EBay hobby turns into full-time job for Raleigh mom

Crissy Jeckel was a full-time working mom of three kids when she started selling her daughters' clothes on eBay for fun and to make a little money.

At one point, Jeckel had worked at Gymboree and, as she put it, "had tons and tons of stuff" for her daughters, now 12 and 13. She sold some of the pieces at consignment stores, but they wouldn't take, for instance, summer clothes in the fall or Halloween costumes in the spring

So, in 2004, she tried eBay and was hooked.

"It was always kind of exciting to see what it would do," she said. "I think eBay is a great market indicator."

"It's just as exciting now, if not more so," Jeckel said. "I'll log in at night and see my sales have doubled."

The bonus room in Jeckel's north Raleigh home has turned into her work space, complete with racks of clothes and a shelf full of collectibles. She also sells larger items, such as nursery equipment, on Craigslist.

Perhaps, best of all, the job gives Jeckel the time she needs for her kids. In addition to her daughters, she has a 6-year-old son. She'd eventually love to grow the business and hire other moms in the area to give them the same flexibility that she has.

"I'm able to stop what I'm doing, go pick them up from school if they're sick," Jeckel said. " I can help them in my son's classroom. I can help out with my girls at school. We've been very fortunate to be able to do everything we've been able to do in the last couple of years."