Laurie DeAgostino, started selling on eBay regularly about five years ago, after the birth of her second child. As a buyer for a small ladies clothing discounter in Kansas, Laurie had been traveling 20 to 25 weeks per year, but with the demands of a new family, it just got to be too much. The family decided to relocate to Pennsylvania, where Laurie had grown up, so they could be close to her parents. That’s when her eBay efforts started in earnest with the launch of her eBay store, Jordan and Jack, named after her two children, now ages 7 and 5, respectively.

While DeAgostino had dabbled on eBay before by offering up stuff around the house, now she started to do serious research, paying close attention to what products and brands sold most easily, and for the most money.  We chatted with Laurie to find out just how this busy mom makes the most of her business.

The Inside Source: What did you learn from your initial market research that helped defined your business?

Laurie DeAgostino: I tested a lot of different brands. GAP and Gymboree sold well, but Target and Walmart brands did not. Janie and Jack was a label that did really well, so I started buying a lot from the brand’s site when it went on sale. I would check the site every day to see when new merchandise went up and a how long it took before it got discounted. I would purchase items as soon as they went on sale and make money selling them for more on eBay. At one point, I had the largest inventory of Janie and Jack on eBay.

TIS: Speaking of making money, it is really possible to make a living selling on eBay?

LD: As a fulltime stay-at-home mom who does this part time, I can’t support my family with my eBay store alone, but I can contribute to my husband’s income. Plus, I can be home with my kids and I don’t have to pay a babysitter.

When my children were small, my goal was to set up my business and do the research necessary to know what would sell. Now that they’re in school all day and I have more time, I’m in a position to grow the business significantly.   

TIS: What are you selling now?

LD: Right now, my men’s and ladies categories are my strongest. I moved out of children’s because there are so many moms out there like me who are focused just on selling their kids old clothes. I started testing men’s golf shirts, and since those sold well, I expanded into athletic apparel from labels like Adidas, Reebok and Nike. I sell a lot of stuff with college and NFL team logos too. One thing leads to another.  I can find good deals on Patriots and Jets clothing here in Pennsylvania, but not on Steelers stuff. This morning, I sold an Iowa State sweatshirt.

TIS: Where do you source your merchandise?

LD: I find enough at local resources like Gabriel Brothers and T.J. Maxx that I can sell for a profit on eBay that I don’t need to deal with wholesalers. In these smaller towns, the best stuff in the store—the obscure brands—is what ends up on the clearance racks.

TIS:  What was your biggest score?

LD: I bough a bunch of men’s $100 Ed Hardy tees for $3 bucks apiece when Ed Hardy first started taking off. You’d see celebrities wearing it, but people here didn’t know what it was, so they were on deep discount. I sold them for $40 or $50 each.

 TIS: And your biggest loser?

LD: I decided I would test some exclusive brands, so I went into New York City on a buying trip. I bought a Valentino skirt for $120 that I thought was beautiful, but I had the hardest time selling it. It retailed for $2,400; I eventually sold it for $90.

TIS: Is there a moral there?

LD: Sometimes you just have to go take that risk, but you have to do your research. Now I check the prices on eBay from my cell when I’m out shopping before I make a purchase. A hot name brand can pull people into your store, so it’s okay if you lose a little bit of money on it. But, when you’re relatively small like me, you can’t afford to lose too much.

TIS: How has your life changed since you launched your eBay business?

LD: Unlike when I was working fulltime for someone else, I have flexibility now, so I can take field trips with my kids. Going out shopping is my job, so I can do all of my personal shopping while I’m working. Having an eBay store is a great way to manage your family life and still contribute to the household income.

I also had an amazing opportunity to give back to the community: My post office gave my name to some ladies who were putting care packages together for local soldiers stationed in Iraq. They had no idea how to ship packages overseas, so I volunteered to do all of the weighing, filling out of custom forms and customizing labels for them. They brought 150 packages to my house! It took three days!

TIS: Any final words of advice?

LD: eBay has an online forum where you can talk to other sellers; there are private forums too. I belong to one that’s made up of all moms. Some are just selling their kids’ clothes; some are building fulltime businesses. There are a lot of rules and regulations, so the forums are a good place to ask questions and get tips. Also, I still need adult interaction! The eBay community really pulls us sellers together.

Have a look at Laurie’s links:

“My favorite item I have for sale right now is a Juicy Couture wool coat that retails for $498.”

“These NFL Equipment football shirts are an awesome deal; they retail in sporting good stores for $59.99 each.”

“College apparel items, especially from Penn State, are consistent good sellers for me. This is a Penn State boys’ winter coat by Nike.”

“I love the vintage look of this set of shorthand books from1951. It even has the original shipping box that shows the original postage of 24 cents. The set is just waiting for the right collector.”

“Kids get so attached to their loveys; losing one can be heartbreaking. I love being able to help parents bring a smile back to their child’s face by being the source of a replacement.”

“My latest great finds were kayak spray skirts by Harmony. People around here don’t really kayak, so there were a bunch of them on sale at a local discounter, even though they were still on the manufacturer’s website for full price. I bought all 20 and I sold them very quickly. They were my most profitable items all year.”

Marni Elyse Katz is a Boston-based freelance writer who covers style, art, and design for a variety of publications, including the Boston Globe Magazine, Boston Home and her own blog, www.stylecarrot.com.