Spending too much online

[TomahawkKid]

I am so worried about my eBay habit. Now that PayPal lets you buy now and pay later, it's even worse. It often means that I can't pay the household bills on time. This month my car insurance payment is late and they have made an admin charge of £20. I am in arrears with the electric and have a payment plan of £152 a month. I also took out a payday loan of £300 which means £500 to pay back, the payments are £92 a month. The eBay habit began when my husband was dying of cancer. It was a distraction from the overwhelming sadness. And it was something I could do quietly when I was watching over him. He died on 7 January 2017. He went into hospital the previous Christmas day. Which has made me hate this time of year! I have been doing eBay ever since. I justify it by saying that this thing is a bargain which I will sell later at a profit. I have about £400 worth of goods currently for sale on eBay. But nobody is buying them and you end up going lower and lower with the price. If there is a tiny profit it gets grabbed by eBay as seller fees and PayPal takes a big chunk too. I don't really enjoy all the parceling up and queuing at the post office either. I can't seem to stop the buying though and when the postman knocks I just love opening all the parcels. And I very much enjoy finding the perfect gift for someone. I also buy clothes and shoes for myself and my son and my Mum. I just wish I could stop. Or at least only buy things we really need.

Is anyone else getting a bit too fond of eBay? And has anyone successfully stopped?

Love
Tomahawk

I’m so sorry for your loss, it sounds like you’ve been through a terrible time. I think you need to speak to someone about managing your debt, there are various charities. As for buying to sell on, you will never make money as it’s been listed on ebay the 1st time and no ones bought it. A far cheaper and more satisfying habbit is trawling charity shops and car boot sales for stuff you actually can make a profit on, then only spending what you have made in your PayPal on the goods that you actually want (this is what I do). Alternatively you could try and find a hobby that doesn’t involve spending anything online? I don’t think there’s any easy solution but you can get out of debt and change, it’s not too late.

Hello, thank you for replying. I do get things to sell from boot sales and charity shops as well. I have so much stuff that won't sell. Even really beautiful original paintings, nobody wants them. I think it is Brexit. And austerity.

Everyone is scared to spend money.

I am sorry for your loss. Have you had counselling? I think you would benefit from it.

You have had such a hard time. The opening packages may be representing fresh start/new options/promise/hope and the the buying maybe about control. It is difficult to know but you sound self aware and like you would make go progress.

There are other things you can do - Money Savibg Expert blogs, Paul McKenna re money/change your life would be worth looking at.