBay:
1) Having to make custom packing materials. I have shipped some odd-sized and shaped items and some of them don't fit into standard boxes. Today I had to make a box for a fly fishing rod because no standard mailing tubes or boxes exist. Once, I was sending a vintage, cast-iron motor that was very heavy and I wanted it to arrive unscathed. I spent about an hour building a mounting plate and crate (slicing my hand open in the process) to send it in, but apparently that wasn't safe enough for USPS because some doofus probably dropped it and the buyer sent pictures of the broken item. My heart sank, knowing that this item was irreparably damaged, disappointing the buyer. He paid a lot of money for it, but was willing to accept a discount due to damages incurred in shipping. Do USPS employees care? Nope. So that leads to the second thing I get anxious about:
2) Damages or loss in shipment. I don't send international anymore because I've had such problems when sending internationally. Sometimes it just takes a long time to get there, but other times things just disappear or arrive broken. I had a buyer from Argentina complain that his item hadn't arrived... it was six months after I had sent it. Had it been within a few weeks, maybe we could have made an insurance claim, but after 90 days, the seller is under no obligation. So many hassles with international shipping make it not even worth offering to sell overseas. Most of my rudest, impatient and dishonest buyers were from foreign countries. On the other hand, some of the most pleasant transactions and highest bidders were from foreign countries, so it's a risk... a risk that I don't care to take anymore. Which leads me to another thing...
3) Getting burned by shipping charges. I usually do a good job researching what it will cost to ship an item, but even with all the time I spend, sometimes there are surprises when I go to the post office or UPS, because of hidden charges, unforeseen stipulations or drastic price increases since the time I shipped before. You have to keep up on those things. Many items are not even worth shipping. If you are trying to sell high-volume, low price, forget about it. You might as well just give your merchandise away... and you'd be better off in the long run. Shipping is unreasonably priced and has skyrocketed in recent years. Who wants to spend $7.15 postage on an item that is worth less than five bucks?
4) Letting go. There are some items that are difficult to sell because I just have a hard time letting go of valuable and useful items. Even though I usually sell online because I have surplus or I no longer need the item (or never needed it in the first place), there is that annoying inner voice that says: "But you might need this someday!" I have to take a step back, breathe in and let it out. I then respond to that voice: "If I saw that item at a garage sale or thrift shop, would I pay the same price for it that I am selling it for now?" If the answer is no, then I can let go much easier and never lose any sleep over it. Several years ago when I was preparing to go to school, I sold several items that I now regret selling, so I have to look into the future too, and that's probably where that anxiety comes from.
5) The format that eBay uses for selling constantly evolves... and I don't think I like the newer format. In their attempts to try to make it easier to sell things, they set up defaults (that probably very few people want to use) that you have to change so that you can sell the item the way you want to. Sometimes those defaults are persistent and it is frustrating and time-consuming to set up your auction the way you intended, rather than the way eBay thinks you want it. Long story short: eBay used to be easier... for me anyway.
6) Fees. Even though you sell something for a price that you want to get, doesn't mean that you get that much. There are eBay fees and PayPal fees that eat into your profits. As an easy rule of thumb, count on kissing about 20% of your profits goodbye. There are charts that you can refer to and it's a little complex (because some things have higher fees and there is a sliding scale for final value, etc.) but suffice it to say that you are safe to assume that the accrued fees are about 20%.
7) It's time consuming. In order to get the highest price for your item, you need to be competitive - which means that you have to take sharp pictures of every angle and include defects. You need to write accurate descriptions of your item and be competitive on your pricing. If someone else is selling an item for $5.00, you should sell your item for $4.89 because most buyers will go with the lowest cost, provided that you have positive feedback - and in order to keep that feedback rating high, you need to write accurate descriptions and give the buyers the benefit of the doubt whenever there is a dispute. I take pride in my 100% rating, so I have had to make accommodations at times to keep the buyers happy.
Another thing that takes a lot of time is research. I specialize in selling electronics, tech and sporting goods. Sometimes I get items that I don't know the value of or I don't know much about but I need to add a description. This can be exhausting at times.
Despite the anxiety, there are rewards in the long run. The easy transactions and the high-value items make up for those that are a pain. You can get a little extra money in your wallet to get the things you want, while getting rid of things you don't need.
