<p>Interesting topic or should I steer clear? What aspect of selling do you think would be best to focus on? Junior, 17 years old, been selling various things for quite some time now - literally everything you can imagine laying around my house, plus at one point I was buying things for cheap with discounts/sales and reselling at closer to the retail price. Practically have my own business going as I have been making deals with some neighbors and friends to sell their stuff. (Also possibly interested in business/accounting/something with math, actuarial science in college) Not sure if it would be weird/boring. If not need some guidance on where to go with it..</p>
<p>Your essay needs to reveal your personality, and ideally tell stories that give the college a sense of you as a person. They don’t want superficial info about your activities or business – they want to know something about YOU. Did you ever not take a good deal because you thought it wasn’t fair to someone? Did you ever sell something for cheap because you wanted to help someone? Did you ever make a deal that you later wished you hadn’t? You need a bit of explanation of your business, maybe, to give context to your story. But a good college essay is about you as a person and reveals something personal about yourself that can’t be found in the activities section.</p>
<p>eBay actually forbids anyone under 18 from selling on the site.</p>
<p>Here’s the link to register to start selling on eBay. Note that when registering, you must affirm that you are at least 18 years old. <a href=“Security Measure”>Security Measure;
<p>Awwww. I guess you can’t do it then</p>
<p>I didn’t know about the age restriction - but I let (made?) my daughter sell some things using my ebay account cuz she always needs $$$ and I figured she could find a way to generate some! </p>
<p>I’m not aware if that was a violation of the rules - esp. since the $$$ went into my paypal account. (To reimburse me for funds which were of course already spent)</p>
<p>Maybe OP had a similar set-up with a parent’s account? </p>
<p>At any rate @intparent has some good advice and I would follow by saying you can write about anything - as long as you write it well! It should be lively, interesting, and personal. Ideally it will tell a story that no one else can tell, or speak in a voice that is uniquely yours. </p>
<p>Remember too that good writing will show - not tell. Don’t try to interject your interest in math, accounting, business, etc. If you write your story well then your interests and aptitudes will naturally show up. </p>
<p>Bump! </p>
<p>I was actually wondering the same thing…I spend a lot of time selling things on eBay as a business and I’ve made a few thousand dollars. Because I’ve dedicated so much time to my (small) business, it would be great if I could express this hobby somehow in my application.</p>
<p>Sure, you can put down “E-Bay Selling” as a hobby . . . but what is Admissions supposed to think? When colleges look at your list of EC’s they are looking for what motivates you, what you are interested in and what you are passionate about – but they also are looking for what YOU can bring to their school. They are looking for translatable skills. How is your selling stuff on E-bay a translatable skill for the colleges, other than to say you like to make money by selling stuff and are good at it? It’s not like writing for your high school newspaper for 3 years – that’s a skill colleges need, they need student’s who will write for their college newspapers. Ditto with playing an instrument, sports, theater, dance, art etc. By all means, write it down, but don’t expect it to matter all that much. </p>
<p>If you’re thinking about the topic as an essay, I agree with @intparent: Colleges read essays for clues to your “character.” That’s an old-fashioned word that means the way you develop your inner qualities: intellectual passion, maturity, social conscience, concern for community, tolerance, and inclusiveness. The topic of your essay – whether it’s selling merchandise on E-Bay, or your love of cheerleading or anything in between – doesn’t matter . . . because your essay needs to reveal who you are and what you have learned from doing what you love.</p>