Dang RV

Now I know some of you are going to say, “What the heck does that have to do with RVing?”. Well, I have met several Ebayers in RV parks I have stayed at. Being an Ebay seller or running an Internet store are two ways to support your RV lifestyle. It only requires a computer, an Internet connection, basic shipping supplies, and items that can either be drop-shipped or that are small enough and light enough to store and sell from an RV. If you have a a home-base such as a leased pad or house, you likely have storage there for more product which can be shipped to you or picked up when you are in the area.

Selling successfully on Ebay requires good product pictures. People want to see what they are buying. You can get a good picture with just your camera and a table, couch, floor etc. A better picture might be on a sheet or fabric background of a solid color. If you want really detailed professional pictures, you need a light box. I have had the plans to build one for some time but I didn’t like the folded down size or weight in my RV so hadn’t made it yet. Tada! In comes Digital Concepts with a truly light, portable, and professional light box you can purchase at Walmart.

It looks like an artist’s folio at first look. Open it up and it forms a 16″x16″x16″ light box with non-reflective translucent walls you can shine the 2 included freestanding high output photo lights through for backlighting, a reversible non-reflective background of blue and gray, and a tripod for your camera. The folio has pockets on the outside for the lights and tripod and folds up easily into a very decent size to store easily in any closet or under the bed. Cost is $49.95 which is well worth it if you do a lot of Ebay selling. It is also useful for online stores to add new products. Crafters selling online can look very professional with this.

Got some great tips I thought I would pass on.

1. Use the sides of the overhead microwave and the overhead stove vent if available to hang things like measuring spoons on stick-on hooks. The little plastic sticky hooks by 3M and others work very well on those, the items will be within easy reach when needed, and will generally stay in place while traveling.

2. Anyone who has cooked in a small RV propane oven knows how the food tends to burn on the bottom. Buy 4 six-inch unglazed ceramic tiles and put them on the solid metal shelf just above the burner to evenly distribute the heat throughout the oven. They must be unglazed and be able to handle high temps so you likely won’t find them at Home Depot type stores. Look for tile dealers.

3. If your rear RV bumper has rusted or does not have enough room for all your sewer hoses, you can buy plastic hose containers from Camping World or you can make your own! I bought one 10 foot white plastic sewer pipe at Lowes hardware store along with additional caps, etc. and made 2 of these for less than the price of one pre-fabbed. Mine don’t have mounting feet but I can still strap them under my trailer, on the rear bumper, or in my case, to the rear ladder. They were very easy to make with just a regular saw needed to cut the pipe and a knife to trim the burrs.

If you have the room in one of your storage bays, coiling sewer hoses and cords up in Tupperware was also suggested to me

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