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CJ ArabiaWhen my friend Marcia's dirty, deadbeat roommate skipped out of the apartment (and on the rent) she left behind a number of seemingly unusable items, including a mattress. So naturally, Marcia sold them on Craigslist. Turns out that no matter what kind of random junk you're saddled with, there's probably someone willing to pay you money for it.

I know, because I've become an eBay aficionada in the past couple weeks. As many of you know my mom died in March, leaving us quite a collection of toys, dolls, china and all sorts of brick-a-brack that my siblings and I (though it breaks our hearts) have been selling. In doing so, I've learned a few things.

You may have a few items around your home that you've thought of selling on eBay or Craigslist, but just haven't gotten around to doing it. As both an eBay shopper and somebody who's newly turned to hocking my stuff as a source of income, I'll give you the ins and outs, ups and downs of buying and selling things online.

Click here for CJ's tips on unloading your junk online.

1. Whatever shipping costs, it's worth it. I used to hate when something cost too much to ship, but now that I'm on the other end, there's really no such thing as too much for shipping. Finding the right-size box, packing paper, packing tape, driving to the post office, waiting in line, and then the cost of shipping ... I feel like, no matter what shipping costs it's not enough to make up for what it takes to get this item safely packed up and shipped to the person who bought it. So don't be a snob about shipping costs. Shipping is a pain in the arse.

2. When you win an auction, PAY THE PERSON IMMEDIATELY. I have several auctions that ended a week ago and the people who won the auction have yet to pay for their items. I mean, c'mon people! Paying on time is polite and keeps your rating high, which means people will be more likely to buy from / sell to you.

3. Be prepared for any and all jackass questions. "What are the dimensions of this item?" "Can you combine shipping costs if I buy more than one item?" "Can you take a close-up picture of the scratch on the lunch box so I can see how bad it really is?" My initial reaction to questions like this is "For eff's sake, bid or don't bid." But then I usually just answer their question in the nicest way possible, which is all part of being a good salesperson. It works, too.

4. Use the "Buy Now" option. It may cost you more in the long run, but the instant gratification and lack of hassle is worth it. Nobody wants to wait seven days to be sniped by some D-bag with an itchy trigger finger. (Unless I'm the D-bag with the itchy trigger finger. Then it's fine.)

5. When selling locally on Craigslist, offer delivery. A big deterrent for shoppers is that you actually have to go pick the crap up once you've bought it. (Oh, and there are always those raped-and-murdered stories to up the inconvenience factor.) I highly recommend NOT going to deliver to strange addresses alone, but if you have a car and can offer to drop the item off, you're much more likely to get rid of it.

I know there are a lot of other sites where you can buy and sell your stuff. I'm curious to know which ones are your favorites, so please leave me a comment and let me know if there are other places I should be checking out.

And now this week's unemployment update ...

To Do: Still looking for a kick-ass job. I have never been unemployed for this long in my entire life. I seriously can't believe it.

(And if you want to check out my eBay auctions, here's the link: http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/foxystardust. I look forward to your jackass questions.)