For most of us, the first time we sell anything online is through eBay. What a great world! How cool is that? You clean your closet and find 12 things to list on eBay, and ten days later you’ve got $100 in your PayPal account!

One of my resolutions for 2007 is to sell first, buy later. I always feel like I’ve got a lot of auction savvy when I can pay for any eBay purchase with money already in my PayPal account as a result of my eBay sales.

In the coming year, I plan to make a big move – across the country. Before I do that I’m going to sell, sell, sell! Whether you are moving or just keeping up with your resolution to get organized, this is your year to make a small fortune on eBay.

It’s a brand new year, and there’s a world of shopping at your fingertips.

This is the year for you to buy smart on eBay and other online auction sites. You’ve learned your lessons (I know that I have!) about getting into bidding frenzies or going overboard on collectibles. Now it’s time to make some resolutions about buying on eBay. Remember: it’s all about finding great bargains, making good choices, and sharing the wealth!

Here are 10 tips for buying smart in 2007:

1. Use your watch list. This is one of eBay’s best features: use your watch list to help “curb your enthusiasm” and make smart buying choices. When you decide that it’s time to search for a particular item – for example, that sterling silver money clip for your business-savvy younger brother – use your watch list first, before you place your bid. Once you’ve been shopping for a specific item for a while, you can get a sense of what’s available and what you like. Take your time; most items on eBay will show up again.

Right about now, and in the coming days, all the crafters out there will be finishing up hand-made gifts for the holidays. From beaded jewelry to stained glass, handmade gifts are almost always a hit (I say “almost” because of some of the things I made in my early crafting days!).

Once you tie off the fringe on your handmade scarf, or place the crowning embellishment on your scrapbook pages, you will very likely have some extra supplies. My advice to you: put them on eBay and ring in your new year with some extra cash.

There’s a big world of crafters out there. It seems like during the past few years, bead stores have sprung up everywhere. Mega-stores like Wal-Mart and Target now have scrapbook aisles; according to Wikipedia.org, one in three American households include someone involved in scrap booking. And the books on knitting! Even the Harvard College bookstore sells knitting and crocheting supplies.

Do you ever wish that you had a personal shopper? You know – someone to do all the leg work for you: search for what you would like best, find out where the deals are, and get back to you with a list of what’s available and for how long? And with pictures, too?

And wouldn’t it be great if all of this were free?

Consider this your lucky day. I’ve got a personal shopper for all your eBay buying.

Honesty.com is an easy-to-use and free auction tool that will make shopping on eBay more efficient and even more fun.

Bless my grandmother’s heart. She had almost 20 grandchildren, and somehow managed to bring us all perfectly wrapped Christmas presents every year. These gifts weren’t just wrapped – they were made into mini-sculptures of holiday cheer: shiny, crimson-red paper tied with gold ribbons and multi-tiered bows, topped with embellishments like little sprigs of holly or tiny ornaments. It was almost a shame to open them – but we did, every year ripping open the gifts to find our surprises inside.

Oh, if only I’d saved all that paper for my eBay sales! This year, think twice before you throw away tissue, ribbons and boxes. As an eBay seller, you can recycle every bit of it for the items you’ll be selling in the coming year.