eBay Biz Booming For Wildomar Resident

A perennial treasure hunter, Wildomar resident Angelina Degen gets a thrill out of rummaging through other people’s junk.

But what started out as a weekend hobby turned into a successful eBay business for her, and now she’s teaching others the tricks of her online commerce trade.

Degen, a wife and mother of two girls, is a Bay-area native. She relocated to Hemet and two years ago settled in Wildomar.

“I love it down here,” she said.

To supplement the family income, nine years ago Degen began shopping yard sales for treasures she could sell on eBay.

“I got started just to make extra money -- and because I like doing it,” she said, adding that her eBay venture launched at a time when the Silicon Valley-based company was still fairly young.

But her timing was right. In 2002, eBay joined with PayPal and the rest is history.

“That’s when they really took off,” Degen says of eBay’s launch into the stratosphere that saw them hit $9.1 billion in revenues last year.

Degen estimates that when she’s working her eBay biz part time, she averages about $1,500 a month in sales. But when she goes at it full-throttle, she said monthly income gets as high as $5,000.

“People can make a living at it,” she said. “You get what you put into it.”

Degen also holds down a job outside of eBay -- sort of. She works for a company that specializes in women's accessories, and her job is managing its eBay retail sites.

"I started with the company from their inception seven years ago," she said.

Her extensive eBay experience has made her very popular among friends and family.

“Can you help me get started on eBay?” is the often-asked question Degen gets.

So three years ago, she became a certified eBay Education Specialist through the company – a title that lets her, with eBay’s blessing, go out and teach others how to become online sellers.

Becoming an official eBay guru requires a number of years’ experience as a seller; the process also demands coursework and tests.

To date, Degen said she’s taught about 100 classes, with class sizes ranging from two to 10 people.

The six-hour lesson costs $99. Topics cover everything eBay, including how to get started, setting up a PayPal account, how not to get ripped off by Internet scam artists, setting up shop, and shipping.

Degen said she also delves into the details, like how to write copy that sells and how to take compelling product photos. She also provides students with a manual that’s included in the course cost, and she offers phone and email support for her graduates.

“Angelina is an awesome instructor,” said class graduate Marly Dumetz. “She gives great personal examples that are both entertaining and beneficial. I learned a lot from her class as a beginner on eBay.”

Graduate Zack Henderson agrees.

“The instruction was clear and synchronized easily with the student guide. Angelina is enthusiastic and friendly, " he said. "The emphasis was given on the fact the student will be able to sell and ship efficiently. The eBay tools and PayPal were explained in detail, which was helpful to me as a new seller.”

But eBay is not for everyone, Degen said. Like every business venture, some are bound to fail. And there are pitfalls.

For example, Degen recalls her early eBay days, when she was hitting yard sales every weekend and buying bounty by the carload.

“I ended up with a garage full of stuff I couldn’t sell,” she said.

Today she deals in what interests her. In the months leading up to Christmas, she gets going on the holiday merchandise, and she’s currently helping her 15-year-old daughter’s eBay foray.

“She’s really into fashion. She makes cutoff shorts, and I’m helping her set up an eBay store,” she said. “It’s kind of a family thing.”

Degen also has an eBay site that benefits Buddy Walk, which raises funds for local programs and services for those with Down syndrome. She became involved after her youngest daughter was diagnosed with the condition.

“I really enjoy it. I like making people happy,” Degen says of her eBay career. “I love to look at my eBay feedback and see satisfied buyers.”

For more information about Degen’s classes, call (951) 972-9568, or send her an email at onlineauctionstar@gmail.com. Degen said those who mention this article will receive a 10 percent discount on her class.