Our Other Side Hustle – MicShaun’s Closet

kc2017

October 19, 2018

Our Other Side Hustle – MicShaun’s Closet

Back in 2005, David and I started an internet business on eBay. Little did we know that this side hustle, would become a great source of extra income for us. Our first items for sale were some hiking clothing, shoes and equipment that had been abandoned in one of the shopping centers I leased (I was a commercial real estate broker earlier in my career). It was fun, and we liked the thrill of selling stuff! At that time, eBay was still in its infancy and selling things for “auction” was exciting.

COSTUMES – ACCESSORIES – TOY SOLDIERS – DIORAMA PIECES

Our eBay ID was likenplanus. A play on the skin disorder that my husband has called Lichen Planus. As the business evolved and we started to niche down (seems like a niche is good for all sorts of reasons), we decided to change the name. We looked at the items we were selling at the time – Halloween costumes and accessories, toys, toy soldiers, gently used kids clothes and sports equipment. We realized that the items were all things we could find in our sons closets. So we combined their names and MicShaun’s Closet was born.

Selling on eBay can be an awesome experience and for the most part, it has been for us. eBay does have is issues and the hardest one for us to deal with is uneducated buyers. They purchase items, have buyer’s remorse or can be untruthful about the condition of the item, etc.

Buyers are spoiled by the large retailers who will take anything back in any condition. Buyers tend to forget that we are not Wal-mart. We are open and honest with them about items we sell and our photos are worth a thousand words. Still, eBay has a tendency to side with the buyer whether they are right or wrong. Now I am a firm believer in the “customer is always right” but when they have worn a costume, removed the tags or damaged the item in some way and then want to return it for a manufacturer’s defect or “not as described” – that’s just not right. Lately eBay has been doing better about protecting their sellers.

New Shopping Experiences Coming

Our business is going to grow in 2019. We will launch a Shopify website and are considering selling on Amazon so that we have multiple income streams coming from MicShaun’s Closet. This should be a venture that we can take into our retirement.

If you ever find yourself in need of a costume, some toys or toy soldiers – check us out. Mention that you read about it here and we will give you a discount.