Although I had a good job and the promise of a rewarding career in the future, every morning I felt like a slave to a system that demanded so much of my time. Caught in the maze that I had indeed created for myself, it seemed like there was no escape. But then I had an epiphany, and I put the monotony of that hard life behind me, forever.

First I should say that I'm still a mom, and I still work hard, but gone are the dreaded hours sitting in traffic and the boredom of my old job. My children are happier now, and we spend infinitely more time together as a family. And no, I didn't drop off the grid to live on a commune - I still live in the same house, and I still put in 8 hours a day, same as before, but now I wear comfy clothing and walk my girls to school in the morning. Now I leisurely shop for clothes, take photographs of my finds, and work for a few hours at the computer in the afternoon. And I waste time watching the money come in.

I started my eBay business in January 2007 operating under the user ID Attic*Industry. My target market: twentysomethings with fat wallets and an avant-garde sense of style. It started innocently enough. I bought a mouthwatering flocked 1950's vintage prom dress for $50.00 at a thrift shop in Kingston, Ontario. The dress was gorgeous and I just had to have it, even though it was obvious that it would never fit me. The anguish of spending fifty precious dollars on a decoration for the inside of my closet got to me in a matter of hours, and it was then, for the first time, I considered an ecommerce solution: eBay!

After snapping some digital pictures of the dress, I wrote a passionate, detailed description for potential buyers. I had no difficulty getting my very first item listed on the eBay website; I already had a PayPal account, and so before I went to bed that night Attic*Industry was open for business.

Day one was an eye-opener. You know that famous quote from Ray Kinsella's Field of Dreams, “if you build it, they will come…?” These words came true online. The bids came fast and furious, and from all over the world. On day seven the auction closed and I realized a profit of $310.00. My love of good quality vintage clothing was no longer a burden to my bank account - now it was a terrific boon.

After dabbling for six months and seeing my sales grow exponentially, I decided it was time to put my executive career on hold and sell vintage clothing online full time. After only four months I became a respected PowerSeller with stellar feedback, and in August 2007 I was selected as a finalist for eBay Canada's Entrepreneur of the Year. I can proudly say that I've sold beautiful clothes and fashion accessories to hundreds of people on six continents in over two dozen countries, and all with zero negative feedback.

The good news for you is that the internet is still accepting applications for the next ecommerce success. With eBay the start up costs are minimal. Equipped with a nine year old digital camera, no knowledge of html and no budget, I entered the marketplace and experienced no difficulties finding buyers for my goods.

Top Tips For Selling Online

1. Research your market

   Recognize what buyers are looking for, and how much they will pay for it. Learn to identify what's common and what's rare. Make yourself an expert in one or two categories, and develop the ability to spot each specimen's unique "hidden qualities." This means reading support material, articles and blogs and spending time on eBay watching popular auctions close to learn the true prices of things.

2. Develop exclusive sources of merchandise

   Once you've experimented with online sales and sold off some things you've had lying around the house, you must find the courage to shop for more stuff. "Merch" is what they call it in retail sales, and acquiring good quality unique merchandise is the downfall of many ecommerce businesses - everything from sales tax, broker's fees, transportation and the price of gas will cut into your bottom line. To shop smarter, you have to use the computer. Smart shoppers use their computers to select the best hunting grounds, find parking, and even the cheapest place to buy fuel, in advance.
   
   If you are like me and you buy and sell vintage clothing and fashion accessories, you'll shop at charitable second hand stores like Salvation Army, Value Village, and Goodwill. Use a local search service on your computer to find other discount retail outlets that are liquidating terrific merchandise at rock bottom prices. I use Poynt on Microsoft® Windows Live Messenger�,,� or AIM® to make a map of such stores in my area. Powered by Yellow Pages in Canada and Superpages.com in the United States, Poynt is a great tool for finding used clothing stores outside trendy overpriced neighborhoods. Enter keywords like "second hand", and "used furniture" and "used electronics" and click on the pins as they appear on the corresponding Microsoft® Virtual Earth scalable map interface. Poynt is a whole new way to economize shopping. Another secret: hit the "print screen" button on your computer to screen grab the image and make a handy map to print or send to friends.

3. Get a merchant account

   Get this at PayPal to safely and easily accept payments from your buyers. PayPal was bought by eBay almost five years ago and has since become the ubiquitous payment standard - the word PayPal is now used as a verb. “I'll send the dress when you PayPal the money.”

4. Shoot crystal clear photographs

   Make sure you include at least three different angles of each item you are selling. Amateurs, photograph the objects outside during the day against neutral backgrounds.

5. The online world is a small

   Do unto others as you would have them do unto you: be honest about your merchandise and ship items quickly.

6. Stay focused and don't give up

   It WILL be slow at times, but a consistent presence is always key to building your profile as a reputable business. Remember this is a business, and just like the bricks and mortar firms on main street - you have to keep the shop open and lights on, even if people don't step inside the front door.

7. Be Passionate

   I have found that the more adoring I am, the more expressive I become. Every article of clothing that I truly love seems to benefit from my descriptive praise and enjoys a higher than average final sales price. So be expressive. Use your vocabulary and instead of labeling something "blue", call it “sapphire,” and instead of saying that something has a "tight fit", why not write that it “hugs curves for maximum figure enhancement.” You get the idea.

8. Keep costs low

   When shopping, make sure not to overpay. That $50.00 dress I mentioned at the beginning of this article was an anomaly for me - most times I don't pay over $15.00 for anything.

Lastly, I will write the greatest secret of all - social network your business online as you quest to become an expert in your field. Keep my tips in mind but go forward boldly and indulge your passion, be it for baseball cards or butter churns, glass eyes or rare car parts. Ask yourself: what is stopping you from becoming the next eBay Powerseller?